Linx surgery for acid reflux

Hi Barry

So nice to see such a positive report on someone about my age.(I am 63) I have suffered with gerd for years and PPI's just not working anymore. I am good with a restricted diet too.

Well, you have encouraged me to move forward with Linx surgery.

Out of curiosity, where did you have your surgery?

jose

Fantastic outcome. So pleased for you.

Yes I would like to know where u had op? I'm in Western Australia and the Linx procedure hasn't reached us yet!!

Did you have to pay for it? If so how much was it.

Many thanks Dom

Must be fabulous to eat what you want. I remember those days!!!!!!!

Hi Jose

Sorry, I didn't see your question until today!  I live in Louisiana, and had to drive 85 miles to Baton Rouge for all of the appointments and the proceedure, but it was defintely worth it..  There are only two surgeons that do the Linx proceedure in my state.  I had it done my Dr. Mark Hausmann, an excellent surgeon.  The entire experience, from his dimeanor to the surgery and out-patient hospital stay was great.

Best wishes for an exceptional outcome!

Barry

I am in the U.S., in Louisiana.  Thankfully, my insurance covered the entire proceedure.  And, thankfully, I was able to have it done on December 30, two days before my insurance expired for good.  I haven't checked the cost yet, I only know the device itself sells for about 5k here in the States.  So, I imagine the entire procedure probably cost at least 20k.

Hopefully LInx will be approved in Australia!  If you can have the proceedure done by a competent surgeon, I highly recommend it!  I am literally thanking God every day for this medical miracle!  I love being able to eat whatever I'd like without a volcanic erruption occurring in my digestive track!

Best wishes for remedying your GERD!

Barry

Thank you for your informarion. I appreciate it.

Hi barry

So glad you are doing well and are reflux free. That must feel so wonderful. I'm very done at mo cos I've had big flare up. I'm actually taking Zantac again (h2 blocker) which I haven't taken for a couple of years!!! I think it's due to changing my antidepressant med. when I stopped my anxiety pill cold turkey my reflux went haywire.

I mentioned the Linx to my gastro not long ago and he admitted only recently hearing about it. His main concern was that the tissue would grow around the magnet, and the magnet would not just sit around the Les muscle but almost become part of it??? Did your surgeon mention any of this to you? What are the risk factors?

I so need to do something. I just can't live like this anymore. I'm tired of having to eat so blandly. Which I'm not doing because I just can't deny myself anymore. I'm losing my self control and getting so p****d off with it all!!!!!!!!

Thanks for hearing my rant. Sorry I'm very done at moment. Change in meds is definitely not helping.

Warm regards

Dominique

Hi barry

So glad you are doing well and are reflux free. That must feel so wonderful. I'm very done at mo cos I've had big flare up. I'm actually taking Zantac again (h2 blocker) which I haven't taken for a couple of years!!! I think it's due to changing my antidepressant med. when I stopped my anxiety pill cold turkey my reflux went haywire.

I mentioned the Linx to my gastro not long ago and he admitted only recently hearing about it. His main concern was that the tissue would grow around the magnet, and the magnet would not just sit around the Les muscle but almost become part of it??? Did your surgeon mention any of this to you? What are the risk factors?

I so need to do something. I just can't live like this anymore. I'm tired of having to eat so blandly. Which I'm not doing because I just can't deny myself anymore. I'm losing my self control and getting so p****d off with it all!!!!!!!!

Thanks for hearing my rant. Sorry I'm very done at moment. Change in meds is definitely not helping.

Warm regards

Dominique

Hi Dominique, i was reading your post and i want to tell you there are no side effects from the surgery. Very little people can feel the linx and at first you have to eat slowly and small bites but you just have to keep exercising the linx then after awhile you should be back to normal. It is a very simple procedure and i would recommend this procedure to anyone. this is a fairly new procedure so more than likely some doctors won't know about it which is why I recommend people doing the research. I live in Pittsburgh PA and there is only one or maybe two doctors within about a hundred mile range that perform this procedure because it is so new. after reading and doing research on my own it was a no-brainer I went and saw the doctor right away to get tested to see if I was a good candidate for the procedure and I was a perfect candidate. After about a year now I have not taken any medication before the procedure I could not go a day without having some medication in me to cure the reflux.

From my personal experience, as long as I followed the post surgery protocol, I had no problems, and the recovery was almost pain free.  I didn't need any pain medication at all.  There are a few things that you can do to help alleiviate some of the minor post surgery pain and help with recovery.  If you decide to have the LINX implant, just comment back and I'll provide you with the details.  The area around the LINX does form scar tissue, but it is supposed to do that; it helps keep the LINX in place, over the LES and between the the Vagus nerve bundles.  It is really great to be able to eat anything and sleep flat without reflux!    Like you, I used to take an occasional Zantac before I had the LINX surgery.  H2 blockers are better than PPI drugs.  However, it is not a good idea to take any type of anti-reflux drug for a protracted period of time.  There are risks associated with them, especially the PPI class of drugs.

