Waiting for surgery date

Hello.
It has been interesting to read about every bodies recovery after surgery. I am waiting to hear when my surgery will take place.
I do have a few concerns though. The whole burping thing worries me. I don't want to stop taking one medication to have to replace it with something else to help the release of gas. Of which I am sure would be very un comfortable. Also when it comes to nausea and vomiting does your surgeon prescribe anti nausea medication? From reading it is very bad to vomit after surgery and also after a few months. It is not that I wish to vomit but after having food poisoning not so long ago it would concern me.
Reading about people's return to work, how long were the majority of you off for. I am being told that two weeks is enough but I am on my feet all day and have a fairly manual and busy job.
It would be great to hear back from anyone that is able to enlighten me.
Many thanks in advance

Robin

Robin

Welcome to Healing Well.

The burping issue usually resolves itself with healing, but you won't be able to fully belch as before surgery. They are doing what is called a floppy wrap nowadays and it let's us release some of the gas without sacrificing the effectiveness of the wrap.
Yes they will prescribe you anti nausea meds if you ask. I have them with me at all times just in case. As for food poisoning and such I was told to go to the ER if I suspect it.
As for going back to work, you will most likely be limited to lifting 5 to 10 lbs for 6 to 8 weeks. With what you described I would expect to take at the very least 4 weeks off. I am a mechanic and I had to take the full 6 to 8 weeks. The plant doctor wouldn't let me return any sooner.
You also will still get tired pretty easily the first couple months. This recovery isn't a typical lap surgery recovery. Your body won't be getting as many calories in the first few months and there fore you will have less energy. The wrap area will have peak swelling sometime around week 2 to 4 and that is when the toughest part of the recovery is. As the swelling goes down things start to get better pretty quickly.

Check out the resources thread at the top of the forum. Denise(dencha) has a great recovery journal there. Also check out Goose's recovery thread, it's a great one as well.

Take care,
Bill

Hi Robin,

For some reason, surgeons don't realize how easy it is to get nausea with an irritated stomach, and how easy it is to catch a virus!  You will need to advocate for yourself.  I got anti-nausea drugs from both my surgeon and my PCP. 

My PCP gave me Compazine suppositories, as he knew my stomach well and figured they were a better option for me.  My surgeon gave me Zofran.  The Zofran works great for nausea that comes and goes, but in my experience, once I have a stomach bug, I can't keep the Zofran in my stomach long enough for it to work.  The Compazine works great once I'm really sick.

I've had three vomiting bugs since my surgery, and while I didn't know if I'd be able to vomit, I found I could.  Each time, though, I took Compazine immediately, and only threw up once.  Even if you can vomit, it's still better not to, so I always carry anti-nausea drugs with me wherever I go. 

Any surgeon worth his salt knows that retching and vomiting during recovery can damage a healing wrap.  Therefore, it shouldn't be all that hard to get the drugs prescribed.  If he/she doesn't get it, try your PCP, who likely knows you better. 

I was also able to burp immediately after my surgery and never had a lot of bloating issues.  Sometimes, during the early healing stage the wrap swells so much that it doesn't allow a release of gas.  Once the swelling subsides (it peaks at around Day 14 for most people), the bloating subsides as well.  During the healing stage, stay away from straws (I still do) and carbonated beverages (I can drink them now, but only ever have a couple servings).

After the surgery you won't be able to initiate burping the way you do now...your stomach will be in control of when and how much it burps.  Once you're healed (provided your surgeon doesn't do the wrap too tight) you will find that your stomach can keep the gas at bay on its own (often I get big, old-fashioned burps, but I'm not the one who makes it happen), as long as you don't eat or drink something that is so gassy it gets ahead of the stomach's ability to get rid of it. 

In that rare instance, the gas pushes against the wrap so hard that it won't allow the little gas-escape burps. In that case you'll have to grin and bear it, and wait for the gas to make it through your lower GI tract and escape the back door.  Overall, though, if you have a good surgeon who is extremely experienced in doing Nissen surgeries, you should have very little gas bloating issues.

