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GERD & Acid Reflux
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Posted 10/22/2008 4:47 AM (GMT 0)
Hi all...I have been wondering about the lung damage that some of you have spoke of in your posts. Janice , do you take medicine for that now. I think that is why gerd and all its many problems it causes is so scary at times...it is aamzing how many places on your body can hurt from it !! I would appreciate some feedback on the lung issue as I have at times in the past thought my lungs were on fire. Thanks ...God bless
Posted 10/22/2008 10:45 PM (GMT 0)

Hey Annie,

Hello there, nice to hear from you. turn

If left untreated, GERD can eventually lead to lung damage, ulcers in the esophagus (the swallowing tube), and in some instances "Barrett's esophagus," a condition that may lead to esophageal cancer.

Although studies have shown a relationship between asthma and GERD, the exact relationship is uncertain.

Another potential link to asthma for patients with GERD is that when acid enters the esophagus, a nerve reflex is triggered, causing the airways to narrow in order to prevent the acid from entering. This will cause a shortness of breath. Reference: Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, author Cheryl Barber RN, BSN & Kathy Birn, RN, MA, CGRN, CNOR

Hope this helps a little. Hugs to you.

Kitt

Posted 10/22/2008 11:28 PM (GMT 0)
Annie, that is one of the blessings of this surgery; I am breathing better than I have in years!! I no longer use an inhaler, I'm not on oral medications and I don't need them. I don't have the congestion, the full feeling, the burning feeling in my chest; my FEV and PEF are so much higher, higher than they've ever been. I don't cough all the time, I'm no longer out of breath nor do I constantly clear my throat

I have mixed bronchiolitis, the alveoli are fibrotic, this damage is permanent, but fortunately the inflammation has been reversed and I have so much better. My gastro Dr. here was convinced I was going to become a pulmonary cripple (his words); the pulmonary specialist at Cleveland Clinic agreed and said pulmonary complications are becoming one of the biggest non-acid reasons to do the surgery
Posted 10/24/2008 11:11 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for responding, Janice. I will check with my dr. but I don't know if there's any point until I go in on Nov. 21 because he said he wouldn't do anything until 3 mo. post-op. I'm also still having these pains that move around that we talked about earlier, are you still having trouble with that too? And have you figured out what causes them, I can't seam to tell what makes them.
Posted 10/25/2008 3:36 AM (GMT 0)
Hello everyone.I'm doing okay tonight.I'm feeling pretty sore now that I went for a walk today but overall stomsach is feeling fine.I had some problems with trying to eat today so I have mainly stayed with liquids. I figure Iit is common to have days when nothing will go down except liquids. So I will try again tomorrow on something a little more filling. 14 days post op.Yeah!!
Posted 10/26/2008 11:20 PM (GMT 0)
Hi all,

I'm off to have a stress echocardiogram and a echocardiogram tuesday and wednsday. The cant eat list is getting longer. So far its corn, rye, and any type of nut . I can however tolerate wheat and dairy- go figure. Like most of you carbonated beverages is a no-no. Pain levels are down to a 6 yea- lets hear it for sleep!
Take Care everyone.
Posted 10/28/2008 1:06 AM (GMT 0)
370 days of no-reflux bliss along with 370 days of no acid-reflux medication as well as 370 days of lying down flat to sleep. The Nissen Fundoplication surgery was by far the best decision I've ever made. I know it doesn't work for everyone and I'm truly sorry for those of you I've read about who had less than great outcomes.

If you are contemplating the surgery, you need to know that each person is different. Just because it worked for me doesn't mean it will be as good for you. On the other side, just because some people had poor outcomes doesn't mean it won't work for you.

Best wishes to all who are wondering if they should have this procedure. All I can say is that you'll never know what might be unless you take the chance. Good luck!

HappilyWrapped

PS - stkitt asked to hear from 'older' members. I'm not sure if that meant people who had surgery a while ago or old as in age. I was 46 when I had the surgery.
Posted 10/29/2008 5:45 AM (GMT 0)

Southern Star,

I agree, you need to call you physician re your breathing and I am worried about you so please do not put it off.

