Scared!!

Hey,

Im 23, had the Nissen at the start of the year, for the first week since I got out of hospital I was having a mental break down, I was a real foodie and was struggling with the idea of not being able to eat. After a couple of weeks I was more on solid food and started to feel alot better, it took about a month and a bit before I started eating solid meats like chicken, I could eat them, it just took a long time to finish a meal, Id have to eat a bit, let that go down the, your wrap starts accepting food abit easier.

I was a big fan of bread, mostly rolls, I was told after a couple of months I could eat it, however it took a lot longer than that and If I eat it too fast I can struggle, however with that said, at the 6 month mark I was thinking I would never be able to eat bread easily ever again, however once I hit the 9month mark I was eating it and it wasn't struggling.

To this day I am still careful, If I see something really doughy I try to avoid it, otherwise I eat it slow. I can now confidently eat anything I want however you still need to understand it's massive surgery and is a long process (I told myself this, but never listened to myself and that made it more of a struggle)

You're not setting yourself up for misery, you will be able to eat whatever you want, the question is how long till you can, and how slow do you have to eat it.

On a side note, I notice you say you love going to Restaurant's, you still can, my advice is to have a mouthful or two then let it sit for a few minutes prior to continuing, you will feel the food go through the wrap, once it's fully gone down the you can continue to eat and it should be easier.

A little story, I'm a big fan of going out for breakfast so as soon as I thought I could eat solid food's I went out for bacon, eggs and coffee. It was far too soon, the bacon was getting stuck, I tried to use coffee to wash it down but then with food stuck and coffee trying to get past it I stopped breathing, I panicked, ran outside spat out some mucus and went for a quick walk, the food finally went down but I only finished my eggs.

You will know when you are struggling, you will produce a mucus that is actually hard to swallow, I found that my body made this when something was struggling, if you get this mucus but feel ok, give it a few minutes, food might be getting stuck, not wanting to go down and you just don't know it yet.

Few more things, in the first few weeks when eating solid foods, you will have a feeling that feels like reflux, don't be alarmed, it's a common sensation after the surgery, it'll go away. Also there is a high chance you will have shoulder pain, it's from the gas they used to pump your stomach up for keyhole surgery, it'll go away about about 1-3 weeks, it's agony, all you want to do is sleep but the pain will make it hard, pain killers won't help so I wouldn't take them especially tramadol unless you have other pains.

I haven't even been advised to do a Nissen because I go for over a year off meds with few symptoms but when I have the digestive symptoms, I a miserable. I was diagnosed with mild gastroparesis in 2011 because my gastric emptying test show within normal limits but high normal. Yet I haven't taken "anything" since July 2014 and have been able to eat whatever I want. However, a few weeks ago, it started again with pain in chest , under left shoulder blade in back ribs, And I even get pains in my shoulders and neck sometimes. Do either of you experience these symptoms?

I had done a lot of research before I had my hysterectomy in 2007, and knew that this surgery was as equally as serious - however this time around I chose not to do the same research. Not to scour the boards for individual journeys. I was too nervous - and I didn't want to make it worse. I decided to put all my trust in my surgeons this time around. I am glad I did. I didn't know it was going to be a long road to recovery, and since each of us are so unique - it really is anyone's best guess how your recovery will go.

Your first week home will be mostly broth, jello, teas, nutrition shakes, yogurt and ice cream. From there it will be soft foods and then it's all trial and error.

I am glad to have people to ask about all the aches and pains we get - reassurance that it's all normal. But do what your doctor believe is best for you, and what you feel is best for you.

A member posted some very wise info, all of us that have successful surgeries and feel normal again, have left the boards and have gone on with our lives. Something to ponder

Retired Seabee, I thank you!

FDR's statement is a good one to keep in mind. It is fear that holds us back, and sometimes to our detriment. My Mother's fears have prevented her from having a hip replacement, and she's nearly an invalid as a result. I love my mother dearly, but do not want to fall into the same trap--being too scared to do something that could really improve my situation.

I will definitely read over your posts; I am sure they will help me. And, I will take your advice to look for the positive things.

Thank you so much for your support!

As I stated in previous posts, I was 73 when I had my HH and NF. I knew that I could live out my life with GERD/reflux. But at that age one of the few pleasures left was eating good food and I didn't want to have to regret every bite afterwards. So I had the operation and have not looked back. You can look at some of my previous posts by clicking on my forum name or by reading several posts I wrote on the topic, "for successful fundoplication members"