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Part 5 of POST OP LAP NISSEN...Please continue to post!!!

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GERD & Acid Reflux
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Posted 8/22/2008 11:35 PM (GMT 0)

katchu

I am very glad your surgery went well, whoooo hoooo and I pray you continue to heal well.

Lady and Bopeep,

It makes me feel good to see all the sharing you are doing here and it also reassures me if my GERD ever gets so bad that I need intervention I know I can come here and will find support.

Thank you for the great job of suporting each other.

Kitt

Posted 8/23/2008 3:19 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks all for the support you have given me so far. It has been greatly appreciated. I still have the lump in my chest and the pain that I encounter when I have a little hiccup. OH MY GOODNESS!!!! Has anyone else seemed to have breathing problems? I can't seem to yawn or take deep breaths without extreme pain. I don't remember reading that on any other post but I could have accidentally skipped over it.

Kitt, I do not wish for your Gerd to get worse because I know from first hand experience how much all of us have suffered and I don't want that for you. If it does happen by chance though, know that those have already helped me and I am sure we are all here to help you.
Posted 8/24/2008 8:30 AM (GMT 0)

Katchu - Yes! I was breathless and it has lasted up until about a week ago. I know someone else on here had the same problem. Having the Hiatal Hernia fixed can make it a bit tight around that area so taking deep breaths can be uncomfortable and tricky.

I had the results of the barium and all is well! I guess it just confirms what I thought. I will continue to try and introduce different foods to my diet and see what happens.

LdyJane - What sort of foods are you eating? Anyone got any good recipes? :-)

I have come off the Beconase as I think it was making my palpitations worse and I am taking a herbal remedy instead. Also not taking the PPi and all seems to have settled down on that front! Yippee! If I can just get these palpitations sorted out I will be feeling good!  turn

How is everyone else doing?

Posted 8/24/2008 9:44 PM (GMT 0)
Elaine, food is such an interesting subject!! There are days when I can eat and days when I can't, but I am finally starting to feel good! (Just in time to go back to work). Surprisingly, things like ritz crackers go down very well, while potatoes give me trouble. I take tiny, tiny bites of food and I seem to be okay, but I have to say that meat is still a stumbling block. Today I had a piece of cheese pizza; understand that it took 30 minutes to get 1 very small piece down, but it still tasted good.

I made a turkey dinner the other night and didn't tolerate any parts of it at all, so for me it is so hit or miss! Something that has worked really well is scrambled egg with bacon chopped up and mixed in. I can eat one piece of french toast with cinnamon sugar on it. I had a piece of well done toast (not burned) with peanut butter scraped over the top. I'm mixing orange juice (hooray!!) with cranberry juice and sip on that; I still can't take a satisfying drink and I really miss that! I've retired any blending recipes and I'm trying to progress with real food. Mixed results to be certain, but I am making progress. The good news is that I'm back in a size 8 to size 10!!

I'm very happy to hear that the barium swallow was good; my assumption is that time is what (we) depend on for healing!

Katchu, I had significant breathing problems for 2 to 3 weeks after; my ribs were so sore and the cartilage between the ribs was inflamed....motrin was my mainstay for quite a while. It eventually dissipates so you'll get beyond this... I promise!
Posted 8/24/2008 10:11 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you for reassuring me about this pain. I overdid it a little bit earlier today at the grocery store (severe dizzy spell). I am thinking this was due to a shortage of oxygen due to the fact I am not breathing as deeply as I used to. After sitting down for about ten minutes things were better. As long as I know that the pain is nothing to worry about I will not bother my doctor regarding this matter.

I wish I could give some recipes but unfortunately I am still new to this whole situation. I have to say that the blender has become my best friend. I have been drinking a lot of smoothies. I found the V8 Fusion drinks have both a serving of vegetables and fruit in them to help get some of our missing vitamins.

