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Laparoscopic repair of paraesophageal hernia

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Posted 7/28/2011 9:27 AM (GMT 0)
Lilly mountain,  I had the stomach up near the heart too.  My one was done Fifteen years ago.  The doctors were not able to tell me what the dumping was about and I was very frightened by the blacking out.   Keeping food going in at regular intervalls was the answer until my brain got the message.

For anyone embarking on this surgery,  Don't be too frightened.  I had my surgery in N&N Norwich England.  The pain relief afterwards was amazing.  Epidural.  The recovery as quick as you can make it,  in other words do as you are told and give it your best and you will recover well.

lillyM, the dumping has stopped and I have gone on to have gaul bladder removed.  But have developed IBSD in the last ten years, could I ask if you have had any problems similar.?   thankyou and I wish you all well.

Posted 7/30/2011 9:22 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Gregg. Just checking in to see how things are going. Hope you are as well as can be expected as you await your surgery.

Am thinking of you. Good luck for monday. Will be interested to hear it all went & how your recovery is progressing.

Take care
Lynda
Posted 7/30/2011 10:04 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Lynda, I'm enjoying my last weekend before surgery, mostly relaxing and taking it easy, also trying to enjoy some of my favorite foods! I'm ready!
Posted 7/31/2011 9:09 PM (GMT 0)
My last day before surgery. I'm eating a few of my favorite things, since I guess I won't be eating much for a while. I'll get back on Tuesday when I get home from the hospital and let you know how it's going. Thanks to everyone for all the helpful comments!
Gregg
Posted 7/31/2011 9:58 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Gregg

Its Monday, 1st August here in New Zealand so only a few more hours for you to wait.

You are in my thoughts & prayers for a successful operation & a speedy, hassle free recovery.

Just remember to take each day as it comes & don't sweat the small stuff.
Our bodies heal at there own pace & there's not a darn thing we can do that will hurry this along except to relax & stay positive.

Best wishes for tomorrow

Lynda
Posted 7/31/2011 10:13 PM (GMT 0)
Gregg,
Tomorrow's the big day!!!
We'll be waiting here to see how everything went.

Good luck!
Posted 8/1/2011 1:41 AM (GMT 0)
Gregg,

Best of luck tomorrow! I'm a week behind you on the surgery, so I'll follow in your shadows. Will be thinking of you and hope for a great recovery!

Be Well,

Emily
Posted 8/3/2011 11:21 AM (GMT 0)
Well I survived, surgery complete and back home from the hospital. The surgery went very well Monday morning I returned home from the hospital on Tue, about 6:00. (Would have been earlier, but they had a mixup on the discharge papers from the doctor). It was good to get home to my normal environment. Other than feel like I got hit but a truck, everything is fine. My internal abdomen area where they did the work is obviously very sore. I've had headaches, I think it could be from the Morphine in the hospital. I didn't take any pain meds until before bed, I took a couple of oxycodone, had trouble getting comfortable at first but was able to finally settle in around 1 am and go to sleep. Woke up at 6 am but that's much better than I was able to do in the hospital. On Tue morning I had a clear liquid meal, which I got down fine, chicken broth, jello, and apple juice. At noon they gave me a soft diet meal, they wanted to see how I did with that before they released me. I had mashed potatoes, soft cooked carrots, and a piece of pound cake. I managed it very well, no problems at all. The dietitian came and talked to me at the hospital and gave me printed sheets and recommendations for soft food meals which they said I should be on for 2-4 weeks. When I came home last night I had some pudding and then frozen yogurt. I did better with the pudding, it went down fine, and I didn't experience any after effects at all, with either of them. I was anxious to weigh myself when I got home. because I had been trying to lose weight before the surgery and was down about 10 pounds. Much to my surprise, I had regained most of that weight back. I'm going to assume it was from the IV fluids they had me hooked up to the whole time? I don't know what else it could be. Well, that's my experience so far, all things considered, I think it's going very well.
Thanks everyone for all the support,
Gregg
Posted 8/3/2011 11:58 AM (GMT 0)
Gregg,

Glad to hear you are home and that you are doing well.  I think  you are right, the fluids you received IV are the probable cause of your temporary weight gain. 

