Anyone else having problems after Lap Nissen Fundoplication?????

Hi,

I am new to Healing Well, and I really need to talk about what has been happening to  me since my lap nissen in June 2005, for GERD and a Hiatus Hernia. My body hasn't been right since the surgery. First of all, I didn't do any kind of research on the surgeon that did my surgery, and boy was that a mistake. I just trusted my GI Dr when he reffered me to a General Surgeron.

Before surgery, I weighed 128lbs (5'2 inches tall). After surgery, I started having lots of problems. I did as I was told with the post opt diet. When I was able to eat solid food, started having lots of diarrhea, and on occasion, undigested food was coming out too. I was feeling very nauseated after even a small meal and felt full after a few bites. I started having esophageal spasms also. Food  no longer tasted good to me, and I started dreading when I had to eat. I actually was never hungry, and had to make myself eat.  

Probably in Aug or Sept I went back to see my GI Dr and told him the problems I was having and he told me that my stomach was so messed up before surgery, and to give my stomcah time to get used to being fixed. Fourteen months after the surgery, I ended up in the ER with excruciating pain to the upper left quadrant of my abdomen. A battery of tests done &culdn't find anything wrong.I was given pain meds and sent home. Later the same evening I went back to ER and ended up getting Morphine for the pain(it was that bad). I was scheduled for a EGD later this same week, and after having the EGD was sent straight to the hospital to be admitted. Dr thought I had a flipped stomach. After several days in the hospital, and many tests, my diagnoses was Gastroparesis and a paralyzed left diaphragm. I had neither of these problems before surgery. The Dr told me that it could have resulted from the Lap Nissen surgery.

I have been dealing with the nausea and full feeling all the time for 6 long years. I looked at food as a medicine and not something that I enjoyed doing. I lost 28 lbs and could not gain any weight. I was tired all the time. Needless to say, my quality of life definitely decreased after this surgery.

Now to the present day...around Dec of 2010, I started having more issues. The tiredness was getting way worse, I am a RN and work in a office from 8-5 daily. I would come home and  literally go straight to bed d/t I was so tired I couldn't function. I was having shortness of breath on exertion. I started having severe constipation(the point to impaction). I blamed the constipation on a daily vitiman, so I stopped taking it. I got a chest cold around the 1st of Feb, and went to my PCP and he did a chest x-ray. OMG, I was not ready to hear what he had to tell me. He said in all his 45 yrs of practice, that he had never saw what he saw on my x-ray. My stomach had herniated into my chest. I was reffered to GI Dr &CVsurgeon, and on March 9th, I had major surgery to get my whole stomach and about 10 inches of my colon out of my chest(d/t the paralyzed left diaphragm that got damaged during the Lap Nissen). This has been very traumatic for me and Iwould never want this to happen to anyone else. So, Please, if you are thinking about Lap Nissen Fundoplication, please do lots of research on the surgeon , and don't make the same mistake I did.

By the way, Has this ever happened to anyone else out there?

Thanks for letting me vent! Rena

Hi! I'm so sorry that you are going through this. I too have had this surgery ........ 4 times. :( Starting in 2005. Just found out today that my 4th one done last March the stitches have unravelled. Here comes surgery number 5. I am so angry. This is my first hour on HealingWell.com. I always thought I was the only one out there with this problem. After my 2nd surgery, I would vomit all my food up 30 minutes after I would swallow it. This went on for 5 months. They finally figured out that I too have Gastroparesis. Got on Reglen and had terrible side affects. Now I'm on Domparidone. It helps. When I had my 4th surgery, my stomach too was stuck inside my chest. After each of my surgeries I was put on 3 month liquid diet. Then slowly introduce very tiny bites for the next 3 months. I didn't have a BM for 2 months. Major stomach cramps. Told I had chronic constipation. I now only go once a week. Every time I eat I feel like i'm having contractions. Or a volcano is trying to erupt and then I reflux the food. I try and only eat at night. The rest of the day I drink herbal tea, protein shakes (but, some of them make me dry heave), soup, and I juice my veggies and fruit. I live on Juicing. Then for dinner I eat very little, and about an hour after dinner I take pain meds cuz I'm in so much pain. This has been my life for six years. You would think I was used to it, but I'm not. Also, Everything revolves around food. Every gathering. I don't want to go to any more gatherings because there will be food there and I Can't eat it. I hope this helps. I would love to chat with you again. Let me know how you are feeling.

