Heartburn post redo-fundoplication

Hi Sirkit,
Many, many post Nissen patients go through the panic you're feeling. It's very common. My surgeon said that at this point the wrap is swollen, and hasn't settled into place, so pretty much anything can happen. I panicked just like you are, and figured I'd had the surgery for nothing.

Don't worry. Things will settle down as you heal.
Been there, done that!
Take care,
Denise

The first weeks are the most challenging. Yes, often the sensation of "heartburn" is actually an irritated esophagus that interprets the pain as heartburn.

I don't know if your doc told you, but your wrap becomes increasingly swollen for the first two weeks, so don't be surprised if your swallowing gets more difficult. Once past the two week mark, things begin to calm down and you're on your way.

Are you taking pain meds at night? Although you won't need them much during the day, it is worth taking them at night so you can get some sleep. If you can get your rest you can tolerate a lot more of everything!

I'm glad you've joined us, Sirkit! Welcome to what we post Nissen members call the "Wrapped Club"! You're a full-fledged member now! Please post your recovery progress and if you have any other worries or concerns, post away! We'll do our best to answer your questions and share our own experiences with surgery and recovery.

Take care,
Denise

Sirkit,
Hey, as my surgeon said, anything is possible in the first weeks post surgery. No, I didn't get that experience, but from what I've read on this site, every recovery is unique. That's basically what my surgeon said--just when he thinks he's heard it all, someone comes to him with a brand new symptom or experience.

It is very possible that you're getting some reflux...while some don't ever experience another moment of reflux after surgery, others do. Since your wrap is swollen at this point, (and the new "valve" is very different from the old one it replaced), you could definitely get different symptoms than any you've ever had.

I've heard others worry as you (understandably) are. Do you have your bed elevated? If not, that would be a good thing to do...If so, you could consider adding a "wedge" until your healing is complete.

I hope you don't have a repeat of your disturbing symptoms any time soon.
Hang in there...better times are on their way.
Take care,
Denise

I know how you feel. I posted a few times freaking out after both of my wraps. It took a good month and a half to two months before I saw any difference after I had the second one. Some days were good and others were awful. I had intense pressure where my wrap is if I tried to swallow too big of a bite. Could you pain be more of a pressure?

Was the pudding chocolate? That could be the problem.

I had those feeling of a burning sensation, but it was explained to me by the surgeon and my specialist that I Was severely inflamed before the surgery and that it could take months for it to subside and for that feeling to go away. Now after a year I still get a "burning" feeling when I eat certaic things like yogurt or strawberries, though I cant burp and my last EGD showed that my wrap was 100% in tact and functional. I would give it time.

Rafael

Thanks everyone for your comments. You're right, it is fairly early in the healing but I'm ready for this to be done already (not the most patient person with this illness...). For the record, today was a pretty good day, I only used Gaviscon once after a meal and even then only one tab. I'm back to my full dose of Panteloc and Pepcid and that seems to be mitigating the heartburn feeling. Hopefully after a few months I'll be able to back off on the PPIs... *sigh*

Hey, I'm hoping that isn't the case. I can certainly feel that things are there. When I swallow a good swig of water I can feel it kind of get caught at the bottom of the esophagus and then kind of squirt into my stomach. I would say that's a good sign that things haven't completely fallen apart (that was what happened last time, no adhesions so it fell apart randomly). I'm guessing it's swelling that's preventing the valve from sealing properly. I prefer the positive viewpoint, thanks.

Oh, I just remembered this! There were a couple of months of recovery when Omeprazole quit working--awful heartburn and reflux. I switched to Prevacid (double the recommended dose, which my GI guy okayed) which helped some. I also ate apples--which really calmed the reflux down--until I ate something else. Finally I had several sessions of acupuncture and took Chinese Herbs and these were extremely helpful. I really credit the Acupuncture and Prevacid with getting me through a very rough period of the recovery.

Guys, I'm 4 weeks post op and struggling too. I still get the lump in the throat about an hour after eating anything. Along come nausea (the most annoying symptom) and sometimes burning or pain along my breast bone and stomach. I was stupid enough to try a KFC chicken a couple of days ago and some fried fish yesterday. I also over ate a couple of times. The most annoying symptom is slight nagging nausea 1 hour after meals. It lingers for about half an hour then goes. I found that I have a sour taste in my mouth after eating sugary things. Taste of food lingers in my mouth long after eating. I emailed with a few top experts and talked to my surgeon and they all said it's too early and I should give it a couple of months more at least. I just hope because it's heartbreaking to feel the same symptoms after the surgery. Today I woke up from nausea and burning at 4:30 am. But I must admit that I sleep much better in general after surgery, almost flat. Do you experience nausea at all? I found that carafate helps sometimes. Good luck to you all! I'm a little paranoid with all this, I guess it's a reflex ingrained by the years of GERD. Should I have a barium swallow for a piece of mind or is it too early?

Post Edited (rummaan) : 9/5/2010 10:48:28 PM (GMT-6)

Hi Rummaan,
It's much too early for you to be assuming the worst! Four weeks out you're still in the early stages of recovery. It takes at least 6 months for most of the healing to occur, then a full year for full recovery. Try not to let the ups and downs of the early weeks of recovery get you down. I know just how you feel. I went through similar feelings--I think everyone does. It's a difficult surgery, and certainly not one with cut-and-dried results. We all know that some people come out of the surgery with big issues. However with a skilled surgeon, the outcomes are much more predictable.

Try to relax and stop worrying. Behave yourself with eating...you can try just about anything, but keep it things that can be chewed to a liquid, and small amounts. I'm a big fan of carafate suspension...I have a very sensitive stomach, and to this day I take it fairly regularly, because it calms down my wrap when I irritate it with something. You've had a revision to your GI tract to try to correct a problem that was seriously impairing your health and well being. It's a quirky revision, but it's far superior to the non-functional LES.

I had to get the surgery to protect my lungs, and it has done a good job with that. I would have a redo in a heartbeat if I needed it. I wouldn't want to go back to the way I was before the surgery. It's not perfect, but it's certainly an improvement!

So hang in there...give yourself a few months and you'll be back to eating normally again. I'd say at about 4 months, I was eating anything I wanted to. I still have to eat more slowly and chew carefully. It's a habit now, and isn't any big deal.

Hope you're feeling well tonight.
Denise

So my last few mornings have been really good. Down to using gaviscon only occasionally (twice yesterday) and I had some more complex food last night and it barely made a rumble... progress! I ate a bagel and a sandwich yesterday and while they were a little tough to get down they didn't get stuck as long as I chewed very carefully.

I'm still taking the gaviscon before bed to ensure that nothing goes crazy while I'm lying down but things appear to be stabilizing. Hopefully things continue to move to the point where I can at least get off using the Gaviscon and start to wean myself off the PPIs and H receptor blockers. *thinking hopeful thoughts*