Surgery Scheduled 2/27/09 Help?

A question. What does the thumbs down on my post mean? Somebody doesn't like my post? Hmmmmm.

Hello emma and dencha, and welcome to to the forum. I had my nissen last July, and while the recovery can be really tough (for some worse than for others), for most everyone the results were pretty good.

Dencha, is sounds like you've suffered long enough; I was diagnosed with asthma as well as a host of other pulmonary issues; the reflux turned out to be the culprit. I was constantly aspirating the acid while sleeping and while it did cause permanent damage, my lungs have been able to compensate for it and I am breathing better than I have in years. I hope that this is the case for you and that your breathing issues will become a thing of the past!

Emma, welcome to the other side! you're just new to the recovery process and you'll undoubtedly have good days and some not so good days. It's unusual to have a gastrotube for a lap nissen, so I hope everything went well; I'm surprised too that they sent you home so early. For the shoulder pain, start chewing gas-x and try some liquid motrin (childrens); this should help a great deal. If you have a good chiropractor ask her/him to do an adjustment in your ribs and shoulder are...don't know why that helps, but it does! Pay close attention to your Dr.'s orders for eating, lifting, exercising and you'll come out of this so much better!!

The younger you are when you have this, the easier it seems your recovery is (that is based on a very un-scientific survey!!), but it does seem to hold up!

Come back here for any advice, a shoulder to lean on and to definitely let us know how you're doing. (Dencha, there is nothing wrong with your post, I wouldn't worry about it).
Take care,
Janice

Thanks so much for your support and encouragement. It means so much to me! You can be sure that I'll be depending on all of you as I work through my recovery after surgery. It is so good to be able to talk to others who understand. I'm sure I'll have lots of questions, and after the surgery I'll get online as much as possible to share my own journey in hopes that others will find it helpful.

Emma, congratulations on being on the recovery side of surgery! I know it's a long road, but you're moving in the right direction!

I have been encouraged to have this surgery for four years. I did so much research that I became all too familiar with all the difficulties the surgery can cause. I think with this decision, you just have to reach a point when the surgery becomes the answer, not the problem. There are some very negative posts on some website forums. They can really scare you. This forum is much more supportive and positive, and I'm very happy to have found it.

Thanks for being so accepting and welcoming! It is greatly appreciated! If you have any last minute advice for what to have in the house to eat/medicate/comfort yourself right after surgery, I'd appreciate it. Thanks again!

Thanks so much for the tips, Emma! I really appreciate them. We're headed for the grocery store this afternoon, and I wanted to pick up some supplies. I want to be prepared for this experience, but don't want to let that preparation lead to undue worry and stress. I'm a teacher, so this week I'll be busy getting ready for two weeks of sub plans. I'll be too busy to think about it!

I go to the doctor for a final approval on Tuesday, and I'm hopeful that my lungs will be good enough to have the surgery safely. I'm on prednosone, and that's helping--amoxicillin for some infection I had last week. My husband does lung PT 3 times a day, so that I can get things moving and coughed out. They don't want me to use my nebulizer meds, because they've become ineffective after lengthy use. Hopefully it's a go for Friday.

Emma, good luck with your shoulder pain. Hopefully it'll resolve soon. Good luck with your eating and swallowing! I hope you get lots of rest and get feeling better soon! I've read (and expect) lots of steps forward then a few steps backward in the recovery process, and it's good to know that it is normal. I'll keep watching for posts on your recovery process. Thanks so much for sharing!

Moderators and Experienced Posters...thanks for staying with this forum to help those of us who desperately need your support, experience, and wisdom!

Kitt--Thanks for your constant support and good wishes. I'll let you know how it goes! (Hopefully I'll be approved after my pre-op follow up. These lungs are a challenge!)
Take care and have a great week.
Denise (aka dencha)