12 days post-fundo surgery - any advice please?

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I believe you are now an official member of the Wrapped Club which we laughingly refer to our members who have had the surgery.



Many here have had the surgery and I know they will be able to help you through your recovery.



Stick with us and know we care.



Kindly,



Kitt

Hi Mum
You probably shouldn't be taking the charcoal without an OK from your doctors. I took Gas-X, but it didn't help at all. These products aren't going to magically eliminate gas in the stomach. The way we do that pre-op is through burping, and now we can't (although you might get some of that ability back later).

So the best way to eliminate gas in the stomach is, first don't eat or drink anything fizzy. It may help to not drink while you are eating. I think that helps a little.

Most of the gas though, is from the gas-producing bacteria in the gut. It may feel like it's all in the stomach, but there's a great big gut loop just underneath that makes noise and feels gas pain too. Beano in huge quantities might help you, but did nothing for me.

Research gas-producing foods! There's tons of info on the web. A lot of the foods you previously loved don't love you now. So for the healing period, don't eat them. Broccoli, beans, tofu ... Rice doesn't make gas. Meats are ok too. Introduce very small amounts of fruits and vegetables slowly because they are the culprits along with grains. The starches and sugars are food for the bacteria.

Good luck and keep posting.

The diarrea will gradually fade away. Your stomach is adjusting still. I found if I decrease my milk intake, take stool softner, and increase my fiber (the mix-in kind) the gas fades some.

I didn't have that great of follow-up either. One phone call and a paper on what to eat. Of course my surgeon was a five hour drive away. :(

Joy

Hi Oscar's Mum,
Congratulations on becoming part of the "Wrapped Club" here at the Healing Well forum! Welcome! This forum was a lifesaver for me as I made the decision to have the surgery, prepared for it, and recovered from my February 2009 fundoplication surgery.

It sounds like you're experiencing some "dumping syndrome". It's a pretty common side effect as your revised GI tract recovers and gets used to the changes. This too will pass. It becomes less and less prevalent as you heal. I had stretches where it occurred fairly often within the first post-op year, and stretches where it didn't occur at all. Knock wood...I haven't had any for at least five or six months. Not to say it won't happen occasionally. I have a very sensitive stomach lining, and I noticed when I irritated my wrap by eating something rough or really acidic it would get things going. In my case I could always tell when it was coming, because I'd hear lots of gurgling in my GI tract.

There are lots of little quirky things that occur during recovery. It's important to be flexible and not to overreact to every little thing. Our first inclination is to think the worst and panic unnecessarily. Relax, and let your body lead the way toward healing. Try not to get too impatient.

Be sure to remember to continue with small bites and lots of chewing. I was told by my surgeon that talking while eating introduces additional air into the stomach, thus increasing gas bloat.

Good luck with going back to work. Take it slow and try to get plenty of rest. Remember--although the laproscopic surgery leaves us without much surgical pain, our insides were mixed up pretty severely--I've heard it described as an "egg beater". We can't see the healing, but it's going on. Take care of yourself and don't get too frisky!
Take care and best wishes!
Denise

