Fundoplication failure

Hi I too had this operation last Oct and all was fine until Jan this I was sat watching the tv and all of a sudden this lump developed in my throat so the panic set in and off I went to the emergency doctor and he said its acid that's causing it and to go back on acid tabs again I thought it was a joke

Anyway this lump has carried on now for nearly a year it comes and goes I have been put on antidepressants told I will need to live on gavascon advanced told to stop smoking which I have then taken off the gavascon and back on to acid tabs now just been to see ent for the second time now they have said it's thrush at the back of the throat caused by silent reflux that changes the ph in the throat It makes you feel so down I wasn't told any of this when I went for the fundoplication if they had told me this no way would I have had it

Hi,

No, I haven't had the redo. I have been offered one with the

warning that I should not go ahead until I become intolerant to PPI drugs, I suspect that may not be far away . Somewhere in the NHS there is a redo specialist. I don't want to take my chances with anyone but an expert in this procedure.

If you find anything out I'd love to know.

Hi.

I had my partial wrap last Oct/nov and its been the best thing ever for me. Mine was done by Professor Atwood in north tyneside. In July i was violently sick and since then my old symptoms have been coming back and the past 2 weeks have been dreadful. Prof Atwood has now retired and im struggling to get any help. Another consultant did a scope last week and all he told me was the wrap was still there but hes not an expert on the wrap op. I managed to get a message to Prof atwood asking for a recommendation for a surgeon and he has given me a name in north tyneside. The only was i can see him quick is private so i go next week. Im in so much pain its awful. Something is def wrong as the top of my stomach area feels so uncomfortable like something hard is stuck in there. I feel like i want to burp but since my op i struggle. If i do manage a little burp then i bring liquid up or foam. Its ruining my life again and i feel so disheartened as i had a great few months. My nhs consultant has requested the ph motility test to be done again but these tests take weeks and weeks to organise. Ive been close to going to my local a&e but whats the point as they arent very experienced in fundo wraps there and wont know what to do with me. It seems there is a lack of people experienced in this. I live in the north east

My heart goes out to you Annette. It certainly sounds as if your illness put a heck of a lot of strain on it. Could you kindly tell me if after the op you ate anything that came along or did you try to adhere to a much healthyer life style? I ask this because I am noticing an alarming trend for post op patients and of course the big choice is coming up for many of us here. Please dont let yourself get down. I'm sure you will find another fantastic specialist. I was really down last week but found a near chap totally by accident and now feel hope.

Hi

After the op i stuck to the diet advice thst was given, in fact i was very strict. I ate only mushy foods such as mash potato, soup, porridge and mushed veg for the first few weeks. I kept away from carbonated drinks and bread for about 4 months. I struggled with meat and bread the most and it took me 6 months before i could eat meat ok. Ive always been healthy and exercised so my diet was pretty good. I lost about 1 stone and a half after the op and i felt so much better. I had my life back and loved then being able to eat and drink what i wanted with no issues. Just hope someone can help me soon as its so unpleasant feeling this way. Life is kind of on hold.

Annette I look at it this way. Ask yourself why do you reckon you needed the op in the first place? I am finding its 90% eating the wrong tucker. So one has the op and voila once it settles down you are invincible! Then all the old habits come flooding back and that stuff just tastes so good doesn't it? Its only common sense that the new work is still flesh that can get damaged just as your original LES did. I have a pack with myself that if I get into remission again NOTHING ON EARTH will get me to eat grains, dairy, coffee or anything with the dreaded sugar! I have well and truly learned my lessonn and am going through hell at the moment. Doctors can only do so much and sadly I have trouble finding any that know much about nutrition. More medication as many above have said is not the answer. Thanks for replying - much appreciated. Keep searching for that elusive doctor!

Hi

Sorry dont think i explained why i needed the op. Was nothing to do with acid reflux, i had the surgery as i have nutcracker esophagus. Its where the esophagus spasms for no reason and my swallows can be very tight so food can get stuck in my esophagus. I had the op to help relieve the spasms so it makes no difference what i eat. My spasms could start by just drinking water. If the wrap comes loose or undone then my esophagus starts spasming again making eating and drinking painful

Sorry Annette I didnt know that. Also nothing about your problem as it sounds pretty rare? Best of luck.

Yeah makes it harder when its not very common. Im seeing a private specialist next Tuesday so im hoping he can advise me more.

Hiatus Hernia. I must have had it most of my life as I remember getting terrible burning pains when I was 14( I am 60 now). I have always had my food coming back up and I got used to it..  I am still looking for an experienced  redo surgeon.

I have had a Nissen fundoplication, two revisions of the fundoplication as it has failed every time.  I have also had repair of hiatal hernia with all three of those surgeries with both synthetic and biological mesh and suturing.  All have failed.  In January I had 90% of my stomach removed as it was determined that a fundoplication was never going to solve my problems.  They were unable to repair the hernia as the defect is now the size of a grapefruit.  I live in Kansas and was sent to mayo clinic as I keep having obstruction due to hernia.  Three surgeons refused to see me due to complexity of my situation.  Finally met a thoracic surgeon that believes he can repair my diaphragm.  I will travel back to mayo clinic next week for hopefully my last surgery.  

Hi Candi,

I imagine you mah be recovering from your surgery right now and if so, I hope all is well and your recovery is going smoothly! You're in my prayers-especially after all you have gone through.

I wanted to ask you for any info on the doctors you have used at Mayo and which you prefer. I am heading there for my fundo redo and would love advice as I know some doctors may be preferred by other doctors, but not necessarily by patients. I have a very large hiatal hernia and a condition called Ehlers Danlos which causes weak connective tissue, poor wound healing, and vascular issues. Basically, most of my surgeries end up with complications. I had a Nissen in 2003 which I thought was holding up okay. It was always tight (I've never regained ability to vomit) but I figured that was a good thing GERD wise. My GERD was the silent type affecting my lungs predominately.

A few months ago, I started having trouble swallowing, lost ten pounds in two weeks, and was having BP issues so I was hospitalized for a week for hydration and nutrition. They did an endoscopy and found my lower esophagus was so tight that something had gotten stuck and acid had backed up all the way to my throat until it was completely ulcerated. They dilated it and it didn't help. They dilated it again and then did manometry to see if it helped and it didn't help a bit. My LES opening is about .6cm where it should be 2cm. I'm living on Boost and Ensure and am severely underweight. Because of my Ehlers Danlos and the motility issues, they have gotten me in with a doc at mayo for the redo.

As I saw with you--having a redo is complex and risky in itself and I can't believe you have had more than one! When you say three surgeons refused to help you this time around, did you mean three at mayo--or were they at other hospitals?

Finally, if you have had the surgery (and if I understood, it was done thoracicly versus laproscopically), I would really like to hear how it went and how you feel versus the other surgeries done laproscopically. I don't know much about how it differs for hospital stay (length), pain, recovery time, etc.

If you are able to answer any of these questions, I would very much appreciate it! I also understand if you're too busy recovering right now. Regardless, I wish you all the best and pray this is your last surgery for all of this!!