HI Sunbright,
Gosh, I thought my ordeal was bad. I am so sorry that you are going through this, also. I know exactly what you mean about gatherings and food, although my symptoms are NO where near as bad as yours. As a matter of fact, since I had the surgery for Diaphragmatic herniated Gut, I have been doing a lot better with eating. I can eat more and no longer nauseated. I am also having a BM every day now, where as before, it was only every 4 days or so. The problems I am having now are esophageal spasms and food hanging a little. I just had my esophagus dilated yesterday in hopes this would get better. I guess we'll see how it goes.
Which surgery have you had? lap nissen or diaphragmatic herniated gut, or both? It just goes to show, that no matter how bad you think you've got it,there is always someone out there who is worse off than you. It is just nice to know that I'm not alone in this struggle, and that we can chat about our problems to each other, I think talking about issues help. Keep me posted on how you are doing!
Take care...Rena

Have they mentioned to you having a stomach emptying problem?

Hi Sunbright,
I'm not sure what to tell you about using the same surgeons or not using them. But, they must not know what to do with your wrap, as it keeps not taking. You know, it wouldn't hurt to get another surgeons opinion. Just saying!

Before my last surgery, I could only tolerate small amounts of food. If I ate just a bite too much, it made me nauseated. I carried Zofran in my purse at all times. I would have a bm only about once a week. Since this last surgery(to get my stomach and colon out of my chest), I have been able to eat more food, and not be nauseated at all. i am having regular bm's now also. The problem I am having at this time is esophageal spasms. It is debilitating. I called my GI doc this am and he called me a med in called Cartia.(hypertension medication) It is suppose to relax the muscles in the LES, and calm the spasms down. One draw back, I don't have hypertension...so, I have to make sure this med doesn't lower my bp too much. I'll know in a few weeks if it is going to work..I guess we'll see.
I hope that you get yourself fixed and on the road to recovery. Have you consulted any other surgeons about the problems you are having?

Hi Na Na,
Hopefully Bill will be back soon to share his experience with you. I have been a member of the forum a long time, and Bill and I have become online friends.

I can tell you that his first wrap was done very poorly...I believe that it was twisted when wrapped and was actually stitched to his stomach. (Bill, hope I've got it straight). He wasn't able to swallow much at all, and had a lot of trouble eating.

When he went to have it redone, he ended up with holes in his stomach because of the mess they made of the first surgery. His recovery was very difficult, and he was in the hospital for a long time.

Take care,
Denise

I had a Nissen with hiatal hernia repair 3 weeks ago and felt very hopeful with being able to breathe again. I even put my nebulizer machine away. For almost 10 years I have been diagnosed with COPD and have Ben treated with prednisone, antibotics etc.My life revolved around trying to breathe by working to cough up sputum and I didn't want to be around anyone. I basically thought I was going to meet my Jesus! Finally after an endoscopy,bravo test, SinusCT, GI Drs.i went to a Pulmonologist who said I did not have COPD! I did have asthma which can go Hand in hand with GERD.Then I went back to MN Gastro and pretty much begged for the surgery. I noticed right away that I didn't have acidity snot in my mouth and trouble breathing. BUMMER! it is back again. I would know if anyone has had a similar situation. I would repeat surgery in a minute if it could get rid of the mucus and breathing stuff. I am begging for some support. Thanks and Have a Blesses Day!,