I had esophagus reconstruction surgery 23 years ago...anyone like me?

Hello @jhautzinger and welcome to Mayo Connect. You might connect with more members if you could explain a little about the type of esophagus reconstruction you had (i.e., what is the name of the procedure?) and the reason for the surgery (result of an accident, disorder, disease or something else).

By providing a few more details it will be easier to connect you with others who have had a similar surgery, and, in that way, they can share their experiences with you.

Please share as you are comfortable doing so.

Thank you 🙂 Honestly I can't remember the name of surgical procedure but I believe it was created by Dr. Mark Orringer from Michigan State? I had reflux for years and was headed towards Barretts so it was decided to do a Nissen Fundiplication. I was sick after the surgery and could not go home. My stomach had herniated into my left chest and crushed my lung. They brought the stomach down and put in a G-Tube. I didn't get better and about a week later they decided I had an esophageal leak and was taken back into surgery. There was a leak and I lost much of the esophagus. I had to wait 5-6 months before I could be repaired due to the massive infection. Johns Hopkins did the repair where they pull part of the stomach up into a tube to reconnect to what was left of my esophagus, on top of my heart. The rest of the stomach was anchored in the abdominal cavity.

Ok, that information helps! Here is a link to all of the posts on Mayo Connect about that procedure. I would encourage you to read the posts until you find another member who has had a similar experience and then feel free to post any questions to them by clicking on "Reply" under their post.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/search/?search=Nissen+Fundiplication
It sounds like you have had a complicated procedure. What is your most difficult symptom right now?

Thank you for the link 🙂 Recently the rest of my stomach, which was in the abdominal cavity, herniated into the left chest and they can't bring it back down...So that impacts breathing a bit...but I would say the maintenance of the esophagus is now up to 3-4 times a year with the stretching and the gerd just seems to keep getting worse...I would love to find a surgeon who knew how to do a repair of the repair? 🙂

I hope you find the right surgeon, @jhautzinger. How are you going about the search for a doctor?

I have a virtual appointment next Monday to discuss options with a Thoracic Surgeon 🙂 Thank you for asking 🙂

I hope that you will post again after your virtual meeting on Monday. I'd love to hear what information you might gain.

Will you post again with an update?

Yes I will 🙂 Thank you for your interest 🙂

Greetings...I met with the thoracic surgeon yesterday and I really only have 2 options...1. to keep up dilating the stricture multiple times a year or 2. to pursue the surgical option of removing part of my breastbone and moving my esophagus off of my heart and closer to the breastbone, removing the area with the stricture and reconnecting what is left of my esophagus to my stomach again. Eventually I will need the surgery but the timing is in my hands...do it now, while I am younger, healthier with very good insurance or later when I am older, retired with marketplace insurance and unknown health conditions...I am leaning towards doing the surgery sooner than later, but having been through this type of surgery in my past, it is not an easy decision to make.