Hi everyone,
It's been a few months since my Wrap and I thought it was about time I came back and tried to repay some of your kind words and help by updating you all with how my surgery and recovery went.
It's been nearly 3months since my Wrap and I've left it this long, because I wanted to get a clear picture on how this went for me before updating you all.
And as you can tell by the title ^^^ I've never been better, the decision to have the Nissen was one of the best decisions I've ever made.
Was it very painful after surgery? - Yes - but not completely unbearable and I was on liquid pain meds for the first 2 days and tablets after that. (Which despite my fear I had no problem swallowing!)
Was there a lot of gas pain? - Oh boy was there! That literally was my arch nemeses, but if you follow the advice on this site and WALK, WALK, WALK, it soon gets much better.
I was on a liquid only diet for the first 36 hours (Any liquid), then I was allowed some custard which went down very nicely indeed. All the time I was drinking decaf tea which seemed to be really soothing!
I was in hospital for 3 days in total as they needed to get my pain under control before the let me home as I had a long way to travel. By the end of this time I still wasn't eating solids, but my surgeon told me that I could eat soft foods as soon as I felt ready.
By the 4th day after my op, my first day home, I ate some soup and potato chunks that I chewed to a mulch. After that there was no stopping me with my mashed potato, corned beef hash, cheese and potato pie, soup...
This diet went on for a about a month, and to be honest with you I could probably have been more adventurous but I was still afraid and didn't want to push it. I then started on to more substantial foods, taking care to avoid really chewy meat, fizzy pop and stodgy bread. This progression went really well and I'd say I was back to eating near enough normally by the 8 week mark! To this day the only foods I have any issue with are white bread and chips!
These are just too stodgy for me and no matter how slowly I eat, or how much I chew I always get a cramping like sensation in my chest. I can even drink fizzy pop, fruit cider etc.. so long as it's not too much and I don't drink this while eating.
Since the op I do get fuller much more quickly and can't eat no where near as much in one sitting - however, this is probably a blessing in disguise as I was the type of person to carry on eating when full to avoid waste.
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And the best bit about all of this is that I have no more reflux, regurgitation or pain! YAY!
I'm so happy I made the decision to do this, it's been so worthwhile and I guess I am one of the lucky ones where my operation and recovery couldn't have gone any better. I haven't taken any medication for the GERD since the day before my op and haven't had any symptoms what so ever.
I won't lie to you all and as a lot of you already know, the immediate aftermath of the operation isn't a bed of roses, it's painful and tiring, and in that first week the were moments when I thought to myself "what have I let myself in for?!" But I can honestly say I'd do it again in a heart beat, the benefits, to me, are worth the cost. Which is probably a good thing as I'm likely to need it done again in my lifetime.
So to anyone out there that is considering having the Nissen done, I say, make sure you've had all the test and listen to your surgeon and if they think you're a good candidate - then jump in with both feet :)
To everyone about to start this journey, I wish you the best of luck, and hopefully in 3 months time you'll be writing on her about the best decision of your life 
Melissa