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15 post nissen 270o (partial) problems and concerns, need advice

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Posted 7/20/2012 1:20 PM (GMT 0)
Hello you all,

Yesterday I found this site and I was so happy to do, like most of you I have have a lot of unanswered questions and concerns which my Dr does not solve. I am 35 and late January 2012 I had removed my gal bladder because of stones it was done via laparoscopic surgery, later no more than 2 months after it I began with a serious reflux, reflux that I had previous to that surgery but after it worsen.

I began by prescription with medicines but it got bad and bad each time to the point I had serious headaches and the reflux was intolerable. I had on May an endoscopy and they found out I had no helicobacter pilory , reflux, erosive,esophagitis and erosive gastritis and hiatal hernia. After hearing about Nissen I was considering until I was introduced to a Dr who does it partially so the recovery supposedly it was easier, he introduced me as well some of his patients who were in great conditions 2 weeks after the surgery and that was my sign to go ahead. I was doubting to do it right away because of recover and because I have a vacation trip early this September, so I went ahead with the surgery last June 6, 2012.

Yesterday it was my 14th day of recovery and Oh my God, what can I say to you. I start since day 1 of recovery, I was at the hospital and the nurses gave my for first meal some ham and bread and of course the bread got stuck in my throat and I was very scared. As soon as my Dr realized he told me to chew chew chew and go with a soft diet, allowing me soft food including eggs, no bread, anything soft and chew.

Since day 1 until today I have been experiencing problems swallowing even soft foods and felling food some times stocked in my throat, you know all what does that feels. I must say you that it was on day 13 that something I swallowed got stuck in my throat and the feeling lasted several minutes which caused me to feel very scared and afterwards I got depressed thinking if the surgery was the solution to my reflux and everything in between I had. I am 5.1" and for surgery my weight was of 45.5 Kilos and now 15 days later I am 42 Kilos, I am really concerned about my weight also, I am too thin and I cannot afford loosing more weight. On day 13 I started drinking ensure, it is a liquid like a milkshake with probiotics and other vitamins and minerals, ideal for a food add on. But I noticed that since then I have been feeling like heartburn, not reflux and I don't know if to stop it or continue with it.

My Dr is of no help, for him this swallowing problems should not be happening, that any of his patients had it... but he does not realize I am also his patient and THIS is happening to me. He told me to stick to liquids like baby food which is not funny to me and see what happens within one more week if not he does me an endoscopy in order to cause like a dilatation to my esophagus.... really??????? If I had a major surgery there and there are stiches, and we are talking about flesh not cloths, an endoscopy can do no harm??, he wants to force a dilatation???, sorry but this concerns me and I do not want a teared, ripped or damaged esophagus, I am really not putting my self in that risk and this when my search began again and I found you all...

I am tired to have problems swallowing, chocking, having constantly like air trapped in my throat that comes up like in bubbles and make funny noises in my throat and causing some kind of discomfort, having diarrea almost daily, I don't like and I cannot afford loosing more weight since I am too thin and to petite, and I don't like I am not recovering fast of this and if this continues I probably will have to cancel my vacations which are non refundable and they meant a lot to me. Of course my health comes first and that's why I went ahead with the surgery and more with the recovery plan this Dr told me and his patients too assured me, but know the picture is different and I am very depressed but one thing I am sure, I am not doing any endoscopy or forced dilatation.

about that trip that it will involve all day walking, meaning I have to be well eaten and with this soft baby diet and daily diarrhea, I cannot imagine to be in good condition to walk all day long. It sounds like I am more concerned about my trip, but don't get me wrong, is something I had planned since last year I had it all paid, including airline tickets and all of it is non refundable... Of course I am more concerned about my actual recovery in my day 15, and seeing I cannot even swallow some soft foods, chocking, etc and everything I told you about it is pretty scary, I have a life and I want to live it, it is not nice being sick and having health problems, it is frustrating and depressive. I forgot to mention that I am also scared to lose my job because of this constants surgeries I had within a year but honestly I am also not feeling any good to return to my job, Dr extended me one more week for recovery, meaning I will be in total for 3 weeks out of the office and my boss is not happy about it, and then again my vacations on september which are already authorized but I do not know if after this what will happen...

Can anyone please let me know about your experiences post surgery and healing time, swallowing problems if you all consider convenient since my situation to do my vacation trip this early september, I would be for then 8 weeks and 2 days post surgery or 58 days.

I really appreciate your help, advice, opinion, words of wisdom, encouragement and light in this pretty dark and unknown recovery process.