Again, welcome home.

Kitt

Posted 8/3/2011 10:41 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Gregg,

So glad you are home & everything went well.

You are right the weigh gain is probably from the IV fluids or maybe it all that gas they pump into you. You will continue to lose with the new diet. I have lost 22 pounds in 5 weeks.

Continue to heal well & keep us posted on your progress.

Take care & remember to be patient.

Lynda
Posted 8/3/2011 11:01 PM (GMT 0)
My first full day at home has gone pretty well. I took a couple of oxycodone before bed last night but haven't taken any today at all. Just some Advil. There is pain there, especially when I get up and move around some, not so much when I'm sitting in my recliner. It already feels less than it did yesterday. I have eaten soft foods successfully today. I had scrabled egss for breakfast, mashed potatoes for lunch, pudding for snack and mac n cheese for dinner. Also ate a banana and a yogurt without and fruit in it. No problem with any of it while eating or afterwards. Trying to be careful with portions, and anything like the egss or mac n cheese I'm chewing well before swallowing.

One of my incisions from the laparoscopy was leaking slightly today. They put some kind of glue on it. Is a little leaking (just some small spots on my t-shirt) normal or is this something I should be concerned with?

Other than that, so far, so good!

Gregg

Posted 8/3/2011 11:23 PM (GMT 0)
Put a bandaid on top of it. If it starts looked funny see the doctor.
Posted 8/3/2011 11:50 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Gregg!

Fine, your surgery went well and you are now at home....and starting your  recovering time. Just remember to take all things so easyway than they are possible.

The weight-guestion...it's silly, I remember after my surgery my weight was  8kg's  more than just day before the operation...so relax, your weight will be normal when the gas in your stomach has gone away...

Trust your surgeon's knowledge and just follow the way he/she told to you.

Congratulations...nowadays you have not the devilhernia devil (=paraes.)inside you!

Have a nice recovering time and enjoy the liquid food tongue !

Take good care of you wink

-Sari-

Posted 8/5/2011 2:46 PM (GMT 0)
Well it's Friday and I still seem to be recovering nicely. I've only had to use the Percocet before bed. I tried to go without last night, but woke up about 3 am really uncomfortable so I relented and took some. My eating has been surprisingly good compared to a lot of information I got beforehand from various sources. I guess everyone's different. Maybe the surgeon makes some difference also. I made the surgeon I used had done a LOT of these procedures. Not sure if it makes any difference in recovery or not, but I'd like to think so. And again, we are all different and I;m sure our bodies react in different ways. I have avoided meat, bread, and uncooked vegetables, but other than that, I seem to be eating the soft foods I want without any issues. I had pancakes and scrambled eggs for dinner last night. I have dropped about 4.5 of the 7 pounds I gained in the hospital, presumably from the IV. I was almost hoping my diet would be even more restrictive so I could lose more weight, but I'll take what I'e got. I am eating smaller portions but more often during the day. Anyway, thanks for all the great comments and support. I'll keep you posted as my recovery progresses. I'm off of work this week and next week also. After that I will probably work virtually from home for a while, I'm fortunate to be in the kind of work that will allow me to do that.
Thanks everyone!
Gregg
Posted 8/6/2011 12:01 AM (GMT 0)
Wow! You're doing very good. Just be careful, as the swelling increases you will have some trouble swallowing. It will peak around day 14.
Posted 8/6/2011 12:37 AM (GMT 0)
Joy
Thanks for the heads up, I'll be on the lookout for it and be careful.
Gregg
Posted 8/8/2011 1:04 PM (GMT 0)
One week down, my surgery was a week ago this morning. I continue to recover nicely. I just walked this morning for the third consecutive day, albeit at a slower pace than normal, did 10 minutes on Sat, 20 min yesterday, and 25 minutes today. Will gradually increase to get back to 45 minutes a day at my normal pace. Last Thur night was the last time I had a percocet. I use a little Advil now and then if needed. My eating has been really good, I haven't had any problems at all on my soft food diet. I probably eat bigger servings than I was supposed to but I have tolerated it well. I have to remember to eat slowly so I don't end up with a logjam in my esophagus. I have had a narrowed esophagus for over ten years and have had to have it dilated every year or two (longer since I've been on omeprazole), so I'm used to the restriction around the narrowed esophagus from the surgery. It has not seemed weird to me at all. I had some tuna mixed with mayonnaise on crackers last night and had no problem with it. I'm now sleeping much better also. I sleep on my side normally, and it initially was very uncomfortable, but it seems like I'm getting closer to back to normal.

