Posted 5/29/2015 1:27 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Walt,
The whole process is frustrating but hang in there. I can share my experience and you can decide if anything about it is meaningful to your situation. I suffered acid reflux for about 30 years (and bile reflux for several years until I had my gall bladder removed). Over the past few years, pre-surgery, the acid reflux subsided but chest pains and other issues increased. I had a very large paraesophageal hernia with most of my stomach above my diaphragm. The esophagus was displaced to the right (thus, at that point, reflux went from one part of the stomach to the other but not back into the esophagus).
Not sure if you are in the US but I visited 3 surgeons and settled on a surgeon in Boston who was highly recommended and claimed to have done about 2,000 of these (Nissen and Toupet). Like you, I had the Toupet instead of the full Nissen. However, it was done because of the size of the hernia and the surgeon's belief it would decrease the risk of a recurrence of the hernia.
The surgeon told me the swelling would increase several days after surgery and would be bad for a while. I stayed on the recommended diet and at a 2-week follow up he told me everyone progressed at their own pace (I was having more trouble swallowing than he initially implied I would). From about week 2 or 3 on I could not truly tell what caused what I felt. I called the surgeon's office at about week 9 and indicated I was still having chest pain and what I thought was regurgitation but not necessarily acid reflux. Unlike you, I experienced nausea. These symptoms seem to improve every week.
The surgeon was out of the office for a few weeks so his nurse practitioner set me up for a barium swallow. I have the report from the radiologist and some key points directly from the report: "Assessment for gastroesophageal reflux demonstrated no evidence of reflux." However, the report does show: "Significant esophageal dysmotility." (and retroperistalisis on supine positioning). Swallowing was shown to be normal (for both barium and a small piece of chicken and blackberry I brought with me). The nurse practitioner suggested I follow up with a manometry. The fundoplication is intact.
I decided to give it a few more weeks and see what happens before scheduling a manometry because it is my belief I am still healing. I look at the five incisions on the outside and can see that they are still healing (in good shape but still healing). I can do a simple comparison of these incisions to the primary incision from my gall bladder surgery, which was also done lapro., and can easily see I am still healing on the outside. Thus, it seems reasonable to conclude I am healing on the inside (after all, it is a major surgery).
I do recall my surgeon telling me that you can't read anything into what you experience at first because it takes some time for everything to settle down (that statement was at week one post-surgery). I am still concerned about some of what I am experiencing but can say that every week seems to show some improvement. After all of what I experienced for many years, it seems waiting a few more weeks before a manometry is sensible. I realize your situation is not exactly the same as mine; but, thought I would share my experience. By the way, what causes me the most discomfort a few hours after I eat are things like fruit smoothies, yogurt and soft-serve ice cream. Solid foods seem to be much better (although I have not tried pork, salads, or beef other than ground beef),
-Tim