Cleveland Clinic Anyone?

Hi All,
Has anyone had a Nissen or redo done at the Cleveland Clinic? I live in the Western NY area, and wonder if there are any other centers or clinics that might have more experienced surgeons who are skilled at doing redo surgeries?

My severe coughing during my post-op period (asthma) did damage to my wrap, and I'm getting some bile reflux. It didn't start until I had a bad cough due to an upper respiratory infection last January. I think I finished off the job with that coughing.

I'm taking Carafate Suspension, but since mid August I've been gradually getting back into lung problems. I don't want to wait until I'm as bad as I was. I know the surgery solves the problem...it did for about a year, even with the damage.

Let me know if you know of anyone.
Denise

Thanks, Kitt. I used the search function and found out that Janice got her Nissen surgery done there. I've sent her an email to see if she has any insights.

When you travel far for surgery, can you arrange for follow up locally, or do you have to make the trip each time? I don't like the idea of going out of my area, but it is hard to fine people experienced in re-dos even in a medium sized city.

I'm going to be aggressively looking into what's going on with my wrap. The barium swallow was basically useless, although now that's been done, maybe we can move on to other testing. It showed an intact hernia repair, and what looks consistent with an intact wrap. However I retained barium in my esophagus, and air from my stomach sent it up and down the esophagus.

I know that it's not acting right, and I can taste bile at times. Although I can swallow fine, it acts odd, and things kind of get hung up at it. Water backs up, too. I can live with all that just fine, if it weren't for my asthma. My lungs aren't nearly as bad as it was before the surgery, and they cleared up beautiful for the first year...I think that bad upper respiratory infection I had at Christmastime finished the job I started when I coughed nonstop post surgery.

Now that I'm having lung symptoms I'm kicking myself for not pursuing this in the spring. I knew I was having bile reflux, and my lungs were still good. I should have known that eventually they'd be effected.

Oh well, hindsight is always 20-20!
Now my asthma doc is out of town for two weeks...never fails!

Hope all is well with you, and you're enjoying the fall foliage. Have you hit peak color yet? We haven't here, but Lake Placid was absolutely beautiful. I feel very lucky to get to enjoy peak color twice this year! Fall is my favorite season...I love the crisp cool air, the clouds and sunshine, the smell of the leaves, and of course, the beauty. I love having a fire in the fireplace, eating homemade soup for dinner, wearing sweaters again--not being boiling hot!

I'm sure there are many who will disagree and love the hot summer...some hate fall because it's the harbinger of winter, but I love winter, too! The only season that is hard for me is that in between time between winter and spring--cold, wet, ice, etc. At that point everyone is ready to move on to summer! Of course I love summer after a long winter!

Each season is wonderful.
I digress!
Take care,
Denise

That's what I thought, Bill. I emailed her, but haven't heard anything.
Hope you're doing well. We've missed you!
Denise