Eating habits post-Nissen

John-

Stick with frequent small meals. Seriously doubt you have re herniated anything. My original repair has held up through a torn esophagus, esophagus stent that tore the wrap apart, 2 redoes, and multiple wretching episodes.

Take care,
Bill

Bill,

I admire your toughness tremendously.

I'm still very good at work. I try for 200 calories every two hours. It isn't as easy at home because of more options.

If I could mentally get by, I'd be doing better. Old habits die hard. As a kid, I shoveled the food in.

I am getting a burning sensation a couple inches below my clavicle. My concern is reflux, but I imagine food is piling on still.

I'm sorry for asking the same things. My mind makes things hard to remember.

Hi John,

Bonjour to you too, and thanks for your kind words.

I needed a revision surgery since the first one re-herniated right after the surgery. So, in effect, it never worked very well and I went back on the ppi's very soon after the surgery. A barium swallow within the first week showed I still had a hernia. My stomach originally had migrated 8 cm up into my chest cavity and my esophagus was at stage 3 esophagitis which is very painful. The first time I had the surgery, I wanted to get off the meds because they weren't working for me at all anymore.

That's what happened the second time and I was in misery with the constant burning. After a second endoscopy showed my esophagus to be at stage 3 again, my GI said I couldn't leave it like that and sent me to a surgeon. This was now 4 1/2 years later, so I was finally ready emotionally to go through with another surgery.

I had the surgery at the American Hospital of Paris with a very well respected surgeon who used the robot! I stayed in the hospital for two nights and came home. I'm still in quite a lot of pain at the surgery site (where the wrap is) especially after I eat. It really is uncomfortable when food hits that area. I'm only eating soft foods or foods that I can chew to a liquid before swallowing. I'm not a big person to begin with and really can't afford to lose too much more weight so I'm trying to eat every 2 hours or so. I also am drinking a meal replacement a little at a time.

The pain I feel after eating could be due to the sewing up of the large hiatus. My surgeon said that it was very difficult to sew up as it kept tearing when he tried to put in sutures, but, in the end, he said he managed to close it up. So, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that I'm still having pain, it's only been two and a half weeks.

Did you have your scope yet? If so, what did it show? Are you still not able to eat normally yet after a year and a half??? Yikes! That doesn't sound like any fun. I'll be ready to really eat again once this all settles down. What does your surgeon say? Where are you, by the way?