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Just had Laroscopic Nissen Fundoplication - good experience so far!

Posted , 30 users are following.

ben36826
ben36826

Hi Everyone,

I had the LNF surgery three days ago and just wanted to tell you my experience of it all as I was terrified of the surgery and of the side effects afterwards - so much so I considered cancelling it at the last minute! I read a lot of information on the web in the days leading up to the surgey (good and bad) and was left feeling that even people with what seemed to be good experiences seemed to be having a very hard time. As it is so far I've been pleasantly surprised!

I had surgery due to a loose gullet which was confirmed via endoscopy. I opted to not be sedated so I could get the results these are then (if you're sedated you get them a few days later as you tend not to be awake enough afterwards to take in the information). The endoscopy wasn't the most pleasant experience but was over fairly quickly and something I could do again if needed without being nervous about it.

I then had all of the PH testing which confirmed acid reflux and the associated tests for swallowing that confirmed that I was a good candidate for Nissens.

Fast forward to three days ago and arrived at the hospital very nervous about it all and feeling like I wanted to back out. I'd read information on the web about bloating, not being able to burp, not being able to vomit, dumping, diahorrea, etc. and couldn't see how I could live with all of that afterwards! My surgeon was very dismissive of most of my fears (in a good way) and confirmed that not being able to vomit may be a side effect and short term bloating may be an issue but the rest of the side effects won't be an issue. I really trust the surgeon as he has always been very open with facts and statistics so was happy to go ahead with the surgery.

Feedback from the surgeon was that the surgery was very straightforward. He found a Hitaus Hernia which hadn't showed up before which he fixed as part of the fundoplication.

Since the surgey I've had a lot of discomfort in my tummy area but I've put this down to the holes that were made for the procedure rather than the fundoplication as it is very localised on the surface of my tummy. My lungs have been a bit sore since too and breathing in deeply has been uncomfortable but both issues have eased over the past three days.

In terms of eating and drinking I'd been told by the surgeon to experiment with textures to see what I can handle which is much better than the clear fluids for a week I was expecting. So far I have been able to drink water, squash, Horlicks and Decaf coffee without any issues. It takes a lot longer to get through a drink as there is a feeling inside like a funnel where liquids get backed up a bit when I swallow too much but there is no pain associated with this and it goes away after a few seconds. I managed to each half a bowl of Weetabix the morning after the surgery, moving on to custard, semolina and chicken soup over the past couple of days, none of which was strained. I'm probably not drinking enough due to how long it takes but my bladder and bowel movements are pretty normal so I'm not too worried about that at this stage. Also I am able to burp after eating and drinking. Probably not voluntary at the moment but when my body feels like it needs to it does. The same goes for passing wind too although there seems to be a lot more of that than usual!

So far I have no regrets about the surgery and feel that it was definitely the right thing to do. I expected the weeks after the surgery to be difficult but so far haven't suffered too badly. I'm self employed and work from home on a computer and am aiming to do a few hours this afternoon building up to full-time again next week, one week after the surgery. However, if I wasn't working from home I don't know if I could manage working in a office at this stage yet and definitely couldn't handle a commute via car, train, etc.

Hopefully my experience might be useful to others. I know from what I read before my surgery most of what I found on the web was negative so hopefully I can keep you updated with a positive experience!

Cheers,

Ben

6 likes, 112 replies

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  • wendy62225
    wendy62225 ben36826

    Posted

    hi Ben

    what am awful operation i had acute sickess through the pipes from my nose and woke to extreme pain in my stomach to fine 5 incisions i didnt expect five the surgeon didnt relay that part

    i have been careful to only eat the liquid diet since the operation but i couldnt resist the sausage my husband cooked which i found ok to eat so far i havent had any issues with eating and feel i could go on a normal diet but im concerned that i might be undoing the good work if i rush it afterall they say liquid and mushy diet for a reason

    im healing well although i cant drive due to the pain in my stomach when bending down You have put my mind at rest concerning eating so thanks for that I am still very bloated and struggle going to the toilet and hopefully it just early days

    thank for responding i very much appreciate it

    best wishes

    wendy

    • ben36826
      ben36826 wendy62225

      Posted

      Hi Wendy,

      Thanks for the update. It sounds like you really went through it with your op. I was lucky that my surgeon told me everything. The pros, the cons, stats about success rates, failure rates, etc. I went into it with my eyes wide open. I was very apprehensive though and almost backed out of it on the morning of the op! The incisions are sore fur a little while. I'm not sure how they closed the incisions? Mine were glued which was vet uncomfortable for a week or two but every day that went by they were a little better. The scars now are barely noticeable. I was very, very apprehensive about eating in the first few days. The surgeon was quite relaxed about how quickly I should start on more solid foods. The approach was try something a bit more solid and if its fine then all good. If not then go back to what I was doing. He felt that stretching the wrap a little in the early days before and scarring occurred was a good thing. Although you do have the option of stretching the wrap at a later date via an endoscopy which sounds a lot worse than it is. I didn't feel the stretching at all and it was just like a normal endoscopy procedure. The problem I found psychologically in the early days was that I'd gone from being health before the op (obviously with bad acid) to voluntarily having an op that made me feel a lot worse! As you start to feel better you start to get more comfortable with your decision and realise it was all worth it. I resume you're off the ppi meds now? And I had a lot of bloating in the early days after the op which improved as time went on. Trust me it will all improve and you'll get to a point where you don't think about any of it and life seems normal again. I think this is the first time I've thought about my op and what's been done to my stomach since my last reply to you so that shows what a benefit it will be!

      Hope you feel better soon. Let me know how you get on over the coming weeks.

      Thanks,

      Ben

  • emma89383
    emma89383 ben36826

    Posted

    hi Ben , glad I've your post my operation is on wed & I'm terrified !

    with my symptoms I cough a lot like constantly ! every-time I eat . The tablets help with my acid heartburn, but not always .

    Im really hoping this will stop my coughing more than anything . . will be good to lose a few pounds too !

    • ben36826
      ben36826 emma89383

      Posted

      Hi Emma,

      I was terrified before my op too. Bear in mind a lot of people's experiences on the web are going to be negative as most people don't take the time to write when things go well! At least on here you get a more balanced view.

      Before my operation I had regular cough, hoarse voice, sore throat, etc but the operation completely cleared all of that up. It's been 7 years since my operation with no major issues. I get a bit of discomfort occasionally when eating and have to slow down a bit and can't drink fizzy drinks (Guinness seems to be OK if I don't have more than a couple). All in all the benefits of having the operation have far outweighed any negatives. You just have to be prepared to change a few small things afterwards. I'm at the point now where I never really think about it!

      Let us know how it goes and try not to worry! Feel free to ask any questions!

      Good luck!

      Thanks,

      Ben

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