Hiatus hernia /Nissan fundoplication op on 3 august 2016

Hi Louise, I had a dreadful cough for years before I was diagnosed. The acid would come rushing into my throat, causing me to gasp, choke and cough. I used to cough so much that I would be sick. My throat would get damaged and then I would cough all the time. People at work used to get annoyed with me and i lived on throat sweets.The PPI medication was extremely successful at stopping the acid reflux and the cough. So I have been cough free now for 7 months. Hopefully this will continue when I come off the PPIs. My surgeon wants me to stay on them for a month. KR

Thank you Barretts. Very reassuring to hear from someone who has had a positive experience of this procedure. Am stunned by the amount of wind that is coming up. I was expecting it to be difficult to bring up wind, based on every thing I have read. Louise, I hope your op goes well. Just buy in lots of soup and yoghurt drinks! L

Day 4 post op

Pain in left shoulder decreasing and managed to eat (well drink breakfast) . A whole wheetabix dissolved in warm milk - lovely.Have still got lots of wind coming up (over 100 burps a day) so am sipping peppermint tea. The best things that have helped with the shoulder pain are a hot water bottle and a back massager (I bought an expensive one but actually found that a novelty battery operated frog massager bought for under £5.00 worked the best.). So to drink i sit upright in a high backed chair, with a hot water bottle propped between my shoulder blades and the frog massager behind my left shoulder. My plan is to carry on with a liquid diet for at least a week. This is not as bad as it sounds . It includes tinned and homemade smooth soups (strained to remove any bits), ActiMel drinking yoghurt, thin custard, milk shakes, milk, milk with ice cream added, wheetabix, yoghurt and cranberry juice. After that it will be a blended diet for 2+ weeks and then a soft diet for 3+ weeks. I want this to work so I am following the dietary guidelines strictly.

The shoulder pain is as a result of the air they had to pump into your abdomen for the operation. It should disappear completely soon.

Typically you'll lose about 20lbs over a couple of weeks. Now is the time to indulge yourself in whatever treats you can manage. (You won't want to "eat" much anyway but none of the "naughty" things, like chocolate are off limits.

And remember you cannot do heavy lifting etc for a couple of months.

All the best for a speedy full recovery.

Hi Barretts,

Thank you for your reply.

My shoulder only starts to hurt when I swallow, and the pain persists until enough wind comes up. It's gradually easing so hopefully will go completely shortly.

Quite happy about the weight loss as although not overweight I am a stone heavier than I would prefer.

I do find the quite violent burping scary as I wonder about the impact on my stiches. But so far they seem to be holding ok and the doctors at the hospital didn't seem worried. I just anxst a lot.

I will be taking it very easy and I don't plan to return to work for at least 5 -6 weeks, and then it will be a phased return.

No point in not following post op guidance, even if it means wearing hospital stocking for 6 weeks to help prevent blood clots!!!!!!

KR

Truly feel sorry for you, as  I have had my share of difficulties, too, since my surgery back on December 22nd of last year.   Still not eating like I should , but am hopeful that someday things will improve.  Am on enzyme medication now.    Would be great to be able to eat without fear of barffing. 

Hi Ruth,

Thank you.

There are often difficulties for a long time after this surgery and I am sorry that you are still suffering. What is your problem with eating and do you feel sick or are you frightened of being sick?

My liquid diet is going down fine today (day 5) but yes I too am terrified of being sick. My surgeon's view is that I need to keep strong anti sickness meds with me at all times for ever so that if I get a tummy bug or food poisoning I can take them and not be sick.. My GP however is not being cooperative and has just prescribed travel sickness pills!!!!!. I am calling my surgeon tonight to discuss this and if need be to ask for a prescription from him for appropriate meds.

Hope you feel better soon

KR

Hi Ruth,

That sounds really awful.

My understanding is that it is difficult to be sick after the op, and that if you are sick it will loosen the wrap, making it ineffective. If this happens a repair operation is needed.

