Silent GERD: Post Op Questions

Hello Everyone,

I'm new to the forum and have a couple of questions, but first some info about me. I had a Nissen fundoplication (full wrap) done about 4.5 months ago to help with silent GERD. I had some discomfort with swallowing and in my neck in general, and an endoscopy revealed Barrett's esophagus (no dysplasia). Fortunately, I have had a really smooth recovery -- smoother than some people here have experienced. The first month or so was rough with my diet, bloating, etc., but I feel almost back to 100% now. I still have to be careful to not eat too fast (chew thoroughly) and carbonated beverages can make me feel bloated, but otherwise I feel great. 

Now since I had silent GERD, my symptoms were quite mild to begin with -- none of the bad heartburn like some people have. This leads to my questions:

1. Sometimes I have ice cream in the evenings shortly before going to bed. Before the surgery, I used to notice a sour taste in my mouth in the middle of the night / morning and assumed it was related to eating too late. I've had it happen occasionally after the surgery, though, too. Do you think I should worry about this? My GI doctor told me to continue to avoid eating within a few hours of laying down, but I was hoping that the fundoplication would help me eliminate this restriction. 

2. I will have another endoscopy in a few months to check that healing has occurred. If it has sufficiently, I'll have periodic endoscopys to ensure that my esophagus still looks good going forward. If others are on a similar schedule, how often do you have them? My GI doctor mentioned maybe every few years, whereas my surgeon said probably every year. I'm just curious what others do. Since my symptoms were so mild to begin with (i.e., I may not notice any problems if they develop), I'm concerned that every few years is too long.

Thank you in advance! 
Kurt

I had a small hiatal hernia, I believe. I didn't get the impression it was terribly severe, so I don't have a measurement on it. The reason I went with a fundoplication was that it was recommended by my GI doctor -- I didn't request it. I had had issues with silent GERD previously, but he didn't make the surgery suggestion until it progressed into Barrett's. I'll be curious to see whether that's what your GI recommends as well. I would recommend the surgery, personally, although I think I had a much easier experience than some people have.