Pre and post Nissen, my experience.

A fortnight left, buddy!

I am usually dazed waking up from anesthesia, but everyone handles it differently. I remember once the girl next to me was completely calm and I actually asked her, "Why are you so collected while I'm acting like such an idiot?" She thought that was pretty funny.

I was not, however, panicky. As Denise says, that morphine'll take care of that. I had just had a laparoscopy and I was telling my mom, "You know, everything's gonna be fine. Just a-okay." God love that PCA. LOL!

I've got the countdown going for you! May it be quick and pain free :)

Ashley

Daryl.

Two weeks sounds like a long time but it will go quick enough.

The last thing I remember going into the operating theatre was looking at the clock as we went through the door. It was 3pm. When I opened my eyes again it was 7pm & all I could think was "where did that 4 hours go". It seemed like I'd only closed my eyes 5 minutes before hand.

I didnt have a PCA but for the first 48hours had a 'pain buster' which was a little device that infused liquid anesthetic directly into the wound through a catheter either side of my incision. (I had an open NF & was in hospital for 5 days). It was wonderful, didnt have much pain at first until it finished then they just gave me oral meds which I stopped taking 2 day after I got home.

Try to relax & stay positive over the next two weeks. Im sure you will come through this with flying colours & be enjoying life to fullest in no time.

Take care

Lynda

13 days...

You right, these two weeks re going to fly. That's a little worrying in itself though. Like - the time draws nigh, or my date with destiny quickly approaches.

Ahhh well. I am exited too. Quietly optimistic, dreaming about a life where I am able to do, eat and be. Without the constant thoughts of reprecussions.

So I will be that positive mind frame!
Just scared I let myself down and start panickying.
I used to suffer a lot of anxiety attacks. Have gotten control of that, so I guess I'm just scared of a bit of a relapse.

What has worked incredibly in my life is knowing that all bad things do eventually pass. The experience of repeated anxiety attacks (the bad ones were you believe this is it!!!) has taught me that they always ease of in the end, and that the life that is meant to be enjoyed is not too far away. Back when I didn't have this perspective to setbacks and my issues, I thought I'd never be normal again and that life was not worth living.

Now I will approach my surgery like that too. Not place any permanent status to any upcoming feelings of pain, anxiety and uncomfortableness.

For they too shall pass.

darn, I just wish they's coome and gone already and I was now writting encouraging posts to you all about the recovery process not being that bad at all!

Well, it's the Weekend Baby!
And nice the sun is shining beautifully.
Have all,
Darryl

How terrible that you had a bad weekend, Darryl. I am looking forward to days when you can eat anything you want at a BBQ and be pain free. 10 days, my friend!

This will all be behind you soon :)
Ashley

Yeah Thanks Ash and Ryobe -
Have been following your posts Rye! As you are now experienced!
Ash, when are you booking your date? I remember you posting that
you eventually seeing an ent?

Ja - just imagine that life two three months from now. The one that I am sitting with friends, having a few drinks, eating some of those seriously taboo stuff.

Whack - that's what I'm looking forward to. That's what I'm sort of putting out there as my goal and vision, the one that I hope will pull me right through this whole surgery / recovery story.

Happy days.
I hope we all have many more of those. Happy Days! Cheers, D

I like reading your posts Darryl, and all the replies too. It all gives me hope and I wish you the best.
Thanks for sharing.

Hey Darryl!

I'm on a waiting list to get my gastroscopy. I will post the date as soon as I get one.

I am very early on my GERD journey and I don't know yet if I am a candidate for a Nissen. Now that I have a gastroscopy coming, of course, my symptoms have scurried and hidden and I don't know if the ENT will see anything... I really hope something is found, it would be very frustrating to hear that everything is normal when I suffer so much sometimes.

