HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Eating habits post Nissan fundoplication

Support Forums
>
GERD & Acid Reflux
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
12
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 1/21/2014 3:18 AM (GMT 0)
I am only a week post the Nissan fundo surgery and just want to see what to expect as the months go on as far as eating habits. Right now I am eating soft foods with hardly no issues, sometimes a little pain when I eat to fast. Though I am glad that I have resolved my painful acid reflux and nausea along with many other awful symptoms that I have suffered with for years I miss some of my favorite foods. I am hoping as weeks and months go on that I can begin to eat normal again. Can anyone give me some input on this.

Thanks for any input and help anyone can give me!
Posted 1/21/2014 3:28 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Grants,

Sounds like we are at the same stage. I had my NF last Wed 1/15. I'll be interested in the responses that you receive! Drove past my favorite Mexican restaurant today and it started a craving. Of course, the only thing I could maybe tolerate from there at this stage is guacamole.
Posted 1/21/2014 3:32 AM (GMT 0)
Hey Carrie-
Mexican is one of my favorites also and I really do miss it! Even though I am early post op I just don't like the thought of not being able to eat it but.....i do not regret the surgery at all....look forward to feeling better!
Posted 1/21/2014 8:45 AM (GMT 0)

Hi

It's over 10 years since my op, and I am happily eating everything I want to whenever I want (probably too much to be honest!).

I was on a strict very soft diet for 6 weeks post op (mainly "cream of" soups and nutrition shakes).  After my post op review at 6 weeks I was told I could eat what I wanted, and have ever since - including alcohol and spicy food. 

You have to chew your food more - you will always have to do this from now on, however you quickly stop realising you are doing this.  You will also take longer to eat your food, so remember this when you are out with friends and family - don't try to keep up as you are likely to get food stuck in your wrap.

You will get food stuck at some point though - this is a most unusual/uncomfortable feeling and hard to describe to someone who hasn't experienced it.  You are not dying and your wrap hasn't failed and it will resolve itself after a short while.  Sticky foods (like fried rice, pasta) tend to be the worse culprits for me, so I do tend to take my time even more when eating these things.

Depending on your wrap you may or may not be able to burp - thus chugging carbonated drinks is something you may need to avoid.  I have a tight wrap and can't burp so I don't tend do yards of ale anymore :)

Denise one of the moderators has the best advice - in that you should go with what your body is telling you.  If you try something and it irritates or causes problems, back off it for a while - you have had MAJOR surgery and it will take 6 months or so for everything to settle down and for you to get used to the changes.

Hope this helps and good luck with your recovery.

Les.

Post Edited (eLaReF) : 1/21/2014 1:50:16 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 1/21/2014 12:25 PM (GMT 0)
I am at 5 months and eat fairly "normal." I did have a blip in my recovery in November which set me back to soft foods. In the 1st week, I tried avocado mashed up in a broth. When I went to my appointment a week later, the surgeon was concerned because he felt the avocado was too chunky.

Just listen to your body. It will tell you exactly what it can tolerate or not.

Michelle
Posted 1/21/2014 2:24 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Michelle....

So are you able to tolerate foods ok like chips, bread, pizza and Mexican? I know every body will respond differently but just curious?

Again thanks for your response.

Paige
Posted 1/21/2014 4:00 PM (GMT 0)
Chips yes, pizza (sometimes), Mexican (some). Bread no. Crackers and nuts yes. No fried rice. It really is a trial and error procedure. Hope that helps.

Michelle
Posted 1/21/2014 6:17 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Michelle that does help!
Posted 1/21/2014 6:23 PM (GMT 0)
Hello Les-

Sorry I just saw your post and your info is very helpful, thanks! Went for my 1 week post Dr appt today and he told me I could start adding foods back but to be careful and chew well! He told me I would know what I could and couldn't stand at this point. I have been burping since the day of my surgery so he told me I could start back drinking my diet cokes. Tried one as soon as I got home, drank slowly, and it is so good! Thanks again for the info!