I also have now lost all of the weight I put on from the IV fluids in the hospital plus another couple of pounds. I took two weeks off of work on medical LOA, and I shouldn't have any problem going back to work a week from now, especially since I work virtually from home quite a bit. I could probably work virtually this week, but I'll continue to enjoy the recovery and rest.
Gregg
Posted 8/9/2011 8:55 AM (GMT 0)
Sleeping on your side, try the other side. For some reason I have never been able to sleep on my right side after the op. It feels like something is hanging. Not a problem I sleep on my left side. Husband thought I did not love him no more but after several reassurances he has got used to this. Ha ha! So glad you are doing well. You are doing incredibly well x.

You will loose weight, I went back to being 21 year old weight, my natural weight. Lost 2 stone, never put it on again. One side effect of the surgery that We all welcome.
Posted 9/18/2011 1:46 AM (GMT 0)
My surgery is scheduled for two days from now. Now the anxiety builds somewhat -- but I really want to just get it over with. My hernia is rather large (11 cm) and they will do Nissen as well. I've read so many varying notes about different lengths of time on clear liquids, full liquids and soft food -- it must vary much depending on the work done in surgery and tolerance?
Posted 9/18/2011 2:14 AM (GMT 0)
I think it must vary a lot also, depending on the person and the surgery. I was eating soft food for lunch the day after I had the surgery. I never really was on liquids. By the end of the first week, I was eating almost normal again. The only real side effect I had was the narrowed esophagus from the Nissen. I had to be careful and eat slowly and chew well, but other than that, I was eating virtually anything I wanted. I was back to my normal walking distance of 45 minutes after 2 weeks. At 4 weeks I hiked 9 miles in 4.5 hours. It's seven weeks now, and I feel like I have no side effects at all. Still just a little tightness in the esophagus occasionally, but not much. The main thing is that my pain after eating that I had before the surgery is now gone, thank goodness for that. My quality life is so much improved. Hopefully you will have mimimal impact after the surgery and a quick recovery also.
Posted 9/20/2011 11:32 PM (GMT 0)
meandonlyme,

You've had your surgery by now, and I hope all is going well for you! Your hernia IS larger than mine. I am told mine is 7 cm. I had my surgeon's office send me the diet they have their patients follow, and there is only clear liquids during the hospital stay. A liquid diet for two weeks afterwards, such as soup, yogurt, milkshakes, anything out of a blender, after that. I will be interested to see what your doctor has worked out for you. I think you are exactly right about the work done and tolerance. I would imagine some people progress at different rates.

Wishing luck for you, and quick healing. Let us know how you are!
Posted 9/24/2011 11:48 PM (GMT 0)
With starting on the full liquid diet two days ago and now five days post op. Hospital heart and lung unit gave me list of items for the diet but looking for actual recipes. Any good links?

Feeling better today. Made short trip with husband to store and worn out. Could be the heat here as well.
Posted 9/24/2011 11:51 PM (GMT 0)
Couchtater....interested in comment about swelling increasing and peaking around day 14. No one said much to me about that. Is it common?
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