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Post-Nissen Fundoplication Bowel, Etc., Problems: What helps?
I had a nissen wrap operation in 1999. I still have problems at night after about 4 hours of sleep. I've tried all kinds of drugs to help relieve the gas. Right now I am on 40 mg of pantoprazole in the morning before breakfast. Most of the time days are fine. I have problems being regular on bowl movements, so I have a high amt of gas from the meds I take to go number 2. At night is when I have real problems. Any kindred spirits out there?
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I don’t know where you live but Dr Parkman at Temple Hospital in Philadelphia specializes in gastroparesis.
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1 ReactionI'm so very sorry to hear about your grandson, very difficult to watch. I DID have 2 gastric emptying studies, one showed food in my tummy after 18 hrs. of no food, the next one was negative.
I am considering asking my GI provider to order another one, since I do feel I'm not digesting food properly at all. But since I just had brain shunt surgery, I think I'm going to wait a bit to get the study done. Thank you so much for the warm wishes! Much appreciated!
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2 ReactionsI had a 360 Nissan done in 2007 at Johns Hopkins. The wrap was way too tight. I had several balloon dilations over the next few years and finally had a revision of the Nissen to a 270 wrap performed by the same surgeon. A year after the first Nissen I started to gain weight which I desperately wanted to do; however, I also had new GI issues including a a growing stomach/abdomen that was rock hard, severe constipation (prior to the surgery I had IBS-D), and nausea. The 270 didn’t do much - I still get esophageal spasms, food gets stuck where the wrap is, & I have to take reflux meds bc food & liquids come back up into my mouth. Over the next 2 years my stomach got increasingly bigger, I was in constant pain, & I barely had a bowel movement and it got to the point where I didn’t have any. The rest of my body started to puff up and I looked like a pregnant pillsbury doughboy. Ppl would often ask me when I was due and there was woman on the street who said “you must be having twins!” I would just give a smile and move on. After the head of GI at Johns Hopkins called me a conundrum and seeing other GI specialists in PA, I got an appt at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.
I found out there that I had vagus nerve damage, gastroparesis, & that my colon had died (and that I had been walking around w/ a dying colon for years) & that I needed a total colectomy.
I was thrilled that they figured out what was wrong and “how to fix it.”
Things aren’t great by any means GI-wise right now BUT it’s a million times better than how I was when I first got to Rochester.
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1 ReactionI actually saw Dr. Parkman at Temple Hospital right before I went to the Mayo Clinic !!! (Probably 2-3 months before)
Unfortunately, after spending a week living out of a hotel room in Philadelphia and seeing Dr. Parkman for an appt, had the tests he ordered performed, and an appt to get the results he did not have anything new to tell me. He just read me the results that which he said were all normal and that was it. After asking him if he had any idea of what may be causing my GI problems he just said no- he offered no guesses, other possible tests, or doctors that might be of help.
I’m so sorry. I know that several people praise him.
Why do I still have painful GERD after Nissen Fundolpication?
Almost 3 years ago I had the surgery it was difficult and long recovery. Nothing changed regarding my symptoms. I tried Voquenza which helped greatly for a while. I went to the Dr. who asked me if I wanted him to stretch my esophagus again.
That had not helped prior.
Recently the GERD has gotten worse. I feel like I’m just waiting to get esophageal cancer that I’m just alone that no one could care less. I have a referral from my primary somewhere else. It is hard to get through the night. I feel like I’m choking, pain in the stomach and throat it’s awful. My Gastroenterologist gave me no options. Advocate for yourself because no one looks out for you as a patient.
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1 ReactionMy wife had a fundoplication about 5 years ago. Gratefully this procedure immediately eliminated her long standing acid reflux issue. After the procedure she experienced diarrhea, which she was told would eventually go away. The diarrhea mostly came after she woke up and lasted until she got everything out of her (about 3 hours). Her GI Doctor could not explain why her diarrhea problem was lasting so long. After 4 years of this, the diarrhea eventually went away. However it turned into a constipation problem. The whole time of experiencing either diarrhea or constipation she also experienced very painful bloating / gas. Based on what I have read on the Mayo Clinic connect forums and online, it seems that diet may be the best option. I have also read that some folks have tried medication to control the bloating.
Does anyone have any suggestions or some more specific advice regarding diet and medications? thank you in advance.
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3 Reactions@ppenoyar, it sounds like your wife has been struggling for a long time. You mention reading discussions on Mayo Clinic Connect about diet and medication that may provide relief for her. I imagine it is also difficult to sort through the varying approaches that seem to be as numerous as the number of people you talk to. Kudos to you for pursuing options!
I have had systemic symptoms, GI a part of them. I tried dietary solutions and eventually went to a GI who tried medication to help. It wasn’t until I ended up at Mayo Clinic where they looked beyond an isolated GI system, with an intentional diet/activity and medication combination approach has been helping. I am not a medical person so really cannot speak to medical conditions to fix, more to finding an approach of finding and following through with care that looks at it differently, more integrative.
An excellent place to learn how others are dealing with how they eat after having digestive tract surgery is a discussion created by @hopeful33250 here: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/how-do-i-eat-after-digestive-tract-surgery/
Your wife may benefit from going to an academic medical system where more advanced care available.
I absolutely would recommend Mayo Clinic in Rochester as a good option. You can use this link to contact them to discuss options for an appointment http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63.
Is your wife currently being seen by a GI or other type of specialist? What does her exercise and diet currently look like?
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3 Reactions@jlharsh
I just now saw your post. thank you so much for your feedback. I am glad you found some relief.
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1 Reaction@ppenoyar - I wanted to let you know I moved your question to this existing discussion that @nirolk started asking a similar question:
- Post-Nissen Fundoplication Bowel, Etc., Problems: What helps? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/post-nissen-wrap-symptoms/
I did this so you can easily join in with other Connect members talking about post-fundoplication bowel-related issues of all kinds. Glad you met @jlharsh, and I'd also like to introduce you to @alisibalmond @parrotlady @ga1rose and others in this discussion, who can perhaps share with you how they completely got out of dealing with diarrhea and constipation, plus bloating and gas, after a fundoplication.
ppenoyar - Has your wife taken any medications thus far for these symptoms? What types of foods does she like to eat these days?
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