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Gas after Nissen Fundiplication

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GERD & Acid Reflux
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Posted 7/24/2011 10:20 AM (GMT 0)
Hey guys,

I just had the nissen fundiplication surgery on friday. I'm struggling with a lot of gas. Any reason how to reduce this? Also, for ppl that have had the surgery, how long does it take for the gas pain to go away?

Thanks
Posted 7/24/2011 3:08 PM (GMT 0)
Hi arsenal009,

Sorry you're having trouble with bloating. It is common after a wrap--especially a fairly tight one. On the bright side, it definitely means you're not refluxing, as it's caused by the fact that you're not able to burp, and the gas has to wait and go out the "back door".

Some people have found Gas-X to be helpful. You're in the early stages, I doubt you're eating anything particularly gassy, but that is an issue later on. You'll want to try BEANO once you're eating regular foods, and you come upon one that's known to be gassy.

Be sure you don't drink from a straw, as that allows additional air into your stomach. No carbonated drinks, for obvious reasons. Also, I was told not to talk while eating, as that also causes you to swallow additional air.

As far as how long it lasts...it's variable. I believe the worst of it goes away fairly soon, but the problem with releasing gas can last several months. Get a dog, so you can blame him! I'm two and a half years out, and it rarely bothers me, but occasionally, for some reason, I can get an episode of bloat and fart!

Hang in there! It'll get better. I'm sure others will be by soon to offer their own experiences and advice.

Happy Healing!
Denise
Posted 7/24/2011 4:21 PM (GMT 0)
arsenal009-
Once again great advice from Denise. Also us GERD sufferers tend to swallow more air due to swallowing more often to keep things down there. At least that's what my GI says. And it takes us a while to learn not to swallow so much air. Unfortunately this is part of the recovery process for this surgery and it seems there is no exact time as too when it will go away, sorry.
Oh.... Welcome to the "wrapped club"!

Take care,
Bill
Posted 7/24/2011 5:09 PM (GMT 0)
Oh Yes!
How did I miss it! Like Bill, I'd like to
Welcome you to our Healing Well
yeah yeah yeah yeah Wrapped Club! yeah yeah yeah
Glad you've joined us! Here's hoping that you have a speedy and comfortable recovery. Any questions? Ask away. That's what we're here for.
Take care,
Denise
Posted 7/24/2011 11:50 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks guys!

I got another question. I used to cough about 100 times a day. Now I'm coughing about 20 times. Will it get better, or will I still cough everyday?

Thanks
Posted 7/25/2011 12:15 AM (GMT 0)
Sounds like you may have had a similar issue as Denise and Joy too I believe. The acid was irritating their lungs, but I can see where it could cause a cough if it was to irritate a certain area of your throat too. I think it is a good possibility your cough could go away once everything is healed in there.
Remember your insides will heal slower than the outside. Things may get a bit worse the next week or two due to swelling, it will get better.

Take care,
Bill
Posted 7/25/2011 12:27 AM (GMT 0)
My coughing slowly faded away as my throat healed. Before you notice you will not be coughing anymore. I think mine would of been gone sooner if I hadn't caught pneumonia after surgery.
Posted 7/25/2011 2:38 AM (GMT 0)
Welcome to the Wrapped Club...

I am 16 weeks out and I coughed half the day and half the night... and yes, the coughing has almost completely gone away.. I clear my throat or cough a couple times a day.. normal...
as I was told, your wrap will probably swell until around the 14th day.. then it will progressively go down and things will ease a bit..
please listen to what your body tells you that you can and cannot do believe me it will tell you..... and please listen to what your surgeon suggests about your diet... and ask all the questions here that you want.. I knew nearly nothing of what to expect until I came here.. it was a blessing for me and my recovery...

again.. welcome and hope to hear from you again...
Have a great nite and wonderful morning..
Sandi
Posted 7/25/2011 1:38 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks again guys!

BTW, I woke up this morning with a bit of reflux (burning) & heart burn. Is this normal???

Thanks
Posted 7/25/2011 8:05 PM (GMT 0)
I had a couple of attacks during my recovery. It's normal during the swelling process. I found that something like liquid antiacid helped for this time.
Posted 7/26/2011 2:21 AM (GMT 0)
I had surgery on July 1st and I did have heartburn a few days after surgery. I was really worried that my surgery did not work but the people on this site reassured me it was common. In my case they were right. I am now in my fourth week of recovery and have not had any reflux like symptoms since week two. I know it is hard but try to be patient. I feel better today than I have in years.
Posted 6/9/2017 3:28 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Everyone, I came across this website the other day. I was glad to find the information. I had the fundiplication surgery March 16, 2017. I had not been able to eat for about six weeks and lost around 20-23 pounds. Since I have been able to eat, I have developed what seems to be IBS. Horrible stomach cramps, and horrible gas. Sometimes constipation, sometimes diaherrea. Does this ever stop? Any suggestions. I am happy the heartburn and reflux is gone, but I am afraid to eat anything different especially when I am at work cause I'm not sure how it will react. Thanks.
Posted 6/9/2017 3:07 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Nan3968,
Welcome to the forums and the Wrapped club. This is a pretty old thread. You might consider posting a new thread with your questions. Gas and cramps can be such a problem post surgery. Folks here will have suggestions for you that might be helpful but often healing time is what it takes to clear up these post surgery symptoms. I'm 15 weeks post surgery and gas, cramps, constipation, and loosing weight are still symptoms I need to manage.
-Mark
Posted 6/9/2017 7:04 PM (GMT 0)
Nan:

It's very common to still have your symptoms after surgery. My suggestions would be to watch your sugar and dairy consumption and try taking some anti-gas medication. It should go back to normal, but you may still have some issues if you don't watch what you eat in the early stages. Unless you were overweight before the surgery, you will eventually start gaining some of the weight back. Your doctor should have given you a post-surgery diet to follow. Early on in recovery, if a certain food didn't agree with me I would temporarily go back to the post-surgery diet for a while and then try the food again. The diet that I followed was the UPMC post-Nissen diet.

And I agree with Mark, please start your own topic, and hopefully you will get more feedback.
Posted 6/10/2017 10:00 AM (GMT 0)
Hello,
The initial gas was the worst pain by miles. The only thing that helped was to get up and walk around slowly and I found stretching my shoulders and windmilling my arms eased it off too. Took just over a week to clear overall but wasn't quite a gradual decline in pain - some days it seemed to come back worse than before but it eventually went away just fine. Oramprph (morphine) given in hosp was the only thing that could kick it initially but home on day 2 I had to stay on top of my paracetamol and ibuprofen schedule as it was still too much to bear.
I hope you get through it ok. Im just over 3 weeks now, back at work and puzzling over each days feelings but overall miles better than the hopelessness of pre-surgery lifetlong medication.
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