Posted 7/22/2022 2:43 PM (GMT 0)
Just wanted to post my story here. I have had a Nissen Fundoplication in February 2021. The surgery itself went fine, I was released after 1 night in hospital. Drinking went well and I also adjusted to eating solids some time after. I did experience a few "scary" moments, I'll share them here:
1) When I got home, it took me a couple of days before I was able to defecate. It was really scary as it just seemed to be totally blocked. Taking laxatives did not help and I strained quite a lot in despair as I feared I would need to go to the hospital to get help with this "awkward" problem. Lesson Nr 1. : take laxatives as soon as you know you'll be discharged from the hospital.
2) Just 2 weeks or so after surgery, I caught a cold from our toddler and started coughing really bad. At certain points it also hurt quite a lot. It put quite a lot of pressure on my abdomen.
3) In week 10 or 11, I went for dinner with a friend and took a dish that was made with quite a lot of fat. I experienced what people refer to as "dumping" (I thought this only occurred in gastric bypasses): urgent need to go to the toilet, feeling nauseous, dry heaving for hours on end. So scared my wrap might become undone. Lessons learned: don't eat very buttery (fatty) foods that fast after you got a Nissen. Always have a (powerful) antiemetic (like Litican) with you. In all, I have had around 5 or 6 dumping episodes in year 1. I haven't yet experienced them in year 2.
I had a check-up (gastroscopy) in month 6 (I asked for it given all that happened). First time I asked sedation (not full anesthesia) to reduce the gag reflex). All was well! The wrap was intact.
All in all: the Nissen completely changed my life for the better. Stupid that I continued PPIs for so long (10 years that they poisoned my body with those). Why is it amazing: no heartburn, no diarrhea anymore (due to ppi), it seems I feel less anxious.
What I still experience:
1) I can't burp: the gas still needs to find a way out though. So after drinking carbonated drinks (which I avoid), I still experience cramps and I pass more gas than before. This can be inconvenient, especially when at parties...
2) Floating stool: albeit less frequent than before (when I was on PPI). It's probably due to gas that mixes with the stool.
3) A clicking sound in my chest when I drink something in the morning (and it is really quiet around me): this reassures me the wrap is still there though :-D.
4) My bowels can make an awful lot of noise right after eating. While I had problems with delayed gastric emptying when on PPIs, I feel it is now more the reverse!
5) I still sometimes experience some (very light) nausea/food aversion when being served fatty foods. My stomach can't seem to take what it used to anymore. I try to take care of my wrap too (still avoid carbonated drinks like sodas, sparkling wine or beer).
Conclusion: would I do it again? Absolutely! Would I have liked to read a post like this: definitely! It would have saved me from a lot of (unnecessary) anxiety.