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Had my surgery yesterday - Raphael - Part 3 of 3

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GERD & Acid Reflux
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Posted 12/4/2009 2:28 AM (GMT 0)
Here is Part 3 of 3 for Raphael

 

Link to Part 1: https://www.healingwell.com/community/?f=45&m=1560802&g=1560802#m1560802

 

Link to Part 2: 

 https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=45&m=1596480&p=1

 

Hugs to you my friend,

 

Kitt

Posted 12/4/2009 2:33 AM (GMT 0)
Posted on 12/01/2009 by rlopez75

 

Hello every one and sorry for not coming back in a while. I misses you guys too!!

As you can imagine I have been feeling better and have been busy chasing my 13 month old around as well as starting to do some minor chores around the house. I still feel that some healing needs to be done and got my disability extended yet again by my FP and my specialist told me that if I needed more time he would give me another month too.

I still get a bit of irritation in my esophagus, not reflux or reflux related, when I eat naturally sour food and don't wash it down well. But all in all I feel at about 80% after my surgery. I have become a big vegetable eater. I have cut out beef 100% from my diet and I eat mostly chicken and fish. I tried to start working out a but but found that I still tire out very quickly and start to get jittery then feel faint. My caloroe intake is about 1500-1800 calories a day, on a good day.

This weekend I actually had the energy to enter a national race that was hosted at a track about 8 minutes from my house. I came in 4th after qualifying in first place and setting the fastest time around the track for my group. I was sure glad it was over on Sunday though. I was dead tired and still feel like I ran a marathon! It was a 2 day event and was there for almost 10 hours on Saturday and 8 hours on Sunday. For those of you that don't know what I'm talking about, I race 1/8 scale radio controlled electric buggies. They are very fast, weigh about 6 pounds, and reach speeds upwards of 45 miles per hour down the straights.

I'm sorry to hear that you guys have not been seeing any progress. I still believe that you guys need to push your doctors to try and get to the bottom of the problem at hand. My Family Doctor said I might be feeling the way I do because I might be depressed but my specialist said that I feel the way I do because I'm still a bit swollen. He said no need for depression medication. Just rest still.

My parents have gone back home now that my dad is doing getter after his stroke. My kids miss them and so do I but its nice to have the house to our self's again.

Please keep pushing forward, dont give up and tell your doctors you want results!
Rafael Lopez
Posted 12/4/2009 2:35 AM (GMT 0)
Posted on 12/02/2009 by couchtaker

 

I'm glad things are going better for you and your family.

It sure does take a long time to heal, don't it?

Joy

Health problems: sleep apnea, hypothyroidism, GERD, glaucoma, OA in lower back, environmental, food, and drug allergies, asthma, high cholesterol, pre-diabetic

Medications:Nexium 2X a day, 300mg Zantac, K-Dur, Lasix 2X a day, Zyrtec, Vytorin, Lumigan, fish oil, B12, Align, calcium + D, Advair, Albuterol, nebulizer, synthoid

 

I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!

 

Posted 12/4/2009 2:37 AM (GMT 0)
Posted today by rlopez 12/03/2009

 

Thanks Joy.

Yes, it seems like its taking for ever for me to get back to some what of a "normal" state. The hardest part is the lack of calories i'm taking in now and I think this has a huge affect on how we heal after a major surgery as this one.

I started to do sit ups 1/2 way. My abdomen cramps up at times especially when leaning over as to wash my hands over the sink or brush my teeth.

I'm glad to be off of the Prolisec too. My Specialist told me how to ween my self off and I did so and its been 3 days with out it and I feel no different than when I was taking it.

Hope every one esle is doing well.
Rafael
Posted 12/5/2009 11:58 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Rafael,
am happy to know you better health. When was your nissen? After how many months you've had a reduction of symptoms? Had also examined Esophyx procedure?
Posted 12/5/2009 8:55 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Rafe -
You probably shouldn't be doing situps yet, maybe ever. Straining the stitches is not a great idea. You can also cause a reherniation by straining too much.

You could have adhesions, but it's also likely the muscles that are hurting are just out of shape. It takes 3 months to completely recover from major surgery, sometimes more for old people like me. (I had 4 C-sections a long time ago and this is much worse.) It depends somewhat on the extent of the surgery. Mine was a long one, 4-5 hours, because of the really big hernia and stomach stuck up in my chest. My muscles in some places are hurting 6 weeks post-op.

Niconico -
I have had no acid since the operation and stopped Nexium cold turkey when I was allowed after the second week. My stomach still tries to reflux (it heaves) when I eat something that is a trigger or eat too much, but it can't come up. I can burp a little, but most of the gas goes down, not up.
Posted 12/6/2009 3:58 AM (GMT 0)
Nico, I had my surgery on August 10th of this year. I'm still having some symptoms from the surgery but I think it may be more because. I believe, the wrap is a bit too tight. I will have it loosened as a last resort but have no considered that yet. My reflux and GERD symptoms were gone when I woke up from surgery and have not experienced them ever since. I didn't have anything to do with the Esophyx procedure.

Alice, My Surgeon and my Specialist told me I could start working out. They told me that my body would tell me what I could and couldn't do yet. I know I need to strengthen my core because I tire our really easily and my abdominal muscles start to cramp from just hanging over the sink to brush my teeth or wash my hands.

I was told that the herniated area was cut and a stint was placed for the muscle to heal over. The scar tissue is supposed to make the area less susceptible to ever herniating again. The stitches on the wrap are never supposed to come loose or break. I was assured by my Surgeon that it would not happen from living a normal life. But he also said that nothing in life is guaranteed.

I go on daily still with a bit of pain. I do believe its more in the herniated area than the wrap now though. I try and take it easy as much as possible but its hard with an 8 year old and a 13 month old, who weighs 30 pounds, always trying to run wild! Fortunately for me my G.I specialist is awesome and knows that I had a severe case so because of my profession he says he will allow me as much time on disability as possible to make sure I don't hurt my self.

I don't know how long my surgery was.

My muscles still hurt mostly around the incisions.

Take care,
Rafael
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