Nissan Fundoplication/Hiatal Hernia repair with gallbladder removal

Sounds like a big job, I would ask for some carafate for after the op as gall bladder surgery can give people some nausea and stomach problems post removal. Also you may develop dumping syndrome so I would read about that and some tips for dealing with it, wont necessarily happen but good to know so you arent worried if it does happen.

Prepare yourself for dumping syndrome, they tell you that your digestion will be a little off after having your gallbladder removed, but I can tell you from more than just my own experience, that is an understatement. Any foods which are difficult to digest - high fibre, fatty, dairy, high sugar, meat - are likely to cause problems, its not pleasant I'm 5 months out from mine and its pretty much entirely gone though I do have problems with eggs occasionally still. The main thing to remember though is that its because your system now has to deal with how to process foods without as much freely available bile, and it needs time to adjust to doing that, so it wont be permanent.

Is it just the one stone in your gallbladder? Prior to having mine out I would have just listened to the surgeons and said well if I can live without it and it MIGHT be causing my problems then might as well get rid of it. Having had it done now though and speaking to others who have had theirs out, in a lot of cases it has made any GERD/LPR problems worse. This is usually because the bile which is no longer being stored refluxs up into your stomach and messes up the acid balance. Some people have found that actually relieved their symptoms, but most I've spoke to haven't. I didn't have a choice with mine because it was on the verge of affecting my pancreas as well, and my gallbladder was packed to the brim with stones.

Did your surgeon talk to you about other procedures you could do to deal with the stone? I believe there is one similar to what they do to break up kidney stones which can be done on gallstones up to a certain size and number.

I don't mean to scare you with this, its just surgeons seem to minimise the impact having your gallbladder removed will have.

Oh also expect to lose your appetite, and consequently lose weight. Ever since I had mine out my appetite hasn't been the same, I don't seem to get hungry so if someone else isn't around me eating, I forget to eat unless I consciously remind myself to. I've been losing about 2kg a month since having it removed so its not a dangerously fast weight loss, but combined with the nissen you will probably lose quite a bit over your recovery.

fundoplication recovery, 1 year on - not a complication free one

CathyAnn. Welcome. Jenagade has written under the above topic . Type this above topic into the 'custom search' and you can see his comments .