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Gooserstein's Nissen Journal

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Posted 5/18/2013 6:13 PM (GMT 0)
Day 16

Today wasn't the best. I got up early to take a continuing education class at my work. I didn't get the full rest that I've been getting. To top it off I thought it would be a good idea to bring my protein shake in so I didn't get hungry. Well after 2 hours I felt awful. I was so bloated that it made me nauseous. Not good. I think I'm definitely lactose intolerant. I didn't realize but my protein shake is dairy based. It makes my stomach swell like a balloon and cramp. I'm eliminating those. Before the surgeryI expected this as well. The difference was the gas was no problem since I could burp it out.

I've felt pretty good this whole week. So this was a bummer. Sometimes I just want to feel like my old self minus the heartburn. It's only a little over 2 weeks. I can't expect immediate results. I have to alter my expectations. I see it so much working in the healthcare field. People expect sudden improvements. My incision hasn't even fully healed yet. I just need to give myself a break.
Posted 5/19/2013 3:11 PM (GMT 0)
Day 17

Well, I've been having some ups and downs. The upside is that my bowels have seemed to normalize. I'm eating more foods. Yesterday I ate scrambled eggs, a smoothie, meat bolognese with linguine, refried beans with guacomole and a few other snacks. No problems with anything. In fact swallowing is getting much easier. My esophagus is still tight. I know this since I can't take too big of a gulp without it staying in my esophagus and my burps are still small.

The downside is that I had intense chest pressure most of the day. It was worse with sitting, better with standing, and best with lying down and relaxing. Warm liquids helped a bit too. Today, I have a gnawing pain in my chest. It feels just as my heartburn did. I hope I'm not refluxing. I can't imagine that I am but it does worry me. I was reading a lot of the senior members' journal and I saw some similar events. I think I'm advancing my diet too quickly. I read that a lot of people having esophageal spasms. I don't feel spasms but I do feel intense pressure. Is that a spasm? I wish I could take a peak inside to make sure everything was in order. Today, I'm going to steer away from solids and go back to liquids. Any advice from senior members would be helpful.
Posted 5/20/2013 3:58 PM (GMT 0)
Day 18
I laid off the meats today. I ate oatmeal, mashed potatoes, mushed yams, and mushed beans. I'm feeling much better. The gnawing in my chest is a bit better. It felt/feels just as my reflux did. I always felt it on the left side of my esophagus. So, I don't know if I irritated it or what. But I'm guessing that's the case. To test it out I slept part of the night on my left side. I could never do this before the operation without waking up with lots of heartburn pain. When I woke up this morning the pain had diminished. So, I'm guessing this is wrap irritation. However, I could have sworn that I tasted a metallic taste yesterday morning. I don't know. I really want this surgery to work, so I'm going to be positive and be good to my body. I have Carafate in a suspension, so I'm taking that occasionally for the irritation. I know there's lots of ups and downs with this surgery. It's just a suspenseful ride.
Posted 5/20/2013 4:01 PM (GMT 0)
Gooserstein,

Looks like you are doing well and have recognized that recovery is an ever changing journey.  Journaling is awesome as you can read back and see the progress you are making or the bumps in the road you have hit.  Remember to monitor how you are feeling and plan rest times into your day.

Kindly,

Kitt

Posted 5/21/2013 8:29 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the advice Kitt. It's so true that naps are needed. Prior to the surgery I had so much energy. I'd exercise daily, not including going on long walks with my dogs. I'm so tired by about 4 p.m. now that I have to lay down. I'm not even really exercising yet. I feel this urgency within me to get back to my norm, but I have to continually remind myself to take it easy.
Posted 5/21/2013 8:38 PM (GMT 0)
Day 19
The gnawing in my chest is still there but better. I'm still on really mushy foods. I think acidic foods bother my esophagus the most at this point. These are my favorites- marinara, fresh squeezed oj, arrarabiata, pizza, and spicy tacos. Not happening anytime soon. Sometimes when changing your eating habits, like dieting, you get to a place where you can just treat food like fuel. I'm not quite there yet. I went to our local trader joes today and loaded up on items that meet the mushy requirement. I'm trying to focus on foods with excellent nutritional value including protein but doesn't make too much gas. I picked up split pea soup and hummus. Yum.

