Post-Nissen Fundoplication Problems: What helps?

@quiteachiver76 WHY DID YOU HAVE 80% OF YOUR STOMACH REMOVED.HAVING IT RECONNECTED TO YOUR INTESTINES HOW LONG DOES FOOD TAKE TO PASS THROUGH YOUR DIGESTIVE TRACK ARE YOU ON ANY SUPPLEMENTS TO HELP YOUR HEALTH. I UNDERSTAND IF YOU DONT WANT TO ANSWER MY QUESTIONS THANKS

I had several issues with my digestive system. I had a Nissen that did nothing but make things worse. My esophagus wasn't pushing through anywhere close to what it should. My stomach was producing too much acid, it was backing up into my lungs. I had delayed gastric emptying where food was sitting in my stomach up to 8 hrs. This was also causing nutrition problems. Food was getting destroyed in the stomach before it could get to my intestines where nutrition is absorbed. It was causing me to be hypoglycemic. By removing most of my stomach and fixing the connection of the intestines none of that is happening. Tomorrow will be 2 weeks since surgery and my sugar hasn't dropped once, haven't had any reflux, just healing pains. I've been on a soft foods diet since surgery. Tomorrow is my first appointment after surgery. I know I'll have blood test to see how things look. They told me it's about a 6 week recovery to start getting back to normal.

Wow! It’s scary to think of having a large amount of your stomach removed. 🙁 But I am glad you seem to be improving! I have an appointment with the surgeon that did my surgery back in 2012. He is concerned about my symptoms. Not sure what he will say. I hope you have a speedy recovery!! Thanks for sharing

The original Dr that did the Nissen wanted to completely remove my stomach. I got other opinions and found the Dr I went with. He has 30 yrs experience of digestive surgery. He said over time my stomach will stretch and have a more normal stomach. Good luck to you. I hope all turns out well.

Hi! I too had a slipped Nissen... within two years. I then had a Toupet Fundoplication... it, too, is breaking down... 3 years later. I cannot eat more than a mouse, have dumping syndrome and dysohagia (swallowing troubles), plus a bad abdominal mesh from 2000 (still in me). I am also filled with adhesions. I have regretted both surgeries, but no other option. Weighed 210 in 2013... now down to 115. Every meal is a struggle. I wish you much luck and success. I will be watching this to see what advice you get. I never got much response from mine. Starving to find out!!

@sickvick I am so sorry to hear of all of the trouble you have had! I had relative success for the 7 years the wrap was in place. I do have trouble with spasms which can be very painful. I am just anxious to find out whether surgery is something I am going to HAVE to do. I will definitely post an update when I hear.

My story os long. Part of it is at my blog. .. which I intended to get back to, but now my husband and I are caretakers of my 90 year old mom. Life is so unpredictable .

Here is link to my blog post and no ads that I am aware of: https://zarogasnook.blogspot.com/2015/08/a-long-time-passing.html

Basically two wrap failures... in the second one the surgeon put wrap on fundus and when I had an undo of wrap I lost a good chunk of the fundus with the mesh removal and no way to have another wrap. I had a very stubborn paraesophageal hernia. I eventually had a gastric by pass to fix it... the surgery originally was used to fix these types of hernias and a side effect is weight loss. I have trouble maintaining weight.

I sometimes go down to 120 lbs. Have to eat cookies to get enough calories to keep around 125 lbs. Doctors always want me to drink protein shakes, but they make me nauseous and I tend to vomit them up. While I was on feeding tube I could drink Carnation Breakfast drinks, but then I could not keep them down after feeding tube removed. I do not know why it changed. I have always had a problem with cow, soy and rice milks. I am not lactose intolerant. I can eat cheese, yogurt and cottage cheese just fine. I am fine when milk is used in cooking, just cannot drink it as it comes. Eating is a big struggle. I fill up quickly... can only eat a cup or so of food at a time... I eat a little something every two to three hours during the day.

