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Nissan Fundoplication Surgery

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1prettigyrl2u
1prettigyrl2u

For 2 years I dealt with GERD! I was in & out the hospital with TEST after TEST! Put to sleep numerous times to get tested on my esophagus, I have FULLY lost my voice and I'm now in VOICE THERAPY to get my voice back because the acid shut down my vocal chords, NO MEDICATIONS worked! It ended up turning into Severe GERD that lead to Barrett's Esophagus.

I had the surgery on July 10th! I was so in pain and sore afterwards. I have 5 laparoscopic cuts on my belly from the surgery. However the up side is GERD is gone meaning I haven't had anymore flux. HOWEVER the down side is the tightness in the stomach especially if you eat something wrong, I'm on s FULL liquid diet for 3 months, losing MAJOR weight, EXCESSIVE GAS from the lower end, frustration and depression not to mention your often tiresome from not being able to get the nutrients you need. It's a great surgery to get as a last resort which it was for me. But research this surgery and be ready for the trade offs! I'm glad I got it but I regret it at the same time! I just want my life and voice back and I wanna eat like a normal person again!!! >>I WILL ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE

1 like, 22 replies

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  • Jonathan57679
    Jonathan57679 1prettigyrl2u

    Posted

    Sorry to hear about all the suffering your've been through.  Fundoplication Surgery is very radical, but some people must have it done or else.  I believe that things will get back to normal for you, and its nice to be past the reflux pain.  I don't know why you couldn't add vitamins and minerals and protein to the liquid.  Lots of probiotic yogurt and enzymes can help with the excess gas.  If you don't mind, what is your age?  And, what degree of Fundoplication did you have?
    • 1prettigyrl2u
      1prettigyrl2u Jonathan57679

      Posted

      HI Jonathan, I just turned 42. I am not sure what degree of the surgery your in reference about, I had no ideas there are degreees to the surgery. This is my first time getting it if that helps and my case was severe and I only needed 5 cuts. As of yesterdays follow up I can now eat regular foods with caution but absolutely NO BREADS for a long time (which is my favorite because I love hamburgers), But it is taken me 3 days to eat one meal as of tomorrow. I am not going to rush it though. Thanks for the advice on the supplements I will definetly try them.
    • Jonathan57679
      Jonathan57679 1prettigyrl2u

      Posted

      The degree has to do with the stomach wrap.  There is 180, 270 and 360 degree wrap, which would be a complete wrap.  Initially, it is held in place by the staples and that is likely what is causing you some pain.  Eventually, they say that the tissues will bond together as it heals.  Then the pain will go away.  One enzyme product that is specifically made to reduce gas is called Beano.  I'm not sure if its available in your area.  Otherwise any enzyme product will help. 
    • david61512
      david61512 Jonathan57679

      Posted

      Jonathan can I ask what your experience is here? Stitches not staples were mentioned with my procedure and having watched videos it's stitches I see put in. Do you have a link
    • Jonathan57679
      Jonathan57679 david61512

      Posted

      Hi David:  I don't want to hyjack this discussion or get off track so I will send the links as a private message, as links are not allowed here.  For the most part it appears that sutures or staples are the basically what the doctor prefers.  Staples have been used for many years as in "stomach stapling".  I am not a doctor but I am rather an educated patient who suffered from reflux on and off for over 25 years.  I have recently discovered a natural treatment for GERD and I no longer suffer from it, but I still try to assist people who are suffering from it.
    • david61512
      david61512 Jonathan57679

      Posted

      Thanks for this Jonathan, it's a facinating view of things. I was originally worried about the stiches and asked my consultant because I feared that jogging, so soon after the op, might weaken the them. He told me these were permanent stiches so not to worry.

      I also noted in your first reply that this procedure is radical. I thought it was quite routine but maybe it's not. Maybe mine will get worse in years to come but I hope not. Just enjoying the transformation while it lasts.

    • Jonathan57679
      Jonathan57679 david61512

      Posted

      Here in the US, many people like to over eat during certain holiday celebrations to the point of feeling ill.  However, anyone having had ANY type of fundoplication procedure, I would recommend that they NEVER do that.  The procedure is mechanical and relys on the matipulated stomach tissue to remain in place to be effective.  Over eating so as to stretch the stomach to the max could definitely compromise the repair by pulling down on it.  I believe the repair can last a lifetime if a person remains conscience of it.
    • david61512
      david61512 Jonathan57679

      Posted

      I thought you might be US based Jonathan. Your originall ink shows entry throgh the gullet with an amazing tool/implement that does the close and pin procedure. It explains now why you use the term radical

      I'm again surmising that this, being the least invasive operation, trumps the laproscopicmethod for exactly that reason. If the clamped tissues fuse together then it seems to be the most natural repair.

      I haven't had time to view all the other stuff but will do shortly . Thank's for sending it.