On another note, does anyone know when I can take a bubble bath? I'm tired of showering and I would like to enjoy a nice bath. I still have a scab on my incision. My physician wanted me to wait to swim until later this week. I've been reading some abdominal surgeries require showering instead of bathing for up to 6 weeks. Any thoughts?
Posted 5/23/2013 1:21 PM (GMT 0)
Day 21 (3 Week Mark)

I reached the 3 week mark and all I can say is every day is different. I still feel like I'm refluxing. I have difficulty laying on my left side, even when propped up on pillow. This was very typical of my reflux. I am starting to wonder if my wrap is too loose. I can swallow just about anything at this point with no problems. Large gulps... no problem. I don't think that's typical at this point. My wrap only feels tight in the morning when I wake up until I drink some fluids. I had a little pity party to my husband this morning about my symptoms. I understand that this is an up and down process. However, the more and more I read journals and posts I notice that those who talk about the reflux early on typically are still symptomatic later. And that's depressing. I don't want this to all be for not.
When I don't feel like I'm refluxing, I have a stomach ache. I just want things to start looking up. I just want the reflux gone.
Posted 5/28/2013 3:18 AM (GMT 0)
Day 26

This week has been very mixed. I've been feeling this dull achey pain in my stomach for days. It feel like the residual feeling after being punched in the stomach. Then yesterday something wonderful happened. I'm almost reluctant to post this as I might jinx it. I felt amazing. No belly pain. I felt normal. No mid back pain. Nothing. I woke up this morning and felt pretty much the same. I know that healing causes a fluctuation of symptoms but its nice to know that it's possible to feel alright again.

The only negative I have is the continued feeling of reflux. It's worse when I lie down. I'm still hoping its wrap irritation. I have a follow up appointment in 3 months. So if it hasn't improved I'm asking for a barium swallow. It mostly feels like a cool burning sensation at the base of my esophagus. I know my esophagus is tighter than preop, so I don't understand what's going on here.

I'm eating a bit more this week. My surgeon sad it was fine to eat fish (as long as its not deep fried or dried out). I've been eating it with no problem. The protein makes me feel great. I've also been incorporating more cooked vegetables.

I have experienced a few esophageal spasms. They're not painful and occur if I drink cold beverages. Funny though, I can eat a Popsicle with no problem.
Posted 5/31/2013 2:43 AM (GMT 0)
day 31

Again today was mixed. I constantly feel as if someone has punched me in the stomach. It's awful. Today I finally started back with some good exercise. I played tennis with some friends. I did well, but didn't make it through the whole match. It was very hot and I didn't want to make myself sick. The whole time I played, I felt great though- no belly pain. So, I'm guessing this is gas pain. Honestly, it's starting to break me down mentally. I cried twice today. I'm just so tired of hurting. I use gasx and move around a lot. I walk a mile a day with my dogs. When will it stop? Please say it'll stop. It's so uncomfortable.

Today was mostly good as far as wrap irritation goes. A few days ago I really irritated it eating something and oh man have I paid. It was much like the feeling of swelling and irritation that I would get from one of my worse episodes of reflux. I'm eating blander, softer foods. It's helping with that. But the belly pain is bad. At this moment I'm horribly nauseous. Tomorrow was supposed to be my first day back to work in the ER but I just can't do it. I don't think I'll make it through the day with my nausea and horrible stomach pains. What's worse is emotional stress worsens the pain. So getting worked up over it just worsens my problem.

Sorry to vent. Today was okay, but tonight's not my night. I just want to feel like me again. I know it's possible because that's how I felt this past weekend. I just have to get through this. smhair
Posted 6/2/2013 4:19 PM (GMT 0)
Day 33

Alright.. this is sort of a roller coaster ride. Today, I am feeling great. Just a few days ago I was feeling pretty bad. But today- super so far. No gnawing pain!!! No kicked in the stomach pain! Woohoo. I purchased Beano in addition to my GasX and that's helping. I think most of the discomfort I've been dealing with is gas related. I was able to sleep whatever way I wanted last night. However, I cannot sleep flat on my left side. I still need a pillow under my shoulder. So, the reflux is better but no all gone.

