Cough just days before nissen fundoplication

Hi Laura,

I don't think from your symptoms, that they will cancel/postpone your surgery however, to be fair I'm not a doctor. They will assess you when you go into hospital. I don't think I'm being very helpful here but, I too had a cold that included a sore throat just 2 days before my planned surgery.

I recommend that you stay indoors and take lots of warm drinks and plenty of rest and hopefully your cough will go. There are still over 3 days before your surgery and so this should be enough time for things to clear up for you. Try not to worry, you will be fine, they know what they are doing and unless you have a real streaming cold/infection I don't think that they will not proceed. Good luck and take care.

Hi Laura,

This question is right up my alley. Believe me. They're not going to be worried about a little dry cough.

I had the surgery in Feb. 2009 due to the effect of GERD on my lungs/asthma. I got a lung infection just before the surgery was scheduled. Was I worried! Mine was a Catch 22. They couldn't ever get my lungs good enough for surgery, so they didn't bother to try.

I had the surgery regardless of my bad lungs. Believe me, they were filled with gunk. I did a nebulizer treatment before surgery, and the anesthesiologist gave me some meds in the anesthesia to keep my lungs open.

All went well. Although it took 2 and a half more months to get my lungs cleared up, they finally did, and I consider the surgery a success.

I'm telling you this because it shows how someone with a MUCH WORSE cough (my husband had to hit my back (lung PT) to help me cough gunk. After the surgery I ended up with both oral and injected antibiotics to help clear it up ASAP. (I'd already been on antibiotics, and I think the docs hoped that it had done the job)

I coughed severely during the first two months of recovery, and guess what? My wrap stayed intact and working. I had been on high doses of steroids for months, and my internal tissue was very fragile. The surgeon put in extra stitches to hold it, as he was worried that it was so fragile they wouldn't hold.

Don't worry about a little dry cough. After surgery, try sucking some hard candies (don't swallow them! maybe lollipops would be safer!) You'll want to hold a pillow against your belly when you cough to keep it from hurting as much. Ice on the incisions help, too.

Stick around here. There are lots of members who have had the surgery, and we can answer questions as you go along. We'll be your cheering squad!

Good luck with the surgery!
If you have any other questions before the big day, ask away!
Take care,
Denise

Hi Laura,
I totally know how scary it is to read posts on the internet chronicling how the surgery ruined someone's life, and warning you to never consider it for yourself.

I was there, too. The upside of doing research online is that you'll have a greater understanding of what to expect. The downside is finding posts like that. Long ago, before I had the surgery and knew how it would work for me, I wrote the following post (I thought you might find it helpful to read, considering your fears):

Nissen Surgery Failures...My Thoughts:
Yes, there are many very disturbing stories all over the internet--enough to scare anyone away from this procedure. I spent four years searching the web, looking for information to help me make an informed decision. The internet sources I searched out provided me with an overabundance of reasons not to go ahead with a surgical fix.

It is clear that pre-testing is crucial to ensuring that a patient will be helped by this surgery. Motility tests (manometry--tests the strength and effectiveness of your swallowing muscles, as well as the strength of the LES valve.), 24hr PH Monitor, Barium Swallow, and perhaps a stomach emptying study, are all tests that can spot problems that could complicate this surgery.

Choosing a skilled and experienced surgeon is also critical. A surgeon who does an overly tight wrap can create swallowing problems--especially in someone who has slipped through the testing cracks, and has a swallowing problem to begin with. Careful selection of a good candidate is most important. Don't rush your way towards surgery. Go to a good GI doc, and thoroughly explore all your options. Once you have a trusted specialist, it's likely that he/she will be able to recommend a surgeon who is skilled in the procedure. Then check that surgeon's credentials further.

Make an appointment with one or more surgeons...ask lots of questions. Just because you meet with someone doesn't mean you have to go through with surgery. My family doctor recommend a surgeon, and I met with him/had tests done/was told I was a good candidate for the surgery. I was not ready to make that decision, so I went back to my GI doc, who looked at the results of the tests the other surgeon did, and ordered an additional test. After testing was done and we discussed the results, he suggested that I just go and talk to the surgeon...no rush...just discuss the procedure, and start to think about what I wanted to do. I ended up meeting with his recommended surgeon twice, and made the decision to go through with the surgery.

Keep in mind that many, many people have a Nissen Fundoplication and never enter any comments in a forum online. It's more likely that people who had bad outcomes will search the web for reasons for their suffering. Many, many successful surgeries happen, and you just don't hear about them. The more problems a person has with the outcome, the more likely you'll hear about his/her poor results.

It is too early for me to know if I'll be in the ranks of the successful, or unsuccessful procedures. I understand that I can not speak with any authority in that regard.

I do know that as an open procedure, this is a 50 year old surgical method, so it must have helped many people for it to have lasted this long.

Laproscopic Nissen Fundoplication has been around a much shorter time (approx. 10 years, I believe, but I may be off on that number). From what I've read, the move to laproscopic Nissens has been beneficial, in that fewer surgeons are qualified for to do non-invasive procedures, and it creates a situation where a few surgeons get lots more Nissen surgeries--which provides ample opportunites for developing skills necessary for successful outcomes.

So yes...it seems that there is a disproportionally large number of Nissen failure when you read forums such as these. If you go to surgical sites, though...read medical journal entries, you will find that the success rate is quite high. That doesn't solve the problem for people who have had poor outcomes, but it should create more confidence in someone making the decision to have this life-changing surgery.

Don't let scary stories make up your mind for you. Do the work to find out if this procedure is right for you. Then make an informed decision and go with it. Best wishes to anyone trying to make this difficult decision.
Also...good luck to those who are struggling with surgeries that didn't work out the way you had hoped. I hope you all find solutions to your medical problems.

Thanks again to everyone who shares their experience and hope on this forum. It has made a big difference to a lot of people.

So relax, Laura. If you've had the proper tests, have a great surgeon, and have been judged a good candidate for the surgery, you're sure to do fine.
Good luck on Friday! As I said, if you have any additional questions, this is a good place to ask them.

Take care, and try not to worry.
Denise

Hi Laura,
I will be getting the surgery in 2012 when I clear up some issues with the insurance companies. I'm just curious who is your Surgeon in NYC? I wonder if you and will be using the sameone. Best of luck and please keep us posted as to his your feeling.

Thanks,
T.

Hey Laura,
Dr. Reiner? What hospital is he affiliated with? I am using Dr. Joshua Sonett from Columbia Pres. How many nissens has Dr. Reiner performed?

Hi tracks83

When I talk to Dr Reiner he told me he has been doing Niessens since 1990, he do it Laparoscopy, he is affiliated with Mount Sinai, and I think Lenox Hills also (I will get my surgery in Mount Sinai) the one in 96st, I think, he told me he has done more than 1000, he explain me that he always focus in don't make the things worst for the patient, he told me that those things of don't been able to vomit or belch after the surgery are things that shouldn't happen, he said that his statistics have been around 92-93% total success, 6-7% improve but still needs some medication ( which I tell you if i can make it to that 6-7%, I will be supper happy, because now I am miserable even with medication), the only one problem with this guy is that he is out of network for everybody, so he is expensive, but if you talk to him he will work with you, I talked to him, and basically told him that even when I have a good job now, I just got out of college, so I don't have a lot of money save. He was very well recommended by my gastroenterologist. I have heard also about Dr Sonett, and he is also very good.