Until you decide on the LINX, you might want to try taking a half teaspoon of baking soda in a glass of water after your meals.  This helped me.  I also drank aloe water and took Tums; I had them in every room in my house and in both autos.  Long term, it is not a good idea to neutralize stomach acid.  We need it to stave off bad bacteria and to properly digest our food and assimilate the vitamins and minerals.

Hi Barry

I totally agree with everything you say. I'm not prepared to be on the drugs long term even if they worked for me and they don't! So I'm gonna have to find out the nearest country to me who perform Linx surgery???

How long will the Linx last??

Many thanks for your time. I'm so glad this has worked for you. I can't wait to not think about what I can and can't eat and to go on holiday and not worry about the sleeping arrangements.

Kind regards

Dominique

The Linx implant is designed to be in place and effective for life.  There are some in this county who have had it for over 6 years, going back to when it was first being tested.

It is unfortunate that Linx is not being offered in Australia.  The implant is being done in many other countries.  India may be the closest to you, but you would definitely want to do thorough research before traveling there for the procedure.  It is also offered by the NHS in the UK.  Apparently, some countries with Socialized medical structures offer the surgery and some don't.  There are no perfect healthcare structures, but I really hope my country does not go down the road of socialized medicine.  I'd rather make my own informed decisions regarding medical care.

It would certainly be a long trip, but if you choose to visit the U.S., there are many places here which offer the Linx surgery.  That said, if you decide to travel here or to another country for the procedure, you would most likely want to do the preliminary testing in Australia, which would save both time and money.

There is another surgery which I'm sure is offered in Australia since it has been done for over sixty years.  It is the Nissen fundoplication.  If I couldn't have done the LInx surgery, I would have opted for it.  However, I prefer the Linx because it is easily reversible, unlike the Nissen.  It can be taken out in a 30 minute laparoscopic procedure if necessary.  The Linx surgery also allows you to burp and vomit when sick without difficulty, and it has a much swifter and less onerous recovery period.

I hope all of my opining here has helped.  If you have any other questions, just ask and I'll do my best to answer them.

Best wishes for a successful resolution to your GERD (GORD) symptoms!

I agree with all your reasons for choosing LINX. I am in UK, had all the tests and met all the criteria for LINX but was only offered fundoplication on NHS. I  was not offered LINX on NHS but told I would have to pay for it. That is what I did and it cost me nearly £9500. I believe LINX used to be available on NHS in U.K. Perhaps I should have tried harder to get the op on NHS?

Hi Jennifer

Wow that's a lot of money. Was it worth it? Has it worked for you?

I'm thinking of coming back to the UK to get Linx done. I live in Perth, WA but I'm originally from Uk. They don't have the Linx in Perth!!!

Thank you

Dominique

Many thanks Barry, you have been very helpful!

Warm regards

Dominique

Hi Jennifer,

So sorry to hear that you were denied!  It seems that, some are able to get the LINX surgery through NHS and others can't.   For some reason, the NHS doesn't seem to be consistent in their approvals and denials.  I am subsribed to a couple of Facebook pages which are devoted to LINX patients and those who wish to have the surgery. I've seen many whom have had the operation through NHS and some like yourself who were denied.

How's your Nissen working out.  I know a few people that are very happy with theirs.  The most common complaints I hear from some are the issues stated above.

I just reread your comment, Jennifer, and it appears I misread it the first time...sorry about that.  I'm glad you were able to get the LINX surgery, but sorry you had to pay so much for it.  How's it working out for you so far?

Basically, the situation is the same here in the U.S.  Some insurance companies approve it and others deny it, even though it was approved by the FDA in 2012.  It's crazy, but money is always the bottom line.  It seems, they will use any excuse they can to disallow it.  Thankfully, my insurance company paid for all of it.  I think that, having to have a hiatal hernia repaired along with the LINX implant helps with the approval.  There are now thousands of us who are very satisfied with the LINX implant, and that's sure to help with the approval process going forward.  Honestly, LINX has been such a positive lifestyle and health benefit for me that, if I had to pay for it, I would do it tommorrow if necessary!  So, despite the very poor and ill-advised decision by the NHS in your case, you certainly did the right thing for your health and well being!

