Had my surgery yesterday - Raphael - Part 2 of 3 - Closed

 

HI All,

How everyone going?

Hope everyone are feeling well.

Jules & Rafale & Griff....

I going back to check with my dr. next months. I think I may have to do the 24hr again. I am going to talk to my dr and see what next...

I am almost 2 months post, and I am not getting any relief. I am still taking 2nexium 20morning/20nite time- with not much relief - similar to my pre-surg symptom. Someday, my throat hurt(burn throat) so bad. Every moring, I woke up with a bad soar-throat. Some day - the soar-throat last & linger on for the whole day and than  later, the reflux- burn throat kick in.

Lately, I am working on my baby boy+girl birthday dvd video movie.

It was fun, I spent a lot of time at it. I am the director *Laff* A Big BS director wannta be :), I get to put together my family dvd movie - with cool mp3 music/ cool background / plenty of special affects, etc. I burned it onto a dvd. My family and I and the babies were watching the video. We had a*blast* a kick out of it. We laff so hard at some of the funny stuff that the baby girl did at her birthday party plus a lot of relatives and friends..... I forgot about my issue while I am having a blast... :D Families is always so wonderful.

Jules,

I think the tight wrap is a better choice so that no acid can come up, but you still can pass food thru.  Jules, have you had any tests done so far?

I recall my first week out of surgery, I can feel the wrap when I drink water. I don't feel much reflux at the first week because I am taking the pain med.

After 3rd out, I can eat a lot easier, but I don't feel the wrap anymore. Anyhow, I don't want to take any chance with the food get stuck, so I chew chew chew, but I don't feel the tight wrap. It is strange...

Rafael,

How you feeling so far? Hope all thing go well!

do you feel the wrap when you eat or drink water at this point?

Griff,

You mention something about yellow stuff from your mouth. I heard my dr say bile is greenish thing. Not sure about the yellow thing! Does the yellow thing feel burn in your mouth and throat?

hope you are feeling better. HOpe your dr get back with ya.

Take care & thanks everyone.

Marie

 

Hello all. I'm doing well compared to what others explain that they are still suffering from. I guess I should be happy as it could be worse for me. I feel for those of you that still feel symptoms or GERD and hopefully they will work themselfs out with time.

I went to sleep hungry last nite and woke up with a bit or burning and nausia at 3AM. I drank 2 Danimal kids yogurts and some Arozona Green Tea and felt better after a while.

My stomach is still tender and I still feel a bit of inflimation/burning in my chest. Still cant take a full, deep breath 100%. Papls are allmost gone though and I experience maye 20-30 palps a day. Thats a huge improvement. The one thing thats has not gine away is that when I eat its hard to swallow food, even paste like food. It seems like food gets stuck at the wrap no matter how much I schew it and when I drink water it all drops in to my stomach causing abit of pain.

Jules, yes a tight wrap and a good Surgeon are a god send. But the concern that I have is that my esophogus needs to work harder to work the food in to my stomach. I feel that this is why I get spasms in my esophogus but hopefully it will get stronger and not damaged since it needs to make more effort when trying to pass food in to my stomach.

When I saw my Specialist last Monday he told me that if the Prilosec sisnt help by this week to call and make an appointment so his nurse can schedule an upper scope and take a look at whats doing inside. I rather be safe than sorry for not taking good care of this now.

I'm also concearned because I'm suposed to go back to work on the 16 of November which is rite around the corner and I still dont feel even close to being ready to go back to working construction. Maybe if I had a desk job i could of been back to work a few weeks ago.


I hope every one feels better soon. I'll keep you all in my prayers.

Rafael

 

Hi Jules,

I had 2 manometry done before surgery.

Manometry is the one that test H20 - where they have the tub down your nose into your esphosug, and

test the pressure of your LES and your esophogus.

Jules, you mention that you had the manometry and endoscopy done.

Normally, if one had some major issue with their esophagus, their dr may not recommand  the surgery. Normally, it show up in the manometry test -

The other test you are referring to eating something - now I recall - it is called --> barium swallow.

