HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

HEARTBURN AFTER SURGERY

Support Forums
>
GERD & Acid Reflux
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 12/22/2013 6:45 PM (GMT 0)
HAPPY HOLIDAYS ALL: LAST NITE I DID SOMETHING REALLY DUMB AND HAD A SMALL PIECE OF GLUTON FREE PIZZA. THIS MORNING I WOKE UP WITH THE WORSE HEARTBURN IVE EVER HAD SINCE I WAS PREGNANT.

IF IM GETTING HEARTBURN AFTER SURGERY, AND THE DOCS NURSE TOLD ME I SHOULD NOT BE, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN AS FAR AS MY SURGERY SUCCEEDING OR FAILING. I AM NOW TWO MONTHS OUT AND KNOW CLEARLY THAT THE WAY IM GOING TO FEEL IS DEPENDENT ON WHAT I PUT IN MY MOUTH.

FEEDBACK PLEASE. AND YES I KNOW THAT WAS A REALLY STUPID THING TO HAVE DONE. IM JUST SO FRUSTRATED WITH THIS NEW EATING REGIME.

BACCIB/RUBYONE
Posted 12/22/2013 7:23 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Baccib/Rubyone

I'm almost 6 weeks post surgery and I get heartburn/ chest pain a lot. I also get the acidly mouth and throat. I really don't feel any better at all in fact since surgery I feel worse.

I know people will say it's still early days and it's due to swelling etc
But I know that acid is definitely coming up and affecting my mouth/tongue as well as causing the heartburn.

I have been to see my surgeon and he's still confident that it's worked. He said he'll do tests in a couple of months if I'm still having problems.

Have you been to see your surgeon about your symptoms or have you thought about going for tests to see what's going on?

Have you had these symptoms all the time since surgery or have they come on recently?

I guess you were like me and expected symptoms to go straight after surgery.

I really do want to give it longer but I also want to know if the wrap hasn't worked then is it something that can be rectified with more surgery.

Most people don't appear to get these problems after surgery so I'm beginning to think that mine is a failure for some reason.

It's very worrying when we have been through so much and don't see even a slight improvement.

Maria
Posted 12/23/2013 12:05 AM (GMT 0)
Hi: I can really empathize with what you said. My surgeon is 4 hours away. Im not going to see him cause whatever it is, Im NOT having more surgery. It was a nightmare. The failure rate of this surgery IS VERY HIGH. and my hernia was 12cm. Im not in pain and should have known better about eating a pizza like food. I really have to give the diet a chance so I can tell what is going on.

Thanx for response. BTW there are areas where I do see a big difference. The breathing issue he warned me about soooooooooo I don't know. It is overwhelming.

Best,
Bacci
Posted 12/23/2013 12:16 AM (GMT 0)
Bacci-

Actually the failure rate is quite low. Something like pizza can be very challenging on your stomach and wrap for a few months. My best advice is to baby your stomach for a few days and see how that goes. Usually it will resolve itself.

While your body is healing any challenge to the wrap or something that sets off gastritis will set you back. We have all done it and learned not to do that again for a while.

This doesn't mean your wrap has failed at all. If you go back and check through the past members, say last year or so who had issues early on and worried it failed you will see they are doing very well after 6 moths or so.

This is a marathon recovery, not a sprint. A lot of doctors have no clue what this recovery is really like. Just because it can be done with 4 to 6 little holes doesn't mean it's not a major surgery. If they would have done this as an open surgery I am sure you would be taking more time with diet advancing.

Inside your body has to heal from 2 traumas. They immediate surgical and the long term damage from reflux. The esophagus is a dumb organ and senses any pain as reflux. It has to relearn what is normal and that takes time. Remember 80% of healing takes 6 months and the rest of the year for the last 20%. Some people need even more time for the damage to finish healing.

Hang in there! It will get better. My only nissen that didn't get better was my 1st that was done wrong and had my esophagus at a 90 degree angle at rest to my stomach. It was my fault for not researching my surgeon. He wasn't experienced enough to do a good jon.

Take care,
Bill
Posted 12/23/2013 9:32 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Bacci

I guess we just have to give it more time and trust in what everyone says that it will improve.

I thought that the success rate for the surgery was 98%. I'm just hoping that I'm not in the 2%.

Let's hope that things improve for us in the New Year.

Take care

Maria
Posted 12/23/2013 10:08 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Everyone,

I just saw my surgeon about 2 weeks ago. He mentioned he does try to center the stomach with the esophagus during the surgery. He said the wrap does tend to pivot right or left like a seesaw afterwards. The surgeon did explain this would create sensations and he has no control over that. I'm guessing reflux sensations. I did feel a muscle pull under right rib cage the other day but it is gone.

Like Bill, Denise, and many others have said the wrap really takes a while to heal. There are new sensations every day.

Hang in there!

Michelle
Posted 12/23/2013 11:28 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Michelle

Thanks for that information. Maybe that explains everyone's pain. Let's hope for everyone that it all settles and 2014 is a better, healthy and pain free year for everyone.

Maria
Posted 12/23/2013 12:53 PM (GMT 0)
Is the 98% success/failure rate figure based on those who have had to have a redo? Seems a high figure to me compared to all those complaining of still suffering with reflux symptoms. Obviously there must be good success with it for it to be the main surgery for reflux but 98% success rate? Don't believe that at all.
Posted 12/23/2013 12:58 PM (GMT 0)

Mcedge said...
Hi Michelle

Thanks for that information. Maybe that explains everyone's pain. Let's hope for everyone that it all settles and 2014 is a better, healthy and pain free year for everyone.

