For successful fundoplication members.

Well, here I am, 10 days post-op.
I have to say that I am feeling FANTASTIC.

Day of the surgery in the hospital and the first day after were no fun at all. Was very glad for the morphine they initially gave me and still happy with the Hycet (hydrocodone and acetaminophen) they continued to give me afterwards. Hurt to move. Hurt to take anything but light breaths. Hurt to pee because anything regarding core muscles in any way shape or form hurt. However, by the time I had left I was at least peeing regularly and had taken a (rather painful) walk. Sleeping that night in the hospital was also different. I was out for an hour or two then awake for an hour or two on and off all night.

They put me right on what my surgeon referred to as a SPLAT diet. Anything you could throw at the floor and it would splat would be fine to eat. In the hospital this was pudding, broth, ice cream, mashed potatoes, and jello, all along with plenty of water.

After getting home the next day I didn't do much eating at all because I was wiped out and the ride home was unfortunately a bit bumpy and I was hurting a bit. I did drink a lot of Gatorade and water though. The only other thing I had was the Hycet they sent me home with. I'm glad they did, too, because the first probably four days afterwards I had that continual pain in my shoulders and up into my neck that comes with the surgery. Slept VERY well that night.

By day two after I was back to eating a bit. We had stocked up on pudding, ice cream, soup, jello, and other generally mushy foods and, so long as I took my medicine on time, I was a pretty happy camper. I did start to think I didn't need the medicine about halfway through the day and was getting ready to skip a dose, but about ten minutes after I was due to take it I was hurting enough that I had to take it. Lots of naps this day.

On day three I was really starting to feel better. I had an increased appetite, and was able to stretch and walk around much better, though I was still napping quite a bit. I live in an older two story farmhouse with rather high ceilings which means a rather high flight of stairs from my office/rec room upstairs to my kitchen downstairs. But by day three I was doing alright so long as I kept my dog from running my over on the way down the stairs. :P

By day four I was starting to wean myself off of the wonderful Hycet because the dosage started to be too much for me. A regular dose wasn't just killing the pain anymore, it was leaving me incredibly light headed, and good hint that I needed to start dialing it down. I was making sure to do plenty of walking. Walking definitely helped work the gas out of my system (both the gas they used in surgery and otherwise) and I was glad I had a large enough house to do the rounds without being stuck walking in circles in one or two rooms. By this point I had been keeping myself busy with movies from the couch in my office but I was finally able to sit. This meant I could get back to my awful hobby of playing video games. I'm glad too because I had just finished watching all the movies I had picked up for those first few days post-op.

By day five I was really starting to eat a more normal amount again. My girlfriend (the wonderful soul who has been taking care of me) and I decided to try some more substantial food that was still on the all-clear list. We had some tortellini alfredo. I only had one instance where I got a little overexcited and took too big of a bite, but otherwise had no issues swallowing it. Just gotta make sure you chew it well enough. It helps that I was already a particularly slow eater I suppose. Not as big of an adjustment for me. Finally had a bowel movement this day (something I didn't think about being an issue after surgery). Definitely a bit backed up at that point but I also wasn't getting too many real solids in me. Was also ordered on a stool softener since I was taking the Hycet and I guess it was finally working its magic.

Day six was rather uneventful. Ate more of the tortellini. Played more games. Still backed up.

Day seven, my durabond glue came off (or more accurately I picked it off). It's what my surgeon used to cover the stitches instead of steri-strips like I saw a lot of other people had. My guts didn't fall out. I haven't gotten any sort of infection in the incision areas. Everything seems to be healing up quite well. I even seem to be almost entirely free of shoulder pain at this point, though hiccoughs are the bane of my existence right now.

With day eight came a wonderful happening. I was no longer backed up. Overall was feeling at the top of the world. Decided to venture out with my girlfriend that day to the local Tropical Smoothie for a treat. This was my first venture out of the house since arriving home. It was a nice hot Virginia day, around 95 degrees Fahrenheit, and pretty muggy too. Before we got halfway to Tropical Smoothie (about a 7 minute car ride) I was already feeling awful. Hot, nauseous, dizzy. Once we got there I immediately had to sit down and my girlfriend just brought me a cup of ice water. She got the smoothies and we got back home as quick as we could. My smoothie ended up sitting in the refrigerator while I napped in the A/C because I couldn't stomach it after that. This was a bit of a reality check after having felt so good up until that point that I was still recovering after a relatively major surgery and needed to take it easier.