They have you eat and drink this white chalk thing and they took x-ray. They will have you lay-down, stand-up in different position, and have you drink and eat like a small piece of burger or egg, etc. They will rotate you in different direction and have you drink the white thing while you lay down too.

With this type of x-ray - it can see reflux clearly.

At the time when they perform this test on me, they didn't see any reflux coming up.

I ask them what could they see - they say, they didn't see any reflux. They say, normaly, they can see

reflux if the esophagus doesn't properly release the food into the stomach, and which cause the reflux.

I heard my dr do a full wrap.

I am not sure about the 270 and 360 wrap. I think it may apply differently in different situation.

I came across some website while I did some research. Something about if some patient had issue, like motility issue, then the dr have to do a partial wrap because with a full wrap, it can cause issue.

After surgery, I wouldn't recommand to do anything that may cause stress...

A lot of rest and relax, and some slow walk. No stress - you need time to heal, relax.

Walk a lot help to release the gas that they pump into your body for surgery. Those gas will rise into your shoulder and will cause pain. If you walk a lot (slow walk), it help release those gas trap inside your body so that your shoulder will not hurt so bad. Don't do any heavy lifing or moving, etc.

I would suggest don't do anything that cause stress after surgery. Plenty of rest.

Also your body will be in a very weak stage after surgery....

Need time for your body to heal - The dr recommand 4-6 weeks  before one can do a little more...

Take care.

Marie

 

Hi Rafe - I can't imagine your stomach can hold so much. If I eat more than a half cup I feel awful later. One nurse told me not to eat more than a medicine cupful at first. Of course you've been out longer than I have. I was told not to eat anything pasty because it can stick in the esophagus. I add lots of fluid to make things soupy.

Jules - My docs said they couldn't tell exactly what they were going to have to do until they got inside. I was expecting a full wrap but got a 260 because they couldn't dissect down enough esophagus for more. But that's fine because I have no reflux and can burp a little with what they did.

Marie - I can't figure out exactly where the shoulder pain comes from. The crepitus from the gas went away 4 days after surgery. The pain in the shoulder joints is still there, runs down both biceps and across chest. It seems to help to do the deep breathing exercises. I wonder if there is a nerve involvement and not just gas.

 

Hi Alcie,

I did recall that I had the should pain from the gas, but it went away eventually when one walk a lot.

Another pain that I did have was really weird - from my back and some part of the stomach - but those pain went away eventually in a few weeks. Pretty much right now, I had some pain in my LES area this pass few  days.  Come and go -it hurted! what type of symtomp did you have with your GERD. Did you have surgery lately? Did all your symtomp clear up altogether? 

Take an easy Alcie :)

Rafael,

Congratulation on your baby 1 year birthday. Aren't they cute.... I bet you had a blast on that day... :)

My daughter also turn 1 year this month too. I was cookin up a dvd for our family too :D

Hope everything turn out well with ya endoscopy. I am going back to visit my dr too - very soon.

Rafael, do you experience any pain in your LES area? This few day, my LES hurt really bad!

Don't know what is going on...

Thank you.

Take care eveyrone.

Marie

Alice, once the swelling goes down You aill be suprised how much "more" you can eat. Breakfast is the "biggest" meal of the day for me. I can eat 2 egg whites with about a 1/4 cup of veggies mixed in a a serving spoon of beans. After that I get full with just a small apple.

It may seem like I can eat a lot but in reality its no where near what we all should be eating, as far as colrie in take . I feel so weak and I cant even imagine going back to work. Heck, I allmost black out when I get off the couch too fast. I feel like the weight I have lost has been mostly muscle mass. I cant imagine 8 hours of hard work yet!

Marie, The only time I get pain at my "new" LES is when I eat too much. I dont know about you guys that have had the wrap done, but I dont have the feeling of getting full any more. I will be eating, and all of the sudden I will fell like I'm so full that it feels like my wrap is going to break!! So now I have to eat and drink and start to guage my self when I eat.