Maria

Hey Maria, where did you have your surgery, was it a 360 Nissen?
Posted 12/23/2013 10:21 PM (GMT 0)
Albez

I had my surgery in Cambridge.
Posted 12/23/2013 10:22 PM (GMT 0)
Sorry forgot to say it was the toupet .
Posted 12/23/2013 10:45 PM (GMT 0)
Accordingly on the NHS website 180,000 nissans are carried out in each year. If there was a high failure rate, they wouldn't bother. I think a lot also have an expectation of being able to go back to their old lifestyle of drinking and eating in excess so obviously in their eyes it's a failure.
Posted 12/24/2013 12:38 AM (GMT 0)

jamosca said...
Accordingly on the NHS website 180,000 nissans are carried out in each year. If there was a high failure rate, they wouldn't bother. I think a lot also have an expectation of being able to go back to their old lifestyle of drinking and eating in excess so obviously in their eyes it's a failure.

I don't doubt that the nissen fundo has good results but seeing as it's a last resort complicated surgery with lots of horror stories and many doctors refusing to entertain the idea of letting their patients have it then the 98% success figure seems rather suspicious to me.
Posted 12/24/2013 12:53 AM (GMT 0)

Mcedge said...
Albez

I had my surgery in Cambridge.

Ah ok, I had mine in Surrey. Will be seeing the surgeon Jan 2nd so will ask for tests to check the wrap. Just doesn't feel like I've had surgery as I've still got lots of reflux. Another thing I've also noticed is I can eat pretty much the same size meals as before surgery and I'm always hungry. I can eat all the problem foods with no problems swallowing and even if I forget to chew have no problems. Im thinking either my wrap is way too loose or it has failed completely.
Posted 12/24/2013 3:38 AM (GMT 0)
Albez

about the only doctors I have heard of not recommending it are GI doctors. Think about that for a minute....If they have the surgery and it works they loose a repeat customer.

I didn't have to ask for the surgery, my GI told me either have the surgery or go on 4X the dose of PPIs. She then said she wouldn't prescribe that amount and said I needed the surgery.

A PCP I had has been thinking of the surgery and he himself had heard nothing but bad things of it. We talked for about an hour one time and the next time I saw him he had a nissen. He said all the GI doctors he knew didn't recommend it, but the 3 surgeons he talked to highly recommended it.

Yes I know surgeons make their living doing surgery, but they don't like their patients returning many times over issues from that surgery, unlike GI doctors liking their patients to come back all the time.

Also the surgical technique has vastly improved over the last 15 years or so. There are many doctors who don't stay on top of new developments.


That's my take on it.

Take c are,
Bill devil
Posted 12/24/2013 9:45 AM (GMT 0)
Albez

I'm due to see my surgeon on Jan 14th and unless things improve by then I will be wanting tests too. I really feel that things are wrong. I still get chest pain/heartburn not everyday. I seem to get one good day when I think yeah! this has worked and then it's back to square one again.

Like you I don't have problems swallowing. Never have really maybe about 4 times since surgery.

I had my op 6 weeks today so still early days but surely this can't all be down to internal swelling?

How long is it since your op ? What tests are you going to ask for?

My surgeon mentioned an endoscopy. I think that's to check that the wrap is in the right place and hasn't slipped. What worries me is if they can't see that anything is wrong then what happens?

I thought about getting a 24 hour ph test surely this will prove if there is acid coming up.

You said that your always hungry even after you've eaten . I read somewhere that's because the bit of the stomach that is wrapped is the bit that tells the brain when your full. Don't know if that could be the reason.

Do you know what caused your reflux ? Was it a hernia or a weak sphincter?

Sorry for all the questions.

Maria
Posted 12/24/2013 11:12 AM (GMT 0)
Maria-

One thing to remember is that even with surgery you will still have some reflux. Everybody does. There is a normal amount and this is because there has to be some room in order for food to pass through.

If they were to completely stop it you wouldn't be able to swallow. I don't believe you have any swelling, but are experiencing hyper sensitivity right now as things heal. Remember that the esophagus is a dumb organ and senses any type of pain or irritation as heartburn. It takes a long time to heal major damage from reflux. Eventually your body will reset and realize that the nominal reflux is normal and you will only notice occasional heartburn like people without GERD feel.

I do still get heartburn once in a while, but it's the same as people without GERD and I just take 1 antacid and it's gone.

I truly believe you will be good to go after more healing, but it may take 6 months or more. The more damage you have pre op the longer it takes.

The nest tests after is tH study. An EGD will show if the wrap is there, but can't show if it's exactly correct or not. They just see the abnormal area of the wrap that isn't there in people without it.

Please judge how you are doing on a weekly basis vs a daily one. A daily thing will drive you nuts. I've done it. After the 2 or 3 month mark you have to switch to a monthly assessment.

Most people feel full sooner or most of the time early on because the wrap is made from the part of the stomach that tells us we are full, but there are some who have the opposite effect. I haven't figured out a reason for this yet. Perhaps theirs is a bit looser.

When I had my 1st nissen and was having a lot of trouble getting food down my surgeon wanted to wait 8 weeks before doing any testing, including the EGD, so that things were healed enough to not have as much of a chance for false readings or damaging anything.

Be patient and stay positive. It really can make a difference. I\ve done it both ways and by far keeping a positive approach worked the best.

My email is available 24 hours a day if you need someone to vent or talk to.

Take care,
Bill
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply