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Nissen Fundiplication Poll (please post response)

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GERD & Acid Reflux
Nissen, good outcome bad outcome???
Good - 81.0% - 17 votes
Bad - 19.0% - 4 votes
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Posted 11/21/2007 6:47 AM (GMT 0)

yeah, i believe it will go away....just part of the healing process.  I'm sorry to hear about your friends husband..that sucks. 

Just be careful how much you eat.  You'll feel like you can eat normal but when you try - not so good.  My intake is alot less than normal - I don't even eat 3 meals a day anymore & at dinner I used to be able to eat like 2 chicken cutlets & 2 sides but now it's maybe 1 cutlet & 1 side and I know that's enough.  It's when I forget I can't eat normal & I try that I suffer for it.  Lost 13 pounds tho so that's a plus.

also when you're eating, chew your food really good (mushy), that helps the food go down easier with less pain.  whenever I didn't, my husband could tell how much pain there was just from the look on my face...i'm glad that part is over.  it will be for you too...

have a great holiday....keep me updated

Posted 11/22/2007 2:31 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Sue:  I really am looking forward to this pain going away.  Yeah, I know it's part of the healing process but sometimes we can get impatient.  One of the nurses in the hospital told me that healing is a process and takes time.  I said, yes but the thing is that we don't want to suffer.  I really think this surgery recovery is going to take me a couple of months to get back to normal.  The good thing is that my appetite is returning but I know I have to be careful and not over eat because when I do I get sick, it already happened to me 3 times.  The good thing is that I have lost lots of weight but I have to say that when ever I look at myself in the mirror I don't think I look healthy, especially my eyes.  Did the surgeon tell you if the chest pain is the hiatal hernia repair or the nissen?  Maybe it is both, I wonder.  I have my next appointment on the 28th and will ask.  I know my reflux is better if not non existant but sometimes the chest pain hurts so much I wonder could it be the reflux.  I don't think it is and it is the surgery causing me so much pain.  Did you get a feeling like that?  Even right now as I write this I have that nagging chest pain that doesn't go away.  Was it like that for you too?  I am not taking anymore PPI's, once in a while I will take a Pepcid ac because I had my gallbladder removed and the doctor wanted me to keep taking it for a while.  Are you taking anymore PPI's?  It sounds like you really had a good outcome and am so glad for you.  I know all of this will take time and I just have to be patient.  Good luck on Thanksgiving and I hope we don't eat way too much....Barbara...

Posted 11/22/2007 7:59 AM (GMT 0)
Hi! I came to this thread because I have a hiatal hernia that will be repaired on Dec. 14th. I am just looking for info. I'm wondering why everyone is saying they can't throw up, like that's a bad thing?? I hate to throw up and have only done so about 3 x in my 64 years. So why would you all want to?
Posted 11/22/2007 10:21 PM (GMT 0)
hep93:

Many of the posts you are reading with a subject including the words Nissen fundoplication are regarding a Nissen Fundoplication procedure along with a hiatal hernia repair - they are two separate procedures that are often performed at the same time. Most people having the Nissen also have a hiatal hernia that is repaired; but not every person having a hiatal hernia repair is having the Nissen. You are only having a hiatal hernia repaired according to your post.

During a hiatal hernia repair, they close the large opening in your diaphragm and prevent your stomach from moving up into the chest cavity.

During a Nissen fundoplication, they wrap the fundus of your stomach around the esophagus thus forming a "turtleneck" that strenghtens the lower esophageal sphincter. Because this wrap tightens the opening between stomach and esophagus, it prevents vomitting and in some cases burping. As you are not having the nissen surgery, you do not have to worry about the vomitting portion.

As to why it's a bad thing to not be able to throw up, the answer is:
In the case of food poisoning or if we accidentally ingested a chemical/poisonous substance, we would have to go to the ER and have our stomach pumped.
During a bad case of the flu or with any stomach virus, we would not be able to vomit - thus making us feel nausea longer.
In the case of motion sickness, we would feel nausea with no way to relieve that feeling.

I'm very glad that vomitting is not something you've done a lot of in your life, but it does serve a useful purpose and loosing the ability to do it is something we had to weigh the pros and cons of before choosing the procedure. You don't loose the feeling of needing to vomit, you just loose the ability to physically do it and gain relief.