Thanks in advance to all of you and I am so thankful I found you... everything happens for a reason!

Warm regards to all of you!

Post Edited (PatriciaMG) : 7/20/2012 7:46:34 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 7/20/2012 1:58 PM (GMT 0)
I am so sorry you are suffering. Did you do a PH Study and Mamotry test before the surgery? I am a little confused as to why they went right to surgery a month after the endoscopy without further testing. From what others have said on the board, it takes a few months to feel better. I have not had the surgery but I have researched it. You really need to be assertive with your doctor if you are feeling this bad.
Posted 7/20/2012 2:07 PM (GMT 0)
Before you go back under the knife for any "repairs or procedures", I would get a second opinion. Two wrongs (by the same doctor) won't make it right.
Posted 7/20/2012 2:36 PM (GMT 0)
Your surgeon didn't seem to properly prepare you for the post surgery diet.

Here's how my recovery went:

Weeks 1-2: Liquid only diet.
Weeks 3-4: Soft food diet (mashed potatoes, overcooked pasta, pureed soups)
Weeks 5-6: Transition to normal diet. Add things one by one and see how you tolerate them. Be very cautious of meat and bread, that's the hardest thing to eat during a Nissen recovery. Chew it completely.
Weeks 7-8: Start to add meat/bread back into your diet.

I was eating everything again at 8 weeks. The diet above seems to be the diet most people here used during their recovery, some people needs more time than 8 weeks, some needed less. But being at 14 days post-op, when I was in that spot, I was just starting to try soft mashed potatoes after 2 weeks of liquids.

The recovery is long and definitely can be frustrating, but eventually it will be over and you'll be back to eating anything!

I wouldn't make any decisions about dilation or even consider if your surgery was a success/failure until you are at the 8 week mark. Your body is doing lots of healing up until that time (and even after, I'm at 8 months and I see still improvements). At 15 days, your body is still swollen inside and only starting to heal from the trauma of a major surgery. I promise, it gets better!
Posted 7/20/2012 5:20 PM (GMT 0)
You're still swollen inside at this point. I was on liquids until end of week 3. Then very soft foods like pudding, jello, soup, and watery cheese grits (a southern USA food). Think food a baby will eat at 6 months.
Posted 7/21/2012 2:30 AM (GMT 0)

ericapeace2000 said...
I am so sorry you are suffering. Did you do a PH Study and Mamotry test before the surgery? I am a little confused as to why they went right to surgery a month after the endoscopy without further testing. From what others have said on the board, it takes a few months to feel better. I have not had the surgery but I have researched it. You really need to be assertive with your doctor if you are feeling this bad.

Hello Erica, no they did not make me a PH Study nor a Mamotry, I saw two doctors one wanted me to take more medicines for a term of 6 months to see if they worked and if not then if needed some kind of test which involved making me swallow a tube that would test the force of my sphincter, and the other doctor, the one who made my the fundoplasty, he encouraged me to go ahead with the surgery, telling me that it was the solution and he inclusively he put me in contact with some of his patients to have an opinion from them directly and since the reflux was pretty bad and the head aches causing were sort of migrane and my anxiety it is why I went ahead with the surgery. Now, 15 days post surgery I don't have reflux anymore, no more migraines but another problem I cannot swallow well soft foods and sometime even water (room temperature) feels like it stuck in my throat.

I have been telling him this since it first happened and again he comes with a magic solution, to do an endoscopy if by the next week it does not gets better. Honestly, I am afraid to go ahead with it and putting myself in risk to get my esophagus ripped, if soft food feel chewed get stuck why an endoscopy cannot make harm?

Thank you for your support and time.
Posted 7/21/2012 2:33 PM (GMT 0)

DOGGBONES said...
Before you go back under the knife for any "repairs or procedures", I would get a second opinion. Two wrongs (by the same doctor) won't make it right.

Will do so! Thank you!
Posted 7/21/2012 2:43 PM (GMT 0)

bowecho said...
Your surgeon didn't seem to properly prepare you for the post surgery diet.

Here's how my recovery went:

Weeks 1-2: Liquid only diet.
Weeks 3-4: Soft food diet (mashed potatoes, overcooked pasta, pureed soups)
Weeks 5-6: Transition to normal diet. Add things one by one and see how you tolerate them. Be very cautious of meat and bread, that's the hardest thing to eat during a Nissen recovery. Chew it completely.
Weeks 7-8: Start to add meat/bread back into your diet.

