HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Getting over Nissen Fundoplication need some advice

Support Forums
>
GERD & Acid Reflux
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 12/10/2011 3:18 PM (GMT 0)
Hey i'm over in the uk and had my NF 17 days ago and am finding myself worrying about whether it has worked..silly I know it's very early. I've had Gerd and asthma for 2 years and was hoping this would be the solution. Now i've had it i'm concerned because I am still having throat clearing and speaking problems after eating and a mild burning in my chest when I wake up in the morning. Has anyone else been through this who can help me with some positivity!
Posted 12/10/2011 7:26 PM (GMT 0)
Do not worry.i had mine 35 days ago and i still feel issues on my chest and irritated throat.so you need time ,a few days and you wont feel pain in your chest..
Posted 12/10/2011 8:06 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for your comments. I'd love to know how i'm going to feel in 6 months! I can hardly eat anything either I can't wait until I can eat and drink properly!
Posted 12/10/2011 8:39 PM (GMT 0)
Does anyone else know how I should be feeling at this stage
Posted 12/11/2011 10:57 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Will,
I think it is very individual where you are at this stage. I am 34 days post op and I am not much better than before. Maybe some days are better and I am a little less hoarse, but still the mucus and throat clearing.
Some of the other good users here are saying that between week 4 and 12 you should see some progress but it takes up to a year before you know for sure where you are.
I guess we have to brace ourselves with some more patience and wait it out at least for another month.
Posted 12/11/2011 3:03 PM (GMT 0)
yeah I think patience is the key it's really hard to not get a bit disheartened that it may not have worked. It's great to be able to talk to other people who are going through the same thing. I'm struggling to breath deeply as well I get a sharp pain in my shoulder. I really hope this settles down. Hope things improve for you soon and we both get the benefits from this procedure
Posted 12/11/2011 4:45 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Will,

I had the surgery for LPR symptoms (Feb. 2009), and I got a lot of improvement.  My lungs were the biggest issue, and they improved by about two and a half months.  

 I was suffering from horrible, uncontrollable asthma for 4+ years, and my PCP and asthma docs kept pushing me to have the surgery.  I just wish I'd done it much earlier.  I suffered all those years needlessly.  Also, keep in mind that acid can cause permanent damage to lungs, so you should feel good that you got it so early.  My lungs are now doing great...no more daily nebulizer treatments and high doses of inhaled steroids/prednosone.   

Patience, patience, patience.  I remember stressing over reflux sensations (remember that the esophagus is a dumb organ, and interprets all pain as reflux.) and looking for answers here.  I was almost afraid to admit that I was having them for fear that it would mean my surgery was a failure.

It's not a perfect solution.  There isn't one.  But if, like me, you can find some improvement that you weren't able to achieve with PPIs, it will be a success.  LPR is a tougher fix.

Here's a link to a really informative document regarding LPR-

http://www.utmb.edu/otoref/grnds/Laryng-reflux-090825/laryng-reflux-090825.doc

I found it very intresting.

Glad you've joined our forum! 

Welcome to the Healing Well yeah yeah yeah Wrapped Club! yeah yeah yeah

Best wishes,

Denise

Posted 12/11/2011 6:26 PM (GMT 0)
That's great to hear your story denise. I just hope this works out for me too. I literally began having serious asthma problems a few years ago. Started with what I now know to be LPR throat clearing which then lead to several chest infections and then more.severe heartburn. It only improved with 40mg of what we call pantoprazole and symbicort. Prior to this I was in great health. When they diagnosed a hiatus hernia and I read about the complications of this and GERD it started to click into place. Doctors over here don't really recognise LPR as a condition
Posted 12/12/2011 4:05 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Will,

LPR is definitely not as well-defined and accepted as GERD.  I was never actually diagnosed with LPR--just GERD.  I figured out that it was LPR by reading descriptions on the internet. 

LPRers are much more sensitive to reflux than the general GERD public, which causes us some problems. Any GI doc or even Nissen surgeon who looks at a DeMeester score in the normal range (<14.7) will not see a problem.  That's the range they're going for.  Unfortunately for LPRers, those scores may be plenty high enough to create problems.  It's a tough spot to be in!

An asthma doc or ENT will be more likely to identify LPR than a GI doc.  That's just the way things are right now.  The LPR document I gave you the link for describes the conundrum pretty clearly.

Good luck finding answers and a resolution to your issues.

Best wishes,

Denise

 

✚ New Topic ✚ Reply