Fundoplication - Digestive Disorders Message Board

ventcrew · 04-25-2004, 09:14 AM

My gastro doctor has recommended that I have a fundoplication. If anyone has had this procedure can you please answer a few questions. Can you vomit and burp if need be? Is most of the pain from the incisions or the repair? How bad is the shoulder pain? If a piece of food gets stuck or you can not swallow does it feel like you are choking? How long post-op before you could drive? work? eat solid food? Any responses would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

ventcrew

sara52 · 04-25-2004, 11:47 AM

I have had fundoplication surgery..I will answer a few of your questions as to how they effected me but you need to understand that everyone is different and heals at different rates and complications going into surgeries also effect outcomes....Yes, I could burp within hours following surgery..I don't know about vomiting because I take compazine so I don't get to that point...My surgeon says if the surgery is done right and the wrap not made to tight then you should be able to burp and vomit. The shoulder and neck pain is from the air they fill you up with during surgery..It was pretty bad the first few days but then it started going away...My husband spent alot of time rubbing my shoulder and neck trying to get rid of that pain.By bad, I mean aggrevating but not unbearable....As far as eating following surgery, you just have to take it very slow introducing foods back into your system..You will be on clear liquids for the first several days and probably have a barium swallow on the day after surgery to make sure you can swallow...You will have alot of swelling so you just have to go slow...After a few days then you will be on liquids and soft foods for several weeks or maybe several months...It depends on how well your recovery goes and how soon the swelling goes down...Some foods to try are mashed potatoes, puddings, jello, gravy (if it isn't to heavy for your system) cream of wheat or rice.....Meatballs because they are very soft in the middle...You dont want to try salads, bread, or meat such as steak or porkchops, etc......You will know when you are recovered enough to start adding more things into your diet..Drinking a little warm water before trying to eat will help to relax your esophagus and make swallowing easier....People usually return to work any where from 2-4 weks following surgery.....I didn't take any pain pills when I came home from the hosp. other than OTC tylenol and prescription Ibuprofen that was prescribed to help with the swelling....Usually you will have hernia repair as part of this surgery so if you do you will probably have a lifting restriction for awhile, make sure you follow that restriction because you will need time to allow scar tissue formation to form at the hernia repair site so you dont get the hernia back. Good luck with your surgery.
Sara

Katie G · 04-26-2004, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ventcrew

My gastro doctor has recommended that I have a fundoplication. If anyone has had this procedure can you please answer a few questions. Can you vomit and burp if need be? Is most of the pain from the incisions or the repair? How bad is the shoulder pain? If a piece of food gets stuck or you can not swallow does it feel like you are choking? How long post-op before you could drive? work? eat solid food? Any responses would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

ventcrew

Hi there - I too have had fundo surgery and agree with all sara52 said. You will need to take things slow as far as eating/drinking again, and to this day (3 years after surgery), I still have to be careful how fast I eat or drink because it is VERY difficult for me to burp. When I need to burp, the trapped gas can cause severe chest pain (like what I'm sure a heart attack feels like), and then sometimes I start salivating too like I'm going to throw up. However, I am not able to vomit since surgery (except once when food got stuck on its way down, and I vomited it back up basically undigested). Sorry to be so graphic, and everyone is different in how they recover and how tight their wrap is, so understand this is my story, and may not happen to you. Eat & drink slowly; chew food thoroughly; small bites/sips are the best pieces of advice I can give you.

I had medicine at one time to use if I got so nauseous I would be vomiting, but never used it and then it expired. Unfortunately, I did get really sick one day last summer, and had the dry heaves all day. Hopefully, I didn't tear the wrap, but since I have to go in every 2 years for endoscopy to monitor the status of my esophagus (I was diagnosed with Barrett's), and am due for endo this summer, I will talk about it with my doctor then. Next time I get that sick, I will go to the ER and get something to stop the nausea.

I was off work for a week and a half, then went back to work half-time for a week, and then back to full time within 3 weeks after surgery. I have basically a desk job, and so even though I also had a hiatal hernia repaired, I just had to be careful about heavy lifting at home (like laundry, vaccuuming, etc.) It's all up to you and your doctor when you can go back to work, but most people are back within 2-4 weeks.

I took nothing more than tylenol and ibuprofen after coming home from the hospital even though I had darvocet if needed. The pain was really no big deal - I thought recovery from gall bladder removal was much harder and more painful. It took at least a week post-op before I had much endurance again, but then I have fibromyalgia, so surgery can really take a toll on my strength & endurance because of that.

Review some of the other posts here regarding fundo and do internet research about it too. It was recommended for me back in '99, but I took 2 years to make the decision to have it done and wanted to be really sure what I was getting into. Make sure your surgeon has performed several hundreds of these procedures too - you don't need to be his human guinea pig.

Good luck and keep us posted,
Katie G