recovery after nissen fundoplication

Hello everyone, my name is Tena I had surgery Aug.21st the surgeon put an extra stitch in my esophagus had to go back in on the 29th to take it out nothing was going from esophagus to stomach. my concern now is on the 21st of this month( Nov.) I am still not able to eat like normal have gas and bloating and constipation I have gone back to blending my dinner as I have gone back to work two weeks now. and can't really blend my food here. I take a zantac in the morning and beano digestive enyzmes, probiotics and a zantac in the evening. Iam tall and have lost so much weight which concerns me...... I am trying to be patient and relax which I find some days I seem to be able to, then I start feeling anxious.... Thanks for any advice! had no idea I would have had so much trouble with this surgery, my friend had it done and was eating normal at two months!!!

Tena:

You didn't see any replies, because there were none. First, you are still early in your recovery, everyone's recovery is different and you can expect to have small setbacks along the way. Gas and bloating are very common, and they will eventually subside. Are you still taking Zantac for reflux? A lot of us on the Forum have posted that you should start feeling a lot better at about 6 months, and back to the "new" normal around 1 year. If you are still having trouble eating foods other than blended, you might want to call your surgeon to express your concerns. As far as the weight loss, most people gain it back when they start eating normally again.

Thank you for your reply.. This has been difficult to deal with. I am taking zantac and beano it helps with the gas and bloating. I have talk to my surgeon and he said to call him back after I hit the third month. I started blending my dinners.i eat my lunch and breakfast normally but I still can't eat a lot with out the bloating and gas. The surgeon talked about dilation but I don't want to do anything else to my body. I just want and need to know that this gets better! !! I miss eating like a normal person. And REALLY need to pick up weight.

Thank you for your support... it is so needed.. and really helps to give you hope! does anyone one ever go back to eating just like before? I have a friend who had this operation and she eat more than she did before surgery?

Post Edited (Tena believes) : 11/17/2017 6:59:17 AM (GMT-7)

Hi Tena,
I'm now 8 months past surgery and the gas bloat has significantly diminished but not gone completely away. It depends on what and how much I eat. But it's far less than what it was in the beginning. Keep the Gas-X handy, introduce foods one at a time as you recover and be patient. I eat almost like normal but keep careful tabs on the volume of food I eat. Now it's more about food volume rather than food choice. I still avoid beans, onions and other known gas producing foods. Big meals always cause me discomfort.

-Mark

Thank you Sharon and Mark, I looked at the diet but didn't see anything for a person post op. Three months my surgeon released me at 8 weeks and said no restrictions. It is sad that surgeon don't prepare you for this surgery I do have anxiety over it because I was lead to believe I would be able to eat things I couldn't before surgery and maybe I will. .I'm believing I will! I am so thin I can see my bones in my chest...I don't like being so thin! This surgery is like bar intricate surgery for weight loss it seems. .I pray I will be able to eat a hamburger and fries again! I tried putting a table spoon of olive oil in my hot coral the other morning to help pick up weight and I believe I had a dumping episode really scared me...I am trying to relax and be patient it really helps to hear success stories from other people who have had this surgery. I haven't seen to many people say they have gone back to eating get normal... thanks again!