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

Hey Dave,
I am on my 16th day since surgery. I burp also. I think it helps the liquid go threw better. Some can't burp at all and I am sure they are uncomfortable. I could only eat jello, broth, Slimfast, popsicles, mashed potatoes and baby food for the first 10 days. Now I can eat cheese toast, I did eat two bites of a hamburger, (meat and bun) but I chewed it up real well. That seems to be the key, chew it to the consistance of baby food and only very, very small bites. After you swallow sip on some water. Oh, for me, very cold foods don't work too well. I still have a hard time with ice cream and ice tea.
I still have a hard time with lying completely down. I have not slept in my bed since the surgery. I have to sleep in the recliner. I can feel something pulling and it's very uncomfortable. I can't walk real fast or I hurt.
You will feel better each day but the first 10 days are the worse.
One final thing is Denise told me food might get stuck and not to panic. I had that last night. I am glad she told me so I knew what to do. I ate some chicken noodle soup and a noodle slid down before I had time to stop it. it was VERY uncomfortable. I walked around and kept taking tiny sips of water. about 15 mins. later it passed.
Good Luck!

Burping absolutely fine,.be happy in fact! It's a good sign. Dont expect to eat more than a few spoonfuls today or tomorrow bit it'll pick up. Space it out when you do, and take your time. These first few days you can spend hours on an inch of a drink. It'll improve, walk or rock if you feel pain. Any nausea?

You'll get there, take your time. Ask your questions here, these are good people!

Kevin - lap nissen and h h repair august.

You guys are awesome. Thanks for answering my questions. I am feeling really lousy. It's good to know that just a couple spoonfuls a day is normal, because I am in excruciating pain after like the second spoon.

about pills, my doctor refused to give me the anti-nausea or pain pills in anything but pill form. I'm even willing to go the suppository route if it means not having to take these pi lls. To be honest, based on how I felt after taking them, I'm too scared to take them now, even though I know I should ( I feel nauseous).

Yes, I do feel very nauseous at times. Especially after taking pills or drinking a couple sips of water. I keep having to spit in a cup (sorry for the image). Please tell me this gets better soon.

Can they really give me a patch? I'm feeling awful and I'm surprised my doc won't work with me on this. And I feel too awful to go to my primary care doc to ask for these other prescription options. Maybe i could just call him?

Hi Dave,

I remember maybe Day 4 when I got tons of mucous from my esophagus that I couldn't bear to swallow, so I spit into tissues.  That lasted at least a day.  I'm wondering if that's what you're describing.

When you say your doctor refuses...do you mean your surgeon?  If so, you can check with your PCP or GI doc.  My surgeon gave me Zofran...it's a pill, but it's tiny, and you dissolve it under your tongue.  My PCP gave me the suppository/Compazine (I actually liked that better as far as effectiveness, but the Zofran is good to take with you places...it's not that convenient to use a suppository when you're on the go.)  I always have anti-nausea drugs handy, just in case...you could carry a couple of Zofran in your wallet always.

I truly don't understand why it's so hard to get liquid pain meds.  Are they afraid that we won't measure it properly?  Is anyone in the medical profession following this thread?  If so, could you please answer that?

If you can crush and mix whatever you need to take in applesauce, it's not ideal, but better than nothing.  They administered liquid Loritab to me in the hospital before I left.  Why couldn't they have sent it home with me?

Oh well...water under the dam.  I understand your fear of taking pills...it does feel uncomfortable.  Why do they insist that we eat soft food (some even require liquids for up to 6 weeks) and then send us home with HUGE pain meds.  If you can get relief from liquid Tylenol, go for it.  Tylenol is better than Motrin, since it's easier on the stomach.

I would call your PCP.  If that doesn't work, ask the GI doc who referred you to the surgeon. 

Good luck!  It'll get better.

Just surrender to what is...follow your recovery where it takes you.  These early days are a challenge, but they will improve over time.  Hang in there...be patient.  Just take it a day at a time. 

Take care,

Denise 

Thank you so much, kitt and Denise. The pain from taking even part of a spoonful of anything is horrible I have to rush to my room and take a cherry flavored chewable gas-x and have my wife rub my back to help get rid of the sudden gas. It's embarrassing, but genuinelly painful. It makes me feel very, very nauseous.

I would prefer to not have to swallow anything. If I could have a patch or even a suppository I think I'd be fine, and I truly dislike suppositories.

You are welcome. I got choked on a noodle from Chicken and Noodle soup. Admagine that! a skinny, soft noodle. But after several sips of water and walking it finally went down. Not fun at all.... Hang in there!

I am also taking liquid vitamins. Immune Defense. It's nasty to me. Too fizzy but I don't want to get sick while I am trying to heal. I believe I read that you could take a spoon of oil to help things go down. I haven't tried it but that might help to do before you take a pill.

I don't think gummy vitamins would work. I would be scared that I couldn't chew them well enough. The fizzy kind goes down fine, just taste bad. Mix with 4oz of water. I waited until 5 days after my surgery before I started them. I also got a flu shot a couple of weeks before my surgery.

I am not sure why the doctor told you that. My guess is some may be able to swallow those. Mine gave me liquid Lortab. I told him I bought liquid vitamins and he said that was a good thing to do.

Hi Dave,

I didn't take the tablets whole.  I crushed them.  Even that way it wasn't very comfortable or palatable.  That's why I switched pretty quickly to liquid Tylenol.  Have you tried crushing them and taking them with applesauce or something a little at a time?  Have you called your surgeon regarding this problem?  Of course it's Saturday, but being two days post-op you should expect a call-back from their service.

Your surgeon has been paid the big bucks for this surgery...hold him accountable.  You're not imagining the pain you're having.  You need narcotic pain meds, and you need them to be liquid.

I can guarantee you that any surgeon who went through this procedure would be the first one having their friends order them up some liquid pain meds.  Lucky Ellen.  I  could never understand the thought process of demanding that Nisen patients take large pain meds while putting them on a liquid or soft diet.  Huh?

Don't take no for an answer.  You should not be in pain.

We're with you! 

Denise

When will I be able to eat like normal amounts of food? I am so hungry, but it hurts so much to swallow more than a tablespoon or two of liquid.

Is this normal after two days post surgery?

Dave,
Relax brother.......As Denise said it is very normal. I was lucky with my nissens as I could swallow pills without any difficulty. Since you said you have an appetite things are going very good. I can tell you that when things aren't going well you have no urge to eat what so ever!

The full feeling is from swelling at the top of your stomach they used for the wrap swelling. That area tells our brain we are full. So the swelling plus probably some trapped air along with the bit of food will make you feel full very fast. When you drink try to not swallow air, it sounds strange but those of us with GERD tend to swallow more often and end up with more swallowed air.

Is the swallow pain at the bottom of your sternum? If so you could try a heating pad on low that helped me a lot when I was in the hospital. They would heat a towel and had me hold it on the area.

I would also still try to get your surgeon to prescribe liquid meds and if he won't most pain meds crush really well and mix with something like applesauce or pudding. I myself have used Goody's Headache powders enough I am used to the nasty taste of crushed pills.

Hang in there, it does get better.

Take care,
Bill