Post op fundiplication and hiatel hernia repair

Great forum! I read before surgery and now after. I am 7 days post op. I tried some thicker liquids but simply could not tolerate it. Ensure Is just fine, thank goodness! I can burp and do a lot after drinking. Gosh, this is not a walk in the park, but glad I
did it! No more nausea, bad taste in mouth, dry mouth, burning tongue or chest pain from the daily onslaught of acid. I was taking 3 dexilant per day before and that did not work. I am still taking one per day per docs instruction but I feel that the acid problem is over! So it's true that the swelling will get worse before better?

Mkwade,  I reposted my original response here and deleted it in the other thread to keep it all in the same place.  Again, glad you've joined us!  Denise

Hi Mkwade,

Welcome to Healing Well! You're now a member of the Wrapped Club! What you're experiencing is completely normal. Keep in mind what has been done to you. The top of your stomach has been stretched and wrapped and stitched. This is very traumatic to your upper GI tract. I assume you've also had a hernia repair, which causes even more stress on the area.

The thing about laproscopic surgery is that your outsides don't represent the fact that you've had major surgery, and it will take quite some time for it to heal. Your incisions will be healed and disappearing while you insides will continue to go through healing changes.

Around here we remind each other that most of the healing takes a full 6 months, and the rest a full year. You're in the infancy of your recovery.

Here is a link to access my early recovery journal. It might give you an idea of what is "normal". Everyone reacts to the surgery differently, so understand that your experience won't be exactly like mine. Still, we all go through some generally shared experiences.

https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=45&m=2183443

Many surgeons have their patients on a liquid diet for two weeks. This is because your wrap wil becomes increasingly swollen over the first two weeks. peaking on or about 14 days. Having more difficulty swallowing is totally normal. My surgeon warned me that, "swallowing will become worse before it gets better."

My surgeon allowed me to use my own good judgement and teeth to choose and "blend" my food until it was ready to be swallowed. I'd say maybe a third of surgeons have this philosopy. Many don't trust their patients to make good eating decisions, so they take the conservative route and allow only liquids.

It's great to hear you're walking on the treadmill. I was lucky enough to have a treadmill, too, and it was a big help. I found that my shoulder pain reduced or increased in direct correlation with how much I walked. Like you, I took it very slow in the beginning, and increased my speed gradually as I healed.

Glad you've joined the forum. This is a great place to get information and support from others who've been through the same recovery.

Happy Healing!

Denise

Hi Michelle,

I think surgeons don't inform their patients of just how challenging the recovery is.  I have two theories.  It's either that they don't want to scare patients off, or they truly don't understand the challenges because they've never experienced it themselves and don't really follow their patients closely through their recovery. Either one, it does leave some post-op patients shocked and frustrated.

I had thoroughly researched what to expect, and I was actually pleasantly surprised, as I had prepared myself for much worse.  While my recovery was challenging, I'd expected a living hell, which it wasn't.  Like you, though, I thought that whatever the difficulties it was an improvement over my condition before the surgery.

Just remember that you are in the infancy of your recovery, and things will get better.  Once the swelling peaks and starts going down, your swallowing will improve.  Also, as healing progresses you'll start feeling generally more comfortable.

Glad you've joined the forum! 

Happy healing,

Denise