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Nissen Fundoplication Surgery Questions

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Posted 10/13/2012 5:56 PM (GMT 0)
I am due to have the Nissen Fundoplication Surgery (full wrap) in 2 days.  I am prepared for pain and a long journey to recover and this site has certainly helped me prepare myself for that.  there is still one very scary question i have not seen any answers for.  When you wake up from the surgery - can you breathe properly?  I suffer from anxiety with sometimes sever panick attacks and a few days ago when the dr numbed my throat for the scope I had an attack.  I struggle when i feel like i cannot breathe properly.  I dont quite now what to be prepared for and if there are measures i can take with my doctor to help me with the panick attack so when i wake i can try to remain calm.  Does anyone have any experience with this in relation to the Nissen Fundoplication Surgery?
Posted 10/13/2012 7:23 PM (GMT 0)
Hi surgerytes,

As an asthma sufferer, I understand feeling like you can't breathe.  I was having severe lung issues when I had the surgery and was worried about having an asthma attack--especially as a result of general anesthesia.  I was assured that they administer meds to keep the lungs open.

When I woke up I had absolutely no breathing problems whatsoever.  Actually, I was prepared for anything, and my recovery was a pleasant surprise. Some patients report having an NG tube, so I didn't know if that would happen, but it didn't.  Also, some report cathetarization, and that wasn't the case for me.

Be sure to discuss your anxiety issues thoroughly with your surgeon.  If he/she is aware of that issue, I'm sure it will be taken into account when planning your care.

Good luck with your surgery!

Denise

Posted 10/13/2012 8:10 PM (GMT 0)
Denise you have really been a great help i think you have probably taken away 90% of my anxiety just by replying to this post. Thank you so very much.

Tes
Posted 10/13/2012 9:12 PM (GMT 0)
Tess,

You're welcome! If you have any other questions that come to mind, please ask.  I don't know if you've already searched the Resources section on the forum, but if not, here's my early recovery journal.  It'll give you an idea of what one person's recovery was like:

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

Also, here are some great post-surgery eating resources:

http://www.upmc.com/patients-visitors/education/nutrition/Pages/diet-after-nissen-fundoplication-surgery.aspx 

http://www.nissenfundoplication.com/nissen-fundoplication-diet

Good luck with your surgery!

We'll be looking forward to hearing from you when you feel up to it after your procedure, so we can welcome you to the Wrapped Club!

Best wishes,

Denise

 

Posted 10/14/2012 6:29 PM (GMT 0)
I had an NG tube 3 times after surgeries and besides it irritating my throat, like a sore throat, I had no troubles breathing at all. All 3 of those surgeries where 5 hours or more also.
They will make sure you are able to breathe well before they let you out of recovery. I did wake up in recovery one time with the breathing tube still in just for caution and they removed it after I was more awake.

take care,
Bill
Posted 10/22/2012 8:16 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks everyone for the advice. I am one week post surgery and feeling absolutely fine. I was in hospital for 4 days and have been home for 3 slightly longer than i had hoped but my bladder reacts badly to anaesthetic and i had to stay until it decided to work. I discussed my anxiety with my doctors and they were very good at ensuring i was given anti anxiety medicine before i went into theatre and everyone around me was pretty calm, quiet and kind. I have all the usual pain and 7 holes from the surgery (but the painkillers do help with this) but really nothing ever made me feel like i couldn't breathe as you all reassured me. Today i went for a walk 300m up the road and i was extremely tired and short of breath which was a huge disappointment to me as i am generally quite active in the gym and i realised that it could take much longer than i hoped to get active again.

I tried to eat a little soft food (finely mashed paw paw) on the recommendation of the hospital - it got stuck and the water i drank backed up instead of pushing it down. This scared me so much so I am still on clear soup for lunch and dinner and a yoghurt for breakfast. Despite not eating solid food for over a week now i am not hungry at all and in no hurry to start the solids or anything thicker yet. I have discussed this with my Doctor and he assures me i can take it as slow as i like but he did send a dietitian to sit with me to help me plan the weaning process when i am ready. I highly recommend this.

I definately don't feel anywhere near ready for work yet - my concentration is bad and i haven't been able to read much plus sitting up hurts because i begin to slouch after a while which cuts into the stitches and the insides - not sure what the norm is on this?

For now i'm taking it slow... and my challenges are eating, coughing, sneezing, deep breathing and the walk around the block instead of just the road!

thanks everyone

Tes
Posted 10/23/2012 7:37 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Tes
I am now 3weeks post op and still eating a very soft diet with small portions, to date the furthest I have walked is 1km and that was me done for the day. I am tired due to both the operation hangover and lack of food.