Keep posting so we know what is happeningl

Gentle Hugs
Kitt

Posted 10/29/2008 6:06 PM (GMT 0)

Hi everyone,

I'm so glad to hear from Happily Wrapped and that one year has passed and you are doing well.  I agree about the surgery...it's not for everyone but when it works it is great.

I had the Hill repair 3 months ago and I'm doing great.  Great being measured by how I was before.  Although I don't think I'm having reflux, I do still have some strange sensations which the doc says are nerve reactions because every once in a while, some food will get stuck, so I know it's still slightly swollen in my esophagus.  But I feel good and can eat and drink most everything.  I still stay away from coffee and op for tea instead. 

The Hill repair is a nice alternative to the wrap and supposedly works just as well when done by a qualified surgeon.  Unfortunately, it is only done in the northwest and the doctors who do it, think it is just as effective and durable as the wrap.  The recovery is not as spectacular as with the wrap, with no gas bloat to speak of and there is no worry of it slipping by heavy lifting.

Be well everyone 

Posted 10/29/2008 10:46 PM (GMT 0)

Wow, What I have read here makes me feel so good for all of you.

ditzy76
A walk, I am impressed and good for you.  You seem to know which foods to eat and when to back off. Keep on trucking. Your rolling along fine. Kudos to you.

Cordelia

I will be thinking of you when you have your stress echocardiogram and a echocardiogram.  For the stress echo are you using the treadmill or the dobutamine stress test?

I will be thinking of you and saying a prayer that all goes well.

HappilyWrapped

Holy Moley Batman, did I read 370 days? A chorus line for HappilyWrapped. yeah    yeah    turn    turn    cool    cool    turn    turn    yeah    yeah

What a great outcome and thank you so

much for sharing with us.

Older members.........now how to get out of this??? smhair Well seniors did not fit and people that have been here for over a year..........oh that would be you. devil    Ok I meant everyone as age is only in your head.  I would like to be 46 again. I am digging a deeper hole............Love ya, great job.

My dear sillylilly

You name always makes me smile.  3 months post Hill Repair and doing good. I am glad you are doing well and also that you have the great surgeons out there that could perform this procedure for you.

Now keep us posted.

Hugs to All

Kitt

Posted 11/1/2008 1:42 AM (GMT 0)
Hey, Kitt. So glad you took my comment in the spirit it was meant turn

If any of my old buddies are out there....it's surgery next week for the 3rd time to remove a lipoma (benign fatty tumor) from the coccyx and as soon as the holidays are over it's off to surgery for cervical spine bone spur removal and fusion. Didn't see any subjects under Diseases & Conditions dealing with spine surgery to chat over the procedure, so I figured I'd ask the "Nissen '07-'08 crew" to toss a few prayers East come the 2nd week of January. I'm not too worried about next week as the tush isn't a very delicate anatomical part and I've done this same surgery twice before; but the idea of slicing into a neck, moving the windpipe to the side and working on the spine gives me the creeps ever so much more than the wrap surgery did.

So if you think of it, blow some good vibes toward New England come Jan.

Take care all.
Posted 11/1/2008 3:10 AM (GMT 0)

HappilyWrapped

I have lots of fatty somethings but they won't call them tumors and claim it would be cosmetic surgery......insurance won't pay. Sorry you have to have the slice and dice done again.

A dear Friend of mine had the cervical spine surgery and he said it was a breeze so I hope you are having similar surgery.

I have a low back herniation and my same Friend who is also a physician is helping me from injuring the lower back as that surgery doesn't always turn out well.

Good vibes blowing your way from now and for as long as you need them.  You have been through a lot and face so much more. Bless you.

You keep you spirits up and know we are all here to help you through.

Hugs
Kitt

Posted 11/1/2008 1:39 PM (GMT 0)
Happilywraped,

I had a C6-7 disectomy and fusion about 10 years ago. Its not as scary as it sounds. I spent one overnight in the hospital. and there was very little pain. Mind you this was 10 years ago. I had both a neurosurgeon, to remove the disc and an ortho.

