HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Please welcome julix having issues after 10 months post op.

Support Forums
>
GERD & Acid Reflux
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
12
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 10/14/2011 4:58 AM (GMT 0)
posted by julix on 10/13/11

I am so glad I found this forum, had my fundo done 10 months ago and it's been sooo hard to do all the right things. I had a large H/Hernia as well. The Doc made out it was an easy recovery, what a crock. I;m still having problems with eating and the feeling of acid again. Hope this is temp.I read that healing can take up to 2yrs;hope not but at least a light at the end of tunnel.
Posted 10/14/2011 4:35 PM (GMT 0)
julix

welcome to healingWell

sorry you are having such a long, hard, slog in dealing with post op. you are not alone, many of us here face similar challenges and it sure helps to share with each other our successes and our set backs...so important not to be alone

i have not had surgery yet but im moving in that direction because i make progress with diet etc, and then fall back more than before so there doesnt seem to be a better choice for me

yes it is so hard to stick with these darned rules for what we can an can not eat...especially when so much of social activity revolves around food...

i have been told that everybody has there own individual rate of recovery and i have read that for some its well more than a year an others not as long...dont give up hope

has your operation improved any aspect of your condition or are you still waiting for any improvement at all?

ive had gerd most of my life and could somewhat handle it...until...in the past few years it turned into LPR...that is, i get reflux all the way up into my larynx and airway, and sometime higher, and meds dont seem to help

its a tough world, and we suffer. for me the key to keeping my head up is to focus on the good things i ve got and the parts of my body that still work ok ( i have a few other significant illnesses etc so sometimes when several go wrong at once its tough)

hang in there...we are a very caring crew here and will stand with you

best wishes
mock turtle
Posted 10/14/2011 5:08 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Julix,

Welcome to the Healing Well yeah yeah yeah Wrapped Club! yeah yeah yeah I'm glad you've joined us.  I did have the Nissen surgery (a full wrap) in February 2009.  I can tell you that it's very normal to still have challenges at your stage in recovery.  I was told that the majority of healing takes place in the first six months, and that the remainder takes a year.  I can add to that...I found continued improvement through the second year.  Little quirks settled down and normalized.

Again, I'm glad you've joined us!

Hang in there!

Denise turn

Posted 10/14/2011 6:19 PM (GMT 0)
julix

Welcome to HealingWell.  I am in the miniority here as I am not wrapped - so I am here to support all of the members of the wrapped club as well as members living with GERD.

I have found the support, validation and encouragement that I receive here, to be so helpful and healing. I hope and trust that will be your experience as a member of the HW family. 

Kindly,

Kitt

 

Posted 10/14/2011 6:31 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Julix, I also had the Nissen Wrap 9 months ago and I am still healing from it. It gets better though, I never thought it would but time is our healer and yes, my surgeon gave me a timeframe of 2-4 weeks to get back to normal....WOW imagine my surprise. From reading a lot of the posts here, I can tell you that we are in for a long haul. I know I am but I am also okay with it. I think once we know that everything will be okay, we can handle anything that comes our way.

Have a great weekend everyone.

All the best.

Cindy
Posted 10/14/2011 11:34 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you all for your input, it's so great to know your not alone in this.I'm having so much acid or what I think is acid in my throat. Sometimes I wish they would of installed a window so I could check it out. I hope this pressure and acidy feeling is just another hurdle and not slip or failure of the wrap. I was doing pretty well for about 2 months and boom a week ago I started to feel bad again. No matter what I eat I feel pressure and I hear my stomach gurgle. I'm not sure if I need to go see a Dr. or just give it awhile,but this is so uncomfortable and nothing is helping.I've lived on Beano,Gas x and Maalox the last week and still no relief. shakehead
Posted 10/15/2011 12:57 AM (GMT 0)
Julix,

Are you sure that the food you eat is getting through your wrap?  Sometimes food that isn't able to pass through the wrap sits at that site and fements.  It can create quite a bit of irritation, and will mimic reflux.

Just a thought.

Denise

Posted 10/15/2011 2:27 AM (GMT 0)
Denise-
so glad you brought that up. I had completely forgot about stuff siting at the wrap.

Bill
Posted 10/15/2011 3:09 AM (GMT 0)
Julix

Welcome to the forum.. we are all happy to have you here and we will answer any questions you have..

I am at 6+ months and I feel as though I am just beginning to heal. My surgeon also said that by 4-6 weeks I would be back to my old self without the reflux.. well he was telling me the truth about the reflux anyway.
Seriously though.. most doctors do not have a clue as to the true scope of recovery from this procedure. It takes time.. but the results are so worth it..

Please stay with us and let us walk with you through your recovery...

