Had Hiatal Hernia Surgery and I am not doing well with recovery and pain

Walking is all that would help my gas. I agree it is a bad feeling. Walk all you can. My shoulders and neck also hurt from gas.

The dumping can be eased my eating smaller meals closer together. Like every 2 hours a small meal instead of three large ones. Try not to eat until you are full. I know you have probably seen this advice before but I promise it does help.

Recovery takes a long time. We just have to let our bodies take control and give them healing time.

I wish you all the best and hope you do find some peace and healing fast!!!

Thank you both for your replies, I will try walking, it can't hurt, but now it is hard to walk much, I have been short of breath since this surgery. Sharon, I know it seems that changing doctors doesn't seem too smart but I think that if I had known that this was not some simple "all you will be is on a liquid diet for a week" as my doctor told me, and this doctor is one of the foremost surgeons in california. If I had known that this was so hard and difficult, I could have either made a educated decision as to if I wanted to do this, or made plans to adjust my time off to adjust. I appreciate your letting me know this will get better, when you are right in the middle it is very hard to see, and that is where people like you, kind people that help others out, come in. It just is very hard for me right now..

Hi noslack,

Welcome to the Healing Well Wrap Club! Your surgeon, like so many others (the majority, I believe) did not prepare you properly for what to expect during recovery. I've often wondered about why that is the case. Most likely, they just plain don't know. Surgeons do their surgery, maybe see their patient one more time, then set them free to heal. They most likely haven't a clue about the real recovery experience. My other theory is that they just don't want to scare their patients away. You'll have to ask your surgeon to find out his/her reason.

That's exactly why a forum like this one is so important. I just wish you'd found us sooner, as we could have helped prepare you, and help you through these first difficult weeks. As Sharon told you, this surgery takes six months for most of the healing and a year for the rest. I found improvements into the second year. Since I had my Nissen in 2009, I've learned that most major surgeries take that long for full healing.

Walking was the key to my shoulder pain. The more I walked, the better it felt, and visa versa. You don't have to walk fast or long. Frequent trips around the house can be enough. Just get up and get moving. Start slow, and build your distance/time as you feel you can.

If you planned to go back to work very early, that in itself can slow down your recovery. You have undergone major surgery. Laproscopic procedures don't show on the outside, the extent of trauma that was experienced on the inside. Your five little slits will heal quickly, but the internal stress and necessary healing internally, will take much longer.

Stomach surgery often causes dumping syndrome, and it's easy to panic and think that you'll have to deal with it forever. That's just not true. I remember before I had my surgery, I started reading really scary posts people posted online. It kept me from getting surgery I badly needed (my lungs were very badly affected by the reflux I was getting, and my family doc said that they were "life threatening"). I've since come to the conclusion that the vast majority of those posts were written by people in the throes of early recovery symptoms.

Here is a link to information that will help you with your dumping issue:
gicare.com/diets/anti-dumping-post-gastrectomy-diet/

Hang in there...it gets better!!! Once healed, you'll be so happy you went through all this. It's well worth it. Try to surrender to your recovery and follow its lead. Adjust your diet to how you're feeling. It's not a straight up track to recovery...there are ups and downs along the way. If you can relax, and listen to your body, giving it permission to heal in its own sweet time, you'll find this all much easier. As Bill, another moderator, says, "This recovery is a marathon, not a sprint."

Stick around for lots of support and information!

Happy healing,
Denise

Were you having any issues besides being told you have a hiatal hernia that needed repaired? Reflux symptoms, gastritis?

/wow, you've really had it rough! I asked about the hernia because most people have them and never realize they do and live their lives with them. I had a large hernia that was repaired only because they fixed it in conjunction with the fundo. It's quite possible that your surgeon hasn't done a lot of fundos and that's why he didn't give you a lot of information about recovery - that makes sense. Most of the people that have fundos on this board post about having multiple tests before being surgery to make sure that they are a good candidate. I did multiple endoscopies, a barium swallow, manometry to measure swallowing function and a pH monitor so they could monitor my reflux occurrences. It's also good for you to know that there are other people that have experienced some of the same issues that you are going through now, even the breathing issues. Have you spoken to your primary care physician? He might give you some guidance regarding your breathing issues.

I am having severe gas and stomach aches. What if anything can I do? Any suggestions would be appreciated.