LdyJane thanks for commenting on the fact that you can't take a satisfying drink. I turned to my sister today and told her I sure hope I don't get really thirsty because there is no way I would be able to take a gulp of water without causing myself a lot of pain.

Patience and time have become my motto!!!!

Kathy
Posted 8/24/2008 10:43 PM (GMT 0)
Kathy, my ribs hurt and I couldn't take a deep breath, I also found that I was more breathless than I thought I should be and I did mention it to my Dr.

I have concerns that you needed to sit for 10 minutes; perhaps you did over do things, but I still think it's a concern that should be addressed. I couldn't do that much afterwards; I tired very easily and if I went to the store it was for a just a little while....and then I was done for the day!.

Prior to surgery, I did cardio 5 days a week and strength training, afterwards, I had trouble just walking, so maybe it's the same thing, but don't just take our word for it, your breathing difficulties may be different than mine and I don't want to mislead you.

Take care of you!
Janice
Posted 8/29/2008 7:50 PM (GMT 0)
I have just returned from my follow up visit. The doctor agrees that I just over did and should have been listening to my body when it started to get a little winded I should have stopped then. The doctor is keeping me off of work for one more week so I will go back Sept. 8. He also didn't tell me much about my diet other than take it real S-L-O-W.

How long has everyone else gone with their diet? Has anyone tried anything harder than boiled chicken after the second week?
Posted 8/30/2008 8:10 AM (GMT 0)

I've just gone onto solid food last week (week 18) so don't think I can help much. turn   I am eating mash, weetabix, porridge, scrambled egg and spaghetti in a sauce. I am taking it real slow! shocked

Gabby, are you out there? How did it go?

Posted 8/31/2008 11:34 AM (GMT 0)
I am 4 months post-op and doing very well. The gerd cough is also gone and that's amazing. Strangely enough, it was the last of the old gerd symptoms to go.
I do suffer a little from gas and I have very loose and very urgent bowel movements.
I had a partial wrap (270 degrees), but everything seems to be holding up well so far.

While, I would advocate surgery, I still have a few doubts and my views are not entirely in the surgeons' camp. Unlike the surgeons, I believe anxiety still plays a massive part in this illness. In addition, I have great concerns about the way some surgeons do pre-gerd tests.

However, for me so far the surgery has been good. I would do it again.
Posted 8/31/2008 12:45 PM (GMT 0)

Hi everyone. 

       I just had my nissen wrap and hernia repair done about 12 days ago.  I must say this surgery was very hard on me, and I did not expect it to be like this at all.  The doctor told me that i would be out of surgery in an hour, go home the next day, and return to work in 5 to 6 days.  Ha.  Well, the surgery ended up taking about 5 hours because he said my hernia was so huge and it took them a long time to fix it.  When I got out of surgery I was in so much pain I couldnt even walk, breath or move  sad    The pain in my stomach, back, and shoulders was just excruciating.  They had to put a tube in my chest to empty the drainage from the surgery, oh my god that was so awful I cant even tell u how much that hurt. 

          I have a motility problem in my esophagus so before my surgery my symptoms were a little diferent than normal gerd sufferers.  Everytime I would eat it would shoot back up into my mouth, and i would burp up at least 50 times a day...and it was very painful.  It was mostly bile that refluxed up, not so much acid, and i really only got heartburn occasionally.  My biggest problem was the constant burping and regurgtation of bile and stomach juices, regaurdless of what I ate.  I was hoping this surgery would have fixed this for good, well, I was wrong.  It only helped 25% and I am still getting reflux all day long.  What it mostly helped with is the burping, I dont burp nearly as much as I used to.  But the reflux up into my throat is still there if i do eat, dont eat, ect.  I think this has a lot to do with my motility problem, because i am having the same symptoms now as i was having before my surgery.  It takes me like 3 swallows to get even liqiuds down.  I am only drinking protein shakes and smoothies....i cant tolerate anything else.  I went home from the hospital 7 days after my surgery.  When I got home i could barely walk or even sit down.  The pain was just unbearable.  I did not expect my surgery to be like this at all considering the doctors told me i would be back to work in 5 days.  I took 3 weeks off work just to be sure.  There is no way I could be going back to work feeling like this.  Its been 12 days now, the pain has subsided a lot, but it is still there.  I am still getting regurgitation and reflux even now. 

