10 days since the Nissan Fundoplycation

[katec]

Hi,
I posted a message a few weeks ago, asking for comments from anyone who went through a fundoplycation.  Thanks to everyone who posted, having a better idea of what to expect really helped to further prepare me.
The bandages are off, and my energy is up, but I still can't swallow liquids.  I'm frustrated because I was expecting to not be eating solids, and really had no problem with that, but here I am 10 days later and the pain from sipping water is quite close to unbearable.  My diet now consists of 100% juice popsicles, soy yogurt popsicles, and the occasional bit of applesauce.  
I am aware that the surgery worked, before even with the popsicles I would have suffered from reflux and regurgation.  Did anyone else experience the liquid problem?
I am certainly not regretting it, and I am fully aware that it has only been ten days, but did anyone else have this problem.

Thanks for your time!
Kate

[jaspur]

I had the Nissan wrap back in 1995 and do remember having liquids sort of bubble up at the top of my throat for some time but it just passed...as I remember my post op you seem to be doing fine

[little- ol- me]

im having the surgery next week,im very scared, about the aftermath since they say , it takes time to for you to be able to eat and drink ,back to  normal, but i was wondering did you weight much to begin with , because i only weight 118, and im afraid im gonna get to bones after this surgery,  and i also wanted to know do you experance alot of chest pains?

[Baseball_Mom]

I had the Nissen Fundoplication surgery in 1995 as well.  I remember it took me a long time before I could comfortably eat or drink anything.  I was heavy to start out so I welcomed the chance to lose some weight.  But as time went on, I gained it all back.  Little-Ol-Me, since you are so tiny already, maybe you should ask your doctor about drinking Ensure or something like that so that you will not lose so much weight.  KateC - Give it time.  You will be able to eat and drink before you know it.  I still have not been able to eat the same large portions I use to eat.  I find eating a bunch of small meals instead of 3 large ones works out better for me.  If either one of you have any more questions, please feel free to ask.  Take care and best of luck to both of you.

[jpforan]

Had Nissen two years ago this week.  Going to a new GI next month because of problems caused by Nissen.

I am now lactose intolerant.  I used to have three bowls of cereal each morning.  I now cannot drink milk.  Friday night pizza is a thing of the past.

I 'bonk' very easy.  If I have coffee on an empty stomach or get dehydrated, my hands shake, I get a cold sweat and I get dizzy.

I still cannot drink carbonated beverages.  When I do, I get a sharp pain in my left shoulder (I'm told that this is a nervous 'chain reaction', where pressure in the stomach fires off some nerves that land in my shoulder)

I get pressure at the top of my stomach when it gets upset (often), particularly (but not limited to) when I have alcohol.  I can have maybe two drinks, and then I get pressure from my stomach that ripples up my throat.  It prevents me from breathing or speaking for about a second or two.  Recently, a friend handed me some Sambuca - I took a sip and it seemed to stick at the top of my stomach and burn there.   Wine brings a tough reaction, so I limit myself to vodka and cranberry juice.

If I do have those two drinks, I get the most hellish hangovers.  As you might expect, I don't drink often now.  

After I eat, I often feel very tired.  Sometimes I need to go lie down after eating.  This, along with the alcohol thing, takes any fun that there was in business dinners.  

I cannot eat 2/3 of the portions that I used to be able to (even though my Dr. said this would not happen)

I am amazingly flatulent.  It is not just embaressing - it is uncomfortable.

TAKE VERY SERIOUSLY THE ADVICE TO CHEW FOOD THOUROUGHLY AND IN SMALL MOUTHFULLS!!  I twice had food get caught at my LES right after surgery - on the second occasion, I was on my way to the hospital when I got it loose.

All in all, I traded one set of manageable problems for a second set that is more difficult to manage.  Sometimes food will cause a reaction, the next day it won't.  If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't get the surgery.