Kitt,
I had the treadmill, for the stress echo, it wasnt too bad , just leg pain. I joked with the nurse and the sonographer stating that the diagnosis was" Out of shape" During the echo, the sonographer tried to get a picture from the bottom,( the probe was placed just below, and to the right of the sternum) but couldnt locate the arteries. I see the cardiologist in two weeks for the final answer, which includes blood work results. and I'm certainly going to ask him where my inferior vena cava may be.
Thanks for the support!!
Posted 11/1/2008 4:55 PM (GMT 0)
CordeliaGray,
I also have a neurosurgeon and ortho surgeon - but they are all rolled into one doctor. I also get the one night in the hospital. Thanks for the feedback. It's appreciated. Did you have a fusion with your own bone or did they use donor bone? The idea of donor bone doesn't thrill me.

Kitt,
You're right, if my lipomas were located in a different spot, they would be cosmetic and removing them wouldn't be an option because of insurance. However, the ones I get that keep recurring are located inside and lodge against the tailbone causing extreme pressure and pain. I've had my tush sewn up so many times now that I started calling the surgeon Christopher Robin. For those of you too young to remember the old Pooh stories, Winnie the Pooh kept splitting his tush seam and Christopher Robin had to keep repairing it. I even presented the surgeon with a stuffed Pooh that I hand-sewed the backside of.

Don't worry, Kitt. As moderator I know you'll soon have to remind me this topic doesn't belong under GERD, so I'll quit before you have to do that.
Posted 11/1/2008 5:23 PM (GMT 0)

CordeliaGray,

I am so glad you had your stress test went fine, but who stole your inferior vena cava? You had the “transthoracic echocardiogram.”  The great vessels include the pulmonary artery and the aorta.  They cannot be visualized in their entirety on an echocardiogram.  Usually the root adjacent to the respective ventricle and the initial 4 – 6 cm of the vessel can be seen. 

I would guess they already explained this to you.  I will be awaiting your test results and keeping you in my prayers.

Hugs

Kitt

Posted 11/1/2008 5:28 PM (GMT 0)

HappilyWrapped

As many of our disorders are connected and each of us is one person I feel it is normal to bring up your other medical issues. I don't remind people of being OT for bringing up their other fears and I support you and am glad you feel comfortable being a member of the GERD/HeartBurn Forum.

Into everyday there has to be a little sunshine.

Take care and keep on posting.

Kitt


 

Posted 11/1/2008 9:01 PM (GMT 0)
I did call the surgery clinic on Wed. and talked to the nurse, she said she'd talk to the dr. about it and get back with me on Fri. because he was out all day on Thurs. She called me back yesterday morn. and said the surgeon didn't think it was related to my surgery and I should see a regular M.D. but the problem with that is I have to change dr. because of my ins. and I do totally believe it has to do with the surgery. I have pain that goes up into my left shoulder when I have trouble breathing like that, and I still have quite a bit of pain just around my surgical area. So I don't really know what to do. If I see a new dr. she's not gonna really know my past history, and I do go back to see the surgeon on the 21st so I don't know really what I should do. I think if I could talk to him myself I'd maybe get farther, I don't know if the nurse even explained it like I did to her. So do you have any other ideas or know what I should do? I sing a lot and it's hard to even sing now cause I don't have enough breath. I don't want to live like this the rest of my life. HELP!!!
Posted 11/2/2008 8:00 PM (GMT 0)
Hello to all. Hope you had a safe and happy halloween. For me I am 3 wks post op and having good and bad days. lately What I eat gets stuck and I get sick, of course I cant throw up but that dont stop the food trying to come up and that is so bad. The pain gets bad and I cant take anything because it wont go down. I am also suffering from depression all I want to do is sleep or stay in bed, that way I dont feel bad. Well hope to all is good and will be checking back in soon. I have a doctors appt Tuesday so maybe he can give me something to help with the pain and choking stuck feeling.

Melissa
Posted 11/2/2008 9:34 PM (GMT 0)

HappilyWrapped ( I love that name!),

A bone graft was taken from my hip, and left a inch and a half scar. For my fusion, they went through the front.