Reach for the Sunshine.. Rainbows will follow.
SANDI
Posted 10/15/2011 6:49 AM (GMT 0)
                Hi all,Julix here.Don't know if it;s food getting stuck or what, but it just feels awful. I'm stressing about it and know thats not good for the old digestive system either. As I said in my last post I was feeling good or should I say on the road to recovery after about 8 mo. after fundo. Than about 2 weeks ago I had alot of functions to go to so I started to eat more normal, bread ,a little red meat,Chinese,and Mexican foods. Maybe my system can't take that yet. I have heard there are foods called trigger foods that play havoc on us with the fundo and may not ever be able to tolerate them.Don't know if I'm whining cry too much but I just don't know. I guess a Dr. visit is in the cards if it don't go away in a few more days. BOY this long long recovery wasn't in the brosure the Doc gave me to read before the surgery it was :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) !!!!!!! Thank goodness I FOUND THIS FORUM. Thank you all for being here.it is such a comfort to me.                               Kindly Julix yeah yeah yeah yeah
Posted 10/15/2011 12:41 PM (GMT 0)
julix-
Wow, you got a brochure? I have never seen a brochure with any of the 3 nissens I've had, bummer.
Looks like you added too many touchy foods too quickly. I would back off on the diet a few days or so and then try adding those foods back slowly one at a time with a break in between. This would help you find out if there is a trigger food bothering you or not.

Take care,
Bill
Posted 10/15/2011 4:10 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Bill, HOPE this solves my problem, but freaked out a bit about what to put in my mouth. Yea what a great help the brosure was, it showed all these people with tons of food and wine on the table eating and toasting their quick recovery. Now we need to make a new one with the real recovery: smhair nono haha.I wonder what a reunion with all of us post wrappers would be like--just saying turn I'm going to spend the next couple of days babying my throat and tum.I've lost 38lbs so I guess this is a bypass of sorts and I think small meals are the ticket-- I hope. I read somewhere that meat,pasta,and bread is the hardest to digest,but I thought after 10mo I would be o.k. Thanks Again Julix
Posted 10/15/2011 4:45 PM (GMT 0)
julix-
You are correct about the small meals. It is somewhat like a bypass, your stomach is smaller with the fundus used for the wrap. Also the fundus part of the stomach is what has the "I'm full" receptors in it. So while it is swollen or it gets air in it, you will feel full sooner than you used to. I really never got back my original amount of food I could eat. Well maybe with my first one that was done wrong.
I actually like this as it helps me not over eat. I have lost about 62lbs since my first redo 2 years ago. I haven't lost much weight with this redo, but I am just recovering from a major esophagus repair that I spent 6 weeks or so since 4/28/11 in the hospital unable to eat or drink. I am about 20lbs from my "ideal" weight according to the BMI charts.
Yes solid meats, specifically beef, and soft breads can be tough to get down.

Take care,
Bill
Posted 10/17/2011 1:21 AM (GMT 0)
Hi there, I am 6 month post nissen and I am experience pain in my chest it feels awful and sometimes I get very sad about it.
Has any of you experienced something like this?
Posted 10/17/2011 6:20 PM (GMT 0)
Hi everyone, here is something that surprized me. I was told nothing can go through the wrap at my surgeon's office. I asked specifically when I was having problems burping....he said that the way the wrap was done, that part of the stomach would be useless. The upper part of the stomach was wrapped and stitched to coat the esophagus so that when I eat, the food goes right down the esophagus and into the stomach....am I reading these posts wrong. I personally thought gas was getting trapped in the wrap which was preventing me from burping. Can anyone shed some light????? I can burp now by the way.

I am just curious.....

Cindy
Posted 10/17/2011 6:47 PM (GMT 0)
Cindy-
Yes some people can burp and even vomit after a nissen. More people can burp vs. vomit, but there are some who can do both. Gas and air can get into the wrap area of the stomach too. I was told that this is why you feel full so soon after having the surgery. In the beginning the swelling gives you that feeling too. The fundus is the part of your stomach that sends the full feeling to your brain and that's that part they use for the wrap.
If you can't burp or vomit after surgery doesn't mean after it has healed and the swelling goes down you can't. The pathway to your stomach still works the same as before surgery, but the wrapped part helps the LES to close and the pressure in the stomach helps to hold it closed.

Have I confused you even more now?


