Linx - 1 Year On

I had the Linx Op a year ago & thought members might like to hear how things are since then & now.

Prior to Linx I was on high doses of Ranitidine, bottles of Gaviscon Advance & handfuls of ant-acids. I had tried every PPI on the market, but could not tolerate the side-effects.

I had all the tests, Mannometry, Ph, Endos, & they showed I had a Hiatal Hernia 2cms & a DeMeester score of 31.4 ( normal is around 14.7 )

My diet was becoming more limited & I seemed to be belching acid every time I ate. I was having to sleep with the bed propped up & life was fairly miserable.

I was offered the Nissan, but every instinct was telling me it was not for me.

I read about Linx in a newspaper, after Lewis became the first U.K. patient to have the procedure, & immediately started to research the procedure. It seemed a good fit for me & I got in touch with the clinic.

After sending all my test results & an appointment with the Consultant, I proved to be a good candidate, & a few weeks later I had my Linx fitted.

No problem whatsoever with the surgery - except for me telling them I don't do well on Morphine, they gave me some anyway & boy did I feel sick when I woke up!! I'd say my biggest problem the following day was lack of sleep!

I went home with mild pain relief which I didn't need & proceeded to follow the post-op instructions of eating a normal diet - small bites & portions, lots of sips of water & chew very well before swallowing. I was eating very small amounts between 6 & 10 times a day which is what my system seemed to want. All was well for the first few days & them I started vomiting large amounts of mucus every time I ate. The food stayed in, but I could vomit sometimes 4 times during the course of 1 small meal.

I was also getting a lot of pain at the base of my right ribcage after eating.

I went back to see the Consultant at the 2 week point, ( 7 lbs lighter ) & they were convinced they vomiting was due to saliva 'pooling' around the Linx, & the pains were Oesophageal Spasms, both of which should settle down in time. More water throughout the day to flush through the saliva & Buscopan for the spasms was the answer.

At that point I was pretty low & have to admit to wondering if I'd made a very expensive mistake!!

I stuck with it though, after about 5 weeks, things suddenly started to improve. The vomiting & the spasms stopped & I was able to eat on a more normal basis.

At that point I was still on the Ranitidine etc having been advised to reduce it over weeks rather than days, & I started to reduce the dosage. Probably too quickly as I did get the dreaded rebound & had to start again!! But as time went on I did stop all but the occasional Ranitidine. Food was getting much more interesting as I was able to add more & more variety to my diet as the weeks passed.

So where am I now?

Meds - I still take some Ranitidine as I have 'Variant IBS' affecting my stomach & it seems to help.

Reflux - I still get some Reflux, but it's not acidic.

Sleeping - I bought a brand new bed a few weeks after the op & have slept flat since I got home from hospital.

Food&Drink - Pretty much a normal healthy diet. I don't eat much Red Meat or Bread but that's more to do with the IBS. Unlike a lot of Linx patients, I eat loads of Chicken - maybe my system has just got used to it over time. There is very little now that I would be nervous about eating outside of my IBS issues. Alcohol is fine - just my v v low tolerance of it theses days as I hardly drank anything for a couple of years or more!! Fizzy drinks are still a no no as the gas just makes life uncomfortable. The mantra though is still Chew Swallow Pause.

Day to day living -Generally I only know I have the Linx if I try to eat or drink too much too fast. Otherwise it's when I get a build up of gas that wants to come up which can be uncomfortable. I can burp & vomit if I have to & do a lot more than before I had the device.Exercise is not a problem. Overall I am very glad I had it done & would not want to go back to where I was a year ago. It was worth a few weeks of misery for me.

I'm obviously aware of more recent Linx patients who are not having a particularly good time of it at the moment & I wish them all a speedy improvement. These are only my experiences & it seems that no two people deal with it in exactly the same way. I hope this is useful.

Thank you very much for this! Hope there will be more and more satisfied linx patients so the procedure becomes a standard for treating mild reflux.

Beargirl I was wondering how are you doing now are you feeling good, I am going to be getting a linx surgery done soon. Just want to make sure I am not making any mistakes.

Sharonz I did and did you get a linx implant by the way?

Hi meenus, I have been away from the forums for a long time but I received an email about your post so am more than happy to give you an update.

Gosh, hard to believe it's been nearly 4 years since my Linx implant!! Overall I would say it's been a success, I still have a little reflux but it's rarely acidic. I still take Ranitidine but that is still to do with my variant IBS. I have never needed anything stronger & have not used Gaviscon since the implant.

I do still have stomach issues but these are all to do with the IBS - the worst is bloating in my stomach & diaphragm & burping can be uncomfortable with the Linx as it is a one-way valve. I can burp though & Windeeze (simethicone] is a great help.

The mantra is still chew-swallow-pause, if you try & eat too much too quickly it really is uncomfortable!! However no food is really off-limits. I don't eat very much bread or solid red meat since the op, but as I said in my previous post, that is also due to the IBS. I still enjoy exercise & the occasional glass of wine or a Mojito.

Would I do it again knowing what I know now? Yes I would, the first few weeks were truely horrible as my body adjusted & I lost 10lbs in weight; but I'm sure if I hadn't had it done I'd be in a much worse place than I was before the Linx.

I hope this is useful, I know other members have had much worse experiences with the Linx & I feel lucky that it has been a positive experience for me. If you have any further questions just ask, I shall stay on the forums now I've had the nudge to return.

Good luck meenus, I really hope all goes well for you & you have the outcome you wish for. If I can help in any way, please ask.

Take care xx

Hi Beargirl I apologize for bothering you again just wanted to know how are you feeling. Is linx still helping?

BearGirl, Want to check on you how are you how is linx are you still doing ok. I haven't done it yet insurance giving me a hard time but I been put on a study and will have it done in a month to 6 months. Tell me are all or most of the symptons gone. Would love to hear more.

Thanks