I was eating everything again at 8 weeks. The diet above seems to be the diet most people here used during their recovery, some people needs more time than 8 weeks, some needed less. But being at 14 days post-op, when I was in that spot, I was just starting to try soft mashed potatoes after 2 weeks of liquids.

The recovery is long and definitely can be frustrating, but eventually it will be over and you'll be back to eating anything!

I wouldn't make any decisions about dilation or even consider if your surgery was a success/failure until you are at the 8 week mark. Your body is doing lots of healing up until that time (and even after, I'm at 8 months and I see still improvements). At 15 days, your body is still swollen inside and only starting to heal from the trauma of a major surgery. I promise, it gets better!

I'll stick to that diet plan, I'm hopping this will pass soon, I'm becoming afraid to eat and that is not good, yesterday I felt no strength in me and it is more like one day at a time, this recovery process seems like a big test rather than healing process. Guess my weight loss is worrying me too much, more than I could imagine because now I am afraid to eat and even to drink water and that is no good.

Thank you for sharing with me the diet plan and for your support.

Warm regards,
Posted 7/21/2012 2:51 PM (GMT 0)

couchtater said...
You're still swollen inside at this point. I was on liquids until end of week 3. Then very soft foods like pudding, jello, soup, and watery cheese grits (a southern USA food). Think food a baby will eat at 6 months.

Than you Joy, guess the biggest issue in my case was that I was sold this surgery as the solution to my reflux with no healing /recovery problems or difficulties.

Thank you!
Posted 7/21/2012 5:52 PM (GMT 0)
There is bright light at the end of the tunnel. I had a full Nisson on Monday. Left the hospital on Weds and went for an hour walk. Yesterday I walked 4 miles. This is important! The walking will help get the co2 gas out of your body faster and thus eliminate a lot of the discomfort. The diet listed is the one my doc also prescribed. I will be on a full liquid diet for about 2 weeks but I tolerate yogurt and smashed banana well. Remember you need protein to keep your strength up. The key is no more than 4 ozs at a sitting of anything. Swallowing is still difficult but my doc told me that it could be weeks before all the swelling goes down. The "speed bump" in the throat when swelling is due to swelling and a smaller opening that is still tight. Your strength will return with exercise like walking. But be patient, this is major surgery with significant disruption of your stomach, liver and esophagus. I am losing about a pound a day but I'm not worried because it is only temporary. If you are experiencing any pain in your shoulder this is a result of excess gas that hasn't left your body. Walking will help.
Posted 7/24/2012 3:00 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you Denis, today I'm felling better. Yesterday I went to another doctor and he made me a test which consisted in swallowing a liquid to make visible my esophagous through x rays to see the transit of liquids through it and determining if necessary the endoscopy that the Dr that performed the surgery was really necessary. I saw it by myself and I'm reliefed it passes with no problems and the conclusion was that it is swollen due to surgery. It keeps easier to eat but still I'm in soft foods, small amount and learning to be patient, which I'm not. I hope to be by the first week of september in more condition so I can make my trip, I'm concerned about long walkings because that will require the trip for 7 days, I'll keep my hope to not to cancel it, also maybe a silly question, but any manner would a flight affect my breathing or something due to the surgery?
Posted 7/24/2012 4:36 PM (GMT 0)
Mariana, I'm glad things are turning for the better. I did mention to you in my last post that most of the discomfort comes from swelling that takes time to heal. As for flying, I was told not to fly for two weeks and preferably 4 weeks primarlily because I can't lift anything more than 10 lbs for at least a month. Flying will cause no harm to the surgery. Also, walking will have no effect on your surgery other than help you gain your strength back. Walking should cause you no pain other than maybe some soreness around the incision areas. My doctor, one of the nation's leading gastric surgeons, told me to resume all my activities, except lifting and jogging, as soon as possible. Its now 1 week since my surgery and I am walking 5 miles a day. My suggestion to you is not to worry about how long you are on soft foods or when you can eat more. Rather, concentrate on getting physically and mentally stronger knowing that you can do no harm to the actual surgical repair. A positive mental outlook is as important as a successful surgery.
Posted 7/24/2012 5:30 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you Denis, you are absolutely right, a positive attitude is the best medicine, mind can heal or not. I really admire your strength and attitude, everyone teaches you something and you certainly teach me that with your words. Hope you recover soon! Warm regards!
Posted 7/24/2012 5:32 PM (GMT 0)
You'll feel better in time for your trip. Don't worry.
Posted 7/24/2012 5:38 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you Joy!!! You just released a ton from my back LOL :D
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