Hello Dominique, I had a very bad start with the LINX. I was OK for first few days, eating regular small meals slowly but then the dysphagia started and eating became very difficult. Soon after my surgery my surgeon went for a back operation and was unavailable. His stand in surgeon did his best but I was in so much pain that I felt that the implant was killing me! I asked to have it removed but the original surgeon rung me and persuaded me to have a barium swallow. It showed that the LINX had slipped and there was only a tiny gap, around 1cm diameter, that food could get through, hence the pain. I was put on a liquid only diet. I had lost a lot of weight and said I must have it removed. My original surgeon rang me again and after a lot of discussion he persuaded me to have an endoscopy and have my oesophagus stretched by the replacement surgeon. I agreed and it worked! I have had a much better time since then and am getting back to normal. By the way, I was born in England and have lived here all my life so I was fully entitled to have the operation on the NHS if it was available which it didn't appear to be. But the NHS is really over burdened now and I would have probably been waiting a long time

Hi Barry

Thanks for you reply

I too have chosen LINX over the fundaplication I can't imagine not being able to belch or vomit for the rest of my life. The first surgeon I went to who is the chief of surgery at the University of Washington told me I shouldn't have either the LINX or the Starret. His reason was there are no long term studies, and he would be concerned with device migration and esphogus erosion. He also said refflux is usual due to more than just a weak LES. Finally he said no precedure is really reversible due to scar tissue. I'm desperate and am going to see another surgeon. He also told me that some symptoms get better with the fundapication but some symptoms get worse, what kind of an outcome is that? No good for me. The way I see it is I'm 69 years old so I don't likely have a long horizon and if I could get 10 good years at the end I'd take that in a heart beat

Hi Frank,  I believe you are doing the right thing by seeking out another surgeon. I am 62 years old, and I felt the same way.  Now, I have my 20 year old stomach back, and I couldn't be happier about that!  Perhaps there are cases of divice errosion and migration, but I have not heard of any that weren't easily repaired, and that was only one or two.  My surgeon has no cases where this has happened to any of his patients.  The fact of the matter is, there are also many horror stories associated with Nissen fundoplications.  I certainly would not like not being able to belch or worse, not being able to vomit if sick!  So, it would seem to me that, the surgeon you spoke with has some sort of bias that is not grounded in reality or truth.  Perhaps he only performs the Nissen.

Hi Jennifer, I have this problem - Linx is I believe in 3 hospitals in the UK - one is Cornwall - cant remember the other 2.  I know of a place in Manchester which is private and as you say £9,000.

Will do if I need to.

I don't know of any UK hospital that does LINX free on the NHS. As far as I know there is no limit to the availability of LINX privately. Mine was done in Spire, Roundhay, Leeds. The surgeon received just under £1000 and the anaesthetic received about £600. The rest of the £9400 went to Spire. I had bought a package that covered me for the operation, a one night stay, use of the operating theatre, food, medication, nursing care and follow up tests and treatments where necessary. I needed both of these as things subsequently went wrong. There are centres throughout the U.K. that specialise in LINX surgery. Best wishes, Jennifer 

Thanks for this.  It was the Spire in Leeds I was looking at.  I have had a look today and there are actually a few on NHS, one being Salford which iss near me.  Just deciions on which.  Hope you keep well.#G.

Thanks for your good wishes. If Salford is near you then it would seem ideal. The list of free LINX on NHS  has St James hospital in Leeds which would have been OK for me.  I realise now I should have tried harder to get it done on NHS but I thought private might be best and I think I would have had to wait longer on NHS. But, as I mentioned in an earlier post, things did not go smoothly after my operation so NHS might be the better choice. Good luck and hope you don't have to wait too long

Thank you Barry, I'm due to have the LINX in January and am quite anxious about it as my surgeon is concerned that my LOS is so weak as to be almost non existent!

Hi Susan,  I can certainly understand your apprehension regarding the Linx surgery.  However, most people who suffer from GERD (GORD) do so because of a weak LES (LOS).  That was my problem too.  Mine became weaker with age, as all sphincters unfortunately do...LOL!   My hope is that one day there will be a surgical procedure which will replace a defective esophageal valve, much like they routinely replace heart valves.  I'm not sure why they can't currently do this. That said, the Linx is designed to strengthen the LES, and in my case it certainly did, as I no longer suffer from GERD or LPR.  I had a very easy recovery, and I'm still doing very well after nearly a year. My advice is this: don't go into the surgery with preconceived notions or too much anxiety.  Try to relax; stress will only make things more difficult.  Follow the post surgery protocol closely,  especially as it pertains to chewing well and eating slowly and often.

Chances are, you will respond quite well to the surgery and you will be able to throw all of your meds and antacids away as many of us have.  You are truly doing the right thing by arresting your GORD before it does additional damage.  My dad developed Barrett's, and was too old to do anything about it.  I decided not to follow the same path and I'm awfully glad I made that decision.  If I had to, I would do the entire surgical procedure over again; that's how much of a life-changer and medical miracle it has been for me!

Best wishes, and my prayers for an easy recovery and exceptional outcome!