Posted 1/11/2014 3:31 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Trump,
I was afraid of the surgery, too. It kept me from getting relief for six long years. There are many frightening posts out there. Most, I believe, are written by folks who haven't been prepared well for the recovery challenges, and assume the symptoms they have in the first 6-12 months are how they'll feel forever.
The others are due to insufficient pre-testing to determine swallowing abilities, and the type of wrap that is appropriate. Still others are due to unskilled surgeons, who don't have enough experience doing Nissen surgeries. There are a few outliers who have issues that were unknown prior to surgery, which cause post-op problems. These are rare.
Keep in mind that most people have the surgery and never post a word online. Generally it's the people with problems who seek out answers on the internet, so there'll be a skewed view of the outcomes here.
The surgery won't take you back to perfect, but it improves things tremendously, if done properly. It is extremely important to choose a surgeon carefully. Atypical GERD symptoms are more difficult to cure than typical, but there is definitely help there. My atypical lung symptoms improved 100% with the surgery.
My GI doc was not in favor of sending me for surgery. My reflux DeMeester score was not high enough to warrant surgery in his mind. It was my PCP's constant pushing that finally made him refer me, over his own better judgement. I will be forever thankful to my PCP for going to bat for me.
A Nissen can't stop all reflux, but it gets rid of most of it. To get to zero the wrap would be too tight to allow food through. The Nissen is still the gold standard for curing GERD. it's an old and proven surgery.
With the onset of PPIs, GI docs are very hesitant to send anyone for surgery--especially those of us with atypical symptoms. It should a last resort, but surgery can be a light at the end of the tunnel. It's worth searching out studies, so you can see for yourself that there are many successes.
It's not perfect, but it's so much better than the alternative for those of us with serious GERD issues that aren't responsive to medication. I just wish I'd had the courage to do it sooner! It improved my quality of life and health tremendously.
Good luck!
Denise