Hello,
Sounds like you are doing much better than I did. I had my NF done on March 1st this year and it was pure hell the first 6 weeks.
I was in ICU for 3 days (that is where my Dr. puts his NF patients), no food given. When I was released I was given a package listing my directions and what foods I could eat when I advanced to the soft food diet. For the first 10 days I was on a liquid diet only and then the next 3 weeks I was on a soft food diet. I saw my Doctor 3 times during the first 6 weeks. 2 visits were a check up and to see how I was doing and one visit was from the excruciating left shoulder/arm pain so he had an X-ray done to make sure nothing was wrong other than the Vegus nerve being affected because of my swollen esophagus/stomach. That took 3 weeks to go away and one day I woke up and it was gone.
The constipation was brutal for me and that lasted 4 weeks. Once I started eating “normal” foods and stopped the pain meds (due to the shoulder), things seemed to work out.
The worst part for me was when I took too big of a bite of food and didn’t chew well and it got stuck in my esophagus which caused nasty pain and then a choking feeling, I then threw it up and I felt better. I am grateful I can burp on my own.
The other part was the nausea; I was on a prescription medicine for the nausea and had to take the medicine twice a day on certain days. This has now passed since 2 weeks ago.
Every one on this forum told me each month they got better and they weren’t kidding. Every 4 weeks I seemed to get over a hump.
I am now feeling GREAT!!! I even have my energy back and I rarely take my prescription stomach meds, Tums do the trick if needed. I still have to be careful about chewing and swallowing because if I eat too fast or “forget” about the chewing then it still gets stuck and I have to throw it up, but other than that, I’m feeling pretty good.
The last thing I am waiting to get back to normal is the gas!!! Yes I lived on Gas-X pills for about 4 weeks, I took one every night after I ate dinner as that is when I bloated up and had a lot of pain and discomfort. I no longer take them as that isn’t an issue BUT the “farting gas” now hits late afternoon and all evening. It makes it hard when I am around friends. The other weird thing is if I “hold them in” like I did last week as we were at a party, they don’t go away, they seem to pile up and then come out when I allow them too. Sorry if this is too personal but this type of gas is really annoying!!!!! They can smell terrible or not smell and are SO LOUD that you can’t sneak one out!! So I have to laugh at this side effect and pray that things get back to normal because this is not something I look forward to when I have to go out to functions.
I am happy to hear that you are doing so well!!! At this rate you will heal faster than I did.
Best to you and keep me posted on how you are doing!!

Mam1298

Not to make light of your situation, but I almost fell off my chair laughing when talk about passing gas. My girl friend call me the Last Air Bender. Even before I had this surgery I pass a lost of gas, so I dont even notice if I am passing more gas or less. I think that its good to have a good scenes of humor going forward after this surgery.

The air bending does not go away. We have to learn to control it through diet. Search some of the gas-roducing foods lists! Especially avoid sugars and starches.

You will also find that certain foods make gas stinky. These are mainly sulfur-containing foods like eggs, asparagus, beans and so forth.

Hi Mam,
I don't have as severe gas as some, but I do get it daily--some days are worse than others. I wouldn't give up hope quite yet...you're still in the early stages of healing...it takes a good year to complete it.

I'm sure some of the gas is produced by a complaining GI tract that was recently revised. It's not happy. Most of it is a result of the fact that the upper escape route (burping) has been curtailed, and the gas you get has to escape somewhere! That's when it takes the subway and exits in the rear!

Hey, you're not alone. Goodness...my husband hasn't had the wrap, and he's got plenty of problems himself!
Hang in there...
Denise

Sorry, but if your wrap is working well, gas has nowhere to go but ....    At least you can be happy your wrap works. 

Google a bunch of pages, and I do mean a bunch, on gas-producing foods.  Pay special attention to the sections on smelly gas. 

To start with, when I found out I am suffering from excess gas, (no doctor will even talk about it, and the nurse will recommend dilation  - NO! I want the wrap to work, not wreck it!!) I limited my diet severely to foods like rice that don't cause gas.  I have added other foods in small quantities slowly.  I still avoid smelly foods like the plague if I will be around people.

At the company Christmas party I got a big laugh when we were served asparagus, which everyone enjoyed.  about 45 min later I detected a rising odor of sulfur in the room and saw people heading for the rest rooms.  I have a nose like a bloodhound, told my husband about it.   So you see, it's not just us wrappers (wrappies, wrappets?) who do embarrassing things.  High school and college guys are even proud of it! (Beer is a huge smelly gas-maker.)

No the gas will not stop by itself, but you can control it by limiting gas foods.  Also you can try eating and drinking separately.  No slurpy sipping, no straws ...  I haven't had any luck with those suggestions.  Holding your cheeks?  Ha,ha,ha!

Beano and other enzymes may work for some.  I've had no luck with them.  

Surgeons don't deal with gas.  Slice and dice is their thing.  Gastro docs ignore the question, bypass answering, refer to the slicers. 

OMG Joy that's hilarious! Squeaks to fog horns. Haha I don't have a problem with it sneaking out since I have a colostomy. I have no control even if I tried. I don't seem to have much gas, at least not more than before the surgeries.

I was in a fancy department the other day with my niece talking to a sales person. I felt a small squeak. I had hope no one heard it.

I walked off with my niece and she whispered to me...
Did you poot in front of that lady?

I'll walk across the room and it will go in rhythm with my steps!

Joy

Im lookin 4ward to joinin the tootin club soon lol......