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NISSEN FUNDOPLICATION

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Posted 9/4/2010 7:12 PM (GMT 0)
had Lap Nissen Fundoplication 2 weeks ago. I am in south Louisiana where food is flavorful and plentiful. I have a very hard time following the instructions that come with recovering from this particular surgery nono .

 

I followed the rules for the first 5 days (liquids only). On the 7th day I would have been able to have soft solids. By day 6 I jumped to the soft diet. By day 8 I was eating what I wanted. I can't tell when I am full so sometimes I over eat, not by much. I have already had pizza, salsa, breads, and things that I know I am not supposed to have. I chew everything really well and take small bites. Here is my issue..

 

I can not drink while I am eating my meals. The second I take a sip of my drink while eating I get a horrible pain in my esophagas. It feels tight like I need to throw up shocked   I run to the bathroom and just open my mouth over the toilet and everything just comes up. Should drinking make it go down more smooth? I would GREATLY appreciate any help. Tell me if I am doing something wrong!!! confused

Posted 9/4/2010 7:17 PM (GMT 0)
Oh.. I forgot to say:

Does anyone know how easy it would be for the Nissen Fundo to come undone? I am a nervous person. Does tomatoes, caffiene, and acidy foods hurt the surgery and the healing. I have been wanting a cup of coffee and am willing to suffer as long as it doesn't do anything to mess up the surgery.
Posted 9/4/2010 7:25 PM (GMT 0)
Wow! At two weeks I was still on liquids because I was still swollen from the surgery. I live in the south and I enjoy the food, too. Please be careful and don't overeat. The turn off switch in your stomach has been messed with and you can't tell when your full anymore. (At least that's happened to me)
The food is probably getting stuck in your esophagus at the wrap.
The healing process takes several months, because they rearranged the stomach for the surgery. The first six weeks are the most important part of healing. If you overeat you could cause future problems.
It can slip if over stressed.
Posted 9/4/2010 7:59 PM (GMT 0)
you sound like you are doing well. you also sound like a worrier like me. i have progressed quickly on food too but am not passed soft foods..id take it easy. as far as the wrap thats is a good question, i tried twice to lay back in hospital bed from a sitting position and caught myself..but wondered if all that stress could pull on the stitches. i did it without thinking and dropped something at home day 2 and just bent over and picked it up. the nurse says it should not hurt, but id be curious to hear also. would there be a red flag or "you'd notice it immediately moment." i dont think coffee can mess the wrap up they gave me that in hospital along with tea. I wouldnt do heavy lifting though.. does anyone know if general bending laying over, pulling oneself up is okay?
Posted 9/4/2010 8:42 PM (GMT 0)
mimi,

so i forgot to add as long as you dont overeat you should be ok.. if you are vomiting up food take it more slowly. one surgeon i consulted said he was lifting weights 2 weeks post op//that just dawned on me
Posted 9/4/2010 8:44 PM (GMT 0)
I was told no lifting over 5lbs the first six weeks.
I didn't like the pains I got from bending over so I waited for six weeks also before I bent over.
Posted 9/4/2010 8:52 PM (GMT 0)
i know it hurts to bend, i try not to but on a few occasions i just did it, 2X at hospital getting into bed, once the day i came home. just automatic. I try to be careful and will continue to. man id hate a redo on the account of accidentally bending over. hopefully they stitch the wrap really well
Posted 9/4/2010 9:32 PM (GMT 0)
 Thanks for the feedback! I will eat slower and wait until I am done eating to sip on liquids. I also can not tell when I am full, which is exceptionally bad for me bc I LOVE food. I am not severly over weight but am like a fish, if the foods in front of me, I will eat it all. For now on I will cut my food in half to make sure I don't over eat. I was excited to hear I will lose wieght after surgery bc I would be my dream size if I lost about 20 lbs. The foods I chose may slow down the weight loss process. eyes  

BTW when I bend down it hurts, but less and less everyday. I have a high tolerance for pain so I tend to be able to do more than most after surgery. I have had an ovarian cyst removed and my bladder scoped (I have intersistial cystitis). This was the hardest although my gallbladder was removed as well as the nissen. I think the gallbladder removal was virtually painless with all that was going on with my stomach tongue At 25 years old I have been through alot.

