Post Nissen Blues

Good morning. I am looking for some encouragement if anyone can spare any . I had a Nissen fundiplication 2 months ago. The doctor fixed a hernia and did a wrap for acid reflux . At first I felt I was getting a little better every day after the operation. I was out of work for a month (I'm a teacher). But now I feel beaten down. I cannot eat more than a little bit at a time, I feel I am dehydrated all the time and wake up in the night with my mouth totally dry. I have no appetite and have to make myself eat at all. My tongue is sore and I'm getting quite depressed. I see my surgeon next week for what should bey last visit with him. Can recovery take this much time? Will my mouth ever feel normal again? I have also developed bad gas which I never had and is not particularly pleasant. Any hope for me?MGM

Thank you . I think the holidays are taking a toll on me. I'm 2 months out from my Nissen and sitting around a table with lots of relatives eating slabs of meat and eating my little bits of yogurt etc. is hard. Will I get energy again ?

Hopeoutthere?

I'm 8 months out for my Nissen and hernia repair. I have to admit that it's a long recovery period, but I now feel almost 100% back to normal. I was fortunate that my employer gave me unlimited paid time off, and I stayed home for 2 months and then 1/2 days to start back to work. My appetite, like yours, was next to nothing and I did lose a considerable amount of weight. I had dumping syndrome, but that cleared up after I learned to drink most of my liquids before and after meals and not during. I was slow in introducing new foods back into my diet, and if they caused me problems then I went back to the things that digested easily. You need to relax and not worry because you are so early into your recovery.

Hi there, Hope.

Are you on any pain meds, anything else that causes dry mouth?

It's winter, prime time for dry house and consequent dry mouth and nose.

If you feel you're losing weight and don't want to, just eat more often. You may need to eat 5 meals or so all the time because part of your stomach was used to make the wrap. Your stomach is much smaller now. This is great for people who need to keep weight under control. Don't try to stuff yourself! I didn't lose any weight, although I had some to spare, because I ate every hour at first.

Try to eat as healthy a diet as you can. Use the food processor if you need to. It was my best friend for several months. Pumpkin pie goes down pretty well. I still skip the crust and call it a vegetable.

As others said, it's early yet. This surgery helps us so much, but it's major surgery and takes a long time to heal.

I can totally relate to everything you have said. I had my surgery on October 30th. I haven't eaten today as I ate something yesterday that is giving me a horrible stomach ache. I actually signed in today to get some encouragement as well. Or at least to know that what I'm feeling is normal. Reading other's post to your post has helped. It's New Year's Eve and my friend is making all kinds of appetizers but I'm not going to be able to eat them. But I'd rather pass on them then have the stomach ache I'm having now.

Hope you start feeling better.