I did have 2 pieces of Poppa Jhons thin crust veggie pizza yesterday and I may as well of been eating a piece of fillet migon wrapped in bacon......it was soooooooo good!!!!


Rafael

hey all ... i hope you are doing well,  sorry ive been having a rough time...

Rafael, I am going into psychology to deal with this..i am sick and tired of doctors telling me reflux doesnt do this and doesnt do that.....one doctor thinks i dont like to eat...I  am going to stand by kids with reflux because I know what pain they feel...it's just the beginning of my future life entailing reflux-disease, really- and esophagus diseases. I really LOVE food...I am just in pain...not alot of people dont seem to understand what im saying in the real-world...heh...so if and when i heal, i now will spend my life around this work, something good has to come out of it. doctors think im crazy when i tell them the acids go up into my ears...ah.

Rafael, please take it easy on the surgery spot-areas, so it heals well...i am trying to think and imagine what you are experiencing after the surgery as you've explained it.

Marie, I hope you are doing well dear...glad you will do the PH test...thanks so much for your reply last-time, it made me feel so much better. you and Rafael are just wonderful people. Marie, glad the kids are fine. (huggs)

Alcie, hi, too, happy healing.

blessings all of you

Jules

 

Haha, AMrie thats funny. I'll keep an eye out for you on the news if you do end up kidnaping him..LOL!

Alcie, thanks for sharing that in here bout the palps and sorry to hear that you had a heart attack. Some people fear drowning or being burned, but a heart attact is what I fear. It must be the worst feeling the the world!!! Once the swelling goes down maybe the heart problems will go away. Just stay focused as this illness and surgery can make you a little batty.

Jules, I'm actually going to see me FP tomorrow and ask to see if he can prescribe me the lowest dose of Celexa(anti depressant) that I was on previously to see if I can calm my anxiaty a bit. Not working and being home 24/7 is making me feel like a caged lion!! I'm becoming an unpleasnet peron to live with and dont want to treat my family with disrespect so for now I will go back on some type of med to deal with it. I'm super sensative to those drugs and going off of them is hell for me but I feel that now I need to be on somethng to make me more of a pleasent person to be around.

My esophogus started hurting about 3 weeks ago. The pain starts at the back of my throat like a really bad sore throat and stemms dowm to the wrap. I also get really bad spasms that go up in to the back of my neck. So, I have started takin Motrin and that seems to work. It seems to help with the inflimation and the esophogeal pain goes away allmost 90%. I'm no doctor, but that has brought me to believe that the issues I'm having now, post op, are more muscular or nerve related. I know for sure it cant be reflux because I have no symptoms of GERD and I have never heard of a pain reliever helping with acid reflux. Pain meds never healped before. Not even norcotic pain relieveing medication helped pre op with the pain I had.

I have an endoscopy scheduled for nex Wend. so I will mention the pain that I'm having to him then nd also mention how the motrim seems to help. I have been taking Prilosec again for 3 weeks now and have not noticed it help any .

I hope every one is doing well.
Rafael

 

Hi Alcie,

I took Nexius every morning  - everyday - 20 morning and 20 evening, but I am in pain with my reflux - throat and sour, etc.

I already had the surgery - been 2months - but I am still experiencing pain -  reflux.

Alcie,

After your surgery, do you have gas in your stomach? Can you burp?

It is so strange, after my surgery, I don't even experience any degree of gas at all.

Not that I want to have gas, but I heard that if you experience some degree of gas in your stomach - it means that your wrap is tight and good...

Rafael,

Those Celexa(anti depressant), - does it give you some type of nasty side-affect?

PPI always give me horrible side-affect - I couldn't sleep is one of them.

Prolisec is the worse one. I couldn't do Prolisec.

While back - those dr. drive me off the wall. I did some researh and come to this:

Meditation for Dummies (goto amazon and search for Meditation for Dummies).

Rafael, I started meditation while back and still doing it now. It feel so good and it will calm your anxiety and it will calm your blood pressure big time.

