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nausea after fundiplication

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Posted 2/21/2011 5:06 AM (GMT 0)
   I am 5 weeks out after a nissen fundiplication. I had very little pain following the proceedure. I stayed on  the liquids the first week, which wasn't too much of a problem since I was very nauseated. Once I began to add food, I had no problem. within a week I was eating a sandwich. I am controling my portions but that also is easy because once I eat a certain amout, my body tells me to stop. I have had no heartburn, but then I had very little before the proceedure. The main reason for finally giving in to the proceedure was my constant clearing my throat and coughing. I am very glad I had the proceedure. it has not been as hard for me as I was told it would be or as I have heard it was for some. Before I was taking 80mg. of Nexium a day with no reduction of symptoms.

   Now to my question. As I said, I had constant nausea the first week. When I went back to my doctor, she seemed surpised and said that she did not ever hear of that. She has done hundreds of these. That is why I chose her. Shee gaave me some Zofram pills which seem to have no effect. I know the phenagran makes you sleepy but I think I prefer that over nausea. Like some of you I have read, it seems to hit me out of no where. It doesn't seem to matter if I have or have not eaten. It doesn't seem to matter if I eat with it or not. (sometimes I would think maybe I needed to eat) I never feel like I need to throw up (which I know I can't). I am just nauseated, sometimes it wakes me at night (like last night) and last all day (like it did today). sometimes it just lasts 15 minutes.

   How common is this? Does it finally go away? What makes it better? What causes it? What have any of your doctors said about it? I do not know anyone else who has gone through this except my granddaughter who was 9 months when she had hers and was tube fed. She doesn't tell me much. Ha.

resasamm

Posted 2/21/2011 1:41 PM (GMT 0)
Are you taking any other meds? Lots of them can cause nausea.

Has your surgeon had you get a barium swallow post-op to make sure everything is where it belongs and not leaking?

Don't try to throw up! Don't allow the heaves to start!!! I got my PCP to order me a bottle of paregoric to stop heaving if it starts, which happened once and wrecked my wrap. If my symptoms get worse I'm in for a re-do.
Posted 2/21/2011 2:59 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for your response. The only meds I take are antidepressants I have taken for years and my HRT I have taken for years. Yes, they did the barium swallow at the hospital before I left. It was great but the tech who performed it said, "Wow, that went through fast," causing me to wonder if my wrap was too loose. Yes, because of my granddaughter, I knew not to try to throw up. I really have not gotten to that point. Was the nausea a regular thing for you? Do you have any idea what caused it or how to avoid it? I do hope you will be well. I am so sorry you went through this and then it messed up. How long past surgery did this happen?
finallyfundi/resasamm
Posted 2/21/2011 4:09 PM (GMT 0)
I didn't have a problem with nausea from the surgery, but I was kept on Nexium for a couple of weeks. I do have to take Zofran if I have to have a med known to cause nausea.

If you are not having reflux symptoms your wrap is probably just right. I presume you can swallow just fine. The tech may have been impressed that you have pretty good swallowing muscles. Mine are really weak from polio.

My surgery was a year and a half ago. about 9 months into the new wrap I was given a new pain med for my fibromyalgia that made me throw up suddenly. I did get it stopped with paregoric, but too late. I vomited blood and knew right away I had ripped something. The stomach is sewn to the esophagus for my procedure (Toupet Fundoplication). On barium swallow and CT my wrap is floating around, part of the stomach is above the diaphragm. You can ask your doc if everything is in place.

For nausea my GI doc had me take Nexium. I seriously didn't believe it, but it did work! I do recommend trying it for at least a few days. I don't take it all the time, just when I'm going through a period of stomach upset. I'm sensitive to all sorts of stuff, finding out that I feel better off wheat and lactose. I already knew I was sensitive to anything with sulfites, which triggers my stomach to try to reflux.

