1. Community
  2. Gut, bowel and stomach
  3. Reflux Oesophagitis

Anti Reflux and HH repair surgery next week

Posted , 16 users are following.

mag2
mag2

Hi all ,

Its nearly here , my op is on Wednesday 8th June , Im still a bit nervous about it , but reading all the posts on this forum over the past year it has eased my worries a tiny tad ...

My symptoms I would say are livable with but in the long term I am PPI dependant , at the moment Esomeprazole 40mg Ranitadine when required which is most days and Gaviscon .

My symtoms include,

Phlegm 24/7

Sneezing most days

Runny nose

Itchy ears 

Slight chest pain

Nausea if I eat a little too much , most days

Bloated burping and flatulance

Burning sensation in my belly and when stressed burning in my throat

Horrible smell in my nose all the time

Some foods tasteless

I can feel nautiuos one minute then shaking with hunger next

I dont know if this is so but Im putting my lack of wanting to be intamit with my partner down on my symtoms list too whether due to feeling yuck most of the time or due to effects of long term on PPI , I have been taking PPI for about 15 years .

I still get all these symptoms while on the meds so I guess they are not 100% helping my Reflux .

I am 46 years old , Not overweight , Dont smoke , Drink a little .

I have had symtoms since I was a child , when I was a baby I would burp after my bottle feed and bring it all back up , then as i got a bit older I rember sitting up most nights believing I was going to vomit , i never did , into teenage and 20's I discovered Bicarbonated Soda , I used to make up a bottle of it every day and drink it thro the day mostly at night in bed.

Then about 15 years ago I got some chest pain and went to GP , they prescribed PPI , I tried Pantaprazole , Lantaprazole then Omeaprazole which I was on about 10 years , I had and endoscopy about 10 years ago which saw the sphinctor not closing properly and gastritus with tiny ulcers , last year I got fed up taking Omeprazole and went to GP , I asked for Nexium she said they were expensive so at the same time we discussed surgery , I got both Nexium on perscription and referral for surgery , The Nexium does work a little better than the Omeprazole but I still have symtoms .

I had to have endoscopy again which now has found the Hiatus Hernia as well as reflux , I also had 24hr PH test and Manomertry tests , which the hospital ( Royal Berkshire Reading) insist on having before considering surgery . All tests came back conclusive that I am a good candidate for the repair surgery , which happens wednesday next week ...

I will of course keep this forum up to date with proceedings after my op .

Regards to all and thank you everyone who has posted on here and helped me with my decision to have the op .

Margaret.

1 like, 128 replies

128 Replies

Prev Next
  • mag2
    mag2

    Posted

    Hi all,

    Just a little update so far today day 4, my bowels moved for the first time since op, nothing painful just a lot off my mind.

  • mag2
    mag2

    Posted

    Oh and a little correction to earlier, my Hiatus hernia was 2cm not mm
  • mag2
    mag2

    Posted

    Hi all,

    I'm feeling a bit more human today, I've had a shower very refreshing, I weighed myself afterwards OMG I got a shock I've lost almost a stone already, I am having as much sloppy stuff as I can manage I don't want to over do it and stretch my stomach, I think I need to graze a bit more during the day.

    Margaret.

    • abbie34168
      abbie34168 mag2

      Posted

      Hi Margaret! Can I just ask if you're actually feeling hungry? Is it difficult not being able to eat a lot? Glad you're doing so well X
    • mag2
      mag2 abbie34168

      Posted

      Hi Abbie,

      I think today I can say is the first day since op on Wednesday that I have felt hungry, I can't eat too much tho as it will give me a pain at the top of my stomach. My diet so far is sloppy Readybrek porridge, chicken flavour cuppa soup, weetabix breakfast drink strawberry flavour, today also I had a small kiddies yoghurt, and sipping water all day..

  • nancyj1979
    nancyj1979 mag2

    Posted

    Hi Margaret glad you are feeling more yourself. You have reassured me with your updates from your surgery. Can I ask how long you suffered with the HH for? I only started to get symptons in March this year and after an endoscopy they found the hernia. Apparently it is 4cm and has been there a while but has only started to give me problems as I had a lot of stress going on at the time. I have had excess acid but no reflux ( have never had heartburn) for about 10 years. They have offered me surgery which my husband thinks I should have but it's not him having it!! I can sort of keep my symptons under control by eating a bland sensible diet but as soon as I try something new I get heart burn. I am trying to hold out but realistically I want to enjoy my food again but am scared of surgery.