 

Posted 9/4/2010 9:51 PM (GMT 0)
mimi,

i am not full either.. we are all enviously happy you are flying through this. i think watching the food will help. i am 5 days post op so if you want to share progress please email me. also, i have noticed bending is less painful as the incisions heal, but be careful.. i bend at the knees except for the first few times where i just bent without thinking..its a habit :)
Posted 9/4/2010 10:47 PM (GMT 0)
I was never told not to bend over or not to lay any certain way. I was told to to roll from my back to my side to get out of bed only to make it less painful. but for no other reason. That is with 2 Nissen, 2 different surgeons, at 2 different hospitals. Just go easy and let your body tell you.

Take care,
Bill devil
Posted 9/4/2010 10:51 PM (GMT 0)
thanks bill. essentially that is what I did in bed is from a sitting up position I tried to lay straight back 2 times but I never made it all the way down is it hurt too bad. They never told me to use my side but I figured it out. So you don't think that doing 2 half sit-ups would hurt my wrap?
Posted 9/4/2010 10:52 PM (GMT 0)
P.S. How do you get into bed? as I tried to lay down from sitting up
Posted 9/4/2010 11:50 PM (GMT 0)

Getting into bed

Sit on the side of the bed and lean down on your elbow and forearm. Lift your legs up onto the bed, staying in the sidelying position. Log roll from your side onto your back.
Posted 9/5/2010 12:05 AM (GMT 0)
 Made it through the BBQ. I settled for soft bread with melted cheese instead of the meats. I didn't eat much and waited to drink my apple juice after I was done eating. After drinking the apple juice I had to go to the bathroom to throw up what was mainly just the juice. I am guessing that even though I ate very little the apple juice topped off my stomach. Is it possible that I am throwing up what didn't fit in my stomach? Almost like getting rid of the excess? Please advise! I haven't seen this anywhere on any Nissen websites or forums.
Posted 9/5/2010 12:22 AM (GMT 0)
It's possible. I remember at your stage I couldn't eat more than a 1/2 cup of food at a time. I made sure not to drink for 15 mins after eating. I had heard not to overload those first weeks.
Posted 9/5/2010 12:41 AM (GMT 0)
Mimi,
At two weeks, your wrap is at peak swelling...My guess is that you're not vomiting anything from your stomach, but rather bringing up what is in your esophagus and kind of stuck because it's hard to get past the wrap.

The swelling will begin to subside now, and over the next weeks, it will get easier for your to swallow. As far as eating, try to take it a little easy...it doesn't really matter what you eat, as long as you take small bites and chew chew chew, until it's liquid.

Soft bread can be hard to chew to a liquid...it gets clumpy, and can get stuck going down. Toasted bread and crackers are better...the crunch makes them able to be chewed to a liquid.

Stay away from steak or things that in the past you might have swallowed only partially chewed. Those things will get you in trouble, and you'll be sorry if you swallow them. It was described to me as a "hair ball"...if you've seen a cat coughing up a hairball...that's kind of what happens when something gets stuck at the wrap site. This too will pass.

I'm with you--I didn't want to be limited to liquids or soft foods, and was delighted that my surgeon told me I could eat "anything that could be chewed to a liquid"...that leaves a lot of leeway.

Spicy and acidic food could be irritating to your wrap/esophagus if it got stuck for any length of time. BE sure to drink water after eating...a little at a time...to ensure that you're washing things down. Many people find warm/hot tea helpful.

Eat small quantities...at your stage I was probably eating only about a quarter cup at a sitting. A half cup at most. Don't overdo it. You don't want to cause problems that aren't necessary. You can still enjoy foods...just eat smaller amounts more often. The amount your stomach can comfortably hold will increase over time.