SINGLE DIGITS! Whoa bud, you're almost there! I do not see you as "resigned to your fate", I see you as embarking on a journey to a better, healthier you :)

Good luck!
Ashley

Daryl. i am right with you.i just schedule my surgery today.i have 16 days.i am scheduled to have it done sept 15.i am also scared to death.but i ahve been dealing with heartburn for 20 yrs,and getting sick at night from the acid for about 8 yrs.i finally wnet and seen doc.they did th bravo test,i scored a 69.they said iu have severe acid refluex.so that is when they decided for me to have suregry.i know i cant wait to be normal again.saying no si cant eat that i will get a heartburn.but everyting i ate i got a heartburn.so just to be able to eat whatever im excited,but i worried that my dr is saying that i can prolly go ack to work in 2 weeks,i am a med aide at a assited living.i do lift and pull/and help residents up.im afraid he is going to send me back to early.how long are you all on a liquid diet,when did you start to eat soft foods.i wish you all the luck daryl.hoe you keep me updated on your recovery,as it looks like we are going about the same time/

Title Change!!!!! 21 days have whittled down to 7 whole days!

ie, one week form now, I would have been through the surgery. I'll be lying in the bed feeling sorry for myself, or trippin nicely on some good meds!!?? I guess, in a week, we'll see. Getting a little more nervous right now.

1st day of spring for us in the Southern Hemisphere. Keewwl.
Only prob is, it brings with it some unwanted hay-fever!
Joys of life, is you can't have everything your way I guess.

Have a lekker day all.
Here's hoping for some happy healing for us all.
Darryl

6 Days -

Hi Denise. I live in South Africa. South Enough!!!

So, by challenging recovery - what do you mean exactly? Is it really painful? Or is it just uncomfortable? And also, when talking about uncomfortable, Massive reflux, chest sensations and esophagitis is pretty darn uncomfortable too, do you think the recovery is a lot more uncomfortable than the really bad days of GERD?

I am so not looking forward to it. Am so looking forward however to the positive results!!!!

Why, well, this weekend I'm going to my cousins wedding and will probably be the only one watching everyone else eat and drink at the reception dinner, and not be able to have anything! We have a wonderful weekend away planned, but it so much less so for me than for the rest of the famdamily -

Ahh weeeelllll, hopefully that is all about to change. In a couple of months I may be partaking in whatever it is they are too.

Hope you all enjoy your weekends too.

Take it easy,

D

3 DAYS!!!!

3 days and they gonna cut me. Lol, At the moment I think I'm looking forward to it!!

I gues I'm resigned to it. I'm trying to think that there's absolutley nothing I can do about anything till the point where I wake up in recovery. So better to be going into it with a positive attitude I think. Like I said, I'm going to see it as if I were going for another small thing, like an endoscopy. Just go through those same motions- ie, pitch up at the hospital early Thursday morning. Get relaxed and lie don in preperation, let them stick a needle in my arm for the ol drugs, let those ol drugs do their work, and then let the Doc do his! What can I possibly do about that!?!? Apart from let it be! Let it be and do it posi-ti-va-leeee.....

And then worry about what happens when I wake up and actually do know what it's like.

Ahn, yes I have those exact terrible feelings. And I do believe it's food and the rest of the gunk in my stomach coming on back up. I don't have a burning acid reflux. Just terrible reflux of massive volume. Have you ever noticed, you don't have those feelings if you haven't eaten at all. And that only once you eat you start feeling it, and then if you do throw up - then gone when everything out!?

Well, wedding weekend was great. I did eat a lot of things, but believe me, I did pay for it! I even had three drinks. Also paid for. I figured, it's the last few days for me to eat food, (nice big juicy steakd included) for the next few weeks, so I might as well enjoy it! Last few vomits - and then that's that.

Looking forward to a new life!

Have a lekker week all.

Darryl 

Hey Darryl,

 

Glad to hear you had fun at the wedding celebration this weekend!  You're right to go a little crazy eating before your surgery.  You'll be controling the amount and type of foods you'll be eating for quite a while, and no matter how painful, I say, go for it!

Don't worry a moment about the surgery itself.  The process in the hospital goes pretty quickly.  I don't know what they do where you live, but around here, most get out of the hospital in just a day.  Once you're home you can relax and get lots more sleep. 

Do your best to get your doctor to give you liquid pain medication to take home.  You'll find you can switch to over-the-counter pain meds after just a couple days.  The heavy duty prescription med might be helpful longer than that at bedtime.  Somehow pains that don't bother you during the day can hurt more at night.  Liquid Motrin or Extra Strength Tylenol will be something you want to have on hand.

Enjoy your week and just keep remembering that you'll soon be on the other side and ready to start healing and moving toward a better and healthier quality of life!

Have a lekker day!

Denise

 

Good luck Darryl!

Like you, I went a bit crazy with food before my surgery. My last meal was McDonald's, and it was definitely worth it :)