    • tata40402
      tata40402 Jonathan57679

      Posted

      Jonathan can you help me. I am in need of some help. This lpr is awful
    • Shumi09
      Shumi09 Jonathan57679

      Posted

      I just had a gastric sleeve with a 180 degree wrap ( flunfiplicstion)

      My chest feels heavy and I'm on a liquid diet for 2 weeks but I want to know does the tightness get easier and will I be able to eat a banana without it getting stuck on my chest and me bring out of breath? I'm really scared :'(

    • peter78443
      peter78443 Jonathan57679

      Posted

      Hi Jonathan i am curious as to what the natural treatment is for GERD that you have discovered as i suffer from it and take ppi. i would appreciate any info you could share many thanks 
  • david61512
    david61512 1prettigyrl2u

    Posted

    I'm really sorry to hear your story since mine was basically the opposite. Only last night I made an update about it's effect on my sleep apnoea. I had my op 6 months ago this week. I also didn't know that it is considered last resort and very radical.  It's probably worked out good for me as my symptoms weren't as far gone as yours. I know from personal experience that I'm now eating very little different now than I was before the op, just going a bit easier on the things that create wind. Reading your post, you're only 3 weeks post-op so give your body some time to get over what has been a nasty,invasive attack on it. I was only on liquid for a couple of weeks but the liquid was high calorie so only lost weight because the calories I was getting were appropriate and not my usual excessive amounts.

    If it helps, I found by the 4 month point, I was feeling like I could pretty much relax with the knowledge that I had only a bit of gas management to work on. You've no idea how nice it is to be able to go out for a few drinks and food in the evening without having to worry about choking in your sleep which is what I was faced  with. I think it really is horses for courses with this op. Mine was a no-brainer

    Unless your gullet has been so damaged pre-op you will be able to eat everything you could before you really will and you'll get your life back

    • david61512
      david61512

      Posted

      Thought I'd add a bit about the throat and coughing.

      Before my op, I'd definately damaged my throat. Whether this was temporary or permanent, I didn't know. What I do know is I was constantly searching for phlegm to bring up and it was getting difficult at work as I know I must've been annoying people with the constant throat clearing. I assumed this condition was with me for good, since I'd left it for so long.

      Six months post-operation, I'm happy to say that although I still have it to an extent, it is much better and I no longer feel the fickle finger of fate pointing towards me. It's now the norm not to have it and the lining appears to be  repairing itself with time.

    • tata40402
      tata40402 david61512

      Posted

      This is so great to hear, I am considering surgery. I have read so many comments on the surgery, the success of it and of course people who didn't like the outcome. I cannot deal with this phlegm in my throat anymore. I suffer from lpr. Its has me depressed. I want my life back
    • david61512
      david61512 tata40402

      Posted

      Look at my first Discussion tata. My symptoms are not those of everyone but I think I have documented all of it. Like prettygyrl, please ask
    • 1prettigyrl2u
      1prettigyrl2u david61512

      Posted

      Hi David! It's good to hear you're doing awesome from the surgery. It is still taking my stomach a little time to adjust. Tomorrow will be the 3rd day I am trying to eat one meal from my favorite resturants. I do have alot of lower end gas in which he explained that prior. I dont want ot move to fast because I dont want it to stretch and I dont want to have GERD all over again because I now have to atten voice therapy to get my voice back from the acid damage. SO I have alot of work ahead of me as far as health wise. But I notice when I do eat and I take the small chews as suggested to chew my food up and once t settles I feel this stabbing pain. Maybe it will go away. 
    • david61512
      david61512 1prettigyrl2u

      Posted

      I also had light pain in my first weeks when I tried to eat something too big (your brain forgets) but it went away in a few weeks. I was worried that it wouldn't because I didn't know. I find that the pre-surgery information I got was very comprehensive but the post-op stuff was not so great. I wrote in my first post about what the surgeon told me about back pain which assured me as sometimes it's hard to distinguish what is what
    • david61512
      david61512

      Posted

      Another quick thing as a few people have moaned about the gas lol

      I think while it's true that there will be more gas (since this is a mechanical process), it is to a more or less extent, quite controllable and this is where diet comes in.

      I my case, I can still eat everything I could eat pre-op and that is the good thing about this op that it hasn't restricted my favourite foods. However, they do have to be managed because of the gas issue which I think varies from person to person. It certainly wasn't a life changing thing for me.

      Possibly, if you ate a high fibre diet before your op then you would've produced a cetain volume of gas anyway and I expect your gas will be worse now (I surmise). Similarly a lot of white bread or beer will likely give noticible sysmptoms too.

      For me, I replaced beer with spirits in the main and am trying to cut out bread anyway to get my weight down a bit.

      When I look back to before the op, I was worried about choking in my sleep (I couldn't really eat a decent sized meal less than 5 hours before bedtime and worried about alchohol on top of the food because it was a cause of food coming up.

      I also worried that I had a chronic cough that may lead to cancer.

      Who knows, that may still happen now but at least I don't worry about any of  it anymore

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