Nissen Fundoplication Surgery 3-3-15

Hi to All I am having fundoplication surgery tommorow and repair of hiatal hernia and am becoming very nervous now...

Added title to thread...

Post Edited By Moderator (dencha) : 3/3/2015 7:56:26 PM (GMT-7)

Hi
Dencha I had my sugery yesterday 3/3/2015 I was nervous, but knew it had to be done. I have been in the recovery room since then because there were no beds in thorasic floor. When I first woke up i was and still am in a lot of pain even with narcotics. When md came to visit he said that I was a textbook case except that the esophagus was raw red which the hadn't seen on any test I have ever dons and that was remarkable that I should have been in extreme pain all these years. So for me I am so glad I opted for surgery in the long run I hoped to have saved from esophogeal cancer.


Thank you for letting me share

Maria L

Thank you Alexandra

24 hours since surgery still having extreme pain guessing its from the gas...

I had pain from the gas for the first week, made sleeping or even lying down hard.

Hi Maria,

Welcome to the Wrapped Club! We've got lots of great members who can provide support and information, so keep posting!

What I remember of the recovery room was that it was FREEZING! I hope they had you wrapped up in lots of heated blankets!

My suggestion as far as the gas pain goes, is to get up and walk--even in the hospital. I was given great advice from my night nurse, who suggested I get up and walk whenever I went to the bathroom. I was up walking the halls, dragging my IV pole with me, right away and often, and it really helped to get the gas moving and make me more comfortable.

Be sure you're not drinking carbonated beverages or using straws. Both can bloat your stomach and create terrible discomfort. Most hospital kitchens don't really know what a post-Nissen patient needs to avoid, so it's likely you'll get those on your tray.

I wouldn't be surprised if some of your increased pain is from the esophageal inflammation. Be sure to keep taking those pain meds. When you do go home, I suggest sleeping in an elevated position for a while. It seems to help with the pain. Keep up the walking there as well. My surgery was in February, and in the beginning I just did laps in my house. After a bit I got on my treadmill and walked slowly at first, increasing my speed as I healed.

I think they'll keep you in the hospital until your pain is in better control, which is a good thing. You're in the most challenging part of recovery, so just take it a day at a time. Keep in mind that your wrap will become increasingly more swollen during the first two weeks, which means your swallowing will likely get worse before it gets better. Once you've got the swelling behind you, healing will progress--but you'll expect some ups and downs. It's just the natural course of recovery from major surgery.

Here's a link to my early recovery journal, in case you didn't run into when looking around the forum:
www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=45&m=2183443

There are no stupid questions, so ask away! We're here for you, the way others were here for us when we were recovering!

Happy healing!
Denise

Day 3 still in pain but also hematocrit very low staying in hospital until they know exactly why my hematocrit keeps dropping

Hi Deejane,

Welcome to the Healing Well Wrapped Club! It sounds as if you definitely made the right decision. Your paraesophageal hernia required a more difficult procedure, and it results in a more challenging recovery. But recover you will! You'll need to be patient and give your body the time it needs to heal.

Eating is always challenging in the first couple weeks, as your healing esophagus/wrap/stomach are very sensitive and often spasm during swallowing. Be sure to avoid iced drinks...room temp is best at this point. No straws or carbonated beverages.

Stay away from untoasted breads, sandwiches, and hard meat like steak. I'm sure at your stage of recovery, none of those things sound a bit tempting! You'll want to stick with liquid or soft foods, and if you're like most people, it'll take no more than a quarter cup or so to make you feel full. This is a result of the swelling at the top of your stomach.

Like you, my surgeon did not have strict eating protocols. I was thankful that he didn't put me on a liquid diet when I came home. He just warned me to take small bites and chew, chew, chew. I didn't swallow anything that didn't chew to a liquid. Actually, some crispy foods chew easily to a liquid.

Here is a link to a thread in which I commented about eating protocols. Just scroll down to find my comments:
www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=45&m=3344396

Also, here is a link to helpful post-Nissen eating information:
www.oregonsurgical.com/pdfs/Nissen_Fundoplication_Diet.pdf

Most importantly, listen to your body, take small bites and chew, chew, chew your food completely. Keep a paper napkin handy and deposit anything that doesn't chew to a complete liquid. Your days of eating fast, partially chewing foods and swallowing, are over. Even when fully healed you'll need to chew your food fully.

Glad you've joined the forum! Stick around, and ask any questions that come to mind. We'll do our best to answer!
Happy healing!
Denise

PS...In case you didn't see it, here's a great post from one of our members. It provides lot of helpful information:
www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=45&m=3347425

I had the nissen 1 week ago. I have stayed on clear liquids to this point. Just curious if anyone else has experienced belching this soon after surgery. I'm afraid to advance my diet and I didn't really get any good direction from my surgeon although he is well respected for the procedure. Thank you