Paige
Posted 1/22/2014 8:54 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Paige

Remember your swelling will increase in the next few weeks - which other posters have mentioned on the site. Most people seem to find this is the worst period of the wrap experience, but as long as you keep yourself hydrated and taking in calories you'll be fine - I mostly just had nutrition shakes in this period when I was healing.

Even though I have a tight wrap, I pretty much eat anything I want - chips (yes by both US and UK definitions), bread (yes - all types), pizza (oh yes, couldn't survive without this), mexican (yes - chilli, fajitas, tacos, etc.).

Just remember to really take your time at this stage - I had a massive craving for pizza and absolutely demolished one as soon as I was given the go-ahead from my surgeon at 6 weeks post-op.

Les.
Posted 1/22/2014 6:28 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Les-

Today is only day 8 and today is not a good day, compared to the rest, not really able to eat anything without some pain. As long as I know there are possibilities to eat my favorite things again I for sure don't want to push anything as far as what I eat. Plan on taking it slowly and look forward to feeling better. 😊
Posted 1/22/2014 11:22 PM (GMT 0)
What about coffee? I was wrapped on 1/15 and right now caffeine is a 'no go' for me any idea when this gets added back?
Posted 1/22/2014 11:33 PM (GMT 0)
Hi LimaB!

Our surgeries were on the same day! I had some mashed potatoes smothered with butter and a little cheese for dinner tonight. Feels so good to have a bit of real food! Sorry I have no idea about when we can have coffee but I'm interested in the answer too!
Posted 1/23/2014 12:25 AM (GMT 0)
My surgery was 1/14 and I spent the night in the hospital after my surgery and when they brought me my soupy grits 😁 for breakfast they also brought me a cup of coffee, though I am not a coffee drinker. I have been drinking tea for my caffeine fix. Though I was told yesterday at 1st checkup by Dr as long as I could burp I could start drinking my diet coke again.
Posted 1/23/2014 8:43 AM (GMT 0)
Hi LimaB

Not sure what current thinking on the coffee front is - I started drinking tea again the day after my op and although I'm not a big coffee drinker I didn't stop this at any point during my healing period either?

I'm not up to date on this though as my op was 10+ years ago, but I'm not sure what part of the healing process caffeine would interfere with - unless people have found avoiding it reduces the risk of excess acid build up in the early days?

All I can say is that tea/coffee didn't cause me any problems immediately post-op, but everyone is different and if your surgeon has advised you against this I'd go with their opinion.

Hope this helps.

Les.
Posted 1/23/2014 10:36 PM (GMT 0)
re: coffee. I'm just going to wait to see what the doc says at my follow up next week.
Posted 1/24/2014 3:41 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Grant,

I'm five years post op, and can eat absolutely anything I want. My stomach burps itself whenever it chooses, so generally I don't have any bloating issues. Occasionally, I eat or drink something especially gassy, and the gas gets ahead of the wrap's ability to release it.

The way the wrap works, the more full the stomach gets, the tighter it becomes. I wouldn't recommend drinking much champagne...I had two glasses a couple years ago, and the carbonation is so aggressive that I had a fairly painful bloating episode. I enjoy beer, and can drink it without any problem.

If you eat a lot of beans/gassy veggies, try BEANO, which is an enzyme that stops the gas from being produced. You chew two or three tablets just as you take your first bite of the offending food. It works well for me.

I can eat anything I want to, and certainly do. I've been doing that since maybe the 6th month or so. During the first couple of years, if I ate an entrée salad, or dinner salads too many days in a row, my wrap would get irritated, and I'd get some dumping. Sometime during the second year, this all stopped, and I can eat as much salad as I like now.

Here's a link to my early recovery, just on case you haven't run across it. It might give you an idea of what you can expect in the coming days/weeks.
www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=45&m=2183443
Happy healing,
Denise
Posted 1/24/2014 3:46 AM (GMT 0)
So, today I am craving pizza (darn commercials). Any idea of when might be able to have it?
Posted 1/24/2014 3:56 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Carria5,

Here's a quote from my early recovery journal that mentions pizza:

Anyway, as of about week 4, I've been able to eat virtually anything. (I do find I still have trouble with melted mozzarella. It's not the bread of the pizza, it's the cheese. If I eat a pasta dish (crepe manicotti/eggplant roulettes, with melted mozzarella, for example, I have to remove the melted cheese first. I am not great with pasta or noodles, either. Bread is fine, though. Everything needs to be chewed to liquid...don't get me wrong. You have to be aware of your healing and be a responsible eater!)

