I had an appointment with the surgeon I was referred to yesterday. My ENT referred me to him. I asked my GI doc what he thought, and he told me to be cautious. I was really nervous about
the appointment, but it went well and to my surprise I actually liked the doctor.
We discussed my options, which are TIF or nissen fundoplication. My doctor said that there are very specific qualifiers for TIF, but I meet them, so that's what I chose. He explained that if the procedure were to fail, we could always do a nissen. He's not offering the Linx to patients yet, but will be in the next 6 months or so. If I thought insurance would pay for it, I'd wait, but I've heard one too many bad experiences that people have had with Linx and United Healthcare.
I feel like I can trust this surgeon, but my GI doctor is absolutely against any kind of surgery for me. The problem is that he hasn't told me what else he can do for me. I have an appointment in mid-March, but I'm pretty sure he isn't going to be able to offer me any other kind of treatment. I'm already on a high dose of PPIs and he's dilated my esophagus twice. I don't think there's much left for me except surgery.
My surgery is scheduled for April 23, so I have some time to change my mind. However, I really want this condition resolved so I can finally get back to living instead of worrying about suffering with these symptoms forever. But my GI doctor's concerns are making me nervous about the procedure.
I already know my ENT is in favor of the surgery, as is the surgeon. But should I seek another surgeon's opinion?