            I am really depressed over this whole thing.  I am glad it helped the burping and maybe a little bit of the reflux, but I guess i was expecting too much by hoping all the reflux would dissappear after surgery.  What am I going to do now? I am only 27 and the thought of having to suffer with this illness for the rest of my life is not very inviting and it is very depressing.  I just want to be normal like i used to be before all this happened to me.  I used to be able to eat anything i wanted and nothing phased me.  Now I just feel hopeless and have no idea what to do anymore.  I dont think i can handle working being ill like this.  Well, thanks for letting me share, I hope everyone else is doing well

-Gabby

Posted 8/31/2008 11:30 PM (GMT 0)
Dear Gabby, I am so sorry to hear of this; this is very distressing news. Let me try to sort things out and give you some info.
1..Some Dr.'s paint you this rosy picture, in fact this is major, major surgery; I was a little past the 5 week mark before I felt good. It sounds like they had to do an open Nissen instead of a lap; that would account for the drains and the extra long hospital stay.

2. I had significant pain and it lasted a full two weeks, then I had withdrawal from the fentanyl patch (I didn't know it was addictive, nor did anyone tell me). I still had to maintain a level of pain meds after that and nausea meds.

3. The Nissen, when done properly, should have eradicated all or most of your reflux; it has mine and most others on this post. Where does that leave you? I don't know dear, I really don't, but it sounded as if there were complications. You may want to view the video of your surgery to really determine what happened.

4. Don't be afraid to call your Dr. to get answers and don't let him put you off. Where did you have your surgery?, I can't remember if you told us already. If you don't get the satisfaction you deserve you should contact another Dr. Cleveland Clinic will review your situation for you.

5. What's in your smoothies??? If there is any fruit, knock it off!; get back to bland! Others have had significant problems with dairy; you should have had a consult with a dietitian and they should have given you their number...call them! have them figure this out for you too.

Keep us informed, let us help you if we can...you don't have to travel this path alone!!!
Janice
Posted 9/1/2008 8:16 AM (GMT 0)

Hi Gabby. I didn't start feeling better until about 4.5 months post op. I was still having the burning throat and the phlegm problems. I have oesophegeal motility problems so it has been a difficult recovery. The heartburn has gone but I do still get some throat burn now and again but nowhre near as bad as before. My surgeon told me to take the odd PPI if I felt the need. Do you have gallbladder problems?

It can be depressing sometimes I know. I am just being tested for Hyperthyroidism so feel a bit fed up myself.

12 days out is early on in your recovery and there will be a lot of swelling which can feel horrid.

Come back and keep talking to us and we will try and cheer you up! smilewinkgrin

Posted 9/1/2008 3:11 PM (GMT 0)
Gabby, by all means do not let yourself get depressed. Nothing after this surgery can be as bad as it was before. As someone said before me it sounds as if they had to do an open surgery. Due to this fact, it is my belief that it will take you longer to heal than those like me that were able to have it through a laproscopic surgery.

It is my belief that if you let yourself get depressed, you will take longer to heal. Let your doctor know your feelings. Your mental well being is tied in so much with your physical well being that you cannot heal properly.

Take care of yourself and keep checking back. These people were such a great help to me before my surgery and when I go back and read the posts from the forum in sections 1-2 it is rather uplifting as those of us have made it through. Yes, it is a long road ahead but there is light at the end.

My advice to you though is to be in contact with your surgeon and let them know your problems. Make sure that they are completely aware of how much pain you are suffering from and that you are feeling depressed. This is a major concern that I am having on your behalf.

