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Posted 4/13/2019 2:01 AM (GMT 0)
Hi all,
Been reading posts on here, and figured it was time to join. I have suffered from acid reflux since my early twenties.
I am a 59 year old male, living in the Houston, Tx area. I also have a hiatal hernia. I have Barrett's esophagus, with no dysplagia. I have been on PPI's for several years. I recently found an excellent surgeon, who has done many Nissan Fundoplacations. I am scheduled for surgery next month. I am having the full 360 wrap.
My doctor says that when I heal up, my Barrett's should heal up also. I am really looking forward to this, as I have suffered with this problem for so long. One of my co-workers just had the same type of surgery last month. He took about three weeks off, and is now back at work. He had a very good surgeon also. He said it wasn't that bad. I will probably take off about two weeks after surgery. It will be done laparoscopically, on an outpatient basis. I will post further on about my surgery, and recovery process. I am scheduled for May 8th.
This is a great forum, with lots of good information.
Posted 4/15/2019 11:41 AM (GMT 0)
AFvet1

Welcome to the Healing Well Forum! Please stop back and let us know how you are recovering.

Sharon
Posted 4/15/2019 5:02 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you. I sure will.
Posted 5/10/2019 3:44 PM (GMT 0)
Hi all,
I had my Nissen Fundoplication, with hiatal hernia repair done two days ago. I had the full 360 wrap. The surgery went well. I have an excellent surgeon. Dr Rizwan Chaudhrey, in Houston Tx. He has done hundreds of these procedures. I am feeling pretty good. I'm taking some pain meds. But the pain and discomfort has really been minimal. The surgery took about two hours. I went home the same day. After I woke up, I was probably there another hour.
I am having creamy soups, yogurt, and some ice cream as my post Nissen diet. Haven't had any problems, I have a follow up appointment in a couple weeks. I will probably return to work on May 24th. In six months, the doctor will do an endoscopy to make sure everything is ok. He will also do a biopsy. Hopefully my Barretts will be healed up by then.
I am glad I had this surgery. I feel like it was the right thing for me to do. I have been suffering with GERD, and had Barretts. My hiatal hernia was causing me pain also. Like others have posted, its all about finding the best surgeon.
Posted 5/28/2019 6:59 PM (GMT 0)
Well, I'm at 3 weeks post Nissen. Everything is going good for me so far. The pain from the initial surgery was minimal.I stayed on liquid diet my first week. Then I went to the soft diet, for 2nd week. I had my 2 week checkup with my surgeon. He wants me to stay on PPI's for one more month. Then I'll go off the meds. In about six months, I'll have an endoscopy, to make sure everything is ok. Hopefully my Barrett's will be healed by then. I now can eat whatever I want. I just need to keep the portions small. I overate yesterday, and could feel some pain for doing so. If I keep my portions small, I don't feel any pain. It's so nice not to have acid reflux anymore. The five incisions are healing up nicely. I went back to work after 15 days of the initial surgery, I don't do anything strenuous on my job, so I haven't had any problems.

Post Edited (AFvet1) : 5/28/2019 1:02:15 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 5/28/2019 7:43 PM (GMT 0)
Eat slowly and watch the overeating for sure. I'm glad you're doing well.
Posted 5/29/2019 12:51 PM (GMT 0)
AFvet1

As 1039smooth suggested, watch your eating habits and remember to still chew to a liquid consistency.

Sharon
Posted 5/30/2019 2:22 AM (GMT 0)

SharonZ said...
AFvet1

As 1039smooth suggested, watch your eating habits and remember to still chew to a liquid consistency.

Sharon

You both are so right. I was doing good, then overate a couple days ago. I could feel some pain from it. As long as I keep my portions small, I'm ok. It doesn't take as much food to fill full, since my stomach is smaller. I haven't had any acid reflux since the surgery. Thanks for the replies.
Posted 5/30/2019 12:30 PM (GMT 0)
AFvet1

It happens to everyone. As soon as we start to feel better, we try to go back to our old eating habits. You may even experience small setbacks during your recovery journey. If you advance your diet too quickly and experience discomfort, go back to a soft diet for a while and then try it again at a later date.

Sharon
Posted 5/31/2019 4:16 PM (GMT 0)
All this information is gold, sir. Remember, it takes 20 minutes for the stomach to communicate that it's full to our brains which makes overeating so easy.

I had some swallowing issues after getting my wrap for a little while, so when I could go solid again, of course I overdid it because I was thrilled for said solids, I guess. We are human.

One other thing I should say a little off topic is to not be TOO cautious. I lost a lot of strength by NOT doing things in fear of aggravating the wrap, incisions whatever. I hurt myself in a few ways. Still be a little cautious of course, but only baby yourself for so long.
Posted 9/22/2019 5:42 PM (GMT 0)
Haven't posted for awhile. I'm about 4 and 1/2 months post nissen, full wrap, with hiatal hernia repair. I am doing well, feel pretty good.
I am having what's known as dumping syndrome. This is a common issue for post Nissen patients. What I'm experiencing is having a bowel movement usually within 20 to 30 minutes after eating something. Some stools are solid, others are diarrhea. It is an inconvenience, especially at work.
This is something lots of us have to deal with, as part of our recovery. It seems that I had some of this before I even had the surgery. Maybe an age thing? I'm a 59 year old male. I've read where it is a digestive tract issue. I get some gas pressure, and bloating. I've tried Gas-X type products. Really didn't help much. I have read where the symptoms can go away after 18 months, to 2 years post surgery.
Still feel blessed not to have acid reflux anymore. I will have a 6 month endoscopy in late October. My doctor, who performed the surgery, will check to make sure everything is o.k. Plus do a biopsy to see if my Barretts is healing up.
Posted 9/23/2019 11:23 AM (GMT 0)
Afvet1:

You are right, dumping syndrome is very common. One thing that worked for me was that I drank very little liquids during my meals. If I cut back the liquids, it seemed that it didn't force my meal out so quickly. If it continues, call your surgeon as there are medications that can help you.

Sharon
Posted 9/24/2019 1:52 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks Sharon. I am seeing him next month. I will definitely discuss it with him. I have read that, about not drinking liquids until 30 minutes after the meal. I have a hard time doing that. I'm going to try it more.
Posted 11/20/2019 11:34 PM (GMT 0)
Hi all,
Just got the results of my post nissen endoscopy. I had my surgery 6 months ago. I had a full 360 wrap with hiatal hernia repair. I also had Barretts Esophagus, no dysplasia.
The Barretts is gone! With no more acid irritating my esophagus, it has healed up.
Having this surgery was the best decision I ever made. No more reflux, no more PPI's. Having a great surgeon made all the difference.
I will probably have one more endoscopy done in 6 more months. If everything is good, I should be good to go.
Posted 11/21/2019 12:41 PM (GMT 0)
AFvet1

Great news!!
Sharon
Posted 11/24/2019 3:00 AM (GMT 0)

SharonZ said...
AFvet1

Great news!!
Sharon


Thanks Sharon. I was skeptical that my Barrett's would heal up after six months, post surgery. My doctor said that no longer having acid coming up into the esophagus, it can heal up quickly.
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