There's a lot of people who go through the surgery and will post on how super they feel right after and throughout their recovery. I'm sorry but to me that's just not helpful. It becomes pretty depressing if you feel like you're alone in your feeling of awfulness during this period. I know that I still have plenty of days ahead of discomfort and much more of feeling great. I think the important thing is to respect the body's healing process and try not to judge yourself too much. Before going into this, I would say that I was an excellent shape. Perfect weight. I exercised daily- walking, swimming, yoga, etc, etc. I ate like a champion- mostly vegetables and whole grains. So, I figured I would heal with the least amount of discomfort. But that's just not the case. Some of these older forum members had much better recoveries- at least that's what I'm reading. So, try to avoid judging yourself through this process and just ride the crazy train to recovery.
Posted 6/4/2013 2:25 PM (GMT 0)
Day 35

More good days so far! I'm feeling pretty good. I'm also starting to believe this surgery is really working. I'm sleeping so well. I'm not regurgitating. I've had a few times where after I eat that my stomach tries to regurgitate but I can feel my esophagus stopping it. It's pretty amazing that surgery can actually fix this. I completely believe that the burning pain was related to wrap irritation. I'm starting to exercise a bit more. I find that doing fun exercises, like dancing or sports with friends, keeps me distracted.

I feel like I can swallow probably anything at this point. I'm not since some things do cause irritation and bloating. I haven't tried chicken or steak and I'm holding off till week 8 like my surgeon has requested. I have tried bread, toasted and untoasted, no problems. I've eaten some fresh fruit- bananas (no problem) and oranges (caused bloating, so I didn't eat much). I'm pretty happy right now overall. I'm hoping that this feeling good lasts and this wrap truly lasts. smilewinkgrin
Posted 6/4/2013 4:25 PM (GMT 0)
I had my Nissen on May 14th I a still having a lot of Shoulder and Abdominal Pain . I pretty much eat what ever I want . My Bowles are my biggest problem they have only moved 2 times since surgery I feel bloated and Tired all the time any suggestions
Posted 6/4/2013 5:02 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Missingmom,

I was still having a lot of abdominal pain last week. It felt like I was being punched in the stomach. The shoulder pain was not so bad. This I figured out was gas pain. Gas pain has never felt like that for me. Always stabbing/sharp kind of pain. Not a dull throbbing pain. I would try some GasX strips and Beano meltaways. (Beano before the meal and Gasx after). That has helped me immensely. I definitely had the constipation issue as well. That will make everything feel worse. And you certainly would not want to strain. I took Miralax everyday for about a week. That got everything moving again in a couple of days. I also did the dulcolax suppositories. I will suggest not doing those. It feels like you poured tobasco sauce down there- ouch. If you're really uncomfortable right now, pick up some saline enemas. I did this twice. That will give you immediate relief. Just don't do them daily. That can cause electrolyte imbalances and make it difficult to normalize your bowels. Since you've only had 2 bowel movements in 3 weeks, I would say you'd probably want to try this. You'll feel so much better. Also, don't forget to move around. I would take my dogs on walks. Just don't over do it.

This is honestly the first week that I have had a decent amount of energy. It will happen for you too. It just takes time. Just listen to your body and rest. Don't judge yourself. This is the most important thing that I've learned. We all heal at different paces. Your body is trying hard to get you back to where you need to be and you will get there.

Hang in there!
Erica
Posted 6/11/2013 1:08 PM (GMT 0)
6th week

So everything seems to be getting better and better. I'm eating pretty much anything I want with the exception of steak, chicken cuts, or raw veggies. I've had a lot of gas issues lately. Sometimes it's uncomfortable. Other times its just nauseating. I haven't been doing the gasx and beans as much. So hats probably why. I am eating more veggies and whole grains. I really want to get back to a healthier diet. It's slow going.

I tried a sip of white wine the other day. It burns my throat and felt weird in my stomach. I'll be waiting another month or 2 on that. Marinara is probably the most irritating thing to my wrap now. It hurts right away. I really love tomato based sauces but I'm taking it super easy on those. I can have pizza though with no problem. We make our own homemade and man have I missed it. To keep my portions appropriate, I eat off a smaller salad plate. That makes it hard to over eat.

