Having the Nissen Fundoplication this Thursday!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Part 1 of 2

Dave-

Welcome to Healing well. I would definitely let your surgeon know how you are feeling and see what he thinks.

I have had 3 nissens since June of '06. The surgery itself was no problem for me, but remember the recovery can be slow the first several weeks. If you remain patient and stick to your doctor's diet suggestion all should go well. If you can think of any specific questions please ask away.

Take care,
Bill

Dave-

That really depends on what kind of diet your surgeon recommends. A couple things for sure are to avoid bread that isn't toasted and solid meats like beef for several weeks. They tend to get stuck at the wrap. Plan on soft foods and liquids for a few weeks. Especially during the first couple weeks while the wrap still swells. Some people use a blender to make foods easier to get past the wrap. Also warm drinks such as tea seem to help loosen the swollen wrap when you eat.
If something does happen to get hung up, don't panic. Try to relax and drink something to push it through the wrap. If it just won't go, you can bring it back up kinda similar to a cat with a hairball. Gross I know, bu that's the best way to describe it. It's not vomiting it's just reversing the esophagus muscles.

You can experience some feeling of reflux early on and is quite normal. It takes quite some time before the esophagus heals. even then a normal amount of acid can feel like bad heartburn as the esophagus heals. Avoid using straws as they introduce air into your stomach and you may or may not be able to burp it up.

Also remember even though the incisions heal quickly the inside under goes a major change and takes months to fully heal. also ask for anti nausea meds for at home. Most cannot vomit after a nissen and you don;t want to deal with dry heaves. I know this all too well.
I ate malto meal and oat meal early on along with pudding and jello. Gradually added some cold cereals and other soft foods.

Take care,
Bill

As far as meds go, it looks like a good list. What about liquid Tylenol? I took that instead of the strong pain meds. I'd get some broth, jello, pudding, Ensure, anything liquid to 'eat' after surgery. Some docs recommend a liquid diet, some don't. I was on soft foods when I left the hospital. Don't rush recovery, listen to your drs limitations and you will be golden. Good luck!!!

Denise, yes, I've actually already read that. It was kind of my intro to this forum, and the reason I continued reading in it. As far as I'm concerned, you are like a superstar of this forum!

I also would cough a lot (not as bad as you, but it would be frequent, and very annoying, a wheezing cough that one would expect from an 85 year old smoker in bad health, not from a very healthy, non-smoking 33 year old; that was one of the reasons my GI doc (Northern VA/DC area) recommended I contact a surgeon, even though he told me he is against the surgery. I figured (as did my primary care doc), that if my GI doc recommends me a certain doctor for the surgery, then that surgeon must be very good.

He recommended me my surgeon, who does about 100 of these surgeries a year, and has been doing them for many years (10, I believe?).

He says he fixes other surgeons' mistakes. I specifically asked him if they cut the vagus nerve and he had told me that they take extra care to move the nerve out of the way.

Post Edited (Dave234) : 11/24/2011 9:58:21 AM (GMT-7)

Pill-swallowing after the surgery -- easy or hard?

soliver38, quick question -- had you ever posted on any other boards? IMDB board, for example?

Don't try to swallow pills until you are told by doc. Crush them! I use 2 spoons or a spoon in a bowl. You can buy a pill crusher at any pharmacy.

Doc should prescribe liquid pain and constipation meds when you go home.

Don't let them send you home too quickly. This is major surgery, not like your septoplasty.

Welcome, Tim!

I wish you'd joined us sooner, too!  Now you'll be a member of our Wrapped Club! I amazes me every day when I read posts that express how badly prepared people have been for what to expect and how to handle recovery from a Nissen surgery.  I suspect that part of it is that these surgeons have never experienced recovery first hand, and really don't deal with these issues much, other than a phone call here or there.

I agree with you regarding the HUGE pain meds they give us.  I tried everything I could to get the doc to prescribe an elixer.  As you said, how does it make sense to have us taking a huge pill when we aren't supposed to be eating solid food?  When you figure that one out let me know.

I crushed mine and put it in applesauce.  Actually, my wrap is tight enough to make taking large pills difficult still--nearly 3 years later.  I take liquid calcium (those are humongus), and whenever I can, I take a smaller version of whatever it is that a doc wants me to take.

David,  your best bet is to crush or cut pills into smaller pieces, or get your docs to prescribe smaller versions of whatever you need.

 

Tim, you are still at a very early stage of recovery, and need to take foods slow.  My surgeon turned me loose to eat anything around Day 5 (no steak or bread--don't try sandwiches), but told me to be sure to chew anything I eat to a liquid.  If something didn't chew to a liquid, I just passed on it.  (Paper napkins are handy for depositing things that don't work.)

If you take very small bites and chew, chew, chew, you'll do just fine.  Stay away from ice-cold water...at this stage, room temp is better.  Stay away from carbonated beverages...if you're a soda pop addict, leave it open and let it go flat first.  No straws...they add to the air in your stomach.

It's normal to be eating tiny meals at this point.  Your stomach is still swollen, and your brain interprets that as fullness.  Try to sip water all day.  You do need your liquids.  You don't have to overdo it, but it shouldn't hurt.  The walking is a great idea.  I did that, too...it helped get rid of my shoulder pain, too.

Glad you've joined us, Tim.  Why not start your own thread on the main page?  GERD - Heartburn Then it will be easier for others to find your posts and answer whatever questions that come up.

Dave, if I don't talk to you again before your surgery, good luck!  I'll be waiting to hear from you when you feel up to posting again!

Take care,

Denise

Denise,

Thanks for the advice. I fell for the straw thing as well. It was easy to sip but I took in a lot of excess air which made me feel bloated. Funny, that is what they gave me in the hosipital. Tim

Hello,

I had this surgery 3 weeks ago today. I was in the hospital for 3 days. Stay until you feel good enough to go home. Do not rush that. They gave me liquid Lortab. You might need that for a day or two but not much longer. Liquid Tynold should do the trick. I could only eat broth, mashed potatoes, jello and and liquid replacement meals. Do not drink any carbonated drinks at all for up to 8 weeks. After two weeks I ate a pc. of toast. It took about an hour but I got it down. Eat small, tiny bites and chew the heck out of it before you swallow and drink water behind it. I could only eat about 2 small spoons full in about 15 mins. before I got full. Now after 3 weeks I can eat the entire jar of pudding but it takes some time. I bought baby food but that stuff is terrible.

You will get sick of soft foods and I am still on them but slowly able to eat a little more. I am not rushing it. I have lost 15 lbs so far so that is a good thing if you need to get rid of that. Don't be scared if you hear some weird things coming from your stomach. After I eat mine sounds like tigers fighting. When you go to the bathroom you will be very loose from all the soft foods.

Hope this helps someone. I was very scared before my surgery but it went fine. Not a single reflux at all since my surgery. My first appointment is next week, so hopefully that will go well.

Ellen...You've already shared most of the advice I gave in my response to your other post!  I should have read this first! Thanks for sharing your experience.  That's why this forum works so well!

You're a great addition to our group!

Denise

I just got back home from the surgery. Feelin' fine. Hey, do you know if burping is fine? I burp every so often. I know I shouldn't vomit because that can hurt the wrap. However, what if I burp? Not like big burps, just like a little air coming out.