Lap Nissen question...

Has anyone on here under the age of 30 gotten this surgery done?  My doc insists I am too young for the surgery option, but I have actually had the condidtion since my early teenage years.  Also, anyone hear about the new elf procedure and know how it differs and if the side affects are any better?  Thanks for your help!

Vomit a lot?  What's a lot?  Like when you eat, drink, etc?  Could you elaborate when you get a sec.  Thanks.

Hi Lucy
I'm 29 and will be having the surgery on 1/28. I have several bleeding ulcers in my esophagus, pre cancer looking stuff in there as well (so my GI told me after 2 endoscopies) and have been bumped up to 2 protonix daily, and I still have problems!!!!
Alli

Delz...welcome to healingwell, and thank you for sharing your experience with this! I do hope you will stick with us, as this is a great place for information and support!!!

I have been to 2 different gi docs, and both are adament that the surgery creates more problems then before you have it and since the PPIs work for me they wont do it.  One physician is part of a very reputable university hospital in my city, so that surprised me very much.  I have no idea why they say too young.  I feel like if anything my chances of recovering quicker are better.  I am starting to think they are all pretty clueless when it comes to this anyway. 

I am 25, was 24 when I had my Nissen 5 months ago.. I had the endoscopy, PH Bravo test, and the test where they measure the valve strength pre-surgery (can't remember the name right now)..

Anyway, I wouldn't see age as a factor, and if anything younger people recover faster, but I would exhalt all options "before" this surgery, as it was ROUGH, and I am still feeling problems, etc..

My main thing I would say to anyone who wants this done, research, research, research... I never did enough, or I would have found others with more problems afterward.. I'm not trying to scare you, but just want to give you a side that's not told by Surgeons very much that is a chance of happening..

If you have any questions, feel free to ask me..

Lucy,

I had the surgery 13 weeks ago. It took 3 weeks for me to start feeling better after surgery, but the reflux and acid relief was immediate. No regrets. No major problems after the procedure. I can burp. I have absolutely no need of meds. I'm thrilled with my new lease on life. I'm a 46-year-old female.

My surgeon told me that not all GI doctors will support a patient's decision to have the Nissen procedure when medication controls symptoms. I'm pretty sure that he said most would opt to continue medication instead of the surgery route. He also said that the GI physician I work with does not always support the choice of surgery for all his patients - he would usually advise to continue medication; but for me it was the best option.

Something else taken into consideration was the fight each year with my insurance company to renew my ability obtain proper PPI medication - the insurance company wanted me to take Prilosec OTC - which my body does not tolerate nor does it control my symptoms. So the fact that obtaining Nexium would be so difficult was a factor in the decision. Plus the insurance company would not allow me enough Nexium to take it twice a day - they would only allow once a day. While I was on the medication, the GI's office supplemented my supply of Nexium with their office samples.

Another issue that was taken into consideration was that the Nexium neutralized the acid, but did not stop the reflux - so I was waking up at night choking on my own refluxed material. Aspirating stomach contents was not pleasant. Before the wrap surgery I had been to two separate sleep clinics for sleep apnea symptoms. After the surgery the symptoms are totally gone and I feel so rested in the morning that it's an obvious change compared to how I used to feel. Turns out that the reflux was preventing me from going into a deep sleep because I partially woke up to move and stop choking every night - even with the wedge.

I did my research into the procedure before having it. Even with finding mostly horror stories, I chose to have the surgery. There's no way anyone can tell you about the problems you will face after the procedure. You've read enough here to see that each person is different and has had different issues after the surgery. We can tell you what happened to us, but that does not mean that your body will react the same way. We all had different surgeons - that means the same procedure, but done with different techniques and different ideas of how tight to make the wrap. Our bodies are all different and each body will tolerate this physical change in the structure of the stomach differently.

I think if you continue searching, you will find a GI that will agree to the surgery. At your age, I'd start searching - but knowing that it will take a while to find the right doctor.

Good luck

Well, I thought it was rough, because they do cut away the spleen to use the stomach for the wrap, they move the liver out of the way, they stitch up the diaphragm (if you have a hernia), they stitch the wrap where the stitches go into the base of the esophagus and you are inflated with Co2 during the surgery, which causes pain from that being in you for up to a week or so (they let it out after surgery, but some still stays in till it goes away)..

Also, afterward, it's hard because you get nausea quite a bit, and my surgeon said if I throw up in the first few weeks, before enough scar tissue develops, it may damage the wrap.

Also the scar tissue that builds up inside you tends to cause you pain in random areas... (I'm not trying to scare you off, just letting you know a possibility as every BODY is different to the surgery and healing)

I would find a good surgeon, as I did, he was very experienced, but still you can never tell 100% how it will turn out for you, and how the results/complications will affect you..

I had gerd for about 3½ years that was getting more severe by the day... I couldn't even sleep in my recliner as I would awake to acid choking me off.. Rolaids, Pepcid, Prevacid, Milk, etc didn't even touch the problems that I was having..

I'm a male...

I took Reglan 3-4 times a day, Prevacid 20mg twice a day, 2 pepcid AC nightly before bed, and ate rolaids like candy... I could tell a difference when I didn't take my meds, but other than that, they didn't do much good for me..

If I could do it all over again? Well probably not, that may have to do with the blood clots, collapsed lung, 8 days in ICU, but even without that I would probably spend months thinking about re-considering it..

If the meds work for you, I would avoid this surgery unless it gets so bad, that even with meds you get no relief.. You may want to check into the Stretta procedure, where they basically use stimulus by endoscopy to tighten your LES valve, I heard great things about it, and in your case with meds working, that may help you get off meds, or atleast take much less often.. talk to your doctor about it and see what they think..

Good luck, and if I hope my information was of some help..

PS.. oh and what HappilyWrapped said about insurance, that is something to consider, I was dropped from coverage of my Prevacid 1 month prior to surgery and it would cost me $200 out of pocket..

Post Edited (jbrdbr111) : 1/26/2008 8:48:22 PM (GMT-7)

Its good to hear that you are doing well Alycarr00, I am doing fundo next month.

Post Edited (outtllaw) : 2/11/2008 4:50:38 PM (GMT-7)