Nissen fundoplication so many questions

Please look on page 2 or 3 of this forum and find this post by Dencha....My Recovery Journal from 2/09 Nissen.. she gives and accurate and detailed account of her recovery from right before surgery and on.

if you are having the lap Nissen done you will be in the hospital from 1-3 days. a few days longer if it is the open one.

I can tell you that before the surgery I was miserable and after the surgery I have been better than I have ever been.. there are restrictions, but none that would deter me from having this done again if it was necessary...... as far as starving, the first several days you will not feel like eating very much and you will not be able to eat an amount equal to what you had been eating.. they use part of your stomach for the wrap. I was frightened too.. I am 62 and I had never had a major surgery of any kind.. and the things I had read were less than encouraging.. but I came here and I began to lurk around and read the post and I found out that ... yes there is some pain.. it's surgery for goodness sake.. but, the benefits out weigh the issues.. I haven't taken a Nexium since the morning of my surgery.. I can sleep on my back and most importantly.. NO REFLUX!!! I had asthma for years that turned out to be reflux induced.. there are so many things that I felt that had other explanations that are now gone.. they were caused by the reflux and Hiatal Hernia I had.. I have been fortunate.. some say that for a day or so after surgery they still have a hint of reflux but then it goes away...
the most important part of the Nissen is the surgeon.. a well qualified surgeon makes all the difference in the world.. my surgeon had performed a thousand or more of these in his 36 year career as a surgeon.. and the next most important part is your diet... full liquids for the 1st 2 weeks.. that is the time in which your wrap is swelling and sometimes it is difficult to swallow anything except liquid.. it can be things like.. cream of wheat, yogurt (as you tolerate it) broth, consomme (my staple in the 1st 2 weeks because it is so rich) I also put beef vegetable soup in the blender and drank it.. it was very good.. you can put most anything you want in the blender.. as long as it is pureed you can have it if your stomach tolerates it.. usually if you ate it before you can eat it then.. once the 3 week mark is reached, you can begin to introduce soft foods like baked or broiled fish and well cooked pasta.. I liked the Alfredo sauces on the pasta instead of spaghetti sauce because the Alfredo doesn't have as much tomato acid.. easier on the tummy... from the beginning you must learn to LET YOUR BODY TELL YOU WHEN TO DO IT AND WHAT TO EAT OR NOT EAT...believe me it will let you know if what you are eating or doing is acceptable..
these are not difficult things to do in recovery, you will feel fairly good by the end of the 2nd week and you will lose some weight simply because you cannot eat as much in the beginning...

For a more detailed account please find the thread I mentioned at the beginning.. Dencha is a veteran member and a great person... she is one of the many wonderful people here who will help support you through your surgery, recovery and beyond if you wish to stay with us as a part of our wrapped club.. you achieve that status after the surgery....
If you have more questions please let us know and someone will come in and help you.. or at time several of us will come reply to give you several view points.. welcome to the forum.. please stay with us...
SANDI

Post Edited (kyheart) : 8/13/2011 7:49:40 AM (GMT-6)

I am trying to find the Journal to see what she says. My Hiatal Hernia has caused so many problems for me. It's been very difficult this past year.
I'd like to see her journals before, during and after. I got my letter from the doctor for the pre-surgery things, and my list of after surgery.
It just doesn't feel real yet. August 25th is the day. I am weak, and tired. I hardly eat anything because everything causes problems for me.
Can you link that thread for her Journal to me?

Hi Aug25myturn,

Welcome to Healing Well! You are DEFINITELY in the right place. The feelings you're having right now are the same feelings we all had facing surgery. I was fortunate enough to have found this forum before my surgery (February 2009), and the good people here helped me so much that I decided to stick around and help others the way I was helped.

The link to the re-posting of my first days after my surgery is here:
www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=45&m=2183443

Like you, (although I came with different symptoms) I waited far too long, and only decided to have the surgery when I got to the end of my rope. My doctor told me that my condition was life-threatening, and that I needed to try the surgery. My issue was lung related, as you will see if you read my thread.

I hope that you'll get a good idea of what to expect when you read it. There are many here who can share their experiences and provide you with lots of support and information. You're in a good place!

Hey, you're getting wrapped on my anniversary! Good luck to you. Hope you stick around and ask whatever questions you have. There are a lot of very caring members here.

Take care,
Denise

Gina
First of all.. you can come here as often as you like and ask all of the questions you have.. no matter what.. most of us have been through exactly what you are going through right now.. some easier some worse.. but we all know what you are going through.. as you think of questions write them down and when you come on here just ask..
one or all of us will have and opinion or experience to answer you with..
if you are concerned about being sick when you come out of the anesthetic, please tell your doctor of your concerns and they can put a patch on you before you come out from under to keep you from throwing up.. also if the imitrex is a tablet, can it be crushed.. you can take it with pudding or something.. if not there is always a way to get around this issue.. don't worry.. it can be dealt with... as for the pain.. I took pain meds for about 2 1/2 weeks after I got home.. they give you pain meds in your IV in the hospital.. if you get nauseous let your doctor know and he will give you an alternative... you should also ask for anti-nausea medication to take home with you. I carry those with me all the time just in case.. there is always a way around what ever obstacle you encounter...
The changes you are about to go through, even though you will have some restrictions, are the good kind of changes... I am 62 and I would go through it again in a heartbeat if necessary.. the 1st 2 weeks are the most difficult to deal with.. the liquid diet and all.. but after that it is all down hill..
Please bring your fears to the forum and we will try to support you and help you understand what is coming and after, what is happening and why..
Remember to REACH for the Sunshine and the Rainbows will follow...
Sandi

Post Edited (kyheart) : 8/13/2011 8:42:52 PM (GMT-6)

Hi Gina,

I'm two weeks out from my NF tomorrow morning at 9 am. My reflux is gone and the recovery to this point hasn't been too bad. Better in many ways than I expected and worse in others.

I think maybe the further some people get from their actual days of suffering with GERD the easier it might be to remember their recovery through maybe rose "tinted" glasses. I almost died from a gangrenous gall bladder nearly 17 years ago and the surgery for it was major due to the huge size of my gall bladder. I can tell you this much after 17 years, I remember feeling better because the toxic gall bladder was removed but I don't have much recollection at all of the weeks of recovery that followed. Time has a way of doing that for us.

Only being two weeks out from surgery I cannot attest to many of the real benefits from or obstacles after surgery. I only know my reflux is gone at this point. I hope when the swelling at the wrap site settles down that all is still well and I'm counting on it being that way.

I can tell you this much - if you have any other issues affecting your health or how you feel you may or may not notice much change with those issues. I have sleep apnea and the doctor thought since it was positional sleep apnea that it might get better since I can now sleep on my back and not have acid. Even after surgery I still cannot sleep on my back but now I can't wear my sleep apnea breathing machine (CPAP) due to the swelling in my esophagus and the inflammation there as well as in my nose and sinuses.

Everyone is SO different. I have three friends/personal acquaintances who have been through this surgery and each of them is totally different from the others. Reading here is good and it is helpful in that you'll receive all the encouragement you could ever ask for and the moderators/veteran members really do care a great deal.

That being said, it's good to realize that you are an individual and even though your surgery is done right and you recuperate well, your experience will not be exactly like anyone else's.

Come back and keep the forum posted. And I do wish you the best.
The last little bit before the surgery is the roughest time or at least it was for me.

Take care,
Rita