Important questions about Nissen surgery - renamed

1) I had gastroenteritis a few months after my surgery. I threw up for 12 hours every 30 minutes. My wrap has held fine. I have a 270 degree wrap.


2) I had my wrap at 41. So far it's been 3 years holding fast for me. I know one man who had his repaired at 20 yr point.

3) My eating is totally normal again. I don't drink so you need to ask someone else about it.

4) If you have a HH they will repair it in the process of doing the wrap.

5) Yes you can sleep normal after you are healed up. It will be uncomfortable for about two weeks while healing.

6) Yes, you will have some gas issues (flatulations). If you chew extra well and take antigas meds you may not have a lot. My gas issues are not as bad now but at first it's pretty heady.

7). Yes you can have it either way. It depends on your surgeon.

Stockster-

Welcome to Healing Well. Denise is awesome!

Anyhow, as for how long the wrap lasts and if you can have a redo lap vs. open. I was told with all 3 that on average expect 10 years, but there are people who have gone 20 yrs. Some have to have redoes sooner. The latter ones I feel are do to the surgeon's skills and if they did all the tests to see if they are a good candidate for surgery. Yes they can redo it lap also. My 1st redo was lap, but my last redo was done open. I am an exception to most of the rules concerning the nissen as I have had an esophageal tear.

The recovery for this surgery is a long haul. Think of it as a marathon vs. a dash. Once everything is healed and your body adjusts to it's new design things are basically normal. I am one who cannot vomit, so I keep anti nausea meds on hand. I haven't been able to feel the wrap except when eating. That's not all the time though. Usually when I forget to chew properly I feel it at the wrap.

I haven't had to make any modifications to how I sleep once all is healed. As for drinking, I can drink sodas, beer, and moonshine without any problems. Well except for on tap beer, too much carbonation for me. The bloating does go away, but can take several months to fully go away.

