Hi Gooch,You're definitely in the right place! Bill is very experienced with redos, as you can see from his responses. There are many here who have had Nissens, so there's a tremendous amount of experience and support to be shared.
There are a couple of things that come to mind when describing your symptoms post-op. First, you have had a lot of tissue inflammation and damage for the years prior to your surgery, and between whenever it failed and now. All that inflammation (presumably esophaitis, maybe gastritis) will take time to heal. The esophagus is a "dumb organ" (I was told that by my surgeon) and it interprets all pain as heartburn.
As Bill said, there will be swelling at the wrap site during the first two or three weeks, so it is not sealing the stomach off the way it will once the swelling has subsided. Are you on a PPI right now? It would make sense, as it would protect the healing wrap and esophagus from any errant reflux.
Another thing that can be happening is that food and liquid is sitting in your esophagus at the wrap site, so it's possible that what you're experiencing is not reflux from your stomach, but rather reflux of the contents (it can ferment and get pretty irritating) of the food and drink that doesn't make it through the swelled wrap. It is a common issue during the early recovery weeks, and should resolve once the swelling subsides.
I didn't have burning symptoms, but my lungs were my reason to have the surgery. They were extremely unhealthy as a result of reflux, and it had become a "life threatening issue" according to my PCP. I can tell you that I didn't see any improvement of that issue until two and a half months after surgery. It took that long for my lungs to heal.
I know you were burned by the first surgery, and that makes you even more suspicious of continuing symptoms this time around, but it's very likely that these symptoms will subside as you heal. Believe me, I had the same fears you're having, and was almost afraid to mention heartburn symptoms. It's scary to have gone through a procedure like this (and you've done it twice within a year) and think that it wasn't successful.
I would also expect that the recovery this time around will be tougher, since the first surgery never completely healed (while most of the healing occurs by six months, it takes a full year for the remainder).
Do you have anti-nausea drugs just in case you feel sick? You won't want to vomit, as it will compromise your wrap. Be sure to ask for an anti-nausea prescription if you don't have one. Many take Zofran or Phenegran. I find Compazine suppositories to be very effective. I've had two stomach viruses since my surgery 3 years ago, so have had a chance to test them out!
Again, glad you've joined us. Hang in there...it's tough in the early weeks.
Take care,
Denise