Good luck with your hiatal hernia repair.
Posted 11/23/2007 1:20 AM (GMT 0)
hi Barbara, my doctor never really explained the pain except for saying it's part of the healing & to chew my food really, really well & it will go away eventually...and it definitely went away. I was taking Nexium 40 mg twice a day before my surgery and a pepcid at night. Now I don't take anything at all. Yes, I would say my outcome is pretty good. As far as Thanksgiving, just got home. I'm feeling fine because all I had was 2 small pieces of turkey w/gravy & 2 small mushrooms, for dessert - a small piece of apple pie, that's it. I would have loved to have had EVERYTHING but just the thought of that sick feeling kept me in check. Hope you had a good Thanksgiving and good luck at your next appointment...Sue
Posted 11/23/2007 4:19 AM (GMT 0)

sforres705 said...

yeah, i believe it will go away....just part of the healing process.  I'm sorry to hear about your friends husband..that sucks. 

Just be careful how much you eat.  You'll feel like you can eat normal but when you try - not so good.  My intake is alot less than normal - I don't even eat 3 meals a day anymore & at dinner I used to be able to eat like 2 chicken cutlets & 2 sides but now it's maybe 1 cutlet & 1 side and I know that's enough.  It's when I forget I can't eat normal & I try that I suffer for it.  Lost 13 pounds tho so that's a plus.

also when you're eating, chew your food really good (mushy), that helps the food go down easier with less pain.  whenever I didn't, my husband could tell how much pain there was just from the look on my face...i'm glad that part is over.  it will be for you too...

have a great holiday....keep me updated

I know exactly what you are talking about there.  I can remember many times being out to eat with friends or my daughters and I would just stop, put my fork down, not talk and I'm sure get this look on my face like "maybe I'm dying, so just don't talk to me right now."  I can remember so many times being asked if I was o.k. and I would just shake my head.  You know the feeling, you can't even talk when that happens.  Then it passes and you're back to normal. 

Good luck to you!

Carla

 

 


Posted 11/23/2007 7:44 AM (GMT 0)

HappilyWrapped (great name!), thank you for your in-depth explanation.  Until 2 years ago, I was a medical transcriptionist for 15 years, so I was somewhat familiar with the Nissen (always had to think to keep from typing Nissan, the car) fundoplication, although I didn't do much adult GI.  I was aware that a hiatal hernia repair and the Nissen procedure were two separate things.  However, I did not know that one of the negatives of the Nissen was the inability to vomit, and also wondered why this would be a bad thing.  Thank you for enlightening me.  :-)   Now I will do the same for you, and hope you won't take offense, but it's like chalk on a blackboard for me to see "loose" and "lose" used incorrectly.  nono   I am seeing this quite often these days (even in a Nordstrom ad!  eyes ), along with a lot of other grammar/spelling mistakes.  sad   "Lose" is a noun, used when you have lost something or expect/want/don't want to; i.e., "I need to lose some weight" or "I hope I never lose my mind."  "Loose" is an adjective, used when you've lost that weight and your pants are now "loose."  Basically, it means not firmly fixed, such as "a loose thread."

*steps down from lectern*

Thanks.  :-)

Posted 11/23/2007 1:25 PM (GMT 0)
I never take offense at corrections of my spelling and grammar, and am grateful when someone speaks up. Sending a sincere thank you.
Posted 11/23/2007 3:38 PM (GMT 0)
I just had the Nissen Fundoplication done 4 weeks ago today and am pretty much happy with it. I do get some nausea, but most often gas and bloating. I'm just wondering how long this lasts for and is there is anything that relieves it. Do the surgeons strongly suggest not trying to throw-up, because I know mine did, but I've been reading these entries and some of you say that you can and have. The only other question I had is how long does it take to get back to eating more normal sized meals? The nurse told me to only have maybe a little over a cup serving at meal times. Does that seem right?
Posted 11/23/2007 5:18 PM (GMT 0)
Babytooth:

I had my surgery Sept 12 & still have the gas, bloating & nausea.  Beano helps alittle with gas.  I still don't eat normal meals, like I said in the last postings I can only eat maybe 1 small chicken cutlet instead of 2 like before surgery & that's with just one side of maybe alittle mashed potatoes.  I definitely know when I need to stop eating.  I'm learning.  Not so bad tho - lost 13 lbs & I hope it keeps coming off.

