Hello Everyone,
I am three weeks post-Nissen and thought I would post. As everyone always says, if you haven't had the surgery yet, remember that everyone heals differently.
My recovery has been remarkably unremarkable. I haven't taken any pain pills since day 4 post surgery. It took a full 2 weeks to totally get rid of the pain from air in my chest cavity. That was actually the most painful part. I also had spasms in my esophagus that were pretty painful every so often in the first couple of weeks.
I did a mixture of liquid and pureed diet the first two weeks. Week 2 was hell because I felt like I was hungry constantly. One night I went to a movie (and I do not recommend this!) and ate a big, fat, juicy hot dog with relish and mustard. The best hot dog I have ever had! I warned my friend that if I ran out mid-movie, the hot dog was the reason -- BUT, while perhaps I had more gas than usual there were no other ill effects. So, at this point, I am basically back to normal eating with a few exceptions - No steak, No Raw fruits & veggies, and No carbonation. There were the things that my surgeon said should be added to my diet very last.
My 5 incisions were glued with dermabond, which has all come off now and they are almost completely healed. I had some SERIOUS itching last week over the incisions, which the Nurse Practitioner told me today at my follow-up is cause by the body reacting to the dissolvable stitches in the stomach muscle and the recognition that it is a foreign substance to attach. Thankfully that is over!
My follow-up was uneventful and they released me officially from care. I go back to work Monday and I AM SO READY. After seeing the infomercial for "Pajama Jeans" 15 times in one day, I was very ready to go back to work.
If anyone has any questions I can answer about my personal experience, feel free to ask!
Sharlene