Hello all.
I am going in for a laproscopic fundoplication (full wrap) a week from this Friday, and thought I would start a running timeline of sorts, in case it turns out to be helpful for others looking into this procedure.
Background: I'm a male, mid-40s, in relatively good shape. I don't do as much cardio as I used to since having lower back surgery in 2015. I used to run 3-5 miles on a regular basis, but now have to stick to either non-impact cardio or a slow jog (less than 6 mph to reduce impact) and weight/body resistance exercises.
I have been on medication for GERD since my late 20s (almost 20 years). The past few years it has worsened to the point where they tried putting me on 2 different GERD meds, but I was still sometimes waking at night with laryngospasms that were scaring the hell out of me and my wife, regardless of any dietary or medication tweaks we tried. I also developed a chronic feeling of needing to swallow/post-nasal drip feel in the back of my throat, which also causes a lot of throat-clearing/small coughs. After tests and an upper endoscopy it was found that my hiatal flap wasn't flapping, if you know what I mean, and I was borderline Barrett's. Sleeping at an incline relieves the laryngospasms, but nothing else does. So my options are to stay on meds and sleeping at an incline for the rest of my life while dealing with the swallowing/post-nasal annoyance and hoping no other symptoms manifest, or go for the fundip
location. So, fundoplication it is.
My hopes are that I will make a recovery as fully as I did from my back surgery. I am especially curious to see if my swallowing/post-nasal issue goes away as well, as the theory is that it is also a symptom of my long-term GERD, rather than a separate issue. I suppose that makes sense, as all that stomach acid and/or vapor going up into the throat over years can cause all kinds of weirdness and damage over time. My main concerns for immediate post-op will be the throat-clearing/coughing and post-nasal swallowing that I have now, as I know a lot of coughing is frowned upon and swallowing itself is difficult for a time after the procedure.
I will try to submit fairly regular posts after surgery for others to use as a reference for their own experiences.
Update 3/23 : had the Nissan wrap laproscopically around 8 hours ago. Resting comfortably. Have 5 small incisions...not much pain. The big lump feeling in my throat is gone! Had a liitle water with no issues, and just had about
6 ounces of chicken broth over 30 minutes or so for my evening meal. A little bloated, but was able to let out a weak burp (yay!)and that helped. Dr. Seems to have done great job. No feeling of lpr or need to clear throat since procedure....even went for a slow shuffle around the area.
Update #2 3/24/18 : off IV. Sleep was on/off evey couple hours. Water and clear Ensure have been going down. Forgot on waking and took a big chug once...kind of felt like something draining in a nearly clogged drain. A liitle more sore around incisions when sitting up, but that is to be expected. Still feel much better than anticipated at this point.
Update 3/24 at 1500 :Released and home already. They kept me until they saw I could handle a full liquid diet, and pass gas. They also encouraged walking a lot, so I was doing laps in the hospital. Based on my experience I would definitely recommend Dr. Huang at Eastern Maine Medical Center. I think he must have got that wrap set just right.
Update 3/25 : Home overnight. Slept flat in my bed for the first time in a long time, with no issues. Had a bowel movement, which is good as the opiates from surgery bound me up for days when I had my back surgery. I am restricted to a full liquid diet until my follow on 4/5. I am taking over the counter Naus-ene as a pre-emptive measure, but have felt no nausea as of yet. I feel good enough that I have to remind my self to take small sips. Stomach surface is a little achy and belly is a little swollen, but what else should I expect when someone pokes 5 holes into you and shuffles around your innards for an hour? Also have one of those breath volume monitors and am I supposed to use that to take deep breaths periodically. Walking was also encouraged, as tolerated. Walked a little over a mile total (over multiple small walking sessions) before leaving the hospital yesterday.
Update 3/26 : Abdominal bloat from surgery a little less this morning. Able to pass gas quite regularly which I guess is a good sign. No further bowel movements, but on a liquid diet I suppose there is not much going on through that end. Lots of gurgling sounds going on, but no nausea. No real appetite yet, so I have to remember to drink things with calories in it to get some caloric intake. Still taking it super-slow (probably overly slow) when I drink. So far compared to back surgery recovery this is quite a bit easier, but I don't want to jinx myself....and 2 weeks on a full liquid diet is looking to be quite boring...
Update 3/27 : Abdominal bloat went down significantly overnight. For the first time my stomach doesn't feel "wobbly"...hard to describe, but it feels almost like it is in place again, rather than an extra weight attached to the front of me. Deep breathing exercises are coming easier as well. I have also found that runny cream of wheat with butter and maple syrup tastes a lot like a deconstructed pancake. I can deal with that! This is the first morning where I woke up feeling a twinge of hunger as well, so my body appears to be adjusting with few issues so far. I feel I could tackle some soft foods, but will stick to the Doc's orders of full liquid diet until the follow up. So far he seems to know what he is doing.
Update 3/28 : Even less bloat this morning. Stomach feels almost down to normal size. Incision areas still tender, but nothing unexpected. Starting to get my appetite back. had to force myself to slow down eating some yogurt. I had no issues swallowing, but didn't want to start wolfing it and cause any issues. My Doc seems to really err on the side of caution with not pushing the soft diet, but aside from the sheer boredom of a full liquid diet, it seems to be working just fine....although I do find myself watching Food Network more than I should be. Completely off PPIs (was on 2 pre-op), sleeping flat at night, with no signs of reflux. The lump in my throat is gone, as is the constant need to clear my throat and feeling of post-nasal drip. So far things are really looking up.
Update 3/29 : Felt great waking up today. Nearly a whole week of sleeping flat with no feeling of heartburn. Yesterday I rolled the dice and had tomato soup (tomato has always been one of my trigger foods for GERD so I have avoided it for years)...and no issues! This morning I desperately wanted to go for a jog...but didn't, to avoid jostling my innards. I went for a long walk instead. Still no apparent post-op issues and I have to keep reminding myself to be patient. I have a little over a week to go before graduating to "soft-diet status" by my doc, so I am getting inventive with my liquids now....I added chocolate protein powder to some runny cream of wheat this morning for breakfast. It was actually quite good...either that or I am really desperate for variety of any kind. Beginning tomorrow (1 week post-op) I am going to beginning add my updates as separate posts, and likely not do it every day unless there are some major changes. I wish everyone else the best in their journey.
Post Edited (Willie S.) : 4/5/2018 9:35:05 AM (GMT-6)