Be well and know that I along with many others are here for you.

Kathy
Posted 9/14/2008 12:38 AM (GMT 0)
Hi all;

I'm new, starting my 5th week of recovery from a Nissen full wrap and hiatal hernia repair. I wish I'd discovered you all 3 weeks ago. In hindsite, I'm following many of your paths to the tee, so I feel comforted that I'm not crazy, that the procedure was probably successful and I need to be more patient. My recovery has been relatively smooth, but there is the 2 steps forward, 1 step back concept... which we all know makes us sure that we have ripped stitches or somehow it just didn't take.

I've discovered that pushing it always backfires. I discovered it is not an everyday gets better kind of thing. Some days are good, somedays really stink! But from 8/14 to today, it is better. I discovered that water is essential to my recovery as I did have a couple near passout episodes that I'm pretty sure was dehydration, especially once I started introducing foods, so drank less liquids. God knows, we are already calorically challenged, and sleep deprived cuz there are no comfortable positions for us side sleepers the 1st 3 weeks. Not the right time to push oneself. That little lesson put me in the ER the first time!

Some days I get that chest pain that sometimes radiates to the back (that started week 3). Some days my internal stitches seem to pull harder than others (I learned that around week 3 & 4, the tissue starts to contract as it forms scar tissue, pulling nerves along with it which is probably why we get those annoying zingers internally). I just swallowed water wrong (try to avoid that) so now my internal stitches hurt from coughing. My MD says the internal pains can last 3-6 months, but that doesn't mean they will.

I still get that Gerd cough from time to time, which of course makes me certain the acid is coming up though I don't feel it. But one of your posts reassured me that that ought to go away. This is helpful. I'm a singer and I'm still hoarse which I don't understand, but for now it falls under the "I'm still healing" category.

The bigger point is that I'm grateful to have you all out there. I have a very imaginative mind and while I doubt I can cure that, at least I'm in good company. It seems our imaginations (which of course indicates our brilliance) can get the better of us creating more stress than is there. (I've discovered that one with eating) So with your help and wisdom, I'm trying to be patient and kind to myself. As everyone keeps reminding me, this is a major surgery, patience grasshopper! Thanks, Jules
Posted 9/15/2008 8:13 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Jules! I just wanted to say welcome and I'm glad people are still reading this thread! Any more questions just fire away! smilewinkgrin
Posted 9/15/2008 4:58 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Jules, and welcome to you! I also had my lap nissen on Aug. 14. I think I'm probably younger than most on here tho, cause I'm healing pretty fast, I feel very fortunate. I'm 26. I also had a hiatal hernia done at the same time. My surgery only lasted 48 min. my dr. said it was a text book surgery. I did have a lot of pain from the gas the first wk n 1/2, but I didn't even take my pain meds a wk. because I didn't like to sleep all the time. My body was getting so sore from laying around. I still have times that my stomach hurts pretty bad tho. I wonder how long that will last. Wishing you all a good day! :-)
Posted 9/15/2008 5:28 PM (GMT 0)

Hello everyone post op I am 22 weeks out. I have only posted a few times and I need to start posting more for the support and to support others. UPDATE the Nissen completely failed for me in my opinion. The recovery over all was not that horrible but I gained more problems from the surgery without even getting rid of the main one. I can eat almost everything without problems except french fries I think it may be because of the starch..? steak gets down fine as well as a burger. I had a lump in the throat feeling even when drinking water for the first 2 months which subsided. As the swelling and other problems began to lift I didnt think I was really having heartburn but  it came back pretty quickly. I now have it about as bad as I did at this time last year and feel like it is getting worse each day..as it did before. I just can't believe I have been going through this for 5 years. I am left wondering where will I be in a few months? hopefully I will not be in the ER on christmas day again. I have had MANY medical problems since the surgery but not in relation to it. My biggest complaint other than the heartburn is the fact I can't vomit I knew their was a chance after the surgery that I may not be able to belch but was never told I couldnt vomit this has been such a huge and uncomfortable problem fro me due to some other medical issues that cause me to be very naushious.. everybody knows sometimes you just simply feel better after getting the yuck out but I can't and its horrible to gag and gag and feel the contents trying to come up but stuck at the surgical site. Ekkk