[katec]

A few days have passed since I wrote that message, and already I'm doing better.
The pain in my shoulders and neck is entirelly gone (caused by the air/gas they pump your stomach up for the surgery)the surgical pain is gone, the incisions are tender, but the bandages are off, and they are healing perfectly.
I am having one "meal" a day, salad(haven't been able to eat that in two years!) I can now comfortably drink water.
The amazing thing is, it's only been two weeks, and I know it worked.  I had raw carrots and lettuce yesterday (they used to be two of my worst trigger foods) and they stayed down, with no reflux or regurgation!
To "lil-ol-me", I'm 22 and slim, throughout the past two weeks I've lost about 10 pounds, but I'm now drinking soy protein drinks and going back to normal.
I was lactose-intolerant before all of this, so if that is a typical side-effect it won't effect me.
I've been told to avoid meat and bread for the first while, however I did try a bit of toast this morning and had no problems.
The thing about small bites and really chewing is very important, I too experienced alot of pain, just by swallowing a chunk of popsicle.

Thaanks again to everyone who has been posting suggestions and questions, its an amazing thing to feel like there's a bit of a support system from people who understand the symptoms!

Kate

[jaspur]

Glad to hear that you are doing well. I do have to admit with the gas/bloat problems that have appeared in the years following the Nissan Wrap I to agree that I would not do it again if I had the choice back. I did it because I had Barretts and thought it would be dangerous not to do it. But the many complications that I get from the slow digestion and gas/bloat are far more diabling and uncontrolable than was the heartburn.

[CJones]

Well, I go in for the surgery on the 20th, (next Wednesday) I am afraid of the pain but, hoping it's worth it! I already get bloated after eatting... anything. And am already a gassy girl... =(
I also have asthma, and worry about coughing after the surgery.
Any input welcome.
Thanks!

Cori

[jpforan]

That was the one thing I didn't mention about my joyful surgery - I developed respiratory complications afterward!  Coughed like crazy, which was a killer.  They had me on one pain killing pill, and then enough morphine to give me hallucinations, and still I had pain.  

I hope you have better luck than I had!

[cnanago]

I had the surgery nearly 5 yrs ago. For the first week or so I ate yogurt mostly and cream of mushroom soup. After that other kinds of soups went down. Pasta took about three weeks, most vegetables were okay. Meat & bread took about 6 weeks! I only lost about 5 lbs (I have the metabolism of a slug)I can't drink soda pop now--creates too much pressure from the carbonation. I eat like my cats-I nibble all day long. It's easy to overeat without realizing it, then I have big problems, embarrasing ones, with dumping symdrome, which causes nausea, vomiting, and intense chest pains. But yes, I would have the surgery again, because I don't wake up in the middle of the night any more choking on the acid, or not being able to inhale or exhale because of the reflux. My mattress lies flat on the bed, I only use one pillow now, & the Barrett's has improved! So what if I can only eat portions that would satisfy a six yr old. I can eat another small meal a little later. It's a pain sometimes, but this sure beats what I was going through pre-surgery! (including polyps forming on vocal cords due to acid erosion.)

[katec]

I don't know what your symptoms are like.  But here I am only 17 days after the surgery feeling like a million bucks.  For the past two days I've been eating meals, small ones, but still meals, salad, bread, a bit of chicken, you name it.  I'm having dairy for the first time in years.  You have to chew thoroughly after every bite, take it slow with liquids, be a little more aware of avoiding meat and doughy breads.  For the past few days, for the firs time in years I did not excuse myself after dinner as food gurgled up, as I choked on acid.  I went to sleep two hours after eating and didn't worry about choking in my sleep.
Sure, I find I have a little bit of gas in the evening, my stomach bloats up a tiny bit, but even those two symptoms are going away.
Its only been 17 days and I wouldn't not have done the surgery for anything.  I'm feling 100%, went for a 5km run, the scars are healing right up.
It hurts at first, but it has to.  For me it has been totally worth it.  Good Luck!
Now does anyone know how to get rid of the damn Irritable Bowel Syndrome!  That's my next step!
Kate

[Baseball_Mom]

Glad to hear you are doing so well.  When you figure out how to get rid of IBS, let us all know.  I think it is more of a pain to deal with then recovering from the Nissen Funduplication surgery.  Take care and keep us posted on your progress.