I have acid now in the form of thick mucus. I have Barrett's esophagus, achalasia and gastroparesis. I have a horrible time swallowing some foods and some pills. My stomach at time slows to a crawl at emptying and that causes my weight to go down. I eat mostly soft cooked food, but crisp things like sugar cookies or pecan sandies and Ritz crackers I can get down. I also make granola bars with toasted quick oats, finely chopped roasted almonds, pecans, raisins, and craisens ir ither dried fruit.. brown sugar, and local honey. Good protein and high calorie breakfast. Too much sweets and the mucus increases... too spicy the same. The mucus does not burn like the bile acid, but still not pleasant.

Wow. I’m so glad I saw y’all’s posts. I’ll keep watching. I hope someone out there has good results to report after a second Nissen.

I was told after my second RFA (radio frequency ablation) on my Barrett’s that my Nissen has apparently slipped and I now have a small hernia. We’re not going to consider surgery for that though until all of the RFAs on the Barrett’s are complete. (Third is scheduled for later this year and I will have at least 4 more after that. )

@btowngal I too wonder if I will HAVE to have another Nissen fundiplication.
@fourof5zs How on earth are you allowed to eat all of that fiber with your Gastroparesis? I have that too and fiber is positively forbidden on my eating pl

I am so fortunate that my Nissen slip doesn’t seem to cause me any problems. I am so sorry for the pain and difficulties y’all are experiencing.

@pdilly I forgot to mention I also have diverticulosis . Last year I had a very bad attack of diverticulitis. I have gone from having a few pockets to many throughout my colon... so more chance of getting diverticulitis. The attack last year was no fun!.. the worst I have ever had! It is difficult reaching a balance of fiber when you have one condition requiring a high fiber diet, and another that requires a low-fiber diet, and another condition requiring easy to swallow foods. The granola bars are my main source of fiber with the nuts and dried fruit. It amazes me how well it does digest and not just sit in my stomach like most fiber does. Cooking Quick Oatmeal the regular way it just sits in my stomach, but toasting it changes something. The nuts and dried fruits are chopped small and the bars are soft with the honey and brown sugar. Small bites and slow eating is a must! I really do not know which is the worst to deal with.. chances of getting diverticulitis or having gastroparesis. Of course there is the small stomach to deal with and it gets tiring eating something every two to three hours trying to get enough healthy calories in.

My last surgery had to be open because the hernia pulled 3 loops of my intestines into my chest and pushed my lung against my ribcage. I still deal with the pain from this surgery... way back in 2015. The pain is less, but still high on the scale. My body just kept make things so complicated.

Please bear in mind that my surgical experience is a rarity. My first two doctors in my hometown were not great or even good, but the ones at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville were the best. Do not let it scare you, but be aware that sometimes the body is going to do what it wants to no matter how great the surgeon is and like I said: I had the best at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. I still go there for esophageal checkups. My hometown gastro doctor said that so much was done to me at the Mayo Clinic that he thought it best they continue with my care there.. he still takes care of my lower abdomen and he is a great doctor.

@pdilly @fourof5zs @sickvick Okay, so here is an update. I get so incredibly frustrated with how hard it is to get someone to return a call. After a week of no word from the gastroenterologist about my CT I called. They took a message because they said it was an hour phone wait time to talk to anyone. This was Tuesday. Thursday I sent a message through my health portal explaining that I read the radiology report and I understand what is wrong, but I just wanted answers to three questions:

1. What are the implications of the slipped Nissen?
2. If this something that HAS to be fixed surgically?
3. If it does, what surgeons do they refer to?

Got a voicemail message earlier today from the doctor saying, "This is Dr. [removed]. I just wanted to see if you have any questions about your CT results. We would refer you to Dr. Larry Stevens [he did my first surgery] who I think is still practicing in Indianapolis. If you want us to schedule the appointment, let us know."

So...the long and short of it is that I took it upon myself (I am not waiting for anyone else to do anything I can do myself!) to make an appointment with Dr. Stevens for Friday, November 16th. I will say that I had a wonderful experience with him with my first surgery. At that point he had done almost 1,500 Nissens with a 98% success rate. What is frustrating is that I still don't know if I was referred because I will definitely need surgery -- was I referred because they aren't sure if I will need surgery? Now another 2 week waiting game, but at least I will know when I leave his office on the 16th what the path forward will look like. I will continue to update. I know that I appreciate reading others' experiences, so others may benefit from reading mine.