Keep a food log. Get a small notebook and write down everything you eat or drink, meds, herbals, everything! Write down the times. Write down any reactions, particularly the first hour and 2 hours. (Sulfite's common effect is migraine after several hours, even up to 2 days. My stomach and heart react within 2 hours, more often a half hour, but only when the dose gets above about 2000 - 3000 micrograms.) If you do find culprit foods you can progress on to "challenge testing."
Posted 2/21/2011 10:51 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks so much. My, you have a lot tot deal with. I have had a lot too. I am seeing a spinal neuro-surgeon tomorrow to schedule back sugery for a synovial cyst I have in my spinal column and to fuse two vertebrae. This will be my 19th surgery. But, all-in-all I really am pretty healthy. Your idea of taking a few nexiums makes a lot of sense. I'll give it a try. Have a great week!
Finallyfundi/resasamm
Posted 2/21/2011 11:43 PM (GMT 0)
It's been a little over 2 years since my surgery. I get random nausea still. It hits out of nowhere. At home, at the store, or at work. My surgeon sent me home with anti nausea meds after my surgery (promethazine). At my 1 year follow up he prescribed me with more since I was still having nausea issues. 1 prescription lasts me a year. I recently called my surgeon's office back to get a refill but his new assistant refuses to call me in one and said she would talk to my surgeon about a refill and call me back. It's been a week and I haven't heard back from her. I'm going to see if my PCP will call me in some. I don't want to get hit with nausea without the pills because I don't want to heave and mess up my wrap.

Yeah the nausea and not being able to vomit sucks, but I think the surgery was worth it. Like you, before my surgery I was taking 80mgs of Nexium a day and it still didn't help my reflux. Now I take Nexium 20mg a day and I have no acid issues.
Posted 2/22/2011 4:11 PM (GMT 0)
As per your last comment, why are you still taking Nexium? Did you still have some reflux without any? I have not taken any since my surgery. I do not think I am having reflux but I am still coughing and clearing my throat a little. Maybe I am having a bit of reflux and didn't realize it. Thanks for that idea. I am by no means glad you have had nausea but I am glad to know I am not the only one. Do you have any idea what causes it? Is yours ever bad enough that you really feel like you need to throw up? I have never felt that things were going to happen but just felt yuck. So...I may still be dealing with this for at least two years? I, like you, am still very glad I had this done. For the first time yesterday, I had a piece of food get stuck a little. I have really had no problem with that. Thanks for answering me. My doctor acted like nausea was weird for me to say I was having it. Glad to know there are others.
finallfundi/resasamm
Posted 2/22/2011 5:07 PM (GMT 0)
After my 2 week follow up, my surgeon put me on a plan to get off the nexium. Once I got on anything lower than 20mgs of nexium, I started having acid issues. So we decided to just keep me on 20mgs a day. I don't mind because it works. Before my acid was so bad 80mg a day didn't do anything. At least medicine works now. At my 1 year follow up He tested my wrap to make sure it was in place and everything was okay. The tech that did the test said it looked perfect. So I have peace of mind that my wrap is in tact.

My surgeon said at my 1 year follow up that nausea is normal. It's a possible side effect from this surgery. Then he prescribed me with some more anti nausea meds. I don't know what causes my nausea. It's completely random. It's so weird. That's why I like to have those pills on hand. If I don't, I have had an issue where I started to heave and I was so worried I was messing up my wrap. Plus heaving hurt so bad.
I don't know about you, but before my surgery my reflux was so bad that I was vomiting on a daily basis. I don't know if having this issue pre-surgery contributes to my now issue of the nausea.
Posted 2/22/2011 5:23 PM (GMT 0)
My doctor just told me after surgery that I did not need the Nexium any more. By "having having acid issues" do you mean heartburn, etc.? My symptoms of reflux was coughing aafter I ate and costantly clearing my throat due to acid being there. I never had much trouble with heartburn. My doctor also did not tell me I needed a one year checkup. She is really highly regarded with the proceedure and has done many, many of them. I may need to check with her. I have had some severe loss of appetite in October and lost 20lbs. Do not know if it was reflux. After that I did have a few times of nausea like I feel now. The only time I threw up was when the coughing got severe and that was a few times a week. Sounds like you were really suffering. I am so sorry and so glad this proceedure has helped. I think I will make an appointment with my surgeon and just face-to-face ask her about this. Thanks again for the advice.
finallyfundi
Posted 2/22/2011 11:47 PM (GMT 0)
My acid symptoms were a lot of acid burning in my stomach and chest. That's why he did the test to make sure everything looked good. He just said everyone is different and maybe I just have to stay on meds. Honestly I'm just glad it's under control. I think back to how bad I got before and I don't know how I dealt with that.
Definitely make an appointment. Your surgeon will be able to help you. Let us know how it goes! Good Luck!
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