Laparoscopic Heller Myotomy

Hi kayla.

I am 29 years old and had the POEM done about a month ago. It too was my first "real" surgery. I can tell you i am so glad i did it. My life is changed. I love being able to eat and drink like a normal person again. If i had to have surgery done once a year to manage this condition i would!! Thankfully my surgeon told me their is no reason to expect i will ever need this done again. He said sometimes scarring might cause another need for surgery down the line but that wasn't something i should really worry about. 2 days after the surgery i was not on pain meds. In the hospital my pain was managed very well by the staff. In my opinion the benefits of the surgery were huge, and the risks very minimal. I was soooo sick of throwing up 10 times a day in public places. I was ready to have the surgery even though i was a little nervous. After my research i didn't really feel this was a high risk surgery.

Hi

Have you tried balloon dilatation ?

I had a robotic Hellers last Feb and had great results for a while , then returned to the same problems , I've since had a 40mm dilatation which has worked really well . The surgeon did say that the last procedure only worked so well because I had the Hellers before it !

The Hellers was not to bad at all , not to painful after , can be a bit boring for a few weeks while you follow the regimes of rest and restricted activity , that was probably the worst bit .

I have suffered for years and also felt very nervous about having the Hellers , but honestly it was not that bad .

Good luck and I hope all goes well for you

John

Your nerves are totally understandable. Surgery is a big deal. I'm 21 months post surgery, and am so glad I had it.

There is no cure for Achalasia, but surgery has given me my life back. It's given my sons their mum back. It's given my husband his wife back.

Stay strong.....you may have achalasia but don't let achalasia have you. X

​I think it is perfectly natural to worry about surgery, because it is a new experience.   You have to trust your body to the surgeons!

​It is not anything to do with statistics, but you might be reassured that around 85%+ of people have a big improvement after the procedure, and that surgery these days is very safe as everyone is really well trained in looking after you.

​Those who have had the procedure invariably say that they are pleased that they did so.   I think this is especially true for somebody of your age, who are facing the prospect of things getting worse over the long term, with the prospects of successful surgery diminishing the longer your oesophagus gets strained by the weight of food that pushes it out of shape the longer things go on.

​Nobody else can make the decision for you, and I am not you, but if I were, and knowig what I know now, I would go for it without hesitation.   I would probably still feel nervous though!

Hi Kayla.  I think that being nervous is a natural reaction to having surgery done.  I would imagine that you will have a 'general,' and so will 'sleep' through the surgery.  I am about 11 weeks post-op Heller Mytotomy & Fundoplication surgery, for Achalasia [type 1].  To be quite honest, one moment they are giving you the general, and it seems like the next moment, you wake up in recovery.