but the other problem which oddly just began to get worse in the last few weeks is my left shoulder blade pain. It is VERY tender and sore and the area seems to be growing larger. I will not go back to the surgeon as I feel he blew me off by the second follow up. and my family psycian feels its due to overuse IT'S NOT! nono I feel like I am being completely disreguarded and I keep being told everthing is fine and not a problem.

 

has anyone else had any of these problems? my shoulder is killing me!!! sad

 

oh and I just thought i'd add that I know the shoulder blade pain is due to the surgery because I had it right after I woke up in the hospital and was told it was from the gas they pumped into me and during my second follow up with the surgeon he also explained something about a nerve possibly being inflammed

but not to worry it would go away and was apart of the healing process shakehead

Also has anyone else developed chronic

diarrhea since having the surgery?

Posted 9/15/2008 9:01 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Unhappy,

I'm sorry you are still suffering so. My surgeon told me that the gas pain caused some of the shoulder/back pain, but the specific left shoulder pain had to do with hiatal hernia repair. The nerve supply that feeds the diaphragm which they stitch into on both sides of esophagus, also refers up to the left shoulder. The stitches can hit nerves, which while healing can hurt like crazy. If a nerve is hit, it can take a long time to settle down. I will re-ask my MD about that.

It seems like the conventional wisdom on this site is to always have on hand anti-nausea medicine. If you are prone to nausea, that may be your new game plan. I don't know what to say about the acid. It seems people recommend having the wrap checked out via barium swallow or upper endoscopy to see if the wrap has held or come loose. But I will let the others answer to that.

Bo Peep, I think I remember that you love to sing. Was that you and are you able to sing now? Did you have hoarseness for a while after surgery? If not you, hopefully that person will read this and answer.

Southern star, I too still have discomfort internally. As I said, somedays are good, and some days if I stretch wrong, or sneeze too much (I'm kinda fighting a cold now) it seems more sore. I sang yesterday (best I could) and today I feel soreness as I'm sure the breathing worked the insides pretty well. My surgeon OK'd singing if I didn't push it.

It really is a one day at a time thing!

Jules
Posted 9/16/2008 9:22 AM (GMT 0)

Hi Jules! Yes I love to sing (and so does LdyJane). I have found that some days I am croaky/phlegmy. I can't seem to get rid of it at all and I haven't found any answers to that yet. Also too much singing will make me hoarse and give me a sore throat.  sad I sang at a christening on Sunday and it wasn't that good!  cry   I am presuming it is because of the dismotility in my oesophagus. confused

SS-internal discomfort lasted about 4 months for me.

Unhappy-sorry but I haven't had any pain at all in my shoulder so I can't help you there. I know some people have though. Also sorry to hear you are still getting reflux. I know what it is like not to have your symptoms resolved.

Posted 9/16/2008 10:53 AM (GMT 0)
Hi all. Sorry to the one who is having shoulder pain. I can't think of what it could be, since you ruled out the gas that was pumped into your body. Thank goodness that is one symptom that I did not have a problem with.

I am back to having severe pain where the hernia was and going straight through the back. This pain lasts about 20 minutes at a given time and I am keeping a diary to find a common link to what is causing it.

My surgery was Aug. 19 and I am back on a liquid diet due the surgeon thinks I may have been overdoing it with food. Not the problem since I am still having pain. One question for you all. Could this pain be our heartburn/acid backup problems that normally I would have been throwing up at this time and since we can't it is just siting there and causing pain?

For those of you who are singers, I hope you get to feeling better soon. I personally cannot sing and love to hear those who can so please get those pipes warmed up so I can enjoy.