What has your surgeon said and what tests has he/she carried out to check the state of your wrap?

Today (day six) my only real problem is constipation. I have taken the Movencol the hospital gave me, in anticipation of this, and am awaiting the result. I am reducing my pain meds and am quite enjoying my liquid diet. I have calculated that my drink intake amounts to about 1400 calories a day, which is I think is quite reasonable.

I am still terrified of being sick, particularly before the wrap is healed. However my wonderful surgeon has provided me with the necessary strong anti sickness meds I need to keep with me in case of a tummy bug. The use by date is March 2020 so I hopefully I wont have to have a fight with my GP about the meds for over 3 years.

KR

Hi Julia,

Thank you for your response. Great to know what to expect over the next week or so. I too am in my early fifties but unlike you I am only in average shape. I am talking gentle walks and am doing quite well on the food front. For example I can manage a large mug of strained soup and a yoghurt for lunch - although it does take me an hour to consume the . I didnt really have any problems pre op as the PPIs worked very well for me, so no past misery to reflect on. However at the moment I feel quite reasonable except for the fact that I havent had a bowel movement in a week and the Movicol is frankly not moving anything. So although not usually a subject for a polite discussion I hope you don't mind if I ask if you have you had any bowel problems and if so what if anything helped? KR

Hey KR happy to hear your doing so well. I'm having food issues. I'm still on really puréed food. If I can't get to soft food by the end of week 3 they will have to see if my wrap is to tight.  As for the BM it took me 6 days after the surgery. I used Milk of Magnesia before bed for 4 days before I started. Now because I have so little food going thru I'm only BM about very other day. I'm 15 days since surgery and I've dropped 11 lbs. I am getting a little concerned  because I didn't have weight to loose.  I do feel better every day.  Just tired from lack of food. 

Hi Julia,

Sorry to hear about your food issues. Everyone is different in the time it takes to heal and all surgeons seem to have a different opinion on what is to be expected in terms of diet post op. Mine is insistent that his patients stay on pureed food for 6 weeks post op and don't attempt the soft food diet until after he has said they are ready to try it at their 6 week post op check. This regieme includes people like me who have only had the 270 degree wrap, which is supposed to make eating easier. So try not to worry

Than you for the bowel details, I am pleased to say that the Movencol finally got things moving today. Not a pleasant experience but a great relief.

I managed some feta cheese with my sieved soup today. I had to suck it until it disintegrated but it gave me a real energy boost.

I am not brave enough to move on from the liquid diet to the pureed just yet. I am too afraid of the puree getting stuck!

Hope you feel less tired soon

KR

Day 9 post op.

Moved on.to pureed food tonight - fish pie and carrots. Took.ages to eat and had to. be reheated half way through but it went down fine

Constipation has changed to diarrhoea

But I had expected it due to the diet, and it's neither overly frequent or painful

So no complaints, yet!

Still terrified of being sick - my anti sickness pills are going everywhere with me and I am OCD about hand washing and kitchen hygiene. But that's not a bad thing and I has expected it. My family are being very understanding about it - even when I insist on throwing food away because it was left on the kitchen counter for 2 minutes and there might have been a fly in the room.

Best wishes to all post op sufferers and recoverers

My day 9 post got sent for moderation - no idea why.

Anyway in brief, on day 9 I started on pureed food, replaced constipation with mild diarrhoea and my stiches are healing but starting to pull. All as I understand perfectly normal.

Today day 10 the mild diarrhoea continues and I feel really tired. Pureed food is going down well and I even managed a chocolate mousse and a pack of Quavers.

Best wishes to all post op recoverers and sufferers.

Hi Julia,

Hope the food issues are improving and you are feeling better.

Thank you so much for warning me about the second week tiredness otherwise I would have been really concerned about it.