Hope that helps answer you question!
Happy healing,
Denise
Posted 1/24/2014 4:06 AM (GMT 0)
Yes it does. Thanks! :)
Posted 1/24/2014 12:58 PM (GMT 0)
I had my HH repair and a floppy wrap in March of 2013 so I am post 10 months. Because of a lot of false/shakey information I was resigned to the "fact" that I could never eat normally again. I wouldn't be able to eat hardly any of the spicy things that I like or drink carbonated beverages, etc. However, pre-op I was in enough misery that I was willing to accept those "facts" including that I wouldn't be able to burp. I don't mean to say that it was all false but in my personal recovery most of the linitations and restritions were very temporary.

Originally my Surgeon said that I would be on a clear liquid diet for three weeks but when he visit my room the morning after surgery he said I could eat anything that could be pureed. So I was on a pureed/soft diet for two weeks and was eating 5-6 small "meals" a day. During the third week I began eating small amounts of well-chewed solid food. After that third week I began eating just about everything but just a little at a time. My only personal experience that caused sticking was watermelon. It would seem that after you chew a bite that nothing would be left but there is a lot of membrane or pulp and it can stick just like anything else. If you ever experienced a stricture of the esophagus you would know the feeling--pressure and pain and panic. Thankfully after several minutes of fear it slid on down and I learned a lesson.

At ten months I can eat absolutely everything in normal portions. However, I have zero appetite in the mornings. I just have coffee. My wife and I eat usually eat out in the mid-to-late afternoon and that is the only main meal that I have for the day. I also normally only eat single servings instead of going back for seconds. I also only drink a single glass of liquid with my meal where once I had a refill. I do eat snacks and have a soft drink in the evening but that is my normal food intake routine for the day--my new normal.

Before the operation I weighed about 213. After recovery I was down to 192 for awhile but have gained back up to about 206 which is now holding relatively steady so the new normal appears to be ok.
I hope you recovery goes as well as mine.
Posted 1/24/2014 1:04 PM (GMT 0)
I should add that I live in a "Cajun" area of South Mississippi. I was eating small amounts of spicy seafood gumbo and other Cajun dishes at three weeks. I eat all the Mexican and Italian that I want and every variety of chips and snacks.
Posted 1/24/2014 6:06 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks all for your posts regarding my question....it all is very helpful and makes me hopeful I can eat normal again. I am in my second week post op and still have some issues, I guess I am just rushing things and want to better sooner than my body thinks I should. I am learning to be patient and let things take their course. Thanks again for all of the input!

Paige
Posted 1/24/2014 8:11 PM (GMT 0)
I am at 9 weeks post op and am eating ALMOST everything again. The biggest difference is that it takes so much longer to eat now and when I eat, I am full after just a couple bites. My doctor let me eat soft foods right before Christmas (just over 4 weeks post op) so I moved to carrots, potatoes, canned fruit, etc. at that point. That was about the time he allowed me to have coffee too which was great because I am a 'pot a day' person.

In the past few weeks, I have noticed that meat (especially chicken and beef) and rice are harder than they were a couple weeks ago so I've moved away from them again. The first time I got something stuck (it was a pill about 2 weeks after surgery) I freaked out and slowed way down on what I was trying to force through.

I have had a few sips of soda and beer but the carbonation does give me trouble so I haven't really tried to drink either yet.

Good luck with your recovery to you!
Posted 1/24/2014 8:12 PM (GMT 0)
Oh one more thing... I still have some reflux at this point when I try to eat things like tomato soup and citrus.

Still avoiding raw fruits and veggies too.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
12

HealingWell

Connect With Us
© 1997-2024 HealingWell.com LLC All Rights Reserved. Our website is for informational purposes only. HealingWell.com LLC does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.