Good luck!
Denise
Posted 9/5/2010 1:13 AM (GMT 0)
kitt thanks for log roll tip. hope i didnt do any harm 1st night at hospital. i simply was sitting up and tried to lay straight back wish someone at the hospital would have advised. i just started going back using my abdomen like a half sit up..now im terrified i messed up my wrap..i did that 2x and stopped due to pain and realized a better way
Posted 9/5/2010 1:15 AM (GMT 0)
mimi,

so i feel like i could eat anything too. i was told no bread for a month..i feel i could but am scared. take it easy you are scaring me that vomiting means something is not right. please take it easy. try only soft foods/liquids tomorrow. if you dont vomit then good, if you do call doc
Posted 9/5/2010 12:04 PM (GMT 0)
I was always hungry or thought I ought to be just having liquids and soft foods. But I didn't lose any weight, so I was getting plenty to eat. If you eat more than half a cup for the first month, it may be too much, put pressure on things trying to heal, and delay healing.
Posted 9/5/2010 2:00 PM (GMT 0)
Kitt-
Thanks as always for getting the info we need. Guess it's the nurse in you! Never change my friend. I knew you would come along and know how to explain it better than me.

Joe- I am positive you didn't hurt your wrap with what you did. I was doing the same thing and was reminded by my body REALLY quickly to stop because it hurt, but it won't tear anything up. Believe me they suture it together really well. They don't want it to come apart. I even found that if you are on the couch it's easiest to do the same roll, just modified to get on and off it. IT will get better a little each day.

mimi- I 100% agree with Denise, you are vomiting from your esophagus not your stomach. I did this a lot the first go round. something would get stuck and I thought drinking would help. Most the time it just filled my esophagus and purged my esophagus of everything so I could start all over. I got really good at telling when I had to do it.

Take care,
Bill
Posted 9/5/2010 3:15 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks, it is getting better. So you don't think doing 2 1/2 sit-ups in the hospital the evening of the surgery hurt the wrap at all? They told me to walk at the hospital so I did, so when I got back into bed I tried to lay all the way back from a sitting position, but I did catch myself both times because it was painful. Since then I have a couple of reflux symptoms that my brain keeps telling me is because I hurt the wrap. It would be heartbreaking if I hurt the wrap the same day as the surgery.

Bill, thanks for helping with my anxiety. Bending is getting easier but its impossible not to bend, although I am trying to limit it as much as possible. I do find myself doing it a little.

My symptoms are water brash and throat clearing. I think that the throat clearing is going to take a while, but I am worried about the water brash. I am not having any problems with eating after 5 days. In your opinion is it too soon to step up the diet to softer/thicker foods. So far I have only been eating soups, jello, pudding.

Thanks again
Posted 9/5/2010 3:40 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you guys! You have no idea how much this helped me. Now I just have to tell my doctor how bad I have been =). I am sure he will give me an ear full.

Joe:  As far as the bending over. If I didn't undo my wrap, then you have nothing to worry about lol. I am just assuming that since I wasn't warned not to bend, it is okay if done on accident. I will be sure to ask my doctor how easy it is to come undone when I go on Thursday for my post op.

Today is strictly soft food in small portions.

  Thank you!

Posted 9/5/2010 5:43 PM (GMT 0)
mimi did you bend a lot getting up and down into bed etc. i was not warned either. curious to know. this is weird but if yo were bending and putting pressure on your abdomen and feel fine i know id feel better. you seem pretty active. are the foods working better for you today
Posted 9/5/2010 5:48 PM (GMT 0)
bill so you did bending and going up and down putting pressure on abdomen. that makes me feel better. i would think we would all do this to some extent
Posted 9/5/2010 7:39 PM (GMT 0)
 I was not warned to not bend and if bending over would mess up anything, I would be really messed up because I bent over LOTS of times. It hurt and I tried to refrain from doing it. If bending would do anything to the wrap, they would have to put you on bed rest. You are fine.
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