Good luck!

Denise

Well I have finally have a date for my Surgery.
I am to have my Nissen Fundoplication on the 20th June.
It was would interesting to hear from any one from the UK that has had the operation. Just to see how their experience measures up to everyone else's from across the pond.
Now I can start worrying about everything that can go wrong and the recovery horrors that I have been reading on this forum.
wish me luck.
Robin

Hello Rita.
I am based in Suffolk and will be having the operation in Ipswich hospital. I hadn't realised that the operation would not be permanent and presume that I will have to have work done again in the future.
I hope that all will be well with you.
Robin

Hi tcoffin,

Welcome to the Healing Well Wrapped Club! Sorry to hear that you're having problems with your recovery.  When I read that you are vomiting, I became very concerned.  Vomiting, especially during early recovery weeks, can be very damaging to your healing wrap.  If whatever anti-nausea drugs you're taking aren't working, ask your doctor for another type to try.  It is important to avoid vomiting, even when you are fully healed.  I carry anti-nausea drugs with me wherever I go, and I'm four-plus years post-op.  I've had 3 vomiting bugs, but each time I vomited only once, then used Compazine suppositories to avoid vomiting multiple times. 

I can't emphasize enough the importance of protecting your wrap from vomiting and retching.

I've never heard of nausea being caused by a tight wrap, but hey, I'm not a Nissen surgeon.  It sounds as if your wrap is very tight, if you're still on a liquid diet. This isn't at all typical.  Check on finding another anti-nausea medication...Zofran is one that I use for nausea (not a stomach bug), and I didn't find it made me tired.

Good luck!

Denise

Hi tcoffin,

You ought to be on a constant dose of anti-nausea drugs, then.  Vomiting after a Nissen fundoplication--especially during the early recovery stage, is a no-no.  I use Compazine suppositories when I've had a vomiting episode to ensure I don't vomit again.  I understand that once your stomach isn't accepting things an oral pill won't help.

Run, don't walk, to get some anti nausea drugs.  You don't want to ruin your wrap and have gone through the surgery for nothing.  You're recovering from surgery, so fatigue is just a fact of life.  Fatigue is a small price to pay for keeping your wrap safe. 

Glad you've joined the forum!  This is a great place for information and support. We're here for you!  I found this great place shortly before my surgery and stuck around to help others the way I was helped.

Hang in there...it gets better!

Take care,

Denise

 

Morning Les,
Thank you for your post.
The no burping does worry me. If you can't burp what happens to all the trapped wind. It has got to hurt or at least be uncomfortable. I am not too worried about not being able to vomit. The only time I need to vomit at the moment is when I need to empty my stomach when the acid reflux kicks in.
When you say 'it changes how you eat', how exactly does it change things? Are you still able to eat what ever you want, as I don't now? Or is it that you will eat a lot slower and smaller portions? which I suppose would not hurt.
Robin

Hi again Robin

For me, that gas isn't a problem. I don't get bloated much at all and when I do it's because I've eaten too much - as happens with everyone else at which point I take a Wind-eze.

I think that eating more slowly and chewing more tends to stop you getting bloated anyway as you don't swallow as much air as you would if you gorged your food. Also, I do still get mini burps from my Oesophagus as the food is going down (escaping before it hits my wrap) I just can't burp from my stomach.

I can eat whatever I like whenever I like and the only things I tend to avoid is raw red onion which seems to irritate my stomach and chugging anything fizzy - as this does create uncomfortable bloating which does find it's own way "out" after a while. So while I can't do frog chorus belly burps anymore I can properly rattle the windows with my farts

Hi Robin,

We'll be here rooting for you!

Good luck with your surgery, and we'll be ready to welcome you to the Wrapped Club once it's all behind you.  If you've read the posts here, you'll be prepared and ready to go!  Be sure to ask any questions you have as they come up.  We'll do our best to answer them, and support you through your recovery.

Happy Nissen!

Denise