I'm wrapped!

My lap Nissen was Friday morning. I had expected just one night in the hospital but wound up staying two, had a slight temperature and just didn't bounce back quickly.

Today was my first full day at home. My patient husband worked from home so he could help me when needed. He drove me to flat ground twice for 10-minute walks, we had hoped to do a third after dinner but it was monsooning out so I had to content myself with walking around the house.

Today I think I had about 6 oz of Instant Breakfast for protein, plus 1/8 c applesauce and 2 oz chicken broth, spaced throughout the day. Was able to get by with just liquid tylenol during the day, but back to narcotics at bedtime. One sore shoulder blade for the past couple days. The incision just under my left breast is very sore, the others pretty easy to ignore. Had some low back pain this afternoon, heat felt good.

I had hoped to be more lucid and insightful but to be honest I'm just tired. No pithy statements from me.

Happy Day 5. My eye dr says I have viral conjunctivitis. My eye isn't pink but it's still unhappy and there's a little light sensitivity. I'm sure that being dehydrated doesn't help. Treatment is eye drops to lubricate, and lots of rest. He say "treat yourself like you have the flu". Argh.

Going to have a little liquid and go to bed. I'm only up to 16 oz liquid per day. Have had to take anti-nausea meds the past two days.

Hi, I had my HH and 360 Wrap on 1 Sept 2014 so I am 10 days post op now. I have been extremely thirsty since my procedure and have been drinking chicken or beef stock for protien and water diluted apple juice plus some organic herbal teas along with a small amount of sugar free jello. I am getting down 4 16oz glasses of liquid a day by slowly sipping on it every few minutes during the day. I sip let it swish around in my mouth and then slide down my throat.
That has been my diet since surgery, I know others have moved on to puréed foods and wel chewed regular food much earlier than I plan to, but I know my digestive system and don't want to push it.
I know anything with dairy right now would cause pain and dumping.
I'm wearing the spaghetti strap tank tops with built in bras and they don't seem to bother my incision like my real bras do.
I am planning to start full liquids on the 15th adding one new thing a day. Like I said I am being overly cautious but so far I'm doing very well.
Hope this helps a little,
Wishing you all the best

My doctor advised me to stay away from dairy products after my Nissen. I needed to eat and drink very small amounts often during the day. Also, I drank 1 hour before and 1 hour after my meals to try and prevent dumping. I would only take small sips of water during my meals. I avoided anything high in sugar content initially, such as puddings and desserts. I'm 6 months removed from my wrap, and although feeling much better, I still have some days that aren't as good as others.

I had no problems with almond milk, so that might work for you!

Something that was absolutely delicious to me during my first week was cream of mushroom/chicken/etc soup. It's the right consistency to go down easy, but you feel more like you're eating something hearty and solid.

Hi Nissen_Journey,

Sorry it has taken you so long to welcome you to the
Wrapped Club!

During the first two weeks (or so) of recovery, swallowing is most often very difficult. If you've been told your wrap is particularly tight, it will likely cause your swallowing issues to be magnified. During the first two weeks of recovery, your wrap site is becoming increasingly more swollen, making your swallowing to become more difficult. This is normal. Once you reach peak swelling, it will gradually reduce, but until then, swallowing can be dicey.

As far as how much liquid you should be taking in...it's a tough question. Obviously this is a very individual thing. The more swollen/tighter your wrap, the more challenging the swallowing will be. Also, swallowing can be plain uncomfortable at your point of recovery. This will improve over time, but right now, I'd say that you need to sip water all day...as much as you can tolerate. Not a lot at a time. Be sure to stay away from ice (can cause spasms) and straws (can add unnecessary air to the stomach and increase bloating).

I don't know if you've seen my early recovery journal, but it will let you know what I was eating and drinking at that point.
www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=45&m=2183443

Hang in there...it gets better!
Happy healing,
Denise

Hi, I had a Nissen re-do on August 19 (laparoscope with a large hernia repair). The first thing I found out was that my original procedure done a year and a half ago by a different surgeon was in fact not a full wrap but what is called a toupe (180 wrap), although the surgeon recorded it as a full Nissen and charged full price (but that's not the point of this post). I stayed in the hospital one night and went home the next afternoon. I went home with pain meds but really only needed to take it once or twice at bedtime. I did clear liquids the first week and had no trouble because I did not have much appetite. The second week I ate baby food, smoothies and jello. Never more than one cup at a sitting. Third week I moved to soft food -- eggs, tofu, cream of wheat, Greek yogurt. I started more solid food the following week and have not had any problems. What I have noticed is that the "I'm full" signal in my brain turns on after about one cup of food now. So I eat probably six times per day and I am careful to eat foods that are nutritious. Since I wanted to lose 25 pounds anyway, I took this as a jump start and eliminated added sugars, excess carbs, soft drinks, red meat and fried food. I have lost 19 pounds since about mid-July. I would definitely call the surgery a success since I have had no heart burn and have returned to regular exercise and light weight lifting. My belly still feels a bit "squishy" but it is much smaller. I still get the occasional "stitch" in my side if I forget and roll over onto my stomach but it has been so worth it. So my main piece of advice for post op regarding diet is to stay away from foods that are not good for you, don't try to get to solids too quickly and eat slowly.
Hope this helps.
Be well! Sharon

You are very welcome! I'm back at work and having veggie smoothies for lunch daily.

I am in my 4th week post op, had moderate to large hernia repair and wrap. Mine must not be really tight as swallowing has not been much of an issue for me, some the first 2 weeks. Dr. put me on soft foods after leaving the hospital and I have had no problems as long as I keep it soft or chew very well before I swallow and small bites. My appetite is already coming back, darn it. I have a question I forgot to ask doctor. Are the diet restrictions just because of swallowing difficulty or are we to avoids foods because they might be hard on our stitches and healing internally?

till02,
It's disheartening to read about what you're going through. ME, TOO. I'm 10 weeks post-op and am now going backwards. I feel like there's something else going on and I will be contacting doctor's office on Monday if the weekend doesn't show SOME improvement.

SO TIRED of this......