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Advice on Recovery and healing from fundoplication

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GERD & Acid Reflux
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Posted 7/5/2016 3:08 PM (GMT 0)
Hi everyone, i'm a 26 year old female from Australia who has been suffering erosive reflux for the past 5 years. I was previously on 40mg of nexium daily before my operation which controlled the symptoms. I underwent a Toupet fundoplication 15 days ago. I have been carefully following the soft/liquid diet. The past 5 days I've noticed my stomach volume increase (not getting as full as quickly as I was for the first week). I've also noticed within the past few days i've been getting a burning sensation in my stomach and oesophagus which feels like reflux to me… I have been reading on this forum that it can take come time for the swelling and inflammation to settle and that the swelling can cause the LES to be uneven which allows regurgitation on acid. Is it true that the swelling peaks around day 14 then gets better? Because I feel like the swelling has been worse the past few days (increased difficulty swallowing etc) I've also read that general irritation of the stomach / oesophagus can be regisereted / mistaken by the brain as the same feeling as reflux? I'm hoping this is the case and that it will settle as the swelling subsides over time…i''m just so terrified that the procedure has failed… I have my follow up appt with my surgeon next week. Has anyone else has a similar experiences? Please help! Thank you!
Posted 7/5/2016 4:38 PM (GMT 0)
Lindsay:

You are right, peak swelling for most is 10 days to 2 weeks post-surgery. You might be feeling the effects of more swelling right now. Yes also about the feeling of having "reflux", which is not in fact reflux. I hope your surgeon explained to you about your recovery. There are going to be good days, some set-backs, but mostly it will take you a while before you really start to feel better. Everyone is different, and I didn't start to feel like myself until about 6-months, and almost back to normal at a year's time.

Sharon
Posted 7/5/2016 5:36 PM (GMT 0)
hang in there, as SharonZ said. this is a tricky recovery, more specific to the individual. at 11 months myself, i am still careful with how much i eat, and still chew chew chew. its easy to let your mind, get the best of you at this early stage. just take it slow. it takes awhile, to get to, and accept the new normal. but it happens.
Posted 7/5/2016 6:13 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Lindsay,

Yup, the esophagus is a dumb organ. It only knows how to communicate pain in one way....reflux. So the burning sensation you're feeling is swelling and discomfort. Peak swelling is at 2-3 weeks and will gradually subside. The key is to stay active and hydrated. Like Sharon, I felt "normal" at about a year, but even still three years later, I can't get a voluntary burp out. But, I feel fantastic and I'll take a little bit of bloat in exchange for no more pain. It's a long recovery, but well worth it.

Be well and take care,
-TonyG-
Posted 7/6/2016 12:45 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks so much everyone for your support. That all makes sense, I am right in the middle of peak swelling.. I feel more confident that this is just part of the healing process.. My surgeon didn't explain any of this to me… its easy to jump to conclusions and start to think it's failed. I'll let you know how my follow up appt goes in a week. Thanks again :)
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