Good luck with your recuperating, I think in the long run, after all the side effects wear off, it'll be worth it...

Post Edited (sforres705) : 11/23/2007 10:25:06 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 11/23/2007 5:20 PM (GMT 0)
"I know exactly what you are talking about there. I can remember many times being out to eat with friends or my daughters and I would just stop, put my fork down, not talk and I'm sure get this look on my face like "maybe I'm dying, so just don't talk to me right now." I can remember so many times being asked if I was o.k. and I would just shake my head. You know the feeling, you can't even talk when that happens. Then it passes and you're back to normal."

Carla,
Oh, you said it perfectly - that's EXACTLY how it feels.....
Good Luck to You too...

Sue

Posted 11/26/2007 5:28 AM (GMT 0)
had to have the surg as emergency due to volvulus of big hiatal hernia 6/06. I was never informed of postop wt loss, esoph tightening, inability to puke. Can vomit again now but overall the recovery was devastating. I got very thin and weak. my surgeon almost denied any relationship to the surg. right rib pain persists. can't eat like a normal person. However, at the time the surg prob saved my life.
Posted 12/1/2007 3:17 AM (GMT 0)
So when does this swelling go down? I think they say it takes 21 days to aquire a habit and this chewing thing is something I really have to think about. I have had a few things go slowly painfully down but today got something stuck, too large of a piece of hamburger and it ending up coming up through my mouth. I am worried about the pressure on the wrap? For those that have had it awhile is is as fragile as they make out? How long before the swelling goes down? I cannot stay on this liquid diet as I am losing to much weight so I am having to add some solids but gosh getting used to chewing is a challenge. I always inhaled my food, one of my friends asked me one time if I even tasted it. That so far is my major issue, the swelling because it is really affecting my overall well being, I am not getting enough protein and nutrients. Seems like everytime I try to ad something new I get that oh its stuck feeling. Today was the worst though. So will this affect my wrap? I know I will be more careful because it was not great! The swellign has gone down somewhat because the 2nd week even if I swalleod too big of a spoon pf pudding it was uncomfortable. The beneftis outweight the negatives so far. My chronic cough is gone the heartburn is gone and that acid that used to come up in my throat is gone.
Posted 12/1/2007 9:20 PM (GMT 0)
I had my surgery Sept 12 & had all those problems as I wrote in past posts. I am happy to say that I feel great now. The nausea even went away!
Unfortunately I stopped losing weight - 13 pounds but at least I feel so much better. So those of you out there - it will be worth it! The food going down will be better too. Had a drink (liquor) in October but it made me feel sick but a party is coming up on the 22nd so that should be a test. I like my social drink......a few of the neighbors have a party once a month - no we're not alcoholics...lol
Well, good luck to all of you, I hope you have the same outcome I've had! Remember, it takes time....it will feel better.
Sue
Posted 12/2/2007 12:11 AM (GMT 0)

Sue,

I am go glad you are feeling pretty much back to normal.  At this point, I wouldn't think having a drink would hurt you, but remember I'm not a medical professional.  When I went out for my first steak dinner after my surgery, I had wine with it.  I used to enjoy having a glass of wine every now and then, but since being diagnosed with epilepsy in August of 2006, I can't do that any more.  No fun.

Take care!

Carla

Posted 12/2/2007 4:17 AM (GMT 0)
Hi there,

For those of you I haven't pestered with my annoying question who've had this surgery  :-) ...how much time did you end up taking off of work?

Thanks!

Posted 12/2/2007 2:42 PM (GMT 0)
I took 2 weeks, I thought I was going to be ok with one but I went with the surgeons advice and took 2. Glad I did!
Posted 12/8/2007 8:10 AM (GMT 0)
This was so informative - I wish I had read about some of the post-op stuff. My Dr didn't/won't tell me any negative stuff and had to be told by his partner about a hernia I developed after the surgery - which I hear is also common. While I still would do the operation I am very frustrated by the lack of pros/cons offered prior to it, except by my gastroenterologist who would rather keep me on pills for life and watch as I develop cancer. I had a "feeling" that vomiting would be a problem afterwards...makes total sense. As well, I've been farting up a storm (pardon the pun) as the gas has to go "somewhere". Again, very amazed by the lack of info...it's like now that the internet is available, they expect the patient to know everything and they are not responsible.

