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9 months since Nissen......no better!

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GERD & Acid Reflux
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Posted 7/29/2013 6:17 PM (GMT 0)
Hi guys, I last posted on here soon after my surgery. A quick re-cap.....i have suffered from heartburn since i was 18, i'm now 35. I went from over the counter drugs to Zantac, Nexium, Domperidone and finally Dexillant. Nothing really worked. Last year i finally met a Surgeon who said that i needed the surgery to solve the problem. I had previously lost about 25 pounds due to the lack of appetitie, nausea and vommitting.

On Dec 4, 2013, i had the surgery and was hopeful that i would be able to make a full recovery. It has been almost 9 months and although the acid does not come up into my throat I can feel it at the LES site. The biggest problem that i have is that the last time i felt the sensation of hunger was the day of my surgery, that's right, i have not felt hungry since my op. I have spoken with my surgeon who ordered a Barium xray. According to the results the surgery was a 100% success.

I feel that i am back to square one and get a lot of gas. I still cannot eat anything raw, when i do i get the awful pain the in the shoulder. Has anyone experienced anything like this, are there any tips or suggestions? After the surgery i lost 10 pounds but have only been able to put back 4. I am losing my mind....pls help.

Regards,

Posted 7/29/2013 7:04 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Bruno,

Sorry you're struggling with your recovery.  Your description of symptoms makes me suspect your wrap is too tight.  The "reflux" sensation at the wrap site is likely irritation due to food/medication, etc. sitting at the wrap site and irritating your esophagus.  The esophagus is a dumb organ and it interprets all pain as reflux.

The gas and bloating are other symptoms of a too-tight wrap at your stage of recovery.  The reason you can't eat raw veggies is that they are more difficult to pass though he too tight wrap, and scratch as they do, which creates more pain.

Keep in mind that everyone's recovery is unique.  It takes a full year for total recovery, and I even improved after that.  Listen to your body/wrap.  Adjust your eating choices and go back to soft foods for a while.  Don't eat anything spicy or irritating, and be sure to sip water for quite a while after taking meds or eating. 

I know it's frustrating.  Still, you can't rush this process.  Back off on your eating and be patient.  The irritation will take time to heal.  It seems to me that your surgeon should be suspicious of a tight wrap judging from your symptoms.  I'm no doctor, but I do talk to lots and lots of post-op patients, and get a good idea of the realm of "typical" recoveries.

Hang in there.

Best wishes!

Denise

Posted 7/29/2013 11:48 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks so much Dencha......if the wrap is too tight will it "relax" a little over the next few months or will i need surgery again to lossen it? Also any ideas regarding the total loss of hunger? Your thoughts are appreciated. Thanks again.
Posted 7/30/2013 12:02 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Bruno,

The fact that the barium swallow study showed 100% success is interesting.  Did they not see some liquid taking a long time to get past the wrap?  Did they have you take a solid barium food to see how that reacted?  You could manage liquids fine, but have difficulty with solids due to a tight wrap.

Generally the surgeon or GI doc does dilation to stretch the wrap a bit and make it a little looser.  As far as the loss of hunger goes, I suspect it's your stomach reacting from the trauma of surgery.  I wouldn't be at all surprised if you have some gastritis/irritation, which would make your stomach not all that happy to receive food.  I suspect when you're fully healed and no longer irritated, you will regain your hunger. 

It seems you should have a long talk with your GI doctor about the problems you're dealing with. At this point in your recovery, I believe its possible for your GI doc can take over with the types of problems you're experiencing. 

Don't worry.  This isn't forever.  Listen to your stomach and follow its lead.  Try backing off on your eating and try some less challenging meals for a while.  It takes more than a few days to see an improvement.  It will take a few weeks at least, to notice improvement if you stop challenging your wrap and eat more conservatively.

Hang in there!  It'll get better!

Take care,

Denise

Posted 7/30/2013 1:00 PM (GMT 0)
I will take it easy from now on in terms of my food. I guess i have been terified of losing any more weight and have been trying to force myself to eat a little more, but that always tends to backfire. My biggest food issue is toast, shortly after eating it i get hearburn type symptoms, i get the same with ritz crackers. I also have problems with pasta. I think i will just take a few steps back and not stress too much.

I did have chat with my surgeon. He advised that the results were very good and that he could use my surgery as an example of how to do a perfect wrap. He is very good, i have no concerns in those regards, the liquid barium went down no problems. I have been having bouts of diarehea and constipation which he said could suggest that my body is taking longer to recover, he said that it make take me a year to 18 months to get back to normal.
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