Nissen Fundoplication 6 days ago - eating issues

Hello everyone,

I had the Nissen Fundoplication surgery on Jan 30th and came home the next day. So far the pain has not been too bad but has seemed to increase in the last day or so. I had been taking torodal since leaving the hospital and stopped taking that the night before last so I assume that has something to do with the increase in pain. It is still relatively mild considering. I do have percocet or ibuprofen that I can take if the pain increases. I had a few questions though. Is it normal for the pain to get better or worse depending on the day? My brain seems to think that it should get better everyday but I know that things are not always ideal. Has anyone else had this issue?

I also have some questions about food. My surgeon had me on a soft mechanical diet before I even left the hospital. They gave me scrambled eggs for breakfast and ground chicken with gravy for lunch. I was able to eat it without any problems swallowing as long as I took very small bites and chewed very well. I am only able to eat a tiny amount at a time (probably less than 1/4 of a cup), if I eat more than that I feel like I have indigestion. I have dealt with anxiety issues in the past and indigestion mimics some of those symptoms so I don't like to feel that way at all if I can help it. So I am sticking to very small amounts of food and reverting back to broth if I have something that doesn't quite sit well. So far all I have tried is scrambled egg, cream of wheat, heavily diced chicken with broth, couscous, avocado, banana, yogurt, and smoothies with whey protein. Last night I had some pudding and had a lot of discomfort and two episodes of diarrhea. I had already had some dairy so I was surprised by my bodies reaction to the pudding. Has anyone else had this issue with dairy? Now I am worried about using the whey protein supplements in my smoothies as I don't want to have the same reaction. Any pointers for getting more protein. I am concerned that my caloric intake is so low since I only eat tiny amounts throughout the day.

Thanks for reading and sharing!

By the way, stay on the pain meds untill you good.

Thanks for the info. This forum is really great, there are so many negative sites out there that it is good to read the posts here.

I am feeling much better this afternoon. I went to the health food store and bought some protein supplements that don't have dairy as well as some almond and coconut milk. I had quinoa flake hot cereal with coconut milk earlier and it was so tasty. It is wonderful to have other flavors than broth and juice. I am having a bit of very well done toast and jam for a snack right now! I am super careful to take minuscule bites and follow them with water but so far so good and it tastes fantastic.

Thank you for your posts, it is always good to hear reassuring thoughts from people who have been through it. I'd love to hear more or have links to other's stories. I am not sure how to navigate around this site effectively.

Thanks!!!

amanster,

Pain will vary form day to day, depending on many things, like how much activity you do and even the amount of good sleep you get. I actually had my worst pain in the 4th week and had to get a prescription for Norco. It helped the pain, but I finally realized most of my nausea was probably from codeine. You may need to slow down on advancing your diet as there is still a lot more swelling to come. Your bowels will probably keep you guessing for a couple of weeks. Some days you may be constipated, others its loose and frequent. It really is normal post-op.

Peggy

Hi amanster,

At this point in your recovery it's totally normal to be eating very small amounts and low calorie totals.  Everyone loses weight during this recovery.  It's the norm.  Don't worry for a moment.  As you heal the amount of food you can tolerate will increase.

Here's a link with a document that provides some post-Nissen eating guidance.  Maybe you'll find it helpful if you haven't already checked it out:

http://surgery.med.umich.edu/thoracic/clinical/procedures/MushyDiet-Nissen.pdf

It does offer some milkshakes to increase calorie intake, if you scroll through the document.

Remember that your wrap is at the swelling stage, and you'll likely have moments when your swallowing becomes more difficult before the swelling goes down, which it will.

You hit the nail on the head when you said that this recovery varies from day to day.  You'll definitely have some ups and downs...especially in these first few weeks.  Hang in there, it'll get better!

Best wishes,

Denise