Day nine came and went pretty quickly. I'm still hating hiccoughs and will probably continue to hate them for a while. Otherwise, pain seems to be a relative non-factor now. Have been off the Hycet for a few days now. I have a follow-up appointment on the 27th that I'm excited for. Maybe I'll be able to start eating some more substantial food then. Who knows?

And again, thanks to everybody who has posted here. Your stories really did help ease my worries. Even though I was already set on getting the surgery, I was less stressed about it after I found this forum.

I even forgot to mention the best part so far. ZERO REFLUX OR HEARTBURN!
I had been living with generally around thirty or more episodes of reflux a day and am now free of it. This truly is the best feeling I've ever felt and I hope it stays this way for a long, long time.

Hi, I am still very new post-op, but I have been doing great so far (had my post op follow up today and doc was very happy).

Female, 28, had surgery on 7/13/15. This week I am almost completely free of pain- some tenderness in midsection and by incisions. No heartburn since surgery. Week one was all liquids. Week two was soft foods. Now, I have to eat incredibly slow and chew a ton and take breaks in between bites but this week I have eaten- salmon, rice, cooked spinach, cooked broccoli, sushi, melon, cheeseburger, sweet potato fries, macaroni and cheese, cookies, cake, cheetos, soda, gummy sour candy (along with the soft foods I was able to eat last week- yogurt, oatmeal, eggs, applesauce). I just want to emphasize how slow I am eating- like 20 min for a cup of yogurt- with tiny bites (about 1/4 teaspoon size). (The burger took like over an hour) I have been eating much less than normal an lost about 15 pounds so far. I hope I can keep these habits when I'm feeling even better!

Doctor said everything was looking great, I can eat whatever I want just take it slow and listen to my body. I can start working out again, but, again, take it slow and listen to my body. I will start using scar cream tonight. I have a 3 month follow up coming in October. Also- I asked him about vomiting because I believe there will be a situation in the future where I have to vomit and I am nervous about it- he said I should be able to vomit, but it might be difficult, and everything should be fine if I do vomit.

Also I would say the most painful part of all of this was the gas pain I had the first week in my chest and shoulders.

Again, I am newly post op, but so far I am happy I did the surgery and with my progress so far. I just hope everything continues to progress this way!

Thank you for this thread- I think it is a great idea to have positive information about the surgery out there!

Hi mimi2,

Welcome to the Healing Well Wrapped Club! Glad to hear things are going well with your recovery! Thanks for sharing your experiences!

I'd like to weigh in regarding vomiting. My surgeon made no promises that I could vomit or burp post-Nissen. I have been able to do both. That said, I avoid vomiting/retching as much as humanly possible, and I do this by always keeping anti-nausea medications on hand always. I even carry it with me, just in case.

I've had three stomach bugs/viruses since my surgery in 2009. Each time the nausea and need to vomit really surprised me. I vomited once each time. After the one vomiting episode, I self medicated with a Compazine suppository, which kept me from repeated vomiting episodes. The vomiting was a little different than pre-Nissen. At first it felt as though the wrap would stop the vomiting, but after less than a minute of obvious pressure on the wrap, it let go and I vomited.

Excessive vomiting and retching can be damaging to the wrap, so it's always best to avoid it whenever possible. I'd recommend that you get your doctor (not necessarily the surgeon--just one of your docs) to prescribe some anti-nausea meds. I have Zofran tablets for mild nausea, but once I have a full-out stomach virus, I can't keep a tablet down. That's when the Compazine suppositories are the best. It works very well.

Glad you've joined the forum! It's a great place for sharing, as well as receiving support and information.

Happy healing!
Denise

I am almost 5 weeks post-op and will soon be posting my recovery journal, however, I have a question that is best answered by those who have had the LNF surgery. How soon were you able to eat tomatoes and tomato-based sauces?

The Michigan tomato harvest is coming in and I'm salivating over trying a fresh garden tomato!
Thanks!

Hi Linda Sue,

Everyone is different, so I'd suggest taking it slowly, but giving tomatoes a try. I will say this...I clearly remember swallowing a cherry tomato that was chewed (but obviously not enough) and getting some painful spasm as it was stuck and took some time to get through the wrap.