Kathy
Posted 9/16/2008 8:25 PM (GMT 0)
I read in one of the threads (that I now can't find) that some people talked about the fear that the acid was coming back up again after surgery. There were many reassuring responses that this wasn't acid, but I can't remember what they said it was. Maybe it was the chest pain that many of you had before the surgery which was acid, but is now healing surgery site. I wish I could find that thread. Maybe one of the site administrators knows how to find it.

Elaine, as I was trying to find that thread, I re-read a lot of the old posts that you were part of several months ago. How are you overall. Did you ever work out the motility issues you were having? Is your life relatively back to normal? Let me know. Even though you and I have different physiologys, it's nice to have a view into the future.

I do worry about the singing. One reason I went through with this surgery was because of that. The acid was inflaming my vocal chords. I'm actually more hoarse now that I was before the surgery which I don't understand, especially if acid isn't coming up anymore.

Kathy, I too get that chest pain that radiates to the back from time to time. I really think it is tissue healing with nerves being hit in the process. My Surgeon says it can last several months. I think it was either Bo Peep or Happily Wrapped who really struggled with it for a long time, then one day it was gone (I read in a past post). So have faith. We really had our insides turned inside out and upside down for this procedure. That's a lot of tissue that has to reconnect and reconfigure, which means lots of sensations we get to experience!

Thanks again for all your stories. It is so helpful!
Jules
Posted 9/17/2008 2:44 PM (GMT 0)

Hi Jules. I am afraid I am stuck with the motility issues as I have permanent damage, but I get along okay. I am eating more and more adventurous things now.

Chest pain seems to have gone.

I take Mucinex for the congestion and that seems to be helping.

Otherwise I am more or less back to normal (apart from the gall bladder problem). rolleyes

Posted 9/17/2008 9:54 PM (GMT 0)
Hello everyone! Just trying to catch up on posts, and I feel as if I'm interrupting, so pardon the interruption! Elaine, how are you dear??? It's been a while since we've talked.

I have had esophageal spasms since my surgery, it starts out in my sternum area and spreads and grows; sometimes radiating up to my jaw and around my back...nasty things! If I didn't know better (and luckily, I do!) I would have thought is what my heart. they are easing up and I'm grateful for that.

Elaine is right, I do love to sing, and Jules, my vocal cords are scarred and I also have vocal cord dysfunction and lung damage for the aspiration. Since the surgery (7/16) I don't have problems with the hoarseness, constant coughing, throat clearing, etc. and I can sing again, although an octave lower...I really think so! With the lung damage, I still can't hold a note as long as I use too.

Kathy, I went back and forth with diet, liquids, some foods, back to liquids...but my esophagus swelled shut too. It has only been in the last week that I have really begun to eat more normally. I haven't yacked anything up for almost a week...a big accomplishment for me.

Elaine, I was told I have poor muscle functioning esophagus, how does that compare with what you have? I am particularly clueless when it comes to this.

Janice
Posted 9/17/2008 11:22 PM (GMT 0)

Hello All,

I just had to pop in to tell you I am following this thread and I am truly inspired by the support you are all sharing here.  You are the experts as you have gone through the surgery.

Thank you for sharing with the new members.

Gentle Hugs to all
Kitt

Posted 9/18/2008 8:24 AM (GMT 0)

Hi Janice! Your motility sounds similar to mine. I've been told I have "ineffective motility of the oesophageal body". When I swallow, the food doesn't go down smoothly with a normal peristaltic action, it goes down in fits and starts (mixed and interrupted activity).

It looks like I am still having reflux because when I stopped taking my PPI I got the chest pain back again, the throat burning was worse and the palpitations started coming back. I have gone back on them so I will see what happens and let you all know.

I am so fed up with all of this! I seem worse off than I was before! I have reflux, gall bladder problems and I still can't eat normally! cry

On a happier note we have sunshine and blue skies today! I haven't seen that in a long time! :-)

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