I do know from the previous Nissen that this improves over time as the swelling reduces, but I have to admit it is kind of strange to have no appetite. I often sit there thinking "why am I not even slightly hungry?". As for exercise it takes time to get back to the routine and expect a reduced performance for at least 6months.

Good luck with the recovery.
Posted 10/23/2012 6:58 PM (GMT 0)
Hey all! I'm new to the forum and my GI doc says I should have an NF. I'm 59 and have been dealing with GERD and on meds for 10-12 years. Due to Barrets signs and an ulcer he wants me to do this procedure. At what point should I go through this sort of procedure?? A little nervous about coming out worse than I went in! All my doc says is to find a surgeon with a lot of expierience. Question: Live with it or fix it??

Any input would be appreciated!

John

Posted 10/23/2012 9:48 PM (GMT 0)
Hi John

I speak from my own opinion when I say I honestly think as long as you are committed to the time it is going to take to mend and you find a surgeon who has a very good reputation/track record you should go for it if you have been struggling for so long. As with all operations there is pain but i would say in the long run the positive will outweigh the negative. I am only 38 but I have struggled for 15 years and struggled to breathe with choking in my sleep, heartburn, reflux and eventually i couldnt bend over, breath easily or eat much because the hernia was so bad. I too had many ulcers which is what eventually pushed me to have this done. I am very early days and i have to be honest im really feeling great - i had a few minor issues with blood in my lungs post surgery but that cleared quickly and didnt affect my breathing. I have also today come up with thrombosis on my vein on my wrist so we are keeping an eye on this with antibiotics and celebrex but its not DVT - but this could happen to anyone and still wouldnt stop me from doing this again. I am loving not choking in my sleep - i love that I can lie flat in my bed without it feeling like a steam train is rolling over it. At the end of the day it all boils down to how much flexibility you have to deal with the effort that is going to be required on the diet and taking things slow.

This forum though is a wonderful place to inform yourself on what to expect before and after.

Good luck with your decision
Posted 10/24/2012 4:15 AM (GMT 0)
Hi tes!
Sorry to hear you've been having a hard time with your diet.
I'm only 1 week post-op and apparently I am being very lucky, because I already started eating some solids with no problem.
However, a similar experience happened to me when I started ingesting again, so I guess is something that we all go through until we get a clear idea of what's going on.
What has worked for me is:
-small sips/bites of whatever I am putting into my mouth. I thought that water, (you know, the most liquid thing there is), could pass easily and when I drank faster and in larger gulps, I had a hard time.. Painful and all. So yeah, small sips/bites, even more if you're eating solids.
-the first 5-7 bites of every meal are a lot harder than the following. Try opening your stomach with small sips of water and after that try eating something with more consistency. It has made the difference for me.
-chew, chew, CHEW! Don't forget this!
-the best first solids for me have been ritz crackers! They turn to a very nice liquid paste in your mouth.

I hope you find my comments useful. Hang in there!
Posted 10/24/2012 2:04 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks that is great advice ill try water before and see how that works.

Tes
Posted 11/5/2012 3:23 AM (GMT 0)
I just had my nissen done oct 26. I have no heartburn at all. I suffered for a week so far from pain in my upper left rib cage where the big tool was used through my ribs. I had laproscopy done. I have 5 sutures and all is well except that one area. I was on pureed food for a week and just in tge padt few days have been eating chunky soup with no problems. No swallowing difficulties at all. I can't burp at all. Sometimes that causes a lityle pain but not bad at all. I have barrettes and hope it progresses. And they fixed a hiatal hernia as well. I even had some mixed drinks last night and i feel tremendous. I hope everyone has a great success rate as myself. I live in wi and had an aeesome surgeon.

Post Edited (Michele October) : 11/4/2012 8:26:19 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 11/5/2012 3:29 AM (GMT 0)
Ps. I even ate potato chips this evening. I'm wondering if the wrap is still intact. Reading all the other posts, doesnt seem like this is normal. Maybe i am just lucky. I lost 10# so far. My appetite has come back and i actually feel hungry. But still can't eat big amounts. I'm going to hold off on trying .eats for quite some time though. I had problems swallowing before the surgery on rice, meat, and bread. Tell me this is normal. Cause I'm scared my wrap came undone. I'm only 9 days post op and able to eat all this stuff already???
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