Nissen Fundoplication and hiatal hernia repair 3 days ago. Questions about diet and moving forward

Hi, I had my procedure 3 days ago. Spent 2 nights in the hospital. I have slept more than anything g else, which I would think is a good thing, since I usually don't sleep well. While sleeping, I have been sweating profusely from my head. My hair has been constantly soaked. Has this happened to anyone else?

My second question...today, I completely forgot about not using a straw. I've had two and a half venti sized Starbucks cold drink cups of water. Have I don't any damage??? I hope not!!!


Any suggestions on soft things to eat will be appreciated!

Thank you.

Katrina

Hi, Katrinaks94.

I had this surgery on April 15th of this year and I can help you with your questions.

DO NOT drink out of a straw unless you know you can do it without swallowing air. It is almost always easier to drink liquids without a straw and not get air into the stomach.

For the sweats, I assume you are on a narcotic or even a non-narcotic pain medication to take the edge off any pain you are having. Taking these medicines, as well as undergoing anesthesia and an operation in general can cause your body to act weird. A culmination of all these things is most likely why you are experiencing sweats. The first 3 to 4 weeks your body will be continuing to adjust post op so unless you are experiencing very intense pain, or some emergency situation, assume your body is adjusting.

For the first 6 weeks post op of my operation I had weird things happen to my body (including sweats) which the doctor attributed to the operation.

As for foods, yogurt and jello is your friend. Also those nutritional drinks (ensure type drinks) are EXCELLENT sources of sustenance and nutrients. Don't forget you cannot have chocolate flavoring thought.

Soup broths were great as well. Yogurt, jello, and the nutrition drinks were all sweet and creamy and a nice salty soup broth was refreshing for me. After 2 to 3 weeks you will probably be able to tolerate thick liquids and solid-type liquids like noodles, mashed potatoes, gravies and the like. I bought an individual sized blender where I prepared all my meals until I was able to eat solids. I would mix fruits, some soft vegetables and other "soft" solids in it (even cereal sometimes) and eat that for my meals. I often would even eat what my family was eating (grilled chicken, vegetables, mac and cheese etc) and throw it all in that blender and eat that so I could feel somewhat normal at dinner time.

It is a long process, but it is worth it. Hang in there and don't give into the temptation to eat solid foods until your doctor gives you the ok. You will probably lose weight (I lost 25lbs) and you will probably feel hungry all the time but DON'T GIVE IN!!! Also keep in mind you wont be able to hold near as much stuff inside you as you could. I used to love eating large plates of food and filling myself up but not I can not eat so much as a "fist" sized amount of food with drink.

Take your time and good luck!

The gas-x strips and anti gas medications of the like (I use beano) are great. However, these work best BEFORE you eat or drink and most likely wont do a whole lot of anything after eating or drinking. Your bloating will definitely go down, but try taking the anti gas medications before you eat and your tummy will be much happier!

Oh I have heard that you will certainly know if you have undone any stitches. It is highly unlikely anyways, but I have been told that when the wrap comes undone (stitches ripped out) it will be accompanied by intense pain, severe and oftentimes uncontrollable vomiting. Dont quote me on that because I have never experienced it, but that is what I have heard.

I have coughed, vomited (or tried to, nothing comes out) and have endured high impact hits to my chest and stomach and im fine so you should probably not be worried.

Thanks again for the responses. This forum is so helpful. I am now 18 days post op. I see my doctor in a few minutes and I will ask him my questions as well. Today is the day he will change my diet from liquids to soft foods, I think. Yesterday, I tried eating a little bit of more solid food. Some went down ok and sometimes I forgot to take a smaller bite and chew really well. The food felt like it was stuck in my chest and there was no way to get it down. Drinking small sips of water only added to the feeling of choking. Since I'm no longer able to vomit, I felt helpless. Eventually, I was able to vomit a bit and get a little bit out and also get the rest to go down. I'm sure this will happen in the future. Are there any tricks to getting to food to go one way or the other down the esophagus?