Linx Surgery

So I took the plunge and went forward with the surgery on 6/21. I am now 4 days post op. I'll try to fill in what I remember:

Night before/Day 0 - Could not sleep the night before, and I was very anxious about having surgery (my first time). I really worked myself up, stressing out big time. Once I got to the hospital, and started talking with the folks there, I got last minute anecdotes about people there who had recently had Linx surgery and all were doing really well. It also helped that everyone I spoke to held my surgeon in very high regard. The dude is a rockstar at this hospital, and does 4 Linx surgeries a week. It was good to get a different picture than most stories you hear on the internet. Anyways, in pre-op, we went over all the details again, hiatal hernia repair and Linx installation, surgery will be about 1.5 hours etc. The last thing I remember was being wheeled into the OR and then suddenly I wake up in post op. Throat was sore from being intubated, and my stomach was sore from the incisions. I was given morphine pretty quickly and was in a twilight state for a bit. It took a few hours to get up to my room and to my family, but was awake and present. I was not allowed to drink anything that first night, being told that I was going to have a swallowing test in the morning and would be able to drink and eat after that. Over night was OK, and got up and walked down the hallway before bed time. No major issues there.

Day 1 - throat was super sore, and the sponge/cup of water was not much help. Got up and walked again, went to the bathroom etc. Went down late morning to X-Ray and did the swallow test, which consisted of me standing on the table (rotated 90 deg) and swallowing the cup full of solution while they took pics of it moving through my system. After I finished the cup they they inverted the table so I was at a negative incline to test if there was going to be any regurgitation. Everything stayed put and I went back up to my room and they cleared me to drink and eat - first major relief since the surgery. Once the Dr. reviewed everything I was sent home.

Day 3 - Felt better to be up and moving around, but coughing more - I think this is just an adjustment. Saliva is not draining unrestricted into my stomach anymore and is likely backing up at the Linx somewhat. Went for a full walk around the block today, still getting winded doing anything physical, but I continue to push myself. No food issues so far, doing applesauce and pudding on the hour, and was able to eat some grilled chicken without issue. Went for a second walk late afternoon after a nap, and was still getting winded. The other thing I noticed with the coughing and throat clearing is my voice is a bit weaker and raspier - again probably adapting to the new state of being.

Day 4: I woke up feeling pretty good. Pain around the incision sites are mostly gone, replaced by itching. The wife and I went out to run some errands, and I am noticing I have a bit more wind in the lungs....still restrictive at the top end of inhaling, but capacity is improving. Ate scrambled eggs for breakfast and a piece of fried chicken for lunch - again no issues with any food types but am trying to eat small bites and chew them well. To my wife's dismay, I am trying foods that are considered "risky" for dysphagia. Dinner was chicken salad, again no issues.

Day 5 - again feeling pretty good. Coughing is diminishing and lung capacity is increasing. At times I almost forget I had the surgery. Appetite is slowly coming back. I have noticed that when I eat I get full pretty quick, which is a good thing because I have lost a healthy amount of weight. Being a bigger guy at 6'3" and 270lbs going into the surgery, I am now at 258lbs. One of my goals is to maintain the weight loss. The Dr. said if I gained more weight over my initial weigh-in, the Linx may not work properly because of body mass. Because I'm feeling so good, I want to discuss with the Dr. when my restrictions on weight and activity can be lifted at the initial follow up next week.

So a note on the dysphagia - being the technical type, I wanted to know the details on how the device is sized for each patient. The Dr. described that a device is used to measure the circumference of the esophagus at the LES which corresponds to a scale used to size the Linx. He said they go 2 sizes above that when placing the Linx. I'm not sure if others had this discussion, or if this measurement process is standard for this surgery (i.e. prescribed by Torax, etc). One of my thoughts on why folks experience more severe dysphagia is that maybe their device was not sized properly. Obviously, if it is too loose, it may not work at all, but sized too tight and you basically have a bottle neck in your main food delivery system. Maybe a point to bring up with a surgeon if you are considering getting the Linx.

I'll add more after my initial checkup.