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Posted 6/15/2015 2:27 AM (GMT 0)
Hi!
I'm a newbie here, but I need some advice.
Last August, 2014, I had a Nissen and removal of a PEH. Laporoscopally
I recovered like a champ.
I felt like a new person for two months.
In March of 2015, I started having food stick in my throat. Mostly rice or shredded wheat. I went to my surgeon and he confirmed, after a barium and a lower GI, that the PEH has recurred.
He's sending me to a specialist in LA, and I'm praying. Hard.
I'm worried about strangulation. I'm worried about a second surgery. I'm wondering if it will be laparoscopic , or open in abdomen, or thoracic. I can't imagine having my ribs spread apart in surgery.
I'm 65 years old.
Can this be controlled by giving up wine, coffee and chocolate?
Should I try lifestyle changes before surgery?
I don't want to sound like a Sally, but I am.
I swear, had I known it would fail, I would have opted for the open surgery.
Has anyone been through this?
I'm scared and haven't seen the new doc yet. I have a whole list of questions. But in the meantime, and since I'm not drinking wine, please help with my anxiety!
Thanks a bunch for any help.
Peace.
Rebeck15
Posted 6/15/2015 6:33 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome to the forum Rebek.

Don't wish you had opted for open surgery. It's twice as bad as lap. Do you have any idea why it happened again? I'd ask about that. Maybe the next surgeon will have an answer for you.

I was worried about strangulation, open surgery, and all the rest when I had my GPEH fixed a few years ago too. Worrying didn't help and things went better that I expected it could have, and I'm older than you. They won't do anything in the chest unless there's some unusual necessity

Do you ordinarily have trouble with chocolate, etc? Did a doctor tell you to stop anything? If you aren't told to change anything, I wouldn't bother. But don't drink before surgery! If there are any healthy lifestyle changes you need to make, this is a good time to start. But mostly, just concentrate on getting things ready for another recovery - liquids, soft foods, etc.

Since you haven't seen the new surgeon yet, write down your questions and get a real medical opinion. All you get form forums is non-medical suggestions. Yes, we had the surgery, but we aren't doctors who know your case.

Best wishes!
Posted 6/16/2015 4:16 PM (GMT 0)
Rebek - have you studied about what causes and/or aggravates hiatal hernia? You can get some clues about keeping it from getting worse. I wish I had done this my self. It would have helped a lot!

As far as food sticking in your esophagus; make sure everything you eat is moist or slippery. Rice and spagetti are two problematic items. I'm sure there are lots more... Be sure you have lots of liquid with your dry cereal. Be careful with things like nuts, tortilla chips, hard crackers, etc. Better to be safe... Also, vomiting is really bad for a hernia, and straining in the bathroom is awful. So those are some things you can work on starting now, to give you some relief. Hopefully.

You'll have to let the open wine sit overnight; about 5 oz. at a time should be safe. All alcohol causes the LES to relax to the point that GERD is almost a given. So only drink just a little, if at all.

You might ask your surgeon about using a different technique than the Nissen, this next time around. The Nissen has a very high rate of failure; about 44% I have read. There are a number of other fundoplication procedures that can be chosen from; it has a lot to do with the skill of the surgeon.

I had hernia repair and fundoplication in March. So far so good. It was have it fixed or die pretty soon. Thoracic surgeon was very skilled; used Mr. da Vinci. I am in Week 14, and doing well.

Hope some of these suggestions will be helpful!

Best, Fresh Greens
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