Baffled by nissen Fundoplication.

 Hi,just had a barium meal test today because ive been having a lot of problems,with nausea,belching,white tongue,palpitations and  it was so bad i ended up in casualty yesterday. I was convinced my wrap was loose,the radiographer says the wrap is too tight,the barium is sitting in my esophagus and just dripping through? Im totally baffled by this,can anyone explain whats goin on and what can be done to fix it.Im coming up to 11 weeks post nissen. Thanks Barry

Hi Barry,

If your wrap is too tight the food/drink that you're eating is also sitting at the wrap site the way the barium is.  That food/drink can ferment and irritate the esophagus and actually reflux up even to your mouth (especially if you burp...the air escaping from the burp can send it all the way to your mouth--I had that experience).

Fermented food and trapped medication can irritate and create reflux-like pain as it waits to make its way slowly through the wrap.  Believe me...it can mimic reflux perfectly.  I'm positive that if your wrap was too loose you wouldn't have gotten that result. 

So...what to do?  I'm quite sure your GI doc will want to dilate the wrap and loosen it up a bit.  It may take more than one procedure, as I'm sure he/she will want to take it slow so as not to make it too loose.  He/she will dilate it a bit...then see if it helps...and go from there.

Hang in there.  It will get better with healing.

Denise

Hi Barry,

You're definitely not stuck like that.  You're still healing, and there are a lot of improvements that will occur over the next months.  It really sounds as if your stomach is very irritated (very likey from the assult of the surgeons and the wrap that was created.  It's hard to remember the trauma of surgery when it's done laproscopically.

Everyone heals differently.  Try to relax if you can.  Follow up with your doctor and see if you can get some help for the immediate symptoms. 

Hang in there!

Denise