recoverying after Laparoscopic Nissen Fundoplication operation.

Hello everyone,
It is now 9 days till my lap nissen and hernia repair. I appreciate all of your posts. I used to feel like I was the only one going through this and had many questions. I am like the one that said they are 50% excited and 50% nervous. I am still concerned about the post op pain and swelling of the area. I wonder if it is ok to stay on liquid diet longer than suggested. I am in the nervous state today. Thanks again.

My lap-nissen fundoplication was performed July 9th, so I'm almost 6 weeks post-op right now. I had a hiatal hernia that was repaired as well. My surgeon put me on 6 weeks restrictions for physical activity. I was on a liquid diet for the first week and soft foods the second. Week 3 and 4 were "soft mechanical" foods. When I went in for my 2 week post-op my surgeon said I could eat whatever I was comfortable with as long as I was willing to chew it a lot. Since then I've been able to eat hamburgers and een steak. It is a slow process eating but after having some hangups just above my stomach wrap I take great care in chewing my food almost to a liquid.

The physical recovery surprised me a bit. I initially only too a week and a half off for recovery time. That quickly turned into a month. I slept in a recliner for the first three weeks and having a lift chair was very handy. My 5 incisions were glued but two on my left side also have stitches. I tried sleeping in a bed after a few weeks but ended up on a couch where I could prop my left side up. Sleeping like that has been difficult on my back so using icepacks was a must some nights. After about a month I was able to sleep semi-comfortably in a flat bed with pillows to prop myself up.

I didn't get much for medicine. I stopped my 40mg Nexium a couple days before surgery. It wasn't doing anything anyways because of the hernia. I had an overnight stay in the hospital and was released around dinner time. From that point I only had an off brand liquid vicodin mix. The doctor also suggested childrens motrin for swelling and pepsid for gas/nausea, but they were not prescribed. They did help a lot though!

I'm 31 and fairly active, so I'm hoping to be back in running shape soon. I was able to manage tiny burps a few days after my surgery. Most normal sounding burps are actually from air trapped in my throat. It took a little bit to figure out how to drink liquids smoothly to keep air bubbles out. My GERD has not shown any symtpoms since my surgery, but I also had the hiccup issue. Fortunately I only had one hiccup at a time before my body cringed and decided to spare me any more for a while. My breathing was very shallow at first but has improved quite a bit since then. I'm walking around and staying active where I can. The key is to remember to take breaks or I end up wearing myself out pretty easily.

I was initially diagnosed with GERD back in 2010 when I saw a doctor to fix a deviated septim. He gave me omeprazole instead and sent me on my way! Since then I've been increased to Nexium and still no results. -'m excited to finally start putting some of this behind me after so many years!

Tomorrow will be 7 weeks since my surgery, and I have not felt this good in so very long! My recovery has been so smooth. I did spend about 4 weeks doing very little, sleeping in a recliner, and sleeping for hours each day. The last couple of weeks I have felt more energetic and have been walking daily. I have done 2 miles on my treadmill a few times, but my speed probably didn't set any records. I am sleeping in my bed again and can sleep on either side.My weight loss has been very slow. My body had always given up weight unwillingly, but I have lost 12 pounds. Hopefully when I start getting more active I will lose more. I sure can stand to! Anyway, I do hope others have the success I have had! This surgery was the best decision I have every made as I am like a new person.

Hi Pittpitt, My surgery was a bit different from yours. I had a hiatel repair and a Nissen instead of of Toupet, and my I still have my gallbladder. I stayed in the hospital one night. My surgery lasted about 2 hours. You definitely need more than one week off from work. I think 3 weeks is ideal, although I probably could have worked after 2 weeks, but it would have exhausted me.

Linda Sue, I can so empathize with how you are feeling!!! I too suffered for a number of years with GERD and the last year the symptoms were so severe I also felt like I just couldn't go on like that much longer. My family doctor kept trying different medications with no effect and just wouldn't refer me to a specialist until I was to the point that I was taking 6 pills a day with no improvement. He referred me to a GENT who upon reading my record immediately said I appeared to be a perfect candidate for surgery. He ordered a Endoscopy and when he got the results he said I had a hiatal hernia and referred me to a surgeon who` ordered a manometry and a Barium upper GI test. With each test I was so worried that I would be told that there was nothing wrong me, but every test confirmed a hiatal hernia and severe reflux. As for picking my surgeon, I took the advice of the GENT because I really respect his opinion and then I did a of research about the surgeon. He was fabulous and I am so happy with the results. Just do not give up. Keep pestering the doctors. I don't know why it is sometimes so difficult to convince them that you are really sick. I am in the Sacramento, California area. I hope this helped some and I wish you the best of luck on your journey to wellness!

