I had my partial wrap/hiatal hernia repair 3/16/16. Before surgery I had regurgitation and chest/asthma issues. I've always had asthma that up until a few years ago was very controlled, until I tried to go off my PPI and then my chest issues would get way worse.
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a month after surgery my chest tightness came back. I now manage with my albuterol nebulizer and sometimes Gaviscon. I saw my surgeon on Monday, who is very helpful and nice. Before surgery I had motility issues from manometry, so based on what I told him he said he felt it was my esophagus. I do not burp well or hardly at all, so he felt by that he felt the wrap is doing its job?
He is prescribing medication for the esophagus issues but said its trial and error and may not help. He said they use off label medication for esophagus issues. He put me on a low dose calcium channel blocker (I do not have blood pressure issues) and said they also use low dose antidepressant medication. I do not think the blocker is helping and honestly do not know if I can bring myself to try an antidepressant, since I've read of a lot of side effects and do not have emotional issues. If this all doesn't help, he said he would do another EGD/Bravo and barium swallow.
My question is, can I have esophagus issues even though I think I swallow fine? My surgeon says yes, but I told him early on after surgery I knew when things would get hung up or go slow. Now when I eat I can eat anything and everything, the same before surgery. It feels like it goes down just fine.
I am also going to a new pulmonologist next month. My chest issues feel like asthma, in that it's hard to take a deep breathe in and feels like I hit a wall. This is much less after surgery, but some days still there and usually every night need I need one nebulizer treatment to feel better. The weird thing is that I do not cough or wheeze but my machine helps.
My uneducated hunch is the wrap is fine but just not enough to give me total relief. Will this change in time? If I need a re-do down the road would a full wrap be more effective? Could I even handle a full wrap with motility issues, since I seem to swallow fine with a partial?
Thanks for any and all help. Best wishes to all of you here!
Post Edited (Kristin) : 6/9/2016 1:46:14 PM (GMT-6)