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Post-Nissen Fundoplication Problems: What helps?
<p>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?</p>
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@btowngal You really do have to be proactive in your care and I suggest that you take someone with you to your surgical appointment. Sometimes another person can think of something to ask that you had not thought about. My husband was with me all the way... he was my advocate in those times when I could not be.
Zaroga
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1 Reaction@fourof5zs Normally my partner would come with me, but is out of PTO until after the first of the year. I am going to write all our questions down before I go so that I am sure not to forget anything.
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2 Reactions@leannesalinas I wish I could offer you the insight that you are looking for. I wanted to reach out to you, at least. I had my Nissen done 7 years ago. Recently a CT scan showed that the Nissen has slipped and I have a 4.2 cm hiatal hernia. I was also referred back to my surgeon from the original surgery. I see him on the 16th. I am anxiously waiting for answers too! If you haven't already, take some time to read through the discussion called Reversal of a fundoplication. While it's not exactly your situation, I found some helpful information reading through peoples' experiences and information. Good luck!
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2 Reactions@btowngal - I will start off by saying that I am a Canadian so my experiences may be different than most Americans experience. I had my first open Nissan in 1988 and at that point it was a new surgery and I was advised then that they couldn’t give us any idea of how long the Nissan may last or what the long term side effects could be. It was a terrible experience when it was done and I swore that I would never have a repeat. I had my repeat Nissan 15 years which was about what they had expected. I had that done laparoscopically which was far easier to recover from it was still a poor experience. Both times I needed to have my throat stretched 2-3 months after the surgeries as the wraps were too tight and I couldn’t swallow more than jello. I have had my wrap rechecked several years ago and they say it is still intact but my swallowing is becoming more and more comprised and I can’t get above 105 lbs. I had been so ill with other gastro issues as a result of the Nissan’s that I was down to 90 lbs and my gastro dr wasn’t too concerned. I have severe back pain, sciatica, spinal stenosis, gastropareisis and gas bloat syndrome. About every 6 weeks I experience terrible pain and bloat as a result of the gastro stuff that I have to take enough pain meds to knock myself out for hours as the pain is almost unbearable; as well as severe dry heaving that goes along with it. Since I can’t throw up at all the nausea goes on and so does the dry heaving. About 3-4 days later I eventually pass everything through painful diarrhea. I just had a colonoscopy and won’t get results until early December. My Dr has dragged this testing out over a year and only because he finally saw me and realized how bad I had become. There seems to be several new procedures for acid reflux which seem to be much less invasive than when I had my first surgery. I wish that I had never started down this path. I don’t think that I would ever have another Nissan done as my body couldn’t it. Best of luck to anyone dealing with these issues.
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1 ReactionAfter reading all the responses... now I know I am not alone. My mesh and fundoplication issues are real. I believe it has given me an eating disorder... the fear of food. I dread meal time... yet think of food constantly If I happen to overeat by just one spoonful... the bloat, the extreme abdonimnal pain, salivation, sweats, wretching... since I can never throw up again... until it violently shoots out of me from below. And if I don't eat... pains like a heart attack and passing out. I weighed 130 in 2015 before surgery (was always around 180) 3 years later I hover between 106 and 115. I cannot gain weight. Now I also have emphysema and when I cough my guts try to pop out under my ribs in the center. Soooo painful! I push them back in. Seeing a brand new dr tomorrow... wish me luck in my new quest for change. I am scared. I want to LIVE! I want to EAT!
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1 Reaction@btowngal We had a notebook we wrote our questions in... it was nice to go back and refresh our memories on what we discussed. My husband would make notes of what the doctor said. The Mayo is great in that you recieve the doctor's notes of the visit in their app.
Best wishes on your upcoming appointment.
Zaroga
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1 Reaction@sickvick The surgeon had put the mesh at the fundus on my Nissen repair. I kept telling him I was in pain. At the Mayo Clinic they were not sure if it was the cause of my pain or not. The hernia had pulled my stomach into my chest again so had to have something done. So had an undo of the Nissen. Less pain after removal of mesh along with top of fundus, but it immediately started herniating again. My second surgery at Mayo I had Dr Bowers and he is pretty awesome and he has a good team. He decided to do a gastric bypass with a twist.. still not sure what the twist part was. My espophagus decided to shorten... like a 1% chance of that happening. I was in the hospital about 3 weeks. When my esophagus shortened it caused one loop of intestines to come into my chest and a tiny leak and an infection came with the leak. I have a week I remember very little of. I wound up with a feeding tube for over a year and another surgery 8 months after that surgery.. would have been sooner, but insurance slowed things down. Two more loops of my intestines came into my chest before that third surgery... oh joy.. painful!! I have to eat something often to try and maintain weight.... a struggle. I have no appetite.. food does not taste like it used to. I am still under Mayo Clinic care, but just the gastro doctor.. Dr Francis. She said I was a bit of a celebrity there and she knew all about my problems. ha! If my swallowing does not get worse I will not go back until next August.. if worse I will go back sooner. So far it is okay.... just some foods I cannot swallow.
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1 ReactionI am sorry for all of your turmoils. I wish you wellness... hope for the best for you. I don't think this is a good surgical method. So many failures, so much pain and misery. All of us had the surgery to get better... not worse... or expect yet another surgery years later. The medical field needs to rethink, remodify this procedure.
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1 ReactionI have had 2 lap nissens in the last 18 months. I learned last week that it has failed again. I have horrible gas, nausea, dysphagia and some reflux. I am so very discouraged at this point. I have been referred to a surgeon 2.5 hours away from home. He can't see me until December and I'm worried that is too far out. Does anyone have any suggestions for me about what I should expect next? Thank you so very much!!
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1 ReactionHello Everyone,
I had a Nissen fundoplication done 7 years ago. It worked really well. If anything, I had to be sure to take smaller bites and drink liquids with every meal to make sure everything made it down to my stomach, so nothing was coming back up! In the last 6 months I started having pain behind my left ribcage and two instances of horrific waves of pain below my sternum that would go all the way around my back. An endoscopy shows slight inflammation of the stomach lining, but biopsy showed no infection. They did an abdominal CT with oral and IV contrast last Wednesday. I was able to read the radiology report on Friday.
"New small 4.2 cm hiatal hernia since previous upper GI on 11/10/2016. The appearance is compatible with herniation of the area of fundoplication."
"Impression: New small hiatal hernia since 11/10/2016 . The herniated portion of the stomach appears to represent the area of fundoplication (slipped Nissen)."
I am still waiting to hear from my gastroenterologist, but I am worried that I will have no choice but a revision surgery because I have read it can be dangerous to leave it. Has anyone else had any experience with a slipped Nissen?
Thanks!
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