Bowels are still funky. Some days I go several times. Other days I don't go at all. I attribute this to the diet. All in all I'm pretty happy. This morning I woke up lying flat with no burning or discomfort. That's pretty rewarding for having gone through all this. I don't go to bed sleeping flat though. I've noticed that food irritation from the day and gas pressure in the evening (always worse in the evening and gone in the morning) make it a little uncomfortable to sleep flat. I prop myself about half as high as I did before the surgery. At least it doesn't hurt my back. I used to be so uncomfortable sleeping that high.

I have been feeling pretty tired lately. I think I'm having some allergy irritation in addition to my healing. The weather here is yucky. My upper throat feels itchy and I sneeze more.

Oh, I worked for the first time in the ER on Friday. Did just fine. Very stressful day and worked with the biggest nut for a doctor and I did fine under all the stress. I did no lifting to protect myself. I won't for awhile either. I would say everything is getting better and better.
Posted 6/11/2013 2:19 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Gooserstein,

I'm following your journal and was wondering if you can still burp normally? You had the full wrap right?

Wendy
Posted 6/11/2013 6:14 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Wendy,

I did have the full wrap. I can make little burps but I can't force them out. It just randomly happens. Definitely not the deep belly burps I used to make.

Thanks for reading.

Erica
Posted 6/12/2013 1:49 AM (GMT 0)
Erica,

So, am I understanding that burps just come up and out on there own now? Did you burp a lot before your surgery? I have a real issue I guess with air swallowing therefore I burp many times after meals and throughout the day. With the burping I'm refluxing too! The burps are mainly air bubbles that come up and stick in my esophagus until I force them out. So you might could say that most of my burps are forced. I'm thinking about reflux surgery but I'm so scared that I will have major problems with gas bloat not being able to burp much. Thanks for sharing your journal!

Wendy
Posted 6/19/2013 2:16 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Wendy,
Sorry for the delay. I haven't been checking this as frequently. I did burp a lot before the surgery. I have since I was a teenager. Not burps but house rocking belches. I could always out burp anyone in the room. Now I get the mini burps. I can't force them. Trying to is pointless and feels very awkward. There's a lot of resistance there. Currently I am dealing with some bloating issues. I won't lie. Your gas situation will probably worsen before it gets better if you have the surgery. I'm not sure how long it takes everything to settle and to stop having gas pains. I'm still having discomfort from gas but it gets better every week and I found some coping strategies for it.

I use to reflux or regurgitate with burping too. The surgery has stopped that. I typically have my mini burps after meals or if I quickly increase my physical activity.

I hope this helps.

Erica
Posted 6/19/2013 2:34 AM (GMT 0)
Rounding Week 7

I'm almost fully back to a normal diet now. This week I tried chicken breast. No problems at all. Honestly I think I can eat anything at this point minus ruff age. Let me rephrase that. I can swallow anything. I could eat raw veggies but I will pay dearly with gas bloat. Actually my swallowing is so good that the other day I hungrily scarfed some doughy bread with no problem. The floppy wrap rocks.

My exercising is getting better. I'm able to keep up with my friends when we play tennis. I'm exercising at the same intensity now as before the surgery.

I feel great most of the day. However, I get gas bloat in my stomach, which causes that dreaded punched in the stomach feeling, after eating lunch and dinner. Not breakfast though. It doesn't happen every time but it does happen a lot. I would love to eat a salad but I'm too fearful to. The gas just sits in my stomach. It's like come on pyloric sphincter and open already. My solution is always lie down on my left side. I can hear the gas moving through. Weird right? I usually feel better after relaxing while lying down for about 10 minutes. I've read before that stress can inhibit the pyloric sphicter from relaxing and thus opening. So maybe this technique just helps me to relax.