Kind Regards

Hey I've thrown up a couple times. Not fun. It gets stuck at my les valve comes back on me. Not a fun experience. I suggest avoiding it at all costs. My stitches are really pulling. My dr. sewed my stomach to my muscle wall because he said it would flip over if he didn't.  It's literally a pain in the gut....LoL. Glad your doing better. I'm thinking months before I feel 100%. I can now walk a mile. Far cry from being able to walk/run 4 miles. I have to remember baby steps. Heck it's only been 18 days since surgery. Praise God, no acid!

Hi Julia,

Sounds awful - so sorry to hear that you have been sick.

I thought I was doing too well - have had awful diarrhoea and IBS all day and am on anti sickness pills as I keep feeling sick. Embarrassed to say that the first attack came on without warning and I didn't make the loo in time. Husband is used to cleaning up after pets so he admirably donned the rubber gloves and sterilised everywhere. Not a nice job.

Back on clear fluids and have retired to bed with a hot water bottle.

Just hope to feel better tomorrow.

I hope you feel better soon.

Kind regards

Hang in there. I had a hard 2 week but I'm doing better going into my 3rd week. I pulled up images on the net so I could get a better understanding of what went on inside of me. Those images are really giving me patience and putting into perspective how hard this was on my insides.  I'm very happy I did the surgery as I know these little symptoms will soon pass. Take one day at a time, stay positive.  It is well worth it!  

Hi Julia,

Thank you for your positive message. It really does help to talk!

Day 11 has been better - no diarrhoea - but I have gone back to liquids and removed milk from my diet.

Hence I have been tired and a bit wobbly but at least I have not been stuck on the loo all day.

Hope you have felt well today

KR

Day 12

Have had a good day today.Bowels functioning normally, puree going down fine (plus goats cheese and cheesy whatsits - its good to have something to bite and crunch) and wind reducing.

Just stitches pulling and totally lacking in physical energy. Brain doesn't seem to be working that well either - words are getting confused and forgotten (more than usual).

 

Wow sorry about the foggy brain. I'm at 20 days and still on thick liquid food. I can get cheese sticks and ritz crackers down.....yea!  I still get really tired.  I own my own antique shop with employees so I'm lucky. I can rest when I need to.  I am now walking a mile most mornings w/o pain. Just get tired.  I've lost 12 lbs. praying I don't loose more.  I'm 5'8" and now weigh 137lbs. Stay positive. I'll pray that you heal well. It is good to talk to others that are going thru this. Trust me people don't get it.  I've had to spit up in public. Pretty gross but oh well. This too will pass

Hi Julia,

You are absolutely right - everyone seems to think that if you look ok on that outside that you are fine on the inside - Not true!

Glad you don't have to rush back to full time work. Try not to worry too much about the weight loss - supermodels are extremely thin and everyone thinks they look beautiful.

Yes the human body can be gross and in public it's worse - just try to laugh about it. I drove today for the first time since the op. I only went a few miles but covered the car seat with a waterproof cover and took a cleaning kit lest my bowels give me another unpleasant surprise. Teenage daughter added perfume to the kit, as she said it might help the smell!!!! Luckily cover and kit not needed but I think I will be keeping them in the car for a good while yet

Take it easy, rest and relax. One day all the baby food.will just be a bad memory.

KR

Hi Julie, Just Googled 137 pounds to convert to stones - it came out at 9 stone 7 pounds. If that's right at At 5ft 8, that weight just makes you look slim and elegant. I am the same height as you and used to weigh less than that until middle age spread took over. Now I am hoping to lose 1 to 1 1/2 stone to get back to between 10 and 10 1/2 stone. Sorry, wrote down the pound conversions but lost paper with the amounts on and I have now got to go and look.after a sick chicken. KR

Day 17

Getting a little better everyday. However still feel I have a long way to go before I will be 100%. But my surgeon warned me it would be a 6 week recovery period so it is as expected. Luckily I have another month off work to rest, recover and get my digestive system, bowels and energy levels in order!