Spasms after TIF takedown and Toupet?

I'm hoping to find out if anyone has any experience with esophageal spasm after fundoplication. I am about 7 weeks post-op and had my TIF taken down and a Toupet done. My surgeon had to do a lot of work taking out the TIF as it was a mess in there with fasteners in places they shouldn't have been and a lot of scar tissue. The Toupet seems to have almost completely resolved my non-stop reflux, for which I am very grateful but I am getting a lot of pain that I am assuming is esophageal spasm. The pain is similar to the awful squeezing feeling that you get in your chest when food gets stuck post-op. I am getting it sometimes after burping, or when I bend over to make my bed, lift something or sometimes from doing nothing at all... Sometimes it last for a few minutes and sometimes it may last the whole day and make me really miserable. Nothing seems to help or relieve the pain. I have a follow-up with my surgeon in a couple of weeks (he has been out of town) but was hoping someone might have experience they can share in the meantime. Thank you!

Post Edited (JLSAS) : 7/26/2013 6:25:10 PM (GMT-6)

Thank you for responding. I had the TIF done three years ago. At the time, it was the only option offered to me by the surgeon. I don't tolerate meds well and we were told the TIF would be less invasive, etc. For the first two weeks I didn't have reflux and the surgeon said it was a success. I later learned that the lack of reflux was probably because of the post-op swelling... When I began having reflux again at 3 weeks post-op, the surgeon said it wasn't possible and dismissed me. We later found out that he was actually performing a clinical study for the TIF procedure. My reflux after the TIF was many, many times worse than before. I went from a normal diet before surgery to mostly baby food over the next three years and nothing helped my reflux. I also had a strange combination of constant burping that I couldn't control in any way and episodes of gas bloat where the stomach would be filled with air that could not be expelled. It took us two years to find a doctor that would listen to me. Finally we found a GI doc that not only listened but said that he was seeing endless patients with major problems after the TIF. He wasn't "anti-TIF" since he had considered training for the surgery when it first came out but then didn't like the results he was seeing in patients post-op. I saw two other very good GI docs and they all agreed that the TIF was a problem and I needed to have it out. We found a good surgeon with experience taking out this type of surgery and he put in a Toupet because my manometry results show some weakness in motility at the bottom of the esophagus and he thought I might have problems getting food past a Nissen. So far I am very happy with the Toupet and am so thankful to finally be free of the constant reflux. The past couple of years have been quite a nightmare with all this. My surgery in June lasted 3+ hours as there were fasteners in places they shouldn't have been and I had a great deal of scarring that he had to deal with. I am hoping that the spasms I am having are just the result of a very unhappy GI system after all its been through... I guess it is entitled to that after all it has been through!:) I hope you are able to find some answers with your problems since you must be suffering if you are looking to get the Nissen.

Thank you for your reply JLSAS. Like you, I was symptom free for the first 2 and a half weeks and then I woke up one day and my problems came back... Also, my symptoms are much much worse then before the surgery like you said too... Before my surgery I was able to find 75% relief from ppi's, now I'm on 80mg of nexium without any relief. PPi's take away some burning, but I'm still refluxing and whatever is coming up still hurts.

As a result of that, I've been trying to find someone who will take me seriously because the surgeon who did my surgery wont own up to the possibility that the surgery was unsuccessful. I think it's because he likes to run ads in the paper and billboards saying how great of a procedure the TIF is... Having one person who has failed his treatment would ruin his reputation, so obviously it can't be reflux causing my problems.

I'm trying to find some Dr's who think like the ones you've been to also. I have a few ENT's who agree with me, but it's still hard to convince surgeons, they seem to listen to GI doctors more. Anyways, I have appointments set up with the Medical college of Wisconsin and mayo clinic in Rochester MN at the end of this month. Truly, I'm willing to drive anywhere in the country at this moment, if anyone has some really great dr's or medical centers they've been too, I would consider checking them out. I'm really hoping to get to the bottom of this, so I can get married and join the national guard. It was nice reading about you though, definitely inspired some hope. Alos, best of luck with your esophageal spasms.

Post Edited (TheSixness) : 7/27/2013 12:32:44 PM (GMT-6)

Thanks again! Talking to you has made me feel a lot better.

TheSIXness,
I'm not trying to endorse any doctors, but have you seen a Dr. Peter Janu in WI? (I hope that is not who did your surgery). I only ask because I have been researching for the last 6 months, as we are considering the TIF for my son.A fellow poster on one of the forums we follow has had a great outcome with her TIF.I only ask you because you mentioned the WI area, and I know that is where he practices.I hope that all of you who have had terrible outcomes can resolve your issues and return to a happy, healthy life.

thanks scorpio,
I'm sorry yours didn't work out. I have decided to go with the TIF because my son is only 17. If it is successful I feel like he can still have a somewhat normal outcome. The traditional Nissen has some rather unpleasant side effects, and I don't want to sign him up for a life of not being able to belch or vomit.If the TIF fails, then I can say we tried the less aggressive approach before we go with a Nissen...and if it lasts 3-5 years, maybe there will be something else that will be available to try then.The lady from WI raves about her surgeon, and says out of 400 people,there have only been 4 re-do patients. I am hoping the surgeon we found here in NY will do a great job for my son.I wish you luck and good health.