Oh well. I've lost 15 pounds, I've been able to eat what I want, but now I'm in a lot of pain from the hernia as well as nausea. Hopefully the second surgery will go better. I don't think I would've done it w/o it being a laproscopic procedure, however. I've had major stomach surgery and the recovery was prohibitive back then. Good luck to all.
Posted 12/18/2007 4:58 AM (GMT 0)
Had the Nissen Fundo 4 years ago. Hiatal hernia was so big that my stomach had been sucked entirely up into my chest cavity and was pressing on my heart. Recovery went surprisingly well, main pain was in shoulder, apparently caused by the surgery damaging the vegus nerve that connects both the diaphragm and the shoulder. Have read reports that this might be caused by the very cold carbon dioxide gas that they use to pump up the stomach cavity during laposcropy, and it does  not happen if they are considerant enought to heat the CO2 before it is administered.

Cannot burp or vomit any more now, and lots of gas, just as most others report. GERD is still present in a weird form, causes occasional chest pains and a "sinking" feeling in pit of stomach. Now controlled with daily dose of Prylosec.

Also was getting a case of spasm in lower esophogus about once a month, food would lock up just before it entered ths stomach, painful and much discomfort. Finally realized it only happened when I took a drink of ice water during a meal, such as in a restaurant, which was the only place I ever got ice water served with a meal. Now ask for room temperature water in restaurants.

I'm much better  off from having had the hiatal hernia repaired and the Nissen fundo. Hope it lasts a long time.

Posted 10/25/2008 4:10 AM (GMT 0)
I would just like to say I had this procedure done about 9 yrs ago and had I known what the side effects for me would have been I may have rethunk so to speak this procedure. I had such chronic heartburn for 2.5 yrs used every medication that was then on the market only to find relief in very short time spans before I would once again have the heartburn. I have a whole range of side effects to this procedure and for those of you that have had this same procedure the side effects are random for the most part but over the past nine years I believe I am more unwell now than ever before. I have both fast and slow dumping syndrome I developed and intolerance to dairy and for about 8 of the nine yrs I was told I had IBS but turns out it's diverticulitis. I have just recently had to find a new family Dr and now that I have one I am very interested in becoming an advocate for my own health and well being. I also have a question with regards to B-12. Has anyone been checked for a B-12 defientcy, I've been told and have read so much about this recently now I'm very curious. It seems more prevalent in people having this and other stomach surgeries being the most deficient in this B-12.
Posted 10/25/2008 4:43 AM (GMT 0)
I also wanted to say for those of U like me that wake up in the middle of the night coughing so hard tears streaming down your face. BURP! that's all I have to do! as soon as I can catch my breath between coughs I force myself to burp. It took me about 5 yrs to learn how to sucessfully burp. I found in the earlier days to put that spot of you that is between your ribs right about where your diaphram is on the kitchen counter and then pushing gently against the diaphram helps to release the trapped air behind it. As for the not being able to throw up part that really does suck especially for someone who has several other ailments many of which are pain related eg:Fibromyalgia. Remember to heed my warning do not take any medications of any kind that you weren't already taking before the procedure. To do so could result in a violent episode of rejection. Your bodies natural way to rid itself of unwanted matter is to make you throw it up. I got food poisoning from a Gas Station Quickie Mart and had to go have my stomach pumped. I swore I would never put anything in my mouth again that hadn't been thoroughly gone thru. Be Careful is all I can say!
Posted 10/25/2008 6:22 PM (GMT 0)
TisOnlyMe

Welcome to HealingWell and the GERD/Heartburn forum. Thank you so much for sharing.

I do not have the answer on the B12 for you. The Schilling test is used to determine whether the body absorbs vitamin B12 normally.  You could discuss this test with your physician.

My husband has had 3 bowel resections. If the ileum (part of the small intestines) has been resected, a Vitamin B12 injection is required for life.

Vitamin B-12 helps prevent anemia, promotes normal growth and development, and is essential for proper nerve function. It's absorbed in the terminal ileum, a part of the small intestine often affected by Crohn's disease. If inflammation of your terminal ileum is interfering with your ability to absorb this vitamin, you may need monthly B-12 shots for life. You'll also need lifelong B-12 injections if your terminal ileum has been removed during surgery.

Take care
Kitt 

 

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