5 weeks after nissen fundoplication

Hi Thunder,

Welcome to the Healing Well Wrapped Club! You are correct about food and liquid pooling at the wrap site. These can irritate your esophagus and cause reflux symptoms. The esophagus is a dumb organ, and it interprets all pain and irritation as reflux.

When you burp, and have a liquid mess of food/medication/saliva/etc., that concoction can travel up the esophagus and into your mouth. I remember that happening during my recovery period. I'm sure that it can also put off a gas-like fume that can be bothersome as well.

This recovery takes six months for most of the healing, and a year for the rest. I even found improvements into the second year. Hang in there...things will get better! You're still in the infancy of your recovery. Most surgeons, no matter how good, don't prepare their patients properly for this recovery. That's the beauty of a forum like this, with others who've "been there, done that". I had this surgery in February 2009, and remember well the challenges. Glad you've joined the forum! You can do this!

Happy healing,
Denise

Hello everyone ! I find this website comfoforting knowing there are others suffering and recovering.. like me. I am 3 weeks post open Nissen and hiatal hernia repair. It was by far the most painful surgery and recovery I was not ready for. As of today, , my incision is healing with a small portion refusing to heal. I have heartburn and the sleepless nights are back. I am devastated . My doctor and family tell me it's too soon to " feel better" but really ... almost a month and still down . Help ! I am tired of hearing .. it's normal

Thunder1972 Thank you for your positions be feedback . . I hope I too can turn the corner. As we speak I find myself coughing , tossing and turning with insomnia and chest pressure. I will continue to stay active on this website for assurance that I don't get from the surgeon.
I have also developed left arm/ shoulder pain . Can you relate?

Hi Davina,
Welcome to the Wrapped Club! You are in the very earliest stages of a recovery that takes six months for most of the healing, and a year for the rest.

It's so important to be patient, and give your body the time it needs to heal and recover. The laproscopic surgery is deceiving. Those little slits heal quickly, and make it hard to remember that you've undergone major surgery, and it will take time to heal. It is totally normal to have reflux-like symptoms.

Here's a link to my early recovery journal. It might give you some idea of another person's journey to recovery.

www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=45&m=2183443

If you can relax and surrender to your recovery, it will make it much easier for you. Try to listen to your body, rest, and allow yourself to heal.

Happy healing!
Denise

PS...
The shoulder pain is a puzzling but 100% normal recovery symptom. I remember reading about it before my surgery and wondering how pain in the shoulder could possibly be related to a surgery in a completely different part of the body!

The pain is a result of gas and referred pain from the hiatal hernia repair. I found it the worst of the post-op pain I experienced . Walking helps tremendously. I found that the more I walked the less it hurt. Give walking a try!

Happy healing!
Denise

Hi Lillye,

It's not fun having a sensitive/reactive stomach, I know. I'm in the midst of a milder version that has been lasting nearly 2 months. I am mostly to blame for the persistence...I kept challenging it whenever it felt better, and didn't wait long enough. Like you, I'm taking Protonix (actually 40mg twice a day). I have added Zantac at bedtime to provide added protection. I know that it doesn't seem to help, but it is helping. It keeps the acid at bay as your stomach heals.

The biopsy is to check and see if your stomach inflammation is caused by H.pylori. If so, the cure will be an antibiotic. If not, the cure will be extra careful eating and drinking and continued acid suppression. Be sure to let us know if the biopsy showed anything.

If your doctor finds you have H.pylori, then you'll be put on an antibiotic. I have always hoped I don't get that diagnosis, because certain antibiotics are the trigger for my stomach problems. I would think, though, that if they can cure you with an antibiotic, that would speed things up.

My gastritis/stomach reaction is generally caused by multiple things over time. I don't drink much coffee because it is a trigger, but when my stomach is feeling good, I might have a cup each day. I enjoy a beer or two with my husband on Friday and Saturday night. I love popcorn with my beer! We've been eating more Italian foods/spicy foods lately. These are all things that, over time, can give me problems. It's usually not one thing (antibiotics are the only single trigger I've found--Augmentin is something I can never take. It put me in the hospital with terrible gastritis and reflux/asthma that was uncontrollable.)

I wish I had an answer for you. A prescription of Carafate suspension can be very helpful if you have pain. The hard part about taking it is the timing. 2 hours before or after taking medication. 1 hour before meals/2 hours after meals. If you can figure out a way to get several doses in each day, I think it can help make you more comfortable.

Hang in there. It takes time to heal. It seems like the digestive tract takes especially long. Before my Nissen, when I got a gastritis flare, reflux would burn my esophagus and I wouldn't even be able to eat. I relied on egg custard as my main nutritional source as it was tolerated well.

I hope you make steady progress and get feeling better soon. My GI doc said to wait 2 weeks after I feel perfect before trying to introduce anything challenging. I need to be PATIENT! Introducing challenging foods too quickly can set me back weeks.

I wish you luck and healing!

Best wishes, and take care!
Denise

PS...I find Eckhart Tolle to be so helpful. Such common sense advice and strategies for life. Glad you like the quotes. I thought they were extremely appropriate for the forum.