Take care,
Bill
Posted 10/17/2011 6:56 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Julix here,I'm 10mo and still having problems on and off. Have to be careful eating and how much you eat as well. I also get what they call spastic esophagus or so they think. Your digestive system was totally redone so I'm sure that takes lots of time to recover. I've read other posts and a year is not out of the question. I get pressure and pain in the chest and between the breastbone and under my ribs too. If you have any concerns mention it to the Dr. I'm a worrywart so I get down at times too,most of us don't want to feel crummy and it's hard. I try to stay positive because stressing upsets your system and that's bad too. Take Care turn turn turn Julix
Posted 10/17/2011 6:59 PM (GMT 0)
Julix here again, my reply was for Jorgito :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)
Posted 10/17/2011 7:32 PM (GMT 0)
Bill, thanks for your reply....before I continue, you are a very brave man and certainly a motivator for this forum...thank you.

So are you saying that after the healing (by the way I am into my 9th month) of however long that takes, maybe a year or even longer, that your system should get back to normal, and the wrap will have closed off, so to speak. I hope I am able to vomit...I haven't had the need to so I don't know if I can or cannot. You said "gas and air can get into the wrap" but I am assuming that food cannot, right? Please forgive my stupidity but I didn't research this surgery before having it. After I found this forum I gained the knowledge that I have. I had silent reflux.

Thanks.

Cindy
Posted 10/18/2011 1:31 AM (GMT 0)
Cindy-
There are no stupid questions here for sure. Please ask anything and we will try to find an answer.
I am not sure if food could get in there, but I imagine it would be tough for food to get in there. In case you haven't seen what the wrap looks like, it's kinda like a hot dog bun around the esophagus. Not all the fundus is used, but the part that is is relatively flat. That's why I don't think anything but air or gas could get in there.

Are you having any problems now? If so would you tell us what is happening? Also thank you for the kind words. i do the best I can to try and help others. This forum is definitely a great place with great people too.

Take care,
Bill devil
Posted 10/18/2011 2:27 AM (GMT 0)
I think my problem could be the food I am eating, cuz I started to eat normally, but I will change that.
Could you help me telling what food I should be eating or which food I should avoid HELP PLEASE
Nissen April 1st 2011
Posted 10/18/2011 2:34 AM (GMT 0)
Jorgito-
Unfortunately trigger foods can be different for everyone. I suggest keeping track of foods you eat and what if any symptoms you have. Are you having any trouble with food getting stuck?
Please tell us what you have been eating also. Are the pains like heartburn or are they a sharp type pain?

Take care,
Bill
Posted 10/18/2011 4:03 PM (GMT 0)
Bill, I don't know how to explain....I am not where I used to be before the surgery and I want to get there. Will I ever get there, maybe you can help answer that question. I sometimes have difficulty burping and then there are times when the stomach burps itself (so I was told by Denise). I don't know if this burping issue is all in my head. I feel a tightness where the wrap is. I can eat anything and I burp quite a bit but not all the time. I can't burp lying down...I don't know if too many people can. I shouldn't complain and and I hope I am not, cause there are far too many people on this forum with more sever issues than I do. I am still healing and I was told that the healing can take 1 to 2 years. I admire you for having done this surgery three times and have the attitude you have. I couldn't do this again. I guess because I haven't suffered the way many people have. As I mentioned I had silent reflux....hey but thanks for asking....this is the only place I can vent and someone will listen. Have a great day

Cindy
Posted 10/18/2011 7:30 PM (GMT 0)
HI ALL..Just a quick update I'm going in for a Barium Swallow to see if everything is in place.sure hope so smhair Don't think the Doc was happy to here from me. From what I've read on your info I should have had more tests done before N/F. All they did was an Endoscopy and voile ... surgery. NO other studies were even brought up. I FEEL like a dunce. I probably will ask for another Endoscopy,because last year the GI said one year. He did not do the N/F; a Bariatric Surgeon in So Ca. did mine and he was certified in Advanced Laparoscopic. Don't know if that means alot,,since I kind of feel I should have done my homework... nono NEVER WAS SO GREAT AT THAT---- LOL. I know I'm going on and on but this forum is so great and it's so great to have people in the same boat. Thanks julix
Posted 10/19/2011 3:15 AM (GMT 0)
Cindy-
things may never get to exactly where you were before surgery. The burping issue will probably hang around. Since you had silent gerd were you having a sore throat or hoarse voice before surgery? I had standard herd so I see a big difference with the surgery.

julix-
I sure hate hearing about people only having an EGD and then the surgeon does surgery. So sorry about that. they should have done a ph study and manometry at the very least to see exactly what the reflux level was and how you esophagus was functioning and what the pressure is at the LES. I wouldn't put too much into being certified in advanced laparoscopic. Pretty sure that just means they have been taught and passed how to use the newer scope systems. also not all bariatric surgeons are good at this surgery. My first one was done by a bariatric surgeon too. Mine was completely done wrong.
Hope you get some answers.

Take care,
Bill
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
12