Take care,
Bill

Hi Chris, First, thanks for your very kind words. I know how much it meant to me to find positivity when I was looking for information and support. It seemed like everywhere I looked online there was another Nissen horror story. I've discovered that if I approach a challenge with a positive attitude, no matter how difficult, it makes it more bearable and easier to handle. I just can't get into the "poor me" mode. It just makes me feel worse!   Now for my marathon answers...by now you know I'm not a woman of few words...   QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: 1) have any of you who have had the Nissen contracted the flu or had to "vomit"? I know you can't barf after the surgery, but what happens I was told that I wouldn't be able to burp or vomit, and I can do both. I can't actually make myself burp, but my stomach burps itself. This started right away, and at first I was worried that my wrap was too loose...but no, it's just right.   In the four years since I had surgery, I've vomited twice. Both times the vomiting snuck up on me and I had no nausea to warn me that it was coming. It was a little harder to get the first bit out, but once started I vomited normally.   It's important to try not to vomit if you can, as it's hard on the wrap. I took anti-nausea meds as soon as I knew I had a stomach bug, and didn't vomit after the first time each episode. I found Compazine suppositories to be the best, but I have a script for Zofran as well, which is a small dissolvable tablet.   Some people find phenegran to be a good option.   Once wrapped, you should always have anti-nausea meds handy.   I was told by more experienced members here that if you suspect food poisoning once wrapped, a trip to the ER to get your stomach pumped is in order, but I’m not sure anyone has done that.   I haven’t actually heard of an incident like that, but hey…it’s good to keep tucked in the back of your mind, just in case.     During the healing period when the wrap isn’t firmly established, vomiting and retching are very risky.   It’s important to ask your surgeon for anti-nausea drugs.   I got the pills from my surgeon and the suppositories from my PCP who knows I have a very sensitive stomach. 2) what did your doctors say about the life of the wrap? I've heard everything from it not working, to a 10 year lifespan.... I'm at a loss for what to do at my age.... Generally studies mention a ten year lifespan only in that most studies follow up with people at the ten year mark.   Internet forums aren’t really the best place to get an idea of wrap lifespans, since most people who search for information and post online are those having problems.   There are many “wrappers” who have the surgery and go on their merry way and don’t post a single online comment.   On the forum, the longest lasting wrap I’ve heard of was 20 years.   This is the thing. You’ve got a bad problem that can be helped by surgery.   If you don’t have the surgery you’ll be suffering with reflux.   Which is worse—the risk of having a redo, or suffering with reflux?   My asthma doc has a wonderful quote by St.Thomas Aquinas that he uses when he or a patient has to decide to do something that may seem risky: “ If the highest aim of a captain were to preserve his ship,                         he would keep it in port forever.” Sometimes we have to take risks in life when the potential benefit is great.   Just weigh your options.   I took the risk (and after seeing so many scary posts online, it wasn’t easy to do) and benefited greatly.   I would have a redo without a second’s hesitation if I needed it. 3) does your life get back to normal. I mean, do you feel normal internally after all the healing is done? Can you drink alcohol and go out with friends and light up the town every once and a while? I work out of a suitcase a lot and find it hard to eat mindfully when on the road, especially in Europe. Absolutely.   My husband and I go out to eat all the time, and have lots of fun with our friends and family.   I have two boys—one 30 and one 35, and they like to party with us!   I’m not a heavy drinker, but I enjoy beer, wine, and an occasional mixed drink.   My favorite is beer, though!     I can eat whatever I want at restaurants without any problem.   I remember watching people who were able to eat spicy foods, etc. before my surgery and think that they didn’t understand how lucky they were!   Now I’m one of them.   I do have a sensitive stomach, so have to be a little careful because of that, but it’s not at all related to my wrap. 4) I have a small hiatal hernia as well and wonder if others have the cronic hiccuping and burping that I have. Literally I often burp and hiccup at the same time. Kind of like a spasm. Does anyone else have this, and will it be fixed by Nissen? Can’t help you with this one…I’m sure somebody else will be by to share.   I do know that some people get hiccups early in recovery due to irritation of the diaphragm, but it goes away with healing.  I'd guess that the hiccuping and burping are reflux related and once healed, will be resolved by the surgery. 5) after the surgery, can you sleep normally again? Im not able to sleep on my left side as advised because my LES just opens and the reflux comes right up. I'm elevated 6 inches and it doesn't do much, even with stacking the pillows.... Sleeping is not great for me Because of my asthma (and the fact that small amounts of reflux are possible even after surgery—just “normal” amounts—if the wrap was tight enough to keep reflux to zero we wouldn’t be able to swallow) I still sleep with the head of my bed elevated.   It’s just a precaution. I sleep fine, though.   BTW stacking pillows isn’t that great for you pre-op, as it can put you in a position that puts pressure on your stomach and can cause more reflux.   Most people sleep flat after their surgery and happily sleep in all their old favorite positions! 6) gas .. Bloating after Nissen. I tend to be in meetings for full days. I worry about having tremendous pains from potentially holding in my gas. Is this something to worry about ? During the first few weeks bloating can be a problem.   Most bloating resolves gradually over the first year of healing/adjustment.  My stomach was able to burp itself, which is not a bit uncommon.   I never really had bloating problems to speak of, even in the early healing days.    If you can burp even a little after surgery you won’t have any problem with bloating to speak of—every once in a great while, I’ll get some bloating, but it’s not enough to be a problem.  Even people with bloating problems in the beginning don't have the problem after they heal.   The last time I had a bloating episode was in August when we were toasting our younger son’s engagement.   I had two glasses of champagne, which, apparently is pretty aggressively carbonated.   I find that if the gas gets ahead of the wrap flap’s ability to burp itself, the gas pushes it tightly so it can’t escape.   This is extremely rare.   BEANO is great to avoid gas when eating gassy veggies.   I used it a lot during my first year when bloat is more likely.   I really never use it now, even when eating chili, broccoli, etc.   Gas-X is a handy thing to carry if you can burp a little post-op.   It helps get the gas out. 7). If you need a redo on the Nissen, can they do it laproscopically? Or would you have to get the open procedure Because of all the coughing I did early in my recovery I was very fearful that my wrap would be damaged and I’d need a redo. I’d always assumed that they had to be done as an open procedure, but my GI doc said that they could be done laproscopically.   That was a relief.   Still, Bill, a moderator here, had an open procedure and found it very easy to recover from.   That was another relief!   Either way I’d do fine.   Good luck with your decision!  It's wise to search out all the information you can.  Glad you've joined the forum...it's a great place for information and support! Happy New Year! Denise