Heartburn post redo-fundoplication

I slowly weaned off my PPIs over a time of two months. I did have occasional bouts of rebound during the third month and I would take just one to help me through it. Sometimes it takes a little longer.

Sirkit I haven't taken my PPI'S since the day before surgery my surgeon didn't want me taking them after the surgery he told me if the surgery worked then I shouldn't need them and I haven't. The only time I have any pain is if I overeat or something gets stuck in the wrap and that only happens if I eat to fast and don't chew well enough.

rummaan, that actually makes sense. I was burping a lot and my chest felt tight like the wrap was pulling so it's possible some inflammation and spasming was occurring. I'll give it a few more months and try again when my most recent prescription is done.

They told me no more zantac after the surgery. After two weeks I was taken off my nighttime dose of nexium. Next I went one day on one day off of morning dose of nexium. Then moved to two days between doses, then three days, four, five, six, then total off.
It took some time, but fair warning... when you get to four days off you're in for major rebound. If you can get through that day you're in the home stretch.

Major burn! A spastic feeling that didn't want to go away for about an hour.

So an update! I'm trying to go off the drugs again, more gradually this time. I've dropped one of the pepcid pills a day and there doesn't seem to be any problems. I'm going to give it a week and then drop the other Pepcid. *fingers crossed*

Sirkit good to see you on here again. I got to thinking you were feeling so good that you took a vacation. So how is it going?

Hi All,

I am new to this forum so want to say a big hello from the UK!  I am 4 weeks and 1 day post a 360 Nissen (medium tightness).  The bloating and cramping has mostly subsided and I was able to swallow and burp relatively easily immediately post surgery, though the burping is small scalle compared to pre op and I try not to for fear of stretching the wrap. 

I was on liquids for 2 weeks then soft foods for 1.5 weeks before moving to a normal diet (slowly).  I was ok for the first 2 weeks, but as soon as I moved to soft and solids, I experienced a very uncomfortable feeling in the centre of my chest, which I would describe as the sensation of "swallowing something down the wrong way."  It is a constant, dull pain (and sometimes feels quite sharp) that feels like a rod going through the centre of my back and out of my chest (imagine drawing a line through the centre of the body, from LES wrap at the front out to the back of the spine).  This discomfort is there constantly, even at night which means I struggle to sleep well.  It's better at night, but still there.  It is worse after eating but what troubles me is how consistent it is and how it isn't improving with time (it may even be gettng sharper).  There is some burning as well but it is more the very precise discomfort around the wrap (front to back as described above).  Given that I am able to do small burps, I doubt that it is trapped wind though it does carry that type of pain feeling.   I never really got heartburn on the meds pre op - my reflux was more in the throat.  If i ever tried to stop the PPIs, I did used to get h/burn, but never anything as uncomfortable as this.

I am feeling very scared as it isn't getting better with time.  Currently I am in the mindset that I would do anything to turn back the clock, ay my op was a choice to improve my life rather than a medical necessity.  I could cope with it if it was even fractionally improving each day.  I have been off the PPIs since the surgery.  I was wondering if my symptoms are reflux so popped a PPI today - made no difference whatsoever.  Good in some ways as shows it's probaly not reflux but what is this discomfort and why isb't it getting any better? 

I saw my surgeon 1 week after the surgery but he is no on annual leave so Ihave 2 more weeks to wait before I see him - nightmare!  Does anyone have any experience of this type/level of discomfort?  Feel like I have a scratchy golf ball stuck at the base of my breastplate 24/7.  Looking forward to your messages of support, as I keep readong how people are getting better around 4 weeks...

 

thanks Joy.  My surgeon is very experienced with this surgery and was very relaxed about the 2 week liquid, 2 week soft regimen.  Presumably because he thought the wrap was not too tight so I could accomodate solids in this timeframe.  I really hope you are right and that it's just swelling, though I don't recall anyone else describing these sorts of symptom.  They seem to have more h/burn than this sharp/twisting sensation.  I pray to see some signs of progress soon.  Maybe I will move back to liquids as I don't have any other options to self improve at the moment.  I just wonder why my surgeon didn't mention this (the discomfort or the possibility of having to go back to liquids for while) when we had our 10 or so pre op meetings, many of which covered the post op issues in depth.

thanks again for taking the time to respond, I am grateful.

Simon

thanks Joy.  It amazes me that surgeons take such different approaches to this subject!  I am going to go back to purees and liquids for a few days in the hope I improve.  Do people who unwittingly go back to solids too quickly risk damaging the wrap, or is it just a case of making yourself needlessly uncomfortable?

Simon

Hi Simon,
Welcome to Healing Well! It's great to have a new friend from across the "big pond"!

My surgeon was even more relaxed than yours. Liquids in the hospital, then soft foods until I saw him at Day 5. At that point I was told I could move to any solids that can be chewed to a complete liquid.

I suspect the pain you're feeling is an irritation of your wrap caused by your introduction of a normal diet at this point.

Solid foods are fine (except steak/bread/raw veggies, etc.) as long as you take small bites, and chew them until they basically disappear--turning into a liquid, at which point they can move through your wrap without getting stuck or irritating it.

Bread is a no-no, but toast chews to a liquid. Whatever you eat, be sure that it's liquid before you swallow it. If it doesn't chew to liquid, discreetly deposit it into a handy paper napkin (serviette, as I recall?).

Hang in there...things will get better week by week. If you're in very bad pain, you should consider contacting your primary care doctor, who may be able to act as an intermediary.

Good luck, and hope you feel better very soon,
Denise

Simon, I think it's a much more complicated operation than most surgeons say. By that I mean - the surgery itself is not terribly complicated, but the period of recuperation certainly is. I wasn't really given any information about that, so was taken by surprise at how much shoulder/back pain I had, for instance, and how bad that sensation of food getting stuck could be (even water was getting stuck, for me). I guess they don't want to frighten everybody off, but it's certainly not the case that it takes just a few weeks to heal, as I was given to understand. I think by "fine", your surgeon's assistant probably meant "able to walk around and talk"...which is a quite different definition of fine to ours, I expect!

thanks Mintie and Dencha.  I have that horrible, familiar scratchy throat feeling which tastes of the Gaviscon I previously ingested.  Food quickly turns very sour in my mouth.  My esophagus up to throat is all warm and burning.  could this be anything other than reflux?  If it's food backing up, would it cause the burn sensation in throat and esophagus if it isn't acidic? 

my surgeon was planning to do a 270 but then looked inside and thought that would not give me the reflux relief I need, so went for a "floppy 360" which he later described as "not that floppy".   

Venting on this site is a huge relief - sorry to put you all through it.  Someone I had never met at work before came up to me and commented on how skinny I am.  Charming!