    • mag2
      mag2 nancyj1979

      Posted

      Hi Nancy,

      I was shaking like a leaf Wednesday morning I walked into the anesthesia room and sat up on the bed thinking it's not too late I can just go home and live with it, but before I went in asked my surgeon if he had just looked at my test results would he still go ahead with the op and he said yes that I had pathological reflux and it probably not be good for future as the acid could do so much damage to me even on the high dose of ppi I was taking so I lay there and let them sedate me, with the hiatus hernia, I had an endoscopy about 11 years ago after having symptoms since a child all they told me they saw was gastritis and some small ulcers and my sphincter not closing properly, then a year ago when I started my road to operation I had another endoscopy where they found the Hernia, I did feel my symptoms I've always had did get slightly worse over the years. Now I've had the operation I'm looking forward to getting back to eating but eating with no discomfort afterwards :-)

      Good luck with your your journey whichever way you decide to go xx

  • dominique64820
    dominique64820 mag2

    Posted

    I have most of your symtoms too Margaret. Its hell on earth. I use to love food i dread eating now. Im hoping and praying your op went well. Let us all know how you r hun. God bless. May this terrible affliction be over for you now.

    Im considering surgery too as the meds dont work for me and i dont want to take them either.

    Love dom

    • mag2
      mag2 dominique64820

      Posted

      Hi Dom,

      It's a difficult decision to make, I tried to change my diet to see if I could control it but I still needed the meds and it just made me feel more miserable.

      Good luck with your journey what you decide to do.

      Margaret.

  • mag2
    mag2

    Posted

    Hi all,

    So this time last week I was stepping up onto the trolley in the anesthesia room on my way into theatre.

    I can't believe a whole week has passed already.

    I am managing to have my sloppy food ok all going down well, no diarrhoea thankfully, I've managed to move my bowels 3 times.

    I still have a bit of discomfort in my tummy which is expected, the pain across my shoulders from the gas in op is still not gone completely yet, mostly I feel it in the morning when I wake up.

    I am taking for the pain soluble paracetamol making sure the fizz has gone before I drink it and Neurofen Melts which are handy as they dissolve on the tongue. On the odd occasion I have taken anti sickness tabs cyclizine, like yesterday I had potato and leek soup which filled me up a bit.

    I also had a little glass of smoothie yesterday it went down well.

    Today I think I'm going to take off my plasters and finally get a look at my scars, I'm not looking forward to that as the plasters are quite well stuck and will probably need a good tug eeek. They are waterproof and I've managed to have 1 shower already, I will have one today too..

    I should be able to try the next section of the diet sheet too from today as I'm now in week 2.. Gosh the week has dragged and flew by at the same time.

    I really must try to get past my front gate too as I've only been out in the garden all week for little bits. I've not ventured out in the car yet ( as passenger of course) as the trip home from the hospital was a bit painful with bumpy roads.

    I've probably lost over a stone in weight already and it's noticeable, I'm not overweight so I hope I can put just some of it back on when my diet is back to what will be the norm for me.

    • dominique64820
      dominique64820 mag2

      Posted

      Well all the best Margaret with putting weight back on. Keep us updated we are all keen to know how you are.

      Love dom

  • mag2
    mag2

    Posted

    Hi all,

    Well I ( with help) got my plasters off on Wednesday, my partner is an ex nurse and was very impressed with my little scars, I must say though my tummy was very tender all day and couldn't let anything touch it, it's feeling much better now,

    I tried some more potato and leek soup yesterday but I think I'm still not ready for it as I felt quite full after it, I will stick with the chicken soup soup a bit longer.

    I've just managed to have a shower on my own, my partner was in the next room, I managed to shave my legs etc which was great ( too much info but not seen razor since morning of op) .

    The pain is easing quite nicely..

    I am so bored though, loads of jobs in the garden need doing but will have to wait or suffer the wrath of my partner doing it.

    I get a bit sleepy in the afternoon but that's OK it breaks the long day up with a snooze in front of the telly.

    I am so happy and amazed at my recovery, when I think of how scared I was before it, scared of the pain I might be in and my big worry was feeling nausea. I can honestly say that the pain is not as bad as I expected and I've not felt nausea like I used to before the op, I've had no ppi or gaviscon since op and every day feeling better. I've not progressed too much with the diet yet,

    Readybrek in the morning followed by a small smoothie, then at lunchtime I will have my soup, maybe a little custard or a weetabix breakfast drink in the afternoon, then maybe a soup or porridge in the evening, a couple of cups of decaf tea during the day.

    Margaret.

    • nancyj1979
      nancyj1979 mag2

      Posted

      Hi Margaret, I am glad you are doing well. Can I ask, did you suffer with gastritis? It seems that since being diagnosed via the endoscopy I have developed gastritis I have heard people say it can be caused by a HH.

      Nancy x

    • mag2
      mag2 nancyj1979

      Posted

      Hi Nancy,

      Yes I did get gastritis, sometimes it almost felt like I was holding a hot coal to my belly. In my first endoscopy 11 years ago they saw it and there was some in the endoscopy a year ago.

    • nancyj1979
      nancyj1979 mag2

      Posted

      Well hopefully fingers crossed you won't get it any more due to the surgery. It would be interesting to see. Take care Margaret. Thanks x
Back to top
Prev Next

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.