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10 months post Nissen Fundoplication and 3 weeks open Inguinal surgery.

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GERD & Acid Reflux
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Posted 2/2/2018 7:55 PM (GMT 0)
So, 10 months Nissen Fundoplication Surgery:
I was not prepared for the after surgery issues. You name it, chest pains, dizziness, headaches, tingling in my arms ect. Yep!, I had all of that. I also struggled with Anxiety. I have always had Anxiety, but the surgery pushed me over the top. I still struggle with it and I am making progress. The other good news is I do not have GERD anymore. Yeah!! But..........I have been experiencing a knot in the middle of my stomach that aches all the time. Sometimes it is worse than others. I have had all the tests to rule out my heart. Actually, I was told my heart is in good shape. I am 58 years old....FYI. When this knot in my stomach is at its worse, I have chest pains, nausea and become grumpy. I sometimes feel like my head is full of pressure. This feeling is hard to define. 3 weeks ago I had another open inguinal hernia surgery. I guess there is something to be said about pacing yourself through life. Work smarter not harder.

I don't know if my knot in my stomach is an issue or not. I have scaled back on my diet. I sometimes look at that cookie and I say to myself "go ahead and eat it, you know you want it".

I did talk to my Surgeon about the knot in my stomach. I was asked: Do you have trouble swallowing? Answer: No!. Any Gerd? Answer: No! He told me to eat smaller meals. And because my answer to both questions was no, he thinks everything is still OK. By the way, he has a very good reputation for Hiatal Hernia repair. He also did my open inguinal too.

Maybe I am expecting to much to soon. I would love to hear from anyone who would like to comment on my experiences.

Mike
Posted 2/3/2018 3:07 AM (GMT 0)
The knot in the stomach is something I experienced too - I had a TF in 2015. But what helped me was drinking some prune juice. Hope that helps! Good luck!!
Posted 5/2/2018 5:10 PM (GMT 0)
Hi tewabear123,

I have just read your post and am amazed that I am also 10 months out from my Nissen in July 17 and am experiencing much the same as you - headaches, dizziness, tingling in my arms, nausea, with that knot in the stomach. I get a few other symptoms too, abdominal pain (saw me in A&E in January and with no explanation), constant discomfort in the wrap area, gas bloat etc etc but the worst at the moment is the headaches, it is there when I wake up until I go to sleep, plus like you I have the pressure in my head which also comes down over my eyes and face.

I am arranging a few tests at the moment and discussing with my doc the possibility of vagus nerve irritation or compression. I was wondering if any of your symptoms and headaches have improved or resolved since you posted?

Be glad to hear, thanks, Shirley.
Posted 5/2/2018 11:41 PM (GMT 0)
Hi,
One of the things that the Hospital, staff, ect. failed to do , was to school me on some of the possible issues that may pop up.Headaches, nausea, anxiety, tingling in various areas of my body and chest pains. Odds are, your vagus nerve is OK. But I am not a doctor. I thought I was having a problem with mine too. In time those issues went away. I have no more GERD. That is a good thing. Most of my issues have gone away. Believe me, I thought that something else was wrong. Time took care of most of them. I still am struggling with headaches and migraine symptoms. I am working on them and hope to get the issue resolved through exercise, yoga and diet. Even when I was at my worst, I told myself that I will beat this. I think it helped. Trust me, I know what you are going through. Everyone is different and it helps to hear from people who have struggled. I would go to work and wonder if I would make it through the day. So, I set little goals. I start work at 6:30 am and would make it a point to stay real busy until 9 am. The next goal was 11 am and then 3 pm. Keeping busy took my mind off of things. It was not easy, but it helped.
Stay positive! Find things to do even if you don't want to. It will get better.

Mike
Posted 5/3/2018 11:36 AM (GMT 0)
It's very common that surgeons don't give you enough information about what happens during your recovery. I was fortunate, because my surgeon gave me a good idea about what to expect during the months after my surgery. Anti-gas medication (simethicone) does help with the gas, and I always carry a prescription for nausea (Zofran). One last suggestion, don't google your symptoms, there is a lot of bad information out there and you will end up driving yourself crazy.

Sharon
Posted 5/3/2018 3:43 PM (GMT 0)
Mike,

I feel your pain, brother. My GI doc says he would still have recommended the surgery, BUT he would have prepared me better mentally.

What you're experiencing could just be some trapped gas. That stuff is awfully uncomfortable.

A lot of things are getting hard for me to remember now, but one recommendation I can make is pushing yourself just a little to be active so you get no muscle atrophy. I kept babying myself and lost a lot of strength. You may not have mentioned anything to this effect, but I just wanted to offer.

Best wishes, friend.

-smooth
Posted 5/3/2018 5:56 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Mike,
Thanks so much for your response, I really appreciate it and it is very encouraging to hear that you are mostly through the worst of the symptoms except the headaches. I do just as you did, I have to focus on making it through the working day, it is quite full on and pressured so it can be quite difficult when dealing with clients when you can't even focus your eyes!
I guess I had thought that after 10 months it would have all settled, and like you, I was absolutely not warned of the issues to come. I challenged my surgeon on this, and the response was, 'well, everyone's different'. I must say I am worse now than at the six month mark, and I am seriously considering a revision and have started making enquiries; I certainly would not want to continue like this and at 10 months post op I feel I have given it a good shot. I am much worse now health-wise than I was before the op.
I am happy for you that you have found a way through though! A takedown is not something I will do lightly, but I just feel there must be a better way.
Thanks again for your help Mike!
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