Terrible gas problems after Hiatal Hernia with wrap. Help?

Hi. There was another thread here covering various problems after Hiatal Hernia with the wrap surgery, but it was closed in 2013 so I thought I start a new one but specifically about gas.

I had this repair 4 months ago (2/14/2014) to cure GERD and refluxing, which I sometimes aspirated, painful!

My surgeon insists on a battery of pre-op tests, which concluded that aside from the hernia, my system and tissues were in great shape!

So much so that after surgery, my surgeon told me the surgery went extremely smooth and fast, for whatever that info is worth.

I'm glad to say all my GERD reflux issues are gone immediately following surgery. But I noticed gas right away and ever since, and I was rarely gassy pre surgery.

I followed his post surgery diet to the "T" and still don't drink carbonated liquids.

He told me to be prepared that some people lose their ability to burp and can't drink carbonated drinks ever again, which I was gladly prepared to trade for no GERD.

But I noticed I could burp from day 1. And recently I drank a few sips of diet soda to test this and I burped as I always have for 60 years.

The point is that I therefore am not swallowing air causing the gas at the other end because I burp up any air before it passes that way, and I chew better and eat slower. Besides, I am passing way too much gas that I couldn't begin to swallow that much.

Based on the amount and smell, gas is being produced inside me. BTW, the few times I had gas prior to surgery, I would say I may have had smelly gas once a year if even that. Now it's constant and daily.

I have been working from home and didn't notice the amount and wasn't bothered by the smell, but I just started a new job this week and am horrified that I don't think I can keep the job because I can't be in a room for long with others without offending the room!

I gather from the other thread that 4 months may not be enough healing time and may take a year or more? True?

Gas-X doesn't do anything.

Diet: I was never lacto intolerant and only have milk in 1 cup of coffee in the AM. I do eat some cheese but often soy cheese. I take probiotic daily and use Splenda. I don't eat a lot of red meat, mostly chicken and fish, veggies, not many sweets. I have always enjoyed yogurt but realize that's dairy and wonder if I should stop.

Problem is, I don't notice any food as causing the gas. Everything is causing gas. I cut out things selectively to test them, but the gas remains the same. But to be honest, I haven't really set to work on isolating foods scientifically.

I'd LOVE to hear if any folks have recommendations what not to eat.

I'd also like to know... why this surrey causes gas? How has the restructuring of my upper innards caused me to not digest as before and instead create all this bloating and gas? After all, how does a surgery in your upper digestive system cause your lower system to work so differently?

My surgeon never mentioned a word that this could happen, but was explicit about potential non-burping and carbonated drink restriction.

I'm wondering if I picked up a bug in hospital. I'm doing a stool test and colonoscopy soon. And I will request an endoscopy too.

Well... Let the games begin. I hope this thread is helpful and we all share and learn a lot.

If you're in healing mode: I wish you full recovery. Speaking of which, does this gas thing ever go away?

Hi Denise,

Thanks for your very encouraging words. I don't have swallowing problems at all, my idea was that since my GI was doing a colonoscopy 7/15 and I'd already be prepped and anesthetized, why not look in the other end where the work was done?

But if it's risky to stick a scope down that way, which I'm reading into your question and thinking that's what you were concerned about, I will ask him and the surgeon if this is a bad idea. After all, I'm not a doctor. But interestingly, the GI agreed to it today and he is the one that recommended I have the surgery and knows it's relatively new at 4 months.

I didn't have the benefit of digging into this forum and in my vacuum of "knowledge" I have been wondering how could I go from zero gas to daily gas over night. Being a programmer, I think in terms of when something breaks, what was introduced new since last it worked?

Obviously the surgery with the wrap. But also antibiotics IV and a stay in the hospital overnight. The last time I was in the hospital overnight and had IV antibiotics, I ended up with a raging case of C-Diff which literally had me crawling to my internist who sent me to a GI for treatment which was two weeks of Flagyl, yummy.

What I'm experiencing is NOTHING like C-Diff. I was truly very ill from that bug with a host of symptoms. The only issue now is gas and bloating regularly.

So… I'm just wondering in my vacuum, could I have caught a low grade bug this time?

Or is this in fact, the results of surgery. No bugs.

Well, the stool sample and colonoscopy should cover that. BTW, I was due for a colonoscopy anyway as it's been over 5 years and I'm 62.

What is odd to me, is that my surgeon is really amazing and EVERYONE loves him from patients to everyone at the hospital. And he was incredibly thorough in prepping from the surgery with a battery of tests, and then an hour long consult to review them and tell me all the complications and get my OK to proceed or not.

Other than dying on the table, the only real issue was not being able to burp and if so, then no more beer or soda which was fine with me.

I'm so surprised he never mentioned gas when it's so openly discussed online. It just seems so unlike all the other info he gave me to not mention that some folks have terrible gas for x period of time afterwards. But he didn't mention it.

So I thought in the absence of that, maybe I caught a bug…

Well, I should have the stool test results next week and we'll see if there is anything there.

Then the colonoscopy and if the surgeon approves the endoscopy and thinks it could be of value, that would be two docs, GI and the surgeon, voting yes. If he's worried it could damage his work, then I will strike that from the procedures scheduled for 7/15.

Other than a stool test, colonoscopy, and possible endoscopy, for gas and bloating, have you read about other tests or treatments that are helpful?

And lastly, if the gas is being produced in my lower or even small intestines, do you know how these parts of my GI track could be behaving so differently and creating all this gas when the surgery was no where near them and didn't involve my small or lower intestines?

I'm baffled how this surgery could upset the opposite end of the line. But then, I'm not a doctor. I'm being a programmer and trying to logic this out in my mind.

Thanks,
Steven

I had hiatal surgery on June 22, 2021. I couldn't have a wrap as I had bariatric surgery and have a gastric sleeve instead of a stomach. My surgeon tacked the "stomach" back into place and used mesh to close the gap in the diaphragm. I had been healing OK, I guess, doing OK on limited soft foods, until yesterday. Now, every time I eat, I get horrible gas and pressure. It feels like it did post surgery, when I was trying to pass the gas used to inflate my abdomen. I can take maybe one or two bites of food before horrible diaphragm pain starts, and I can feel and hear gas passing through my intestines, gurgling around in there. I also get back pain from the gas. It takes about 2 hours for this to resolve- I can't say "pass" because I don't pass much gas from below or by burping. I don't have a follow-up with my surgeon until July 12, but if this persists much longer I'm going to call them. Yeah, sure, this is better than the GERD and vomiting I was experiencing, but I still can't eat much. I've lost 14 pounds in the past 2.5 months. I just wish I knew what was going on in there.

I am a 68 year old male who like others suffered severe acid reflux. Had hiatal repair surgery which repaired or stopped reflux, thank goodness. Now after 3 years post-op, I continue to suffer from gas and bloating despite a number of diet adjustments. Pre-op, I never had issues with gas aside from normal short term affects of beans or greasy food. Since the surgery, my gut churns constantly and bouts of gas are almost 24/7.. Could some damage or change to my pancreas have happened during surgery that stopped or defeated production of needed bio-chems? I am slightly over weight but my BMI does not indicate obesity and I am otherwise fairly healthy. Any opinions?

Yes, surgeon suggests I take anti-gas OTC products but these seem to have no affect. I have requestrd and gotten a stool screen which indicated only low Vitamine D level for which i now take supplements. I have been waiting to see a GI doc for about 2 months and hope to find some answers with him. (Long lead times in this market due to Dr. shortage..).