Kitt, No one told me anything. I think the sonographer was a little embarassed because she couldnt get the view from below.She did offer some wise advice, and that is not to assume that all chest pains are GERD related, and to get things checked out.  For what its worth, the cardio who looked at my stress echo said that drinking ice water can quell esophogeal spasms.  Thanks for the support

Take Care

Posted 11/3/2008 11:14 AM (GMT 0)

Hey Melissa! Hope you are feeling better soon. Let us know how your appointment goes.

Best wishes coming your way HappilyWrapped and don't forget to let us know how everything goes! :-)

Posted 11/3/2008 11:57 PM (GMT 0)
Hello, everyone! I've just been wondering today if all this pain I'm still having could maybe be my gallbladder. Does anyone have any idea? I'm nearly 3 mo. post-op and still having quite a bit of pain, mostly on my left side just below my breast but also on my right side some too in the same area. Anybody know if maybe the nissen could have caused my gallbladder to act up? Anybody that has had problems with theres please tell me what you think. Thanks.
Posted 11/4/2008 1:04 AM (GMT 0)

Hello everyone.

I am now 9 months post op......and am having my second baby in 30 days!!!!!  I am SO happy I had the nissen fundoplication and hiatal hernia repair!!!! In the few weeks after surgery (before I was pregnant) it was hard. But I also was dealing with a 3 yr old!  I ate foods a bit more quickly and with less trouble than most who had the surgery around the time I did. I also had just turned 29 as well....I think age might have something to do with the healing process!

Now for 90% of my recovery I have been pregnant....so I am not the best at giving outcomes. But I can tell you this pregnancy has not been easy. Not being able to vomit has royally sucked.  I lived on phenergan and zofran for about 5-6 months. They helped, but they did not solve the nausea completely.....I spent about 15 weeks on the couch sick unable to watch tv, read, be on the computer much and it even bothered me to drive...Movement around me made me VERY ill. BUT....It didn't last forever. NOW....I will say I will not go through another pregnancy....(this is my second) I just couldn't imagine having to take care of 2 children, be nauseated and pregnant....NO WAY....

I am looking forward to life after pregnancy and without gerd!!!!

I wish everyone the best of luck with their surgeries/recoveries!!!!

Allison

Posted 11/4/2008 10:06 AM (GMT 0)

Hi Alli! Nice to see you back here! Good luck with the birth. Not long to go now! :-)

Hi Southern Star. I have heard that surgery can agitate your gall bladder. I have a malfunctioning one but looking back I had all the same symptoms when I had reflux but the doctors just didn't pick up on it. I have pain under right ribs that sometimes radiates to the centre, burning throat and stool (sorry!) and upper right quadrant pain that sometimes goes through to the shoulder blade. Do you have pain all the time? Is it worse after you eat? You may want to start another thread on this subject. :-)

Posted 11/4/2008 4:19 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, Elaine. Thanks for answering my post. The pain isn't all the time but it is a lot of the time. It seems to be worse when I have trouble breathing. I don't know if you saw my earlier posts regarding my breathing problems. I can't tell that eating really has anything to do with it. And as far as it being heartburn I never had this kind of pain before surgery. My heartburn was pretty much confined to my esophagus. It just felt like it was on fire. I was on the web surfing last night trying to see if I could come up with what's going on inside of me but I didn't really have any luck. I do have IBS too, but never had pain like this with that before surgery either. I'm just ready for the pain and trouble breathing to go away. confused Have a good day all!
Posted 11/4/2008 6:06 PM (GMT 0)

Good Morning All,

Nice to read all the updates.  Alli, 30 days to go..........whoooo hooooooooo.

Southern Star,

I am  ready for the pain and trouble breathing to go away.  I hate hearing you are in so much pain.  (((((((HUGS))))))))))

Bo Peep

You are such a trouper..............always here to keep on encouraging others while you deal with your own pain. thank you so much for being here.  :)

xena5380

Welcome sugar, and I am so happy you found this thread.  We love to here from all how it is going.

I cannot imagine how it must feel to need to vomit and not be able to.  I hope your physician has some good advice for you.

Depression is another one of my own issues.  We have a great Depression Forum and I moderate there also.

Drop in any time.

Hugs to all
Kitt

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