Tomato skin is challenging, so maybe try to peel those babies before trying to eat raw tomatoes. They are acidic, but if you're getting them fully through he wrap, they shouldn't be a problem. That said, as Sharon mentioned, they can be a problem for some. It'll be trial and error, but I can't see any reason why you shouldn't try your luck! Let us know how it goes.

Happy tomatoes!
Denise

Thanks Sharon, Denise and Retired Seabee!

I am now 5 weeks post-op and I think I will pick up a couple of fresh tomatoes and will definitely peel before I eat. My favorite is toast with mayo and fresh sliced tomatoes! I have NOT tried bread yet but I understand that if it's toasted, it is much easier to swallow and digest.

I'll report back how it goes!

Oh, by the way, I made peach cobbler yesterday with fresh peaches and it was amazing and my tummy had no issues at all!

Denise. I had an interesting conversation that made me stop and think about the tomatoes and reflux issue. I always thought it was because of the 'acid' that we have to avoid them. I was politely told untrue-- that some people have a sensitivity to the solanine that is present in both nightshade and non-nightshade foods & that this can cause reflux. Blueberries, artichokes, cherries, some kind of melon, etc. Found this interesting and wonder what your thoughts are about this. I'm trying to look into this. Maybe avoiding solanine foods could save us some misery before and after surgery. My kind regards to you and appreciate you everyday.

( I didn't know that other foods contained solanine-- not just potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant night shades)

Hi Linda Sue:

Sorry that you are still having problems. Unfortunately, the food issues are mostly trial and error. I know that everyone's recovery is different, but I'm concerned that you still need to take pain medication twice a day. That's something that you should address at your follow-up appointment. I stopped the pain medication within a few days of my surgery, I thought that they made me feel worse. On days when I had discomfort, I took some liquid tylenol. Going back to the Xanax was a good idea, stress is your enemy - and I remember how stressful recovery can be. When you get up in the morning, do you try and eat anything? I do remember not having an appetite, but I had to force myself to eat something, otherwise I felt very weak and disoriented. It did take quite a while before I had a regular appetite, but it does get better. Are you taking anything for the nausea, or are you trying to bet by without something? I took Zofran, and I still keep a bottle in my purse.

Please keep us posted, and good luck on the follow-up with your surgeon.

Linda Sue -

You're still very early in your recovery, I suffered with chest pain after eating for about 3 months but it eventually subsided. I was also on my pain meds for about 5 weeks post op, everyone is different! As long as your gerd is gone dont worry about the rest - you'll be your old self in no time.

Just_A_Matt,
I've been wondering how you are doing now? You are now just short of 4 weeks post-op? I'm sure all of us would love an update on your progress.

JB, Thanks for any and all information. It is all helpful. I'm just concerned because I have this chest pain all the time but it is worse after I eat or drink ANYTHING.

I am able to burp and still have frequent flatulance (normal, I believe), and I walk a mile almost every day. This is the same chest pain as I had even before surgery. It's scary. I have my last follow-up with my surgeon on Monday and will address this with him. (I have no cardiac issues).

I was so hoping I would be DONE with medical issues. I'll report back what he thinks in case it might help someone else. I'm just hoping it will just take more time and I have to try to RELAX. I've gotten myself paranoid about more serious issues and haven't slept good the past few nights .... just spouting off a bit.

Hi JB,
So good of you to ease my mind! I'm just so tired of PAIN! I hope you're right and I know it's early in my recovery, 6 weeks post-op, especially because I'm 68! I've just gotten myself in a real tizzy, haven't I?

Even when I drink water, it causes discomfort! Geez! I'm trying to increase my water intake as my stomach allows but also trying to leave room for FOOD, lol!

I'm glad you're doing so well. What is your age, JB?

Your encouragement is my lifeline right now and I thank you SO MUCH for that! I'll be back after I see my surgeon, thanks again!

Hello Mike E. Welcome to our HW forum. Tell us what kind of liquids you are consuming and how much and how often. . That helps so many. Yes, I agree that strictly followingg the eating plan is significant in ones healing. When one starts to feel better, they take a chance to 'try' some foods that they have done without for so long. Also, don't forget that chewing to liquids is very important and that helps the digestion--we should all be doing that anyway. Happy to have you here. Pat