Wondering if anyone had acid after their Nissen ? I just had mine 2 days ago and feel some acid in my mouth. I'm worried that it didn't work?

I had my surgery on 11/6/14. I was in the hospital overnight. The only pain I had was from the gas they pump into your stomach. The pain was sometimes moderate to severe. But, I asked for no pain medication and took only Tylenol and anti nausea medication. I had an IV for liquids and got up and started walking within hours after surgery. I walked a lot to try to rid myself of the gas. Didn't get any relief until I took a few gas x. That made all the difference. Before I left the hospital the next morning I ate scrambled eggs. I am still on a soft diet but feeling pretty good. My stomach turns and rumbles more than before and have done problems with being regular. But that may be the lack of food too. Nausea I was having was all about controlling the gas and measuring food and making sure portions were small. If you feel full you probably are eating too much. I have to stop eating way before I would be satisfied or full.

Hi all,

I had a nissen wrap 2 weeks ago. Everything seemed OK but in the last couple of days I'm waking in the middle of the night with pain in my chest and a fizzing sensation. Apart from this and the usual restrictions of the liquid/ pureed diet all seems OK. Is the fizzing and chest pain normal or is it acid coming through?

Any help would be much appreciated, feel a bit down. Cheers Webbo.

I had a partial wrap fundoplication on 11-19-2014 so I am 3 months post-op. I also have a condition called cyclic vomiting syndrome which caused some very serious post op complications and I ended up back in the hospital on 11-23 and didn't leave until 12-16-2014. During that time I was unable to eat or drink anything and lost 35 pounds. I am 6'2 and weighed 165 before the surgery and weigh 130 after. Serious malnutrition and muscle atrophy have also been problems for me but all this is due to the cvs reactions after surgery rather than the surgery itself. I am now eating pretty normally as far as content, but still very small amounts will make me full. I find it very easy to overeat before I even realize that I'm full and this causes severe discomfort. I have a lot of belching after eating or drinking. Gas-X and Phazyme have become my best friends as they give relief from the severe gas pains. If I had it to do over again I would seriously reconsider my decision to have the surgery. But this is only because of my other problems. I believe the fundoplication was successful and I have no problems with reflux anymore. I just keep moving forward with the knowledge in my mind that it will continue to get better.....baby steps!

I had my Nissen Fundoplication on Jan 14, 2015.  I suffered from GERD for over 10 years, believing it to have been caused by bone density med - Fosamax.  I became the EGD Queen and fearing that I would get Barrett's Esophagus, my GI doc suggested I might want to talk to a surgeon.  I'm an Admin Assist, working in hospital environment so it was easy to know which surgeon I wanted to see. Tests confirmed I was a candidate for the Nissen.  He fully explained what to expect and reading these forums helped.  When symptoms crop up and I over think them, I re-read your comments.  I didn't have much surgical pain, except trying to swallow initially before all the internal swelling subsided.  Anything in large pill form was difficult to swallow for a few weeks, so liquid med will be preferable.  Zofran, for nausea, caused me to have migraines for 4 days   , so once I left that med off, I started feeling better.  I transitioned from the liquid to soft very well, and experimented with various foods, trying to get enough protein.  Occasionally if I don't chew the first few bites well, I have had to excuse myself from the table.  Yes, I can vomit, if need be! The hardest thing has been to stay hydrated, as I can only sip drinks, hot or cold.  At almost 10 wks post-op, I still get spasms if I drink more than a sip.  While on the soft diet, diarrhea sometimes was a concern.  Now that it's hard to quench my thirst, constipation is the norm.  I trying to find the happy medium with lots of vegetables, stool softeners and powdered mixes. This, too, shall pass. As I reintroduce new foods or eat too much, I experience yet another symptom and have to remind myself that it takes up to a year to feel normal again! 

Today is day 2 after my nissen and I must admit that I feel pretty good. I'm sore, but that's to be expected. And as a bonus - I'm able to burp! Hurray!

For those of you who have had this surgery, what is the best diet to follow and for how long? My doctor just told me to stay on liquid diet for one week, then soft foods - no additional information.

Any suggestions?

Thank you,

ekwaj

Hello! I am new here! I am scheduled to have Nissen Fundoplication surgery on Thursday, 6/29/2017. I am very nervous of how I will feel when I wake up! I am also excited for the surgery, to hopefully make me feel better. I have reflux, and a hiatal hernia, so I'm praying that the surgery helps. I get pain in the middle of my upper back, as well as the reflux pains in throat and chest. I have bent over before and the water I had just drank, came up my throat and out my nose! I also get chest pains, and find it hard to take in deep breaths at times, and even yawn. I look at it as, the surgery can't make me feel any worse than I already do.

Will the majority of these symptoms stop immediately? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! I am just very nervous, about how I will feel post op.

Thanks,
Kimberly