We go through so much with this surgery. It's pretty impressive how much it can change your life. I had a patient the other day who was put on a liquid diet for 24 hours who just complained and complained about being hungry. Heck we're on liquid diets for a few weeks. I didn't say that to her. I can't even complain about the diet. I love my body right now. I hope I don't gain the weight back.
Posted 6/27/2013 2:28 PM (GMT 0)
Week 8

So I was feeling pretty good up until Sunday. I guess I was a bit brazen with my swallowing. I went out with a friend and ordered pork carnitas. The first pork mind you that I have eaten since the surgery. From the first bite I knew it was a mistake. A piece was stuck in my wrap. I tried the normal things: drink lots of water, eat something else, even burping. I could swallow, so it wasn't so bad that it was backing up, but there was a small piece that I could clearly feel in my wrap. Well it stayed there for a day and a half. Actually, I'm still not sure if it's gone, because I still feel a nauseous every day since. I haven't felt nauseous since week 1, so this is weird. I'm also refluxing now. Legitimately refluxing too. I even felt some sensations of regurgitation yesterday. So, it still may be stuck. Does anyone have any suggestions for this? I would be forever grateful.

Everything else is good. I have great energy. The bathroom situation is alright. I just want to get through this little hurdle.
Posted 6/28/2013 5:38 PM (GMT 0)
Goose-

I would say you irritated your wrap pretty good. Back way off on your diet for a couple days and see how things go. It may take a few days depending on how irritated it is.

I would wait a couple more weeks at least before trying solid meats again. Then remember small bites and chew, chew, chew.
Here is how I got things out when they wouldn't go through. Keep drinking water, small drinks at first then normal ones if it won't budge. sit up very straight or stand up while doing this. If it won't budge go to the bathroom and take something to drink. Take a drink about every 20 seconds and it will either go through or your esophagus will fill up and it will reverse gears and bring it up like a cats hairball. It may take a couple tries.
I once had chicken stuck for about 30 minutes and decided to go to the ER. While I was getting signed in I had to run outside and up it came just from swallowing saliva. It's gross, but we need to tell all with this surgery.
I would try some chewable ant acids if you have them to help calm things down. With the wrap irritated it will swell and not work as well until it goes down.
Take care,
Bill
Posted 6/29/2013 3:00 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks For the advice Bill. I think it's finally gone. I kept drinking warm teas because I had read that had worked for someone else. It's definitely handy to know a method of getting the bolus out. The reflux went away last night, but maybe I didn't feel it because of the stomach pains. Whatever the case, my pains are at bay and so is the nausea.

I'm scaling back on the foods. It's easy to get carried away and just assume it all works the same. Especially, after several meals of chicken and doughy bread. Tonight I went back to some potato soup. Today was the first day in a long while that I was moving backwards not forwards. But I know in the long run that this will get better.
Posted 6/29/2013 7:32 PM (GMT 0)
A relative of mine has a non-reflux condition of the oesophagus that causes spasms when food gets stuck at the junction - they drink a fizzy drink to persuade things to move down. Don't know if it's worth a go for food stuck above a wrap?

MMM
Posted 6/30/2013 2:05 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks Mud. I'll keep that in mind for the next time this happens. I hope there won't be a next time but that's just wishful thinking.
Posted 6/30/2013 7:03 PM (GMT 0)
This has been a rough week for me. Up to this point I've been doing great. I've been super active and eating a great variety of food excluding steak and fresh veggies. I think everything started last Sunday when the pork got stuck. I should have backed off on the food immediately, but I didn't. I had a few spicy dishes this week, which is usually no problem. Then, on Thursday when making read I ran out of flour. Well I had a coarse ground whole wheat, so I substituted it.

Needless to say here I am now. I'm Lying in my bed with a heating pad on my stomach hoping for better days ahead. On Friday the pains were extreme and so I went to the ER at them request of my surgeon. Everything was okay. I started feeling better yesterday, so I had a little marinara. Very stupid. I spent all of last night trying to find ways to get comfortable: taking a shower, use the heating pad, meds. It was another horrible night. Today is getting better, but I feel as if my stomach is fed up with me and I with it.

My biggest lesson out of this: listen to your stomach, not your brain. Brains are deceiving and will tell you it's okay to that delicious spicy meal. Your brain will drown out your stomach who is telling you, hey man I'm achey. Please take it easy.

All of this is the result of me not listening.
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