Welp, it's been 2 weeks and i just got back from my follow up appt with the Surgeon.
Here's the questions I asked him and his answers:
Q. When can i play golf, softball, go running or workout?
A. Golf/Softball - Soon, running - whenever i feel comfortable, workout - 1 month after surgery and then when i dont feel any pain or discomfort during lifting or ab workouts
Q. How big was the Bougie you used during surgery?
A. 54 (54 whats i have no idea) - but usually men get 56 and women get 54
Q. How did surgery go?
A. It went well, I was able to repair the hernia and include the diverticulum below the wrap, but other than that everything went very smooth
Q. I still have Gas and Bloating but i'm able to burp, i just burp alot. I had this before surgery too. Is this normal? Will it go away?
A. Some people can burp well some cant, i'm lucky that i can burp well. This surgery wont change your gas levels as that's usually a byproduct of how much air you are swallowing, but it's normal and you should use GasX to releive gas if its becoming a problem
Q. Can I ween off Nexium Now? I've been taking it every other to every 3rd day and havent had too much of a problem.
A. You should be able to get off it completely after weening off it over the first month, so long as you dont have any symptoms (i dont)
Q. Will I ever be able to eat Normally again?
A. Perfectly normal, it just takes time for the swelling and function to readjust to the surgery. It's like i had a stab wound and it takes time to heal.
Q. is my LES smaller than before?
A. Yes, if it were the same size as before then i would have reflux..(heh). It is smaller but will still be able to handle the size of food that you were able to eat before, just take it slow.
So, my incisions are just little scabs now and after they heal should be completely unnoticeable.
I'm now able to eat soft foods so long as i CHEW REALLLLY WELL and eat SLOW! If I get over anxious and eat quick like i did before then food gets stuck and it gets painful and REAL uncomfortable but i try to relax and take SMALL sips of water (big sips make it worse!) everything goes down after a couple minutes. Nothing makes you remember to eat slow like that feeling! I ate 2 buffalo chicken tenders yesterday and I ate real slow and i was able to get them down without a problem. Exciting stuff! I think i'm going to turn into a salt lick if i eat another package of Ramen!
I've lost a total of 11 lbs (was down to 14 lbs but gained 3 back over the past week). I was hoping to lose closer to 20 but this has given me enough of a start to feel good about working out and thats all you can really ask for. I was walking every day starting on day 7 for about 45 minutes and that FOR SURE helps with expelling gas, energy, getting the blood flowing and just over all mood. Walking single most beneficial thing you can do for yourself while you recover. I eventually intend to turn this into jogging once i feel comfortable to do so. I'm still working up to that point as i still dont have a ton of energy.
I finally had a BM after about day 5. I think i would've had a tougher problem if i was able to eat a little more and if i took the pain meds I was given. It wasnt until 3 days later I had another. Then, a couple days later I had pretty bad diarhea but was able to control it with 4mg of immodium AD. Not sure what that was all about.
Other than the gas i notice my whole digestive system is VERY noisy at times. I just think it's kinda funny, but it's definitely alot more active than before. My stomach also gets really topsy turvy alot but it stays where it's supposed to so i dont get too concerned. I'd rather have an angry stomach then an angry stomach and reflux/heartburn. I think i'm gunna pick up some Maalox and see if that helps settle things down a bit. It's pretty obvious that my hiatal hernia and diverticulum werent the only causes of my reflux. I'm eating OK now (Ramen every day i think is a bad thing). My typical diet is:
Morning: Proten Nutrional Drink (Boost Vanilla/Strawberry with High Proten)
Lunch: Fruit Cup or Yogurt
Dinner: Soup
Thing's i've experimented with: Raw Veggies (Cukes, Carrots), Chips, Buff Chix Fingers, Slim Jim, Chicken/Turkey Chunks in Soup, French Fries.... i think that's it. ALL the above things i gotta chew until it basically disappears in my mouth but i'm able to eat them. This process has certainly taught me to SLOW down and SAVOR the food. Before this i scarfed food down so fast i never enjoyed it, digested it and even sometimes so fast i would hiccup. It's not good. Help your system out and EAT SLOW! Even after you're able to eat "normally".
I think that's about it. I never used any of the pain meds they gave me but was on Liquid Motrin for a couple days (2 of the little cups it comes with was sufficient).
Please feel free to email me with any questions if you have any, i'd be happy to help.