I kidding you not! While back, everytime I visit dr office and they always test my blood pressure - my blood pressure alway end up very high. So everytime I went to the dr office, my blood go way up there.

So, after I practice meditation for some time, I went back to dr office,

and my blood pressure was always seem very good. I mean every time & always good.

You need a lot patience and it doesn't work over night by the way, and it will not work if you skip a day and do it the next day. You have to do it every day. If you can do it more than one time a day -would be extremly good. Check out the --> meditation for dummies at amazon. It will explain all the good stuff......

It is not difficult - but you need to clear your mind when you begin this...

You have to do it every day and if you can you do it a few time a day would be better. You do this for at least a month, and you will feel WOW - amazing. Even though I have pain with reflux, but when I do meditation everyday, my energy level go way up and I feel really really good and calm.  

I learned this meditation from many people and research from the web too.

My co-worker told me about this too. At first I didn't believe it, until a month later.

Wow - it really work - but you have to give it time and patient.

Rafael, if you get a chance, look into this - hope this may help you.

You have nothing to loose - but everything to gain. It may help you channel some energy to your weak link area and who know - it may even make you feel better.

For sure, anxiety, blood pressure, etc., will improve big time.

If I fell well  someday, I will pratice the next good thing - Qi Gong.

I heard that if you marry Meditation +Qi Gong together - your health and energy level will be very very good... Anyway, I am learning as I go...

Take care.

Marie

Post Edited (mariex800) : 11/1/2009 5:57:16 PM (GMT-7)

Alcie, I am taking the PPIs only because my GI specialist told me it might help to regenerate my eroded esophogus, if thats why I was having the pain and swelling. I'm not to worried about Motrin causing me to overproduce acid any more. I can lay down just after eating a full meal or drinking with no ill effect. I'm good there.

Marie, The celexa doesnt give me any bad side effects. But any anti depresent can cause you to become more depressed. That was the case with other anti depresants for me untill I found the rite one. The only side effects are weight gain and a b it of feeling "dry". Crying is nearly impossible.

We went to the park today and with the Motrin I was actually able to have a good time with my family. It also helped me eat a bit more. When I have the pain in my esophogus I dont even want to deal with eating.

I have noticed in the last few days that I have been burping tiny little burps. No acid with them though.

Rafael

 

Hi All,

Hopefully each day will be better.  I had my surgery a year ago and can say that I have had very few problems since. My esophogus is weak also.  This is why my surgeon did a loose wrap.  It was to my knowledge a full wrap but loose.  With the weak esophogus a tight wrap would have caused lots of problems, things getting stuck etc.  I had a hiatial hernia that was also fixed.  I have no reflux.  But I did not have heartburn before, just lots of mucus and cough. 

I really think that if you had a lot of heartburn your esophogus will take longer to heal and the PPI's may help this, if you esophogus is also weak you have even more problems.  I agree with the other posts, if your doctor can't help you at all you need to find another one.

For anyone going to have the surgery, please find the best bariatric surgeron you can find.  They specialize in this surgery and know what they are doing.

Hope everyone has a great weekend, I am off tomorrow and will look to see how everyone is doing on Monday.

Jayne

Marie,

No, but when I would cough until I threw up it would be bile. 

Yes, gas is a problem, GI dr says that is the hardest thing to stop.  I use gas-x and it helps a lot.

But then I have chrons and gas is part of that also.

I have a loose wrap not a tight wrap because of the swallow problem the surgeon stated that he could offer me a loose wrap.  No problems with swallowing from eating that I have had at all.  The only thing that I can tell now is that use to I could swallow asprin type pills without water.  Now I make sure I have water around.  My swallow problem isn't terrible, otherwise I couldn't have had the nissen.

Jayne

Marie,

I would think that maybe they need to do another 24hr ph test to see.

I can't imagine that the wrap is too loose.  Although it may have come loose and need to be redone.

Gone for the weekend.  Email me next week and let me know how you are doing. 

Jayne