[KHF]

My HMO has approved this surgery and now that I am about ready to schedule it, all these comments are scaring the hell out of me -- dumping syndrome, gas, bloating, inability to swallow.  I asked my surgeon about the bloating and gas and the inability to burp, but he says with a "floppy wrap" there are fewer complications and that bloating comes from swalling too much air.  He indicated that swalling could be difficult for up to 10 weeks but that everything would eventually return to normal.  I've had all the tests done including an esophageal motility study and the data suggest I would be an ideal candidate for this procedure, but all these comments make me nervous.   Yet the surgeon says prolonged use of Prilosec and other acid reducers can eventually cause atrophy of the stomach which can then lead to cancer.  I'm also allergic to narcotics, so I was wondering just how intense the post-op pain is and if I could get by on small doses of Tylenol 3 or Ibuprofen?  Anybody hear of the long term consequences of Prilosec?  How many of you out there a year after surgery would do it all over again?

[Bionic Granny]

Today is really bad. Last night, I choked on acid in my sleep. I ran to the bathroom and spit up acid. I said I would do it all over again, but now I am not sure. My throat burns today and I am scared. It is the weekend and I don't want to call my surgeon, because I don't want to go to the ER. I try not to eat until late in the day, because of the cramping and dumping. I get so hungry, but I would rather be hungry, than hurt. I know this sounds really stupid, but I feel so much better when I don't eat. I have 3 very long incisions, so now I can't even stand to have pants around my waist. I wear long jumpers and overalls. Has anyone lost an organ during the nissan surgery or do you know of anyone who has? I lost my spleen, as I said before and now I just don't know if there was an "accident" during laproscopic or as the doctor said--the blood vessels between the spleen and the funda of the stomach were shorter than the average person. I'm 5-1. I'm grateful for all of you, because I am so depressed from all this pain, that I just don't know how much more I can handle. Pat

[achieve]

jpforan: I also had the nissan 2 years ago and have a lot of the problems that you are having.  Doctors don't know what to do.  Did you go to your new Doctor? Did he come up with anything?

[emotions327]

ive had two nissan fundoplications. One half wrap which came undome and once full wrap in which was a full cut incision in my stomach from my sternum to about 2 finger above my belly button. Well both have come undone. Ive had extreme reflux since i was 8 im now 18 it was getting to bad that the doctors were afraid i was going to barretts the damage was bad! Well im not into the surgery it made me worse. I know have intense pain in my stomach daily, witth the full wrap u get a lot more gas. I never feel hurgry but i have to at or else i shake. I dont have a feelng of fullness either, i usually know when the pain get excrusiating. ITs been 3 yrs since my second one i still cant eat some foods like bread they get stuck in my les and that is intense and long pain. I constantly belch. the worst part is im still having reflux but some of the surgery is still there so it cant come up into my mouth, it goes into my esophugus and causes havoc or aspirates into my brochial tubes which is causing me severe bouts of broncitis and breathing problems. Also i can nausiated all the time and its really hard to throw up and when u get a stomach bug it takes FOREVER for it to get through the other end. i would try all your other options first before u get this im justing finding out now just how common it is for it to come uncone almost 75% do!!!

***@****

[MPAT]

Greetings,

I had the larproscopic nissan fundoplication surgury on Tuesday, August 6. I had a hiatal hernia (chest)repaired, umbilical hernia repaired and the lower esophogial muscle tightened.  Things went really well and I am feeling fine. The doctor indicates that my surgery was perfect, and I spent less than 24 hours in the hospital.  Within a hour of being placed in a hospital room following the surgery I was up and walking around.  I am able to burp and a lot of the gases are releasing through my mouth.  I just simply have to remember to drink very slow. I am able to drink liquids with no pain however the regurgitation resulting from the air in the stomach is a constant nuisance.  Today is Friday, and three days since I had the surgery therefore gases are still being released.  This morning when I woke up my neck and right shoulder was aching however the ache is practically gone this afternoon.  I have walking around in the house and staying a bit active in an effort to get the gas moving and out of my system.