Nissen Wrap Experiences

Hello all,

44 yr old male.

I'm on my 3rd day after surgery and things are going horrible. I feel the surgeon should have provided me with more realistic expectations as I may have chose not to have this surgery. I am unable to eat or drink without hiccups, even sips of water cause them. I'm frustrated. I understand things will take some time to heal but drinking water is challenging. Medication prescribed for hiccups is not working, however I will say the pain is mild. Any advice or encouragement is appreciated.

Btw,
The hiccups will pass. That's just your diaphragm irritated from being moved or healing from a HH repair if you had one. It gets better

Hi Jason,

Welcome to the Healing Well Wrapped Club! Glad you've joined us!  This is a great place to get support, encouragement, and information.  Most surgeons don't prepare their patients sufficiently for their recovery, and I'm not sure why.  Please read through other journals here.  You'll see that the experiences you're having are very normal, and that there's a light at the end of the tunnel.

I had the surgery in February 2009, and found this forum shortly before then.  The people here gave me tips and provided such outstanding support that I decided to stick around after my recovery to help others the way I was helped.  Here's my early recovery journal:

https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=45&m=2183443

Here is StephanieJean's recovery thread:

https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=45&m=2813866

Hopefully, she will post on this thread soon, and share her recovery experience and provide lots of tips and encouragement.  There are lots of members who are at various stages of recovery right now, so you will be hearing from many of them soon.  It's a great place to hang out while you recover!

Hang in there. The first two weeks are the toughest, and as MCord said, your swallowing will get worse before it gets better, as swelling increases.  It takes six months for most of the healing, and a year for the rest.  Of course you won't feel like you feel now for the first six months! Give yourself a few weeks, and you'll be amazed at the improvements you'll make. It takes time, patience, and trust to make it through this recovery.

If you can surrender to your recovery and follow it where it leads you, you'll find it much easier.  Relax and allow your body the time it needs to heal.  You can't rush it, as much as you wish you could.  Hang in there and go with the flow.  You're in the midst of the roughest part of recovery--it will get better!

Hopefully some of the other members who've had hiccups at your stage will have some tips for dealing with them.  I know they're painful.

Again, glad you've joined the forum!

Happy healing,

Denise 

 

I wanted to document my experiences from Day 1 through Day 4, I believe they are very similar to other experiences. As previously noted, I'm a 44 year old male with acid reflux and a hiatal hernia. Nexium was helping a little but things were progressively getting worse with sleep and quality of life.

I decided to pursue the Nissen which was also recommended by my gastroenterologist. After surgery I had no isssues with the anesthesia which was welcomed for sure. Day 1 was pretty eventless, I was able to hold a few pudding cups down in the hospital but I had to laugh when the nurse brought me a straw and cup of water.

Day 2 I was sent home with mild narcotics and instructions on what to eat on a liquid diet. I was only able to eat one cup of pudding and a few sips of chicken broth and one bottle of apple juice.

On Day 1, I weighed in at 208 lbs and on Day 3 I weighed 204 lbs. Day 3 was pretty much the same, unable eat or drink much. I decided to take Motrin two or three times a day to see if that would assist in swelling and local pain.

On Day 4, I noticed I was able to drink more fluids and ,had some interest in trying different soups. In the past 4 days I have had alot of mucus in my throat which apparently is normal and the hiccups have been challenging to say the least. I feel if I could get these under control, I would be good to go.

On Day 2 the doctor prescribed me some hiccup medication, doesn't work in my case. The five incisions seem to be healing well with one of the incisions looking like I've had a tummy tuck. Reading this forum has helped me so thanks to Denise and MCord for their comments and feedback. Right now I'm not liking this but hopefully with time I will embrace it. :)

edited with breaks for easier reading

Post Edited By Moderator (dencha) : 11/18/2013 5:43:02 AM (GMT-7)

I just turned 74 years old and I suffered for years from Hiatal Hernia and GERD. I also experienced a serious lung abcess due to aspirating particles of vomit during nightly reflux episodes. I was on Nexium for years with good results in controlling the acid but not the reflux--the reflux became silent. I still had reflux but it wasn't painful from the acid. At my age I could have lived out my life on a restricted diet and careful management of my lifestyle. I chose to examine other alternatives.

After all of the standard testing and on the advice the military doctors and that which I received from this forum, on March 11th of this year I had surgery to correct the HH and NF repair. It was the first time in my life that I ever spent a night in the hospital and first surgery that I ever underwent. To say the least I was scared. I realize that I may be the exception to the rule, but from the start of the recovery process I didn't shed one drop of blood nor did I experience the least pain as a result of the operation. My incisions were glued together and surprisingly had no bleeding or scabs. I did not need the prescribed pain killers or the anti-nausea medications. I was on a soft diet for three weeks and at the end of that time the Surgeon told me that I could resume normal activities on a limited basis. I immediately resumed small meals of regular food, limited soft drinks, and resumed playing tennis. I can now eat anything that I want and am fully recovered. It was the best thing I ever did medically. I hope that in the course of things the results of your surgery will be the same.

I notice the only time I get hiccups is when I eat too big of a bite or I don't chew it up enough. It is irritating but it sure beats chest pains from acid reflux! Thanks for letting me know that I'm not alone with these darn hiccups!