Should I get a Nissens Fundaplication Surgery or Not?

Hi there I had a Nissan done 4 weeks ago tomorrow I had put up with my symptoms for 20 years ,I had just been given tablet after tablet ,and nothing ever worked I used to vomit in my sleep ,I also had my gall bladder out at the same time and have to say I feel fantastic the surgery is amazing upto now I have no pain no heartburn n feel really good less anything is about to change I would say go for it as it fab ,n as u stated earlier bein left this can cause serious things ie cancer of the osophegus so I would consider getting the surgery ,as for college I took two weeks of work and think you would be fine goin to college but will say u get very tired half way thru the day .if you go or it I wish u luck n hope u feel as good as I do . Sue x

Sophrie,

I have not had any surgeries, but have to say, I agree with MultiFundo's comments. You should probably consult with your GI Doc and determine how serious your issue is but if you are going to have the surgery, you are going to have to be diligent during your recovery and to me, it sounds like you may not "be at that point" in your life yet.... I have two girls, already graduated from college and I know what the college life is like and can say that I bet that it would be very difficult to adhere to strict protocol at this time.


Best luck to you with you decision.

I am so sorry that your wrap may be failing Smokie,

I needed the second surgery about 8 years after my first one because of a massive failure. I had the first one in 2000, when there were very few doctors doing the laproscopic surgery, and the techniques were pretty new. Some data suggests a very high failure rate by the 10 year mark from those original surgeries. In my case, it looks like the original surgeon did not properly close off the hole in the diaphragm, allowing the stomach to re-herniate to over 50%, and the wrap to eventually tear apart.

I went to a completely different surgeon for #2 -- specifically an expert in redo procedures. That second procedure was pretty necessary.

After about a year an a half, it looks like the mesh repair to my diaphragm began to tear at the back of the esophagus. That little tear allowed a small hernia to pop back up, and every time I ate I began tearing the diaphragm a little more. I went back to the same surgeon, who was already securing the stomach and mesh using a new technique. He was grateful I came back because it gave him a chance to see what works and what doesn't. So, surgery #3 included a new mesh repair with surgical rivets, a renewed wrap with 4 running stitches, and a anterior gastropexy (my stomach is sewed to the abdomen now).

I STRONGLY recommend looking for a surgeon who *ONLY* does redos. Most surgeons who claim to do them do them very infrequently and are not clued in to the issues presented by a patient who's body continues to reherniate or tear the wrap. Some will suggest things like installing a feeding port (even temporarily), beginning with an open procedure, or planning on lengthening the esophagus without really investigating first. My surgeon spends half of his time doing research on how to improve the surgery.

You may need to travel, but I beg you not to allow just any surgeon to cut you open again. I actually went to several doctors, got several recommendations, and made lots of phone calls before I picked. And, I even ended up firing a surgeon after we got through all of the testing because I lost confidence in his approach.

A sobering fact is that each successive surgery had a longer recovery and a larger failure rate going forward. However, I attribute the larger failure rate to sub-par surgeons doing the redos.