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I've written to you once before on this Nissen Fundoplications and I just read of so many people swearing about the Mayo Clinic. I have
not even returned to my gastroenterologist because I know he will send me to a general surgeon, I think I'm just plain scared of surgery.
How did your surgery go? Were you in a lot of pain? and how long did you stay in the hospital. I don't know how much longer I can go
on like this, feeling so sick all the time, feeling weak, dizzy, nauseous. I do take nausea pills twice a day.
Replies to "I've written to you once before on this Nissen Fundoplications and I just read of so..."
I don't think I want to go by myself to Mayo. If I have the surgery here (at Columbia or Mt. Sinai) My husband and one of my sons is around (son has young kids but could help a bit). I posted elsewhere, but a shorter version is I am likely facing fundoplication surgery soon. Long journey hosptialization for sodium crisis revealed opacities etc in one lung (issues continued, bronchoscopy negative for cancer and all other tests) . Swallow test limited to no peristalsis. Barium swallow, pill went through, some hold up in standing position at "junctiion"..not in "swimmers" position. Esophogeal disorders program at major hospital in NYC did endoflip and Brava and doc strongly suggests need fundiplication. Tried all the "lifestlyle chages" - little change.. but I too am worried re surgery. Dr said it was a "risk" at my age (70)... was previously healthy and no signs of reflux until just before and shhortly after hospitalization (but minor) . Now severe episodes wakes me up several times or at 3 am for the day. ).
Uy, not so short. I too wonder if the description minimizes the pain. i will follow up and ask the doctor what the '"risk" is at my age.
I too wonder about teaching hospitals (want to be sure the skilled doctor does the surgery).
Did ANYONE have a long term good outcome? How many of you needed a repeat and after how many years?
How many of you can eat real food ? how long did it take?
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My surgery went very well, and I'm so glad that I had it done! I don't have to sleep sitting up anymore. I don't have to avoid certain foods anymore. I NEVER have heartburn/GERD.
Here's how it went:
• My husband and I flew into Rochester on a Sunday.
• The next day, I had a pre-op appointment with my surgeon and a PA, and I did my pre-surgery labs. (They also had me do one imaging test to check the functionality of my esophagus because some of my tests the August before indicated that it didn't always function properly, but they found that it does.)
• The surgery was on a Tuesday, and I was discharged Wednesday afternoon.
Mayo will allow you to fly home the same day you were discharged if you want to. I chose to stay until Saturday.
They will give you food guidelines because you can't just eat normally right away.
The follow-up imaging is done at your home location, and you then mail Mayo a CD of the imaging. After they review it, they will call you for the follow-up appointment.
Weirdest thing is that most of the pain was in my shoulders afterward despite that I had five abdominal incisions. Apparently, this is normal because while performing the surgery, they fill your tummy up with gas (CO2, I think). They only way for the gas to dissipate from you body is for it to rise up to your shoulders. They will give you pain meds for this. (I can't take pain meds, so they put some kind of warming device on my shoulders, and when I was back at the hotel recovering, I used ThermaCare.)
I would not go to a general surgeon for this. Here's why... they needed to detach my diaphragm, esophagus, and stomach and move them about two inches lower. They then tack everything down, and then they perform the wrap of the stomach around the base of the esophagus. (If the esophagus is performing correctly, which they figure out via an imaging test called an esophagram prior to the surgery, they will do a 360º wrap of part of the stomach around the base of the esophagus. If the esophagus doesn't, then they perform a 270º wrap of the stomach.