Nissen ?

HIYA footymad i was the same as you regurg food and no acid or heartburn.I also had a hiatus hernia.Mine failed at 2 weeks my own fault went mad too much physical work.so pleeeeeeeeeease pleeeease take it EASY DONT lift anything for 8weeks or until your doc gives you the go AHEAD.heal well .keep us updated on your healing:))))))))))

PLEEEEEEEase footy you need longer recovery than that.8weeks no lifting or exherting the diaphram area.Regular members will be here to clarify this but for the surgery to be a sucess in the LONG run its all critical now.The surgeon has given you a new wrap hes done his part so pleese friend take this advice seriously.I had surgery 4th august last yr and felt a NEW man so good that after 2 weeks i mowed my lawn,washed my car,put out the rubbish.That night had acid and food regurg and have been a mess mentally physically for a year and have a redo on thursday.I wish you well but its up to you in this early recovery and i wish you the best of sucess..

I had my wrap 3 weeks ago and it is really important to take it easy and slow!!!. I am itching to golf, which the doc told me I could after 5 weeks, just no lifting of the bag.
I can tell if I do lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk, soooo please don't go back to activities too early. I went back to work at 6 days after, but at home on a computer and able to take frequent breaks. Also, go slow with the food, it will be a long time before you will be able to eat real food. I am still on full liquids and even that is tough at times. Good luck and keep us posted

Also cowboy good luck for your redo on thursday!

I have stuck to broth , jello, juices, protein drinks, ice cream and water. Have tried mashed potatoes, but still too thick and my esophagus spasms afterwords. I also still have to crush all my medicines. Creamy soups are still tough as well. Just stay with the liquids for now, my doc told me some people take longer than others for the swelling to go down. I may be going for a dilitation of the esophagus if it doesn't improve soon, so I can increase my diet.
My stitches took about 3 weeks to come out. One of my incisions opened up and still looks pretty nasty, but not infected. Will leave a nice scar I am sure.
hang in there, it takes a while for "normalcy" to return.

Footymad,

Welcome to the "Wrapped Club" at Healing Well!  I'm sure you're right--your youth will definitely make the recovery a lot faster.  As far as eating goes, everyone is different.  A lot of people will tell you to stay on liquids because that's what their doctor told them, or they had difficulty swallowing anything else.

However each of us has unique ways to heal and our eating needs will vary.  I went with my surgeon's recommendations, and started solid foods after 5 days.  I enjoy eating, and weeks on liquids would have been really hard for me.  He tells his patients that they can eat anything that can be chewed to a liquid.  Of course that puts a lot more responsibility on you, to follow those directions and not try to eat things you shouldn't.

If your doctor allows these types of foods, take small bites and chew carefully and long.  You'll find crackers and toast will chew to a liquid, but bread can't.  If you're chewing something that doesn't cooperate, just have a napkin handy and discreetly get rid of it.  Don't try to swallow it anyway.  Also, you'll want to pay attention when you're eating, or you'll forget and swallow something you shouldn't. 

Mashed potatoes aren't always easy to get down in the beginning.  Crispy crackers, on the other hand, can be chewed to a complete liquid and are no problem.  Bananas can be kind of sticky and can give you trouble.  It's variable, and you'll have to experiment.

Good luck with your recovery.  Listen to those who have recommended that you take it easy and give your insides time to heal.  This type of surgery leaves your outsides pretty unscathed, and it's easy to think you're all healed.  Your GI tract has been dramatically changed, and it will take time to heal.

Be sure to stick around!  There are lots of experienced members here who will be happy to support you through your recovery.

Take care,

Denise

 

Hey Tirali,
I'm glad to hear from you. How's things going for you now? I remember you being worried about the surgery at first. Is everything good now?

Joy

HI!  I am new to this site.  I am 2 years post opt and still have some side effects.  NO More Acid reflux and that is wonderful!  Bad bloating and gas problems and major diarreha.  Anyone else have long term side effects.  I had hiatal hernia and 1/3+ of my stomach had pushed thru my diaphragm and into my chest plus the acid reflux.  Still have some chest pain and am afraid the hernia is back.

 

Hey all sorry a late reply, thanks for all of the advice you have given its came in handy, i hope you are all doing well!

Just a quick update; its almost 2 months for me now, i can now eat anything without any discomfort, other than bloating which is expected so fine. I do get hickups quite a lot but it doesnt hurt so i dont mind that.
My scars seem fully healed but i do still have pain at the largest scar site, I tried a little bit of jogging and swimming yesterday and now can hardly walk.. I read somewhere that the muscle can be damaged during the surgery so im assuming i may have exercised too soon for that muscle.. There is also a little indent and a lump underneath which is weird.. But all is well and i dont regret having the surgery at all.

Thanks for all your help throughout !

Footy -
I fail to comprehend how they could find a hernia with a manometry. Manometry measures pressure and is used to find the strength of your swallow and may determine if you have backwards motility or nutcracker esophagus. There must have been some other test they were relying on for hernia. In any case you obviously had non-acid reflux. I had that too - because my acid was controlled by PPIs. Since the reflux was a big problem there must have been a bad LES valve at the bottom of your esophagus. That's why you needed the fundoplication.

Bloating is from the gas you can't burp up anymore. Don't drink carbonated anything. No soda, beer, NADA! Look up gas-producing foods and avoid them for now. Maybe you'll be lucky and be able to add them gradually in about 4 months.... or more. I still don't tolerate them at 9 months.

Forget the exercise for 3 months or risk problems. You've already found some. You've had a bunch of big holes poked through your abdominal wall and you don't want a hernia at those sites.


Joy - forget situps. They aren't good for the back anyway. There are lots better exercises - walking and swimming.

Lapwrapped - I had the same thing, but I had a whole lot of dissection around the esophagus to pull it down. No, they don't "stretch" it! It should have been freed up after they pulled down the stomach. That's a critical part of the procedure! You might ask about getting a barium swallow. Non-invasive, doesn't hurt, and they can see right away if you have a hernia, how you are swallowing, where the stomach is and how the wrap looks. I'd prefer 10 of them to 1 scope!

Tirali - sorry you had this so young. Take it easy! It takes 3 months at least to recover and see how things are working.

guys i just had the surgery yesterday so far so good. But i still have a little jump go the throat and a slightly sour taste go my mouth every few hours. Has anyone experienced that. The surgeon said you can expect anything so early and it should pass. I also had a lot of tissue around the esophagus because of severe esophagitis so the doc had to do a lot of cutting.