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Nissen Fundoplication
I am a Mayo Clinic patient (past or current).
Your interests: LAPAROSCOPIC NISSEN FUNDOPLICATION Your experience as a Mayo Clinic patient (if applicable): Today is one week since surgery at the Jacksonville Clinic. It was a positive experience, in that the care was excellent. Now home in Boca Raton, I am 7 hours by car from my doctors. Although I have a local doctor at home, I feel the need to connect with others who have had this surgery. Anything else about yourself: The main symptom I suffered with was chronic cough. I also have been diagnosed with Asthma. Last summer I became a patient at National Jewish Health in Denver, CO, a hospital that specializes in Respiratory disease. I was diagnosed with Bronchiectosis, probably caused by GERD. I had been on the GERD diet, proton pump inhibitors, inhalers, antibiotics, cough meds, the works. Turning over every leaf possible, I was led to the Mayo Clinic. Somewhat cynical about the outcome, I chose to have the surgery. This week has been difficult. I experienced low grade fever, and belching every few seconds for hours on the fifth day out. This has finally stopped and I am now on soft foods, really I'm clinging to blended still. I would like to hear from others that have had this surgery.
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Question: How does one do a single reply to more than one person? My reply will address the aggregate.
Would I do it here, in this comment box, or do I have to respond individually?
@dragnwc19 - you can do it all from the comment box. The replies go to everyone who is in the discussion you are making your comment. If you want to get a particular member's attention, you can "tag" them by typing in the @ symbol and then their username. You can do this for as many members in one comment as you want.
Every reply will be posted in the discussion thread for all members to see.
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3 ReactionsThanks, I'll try to address all in one shot. Are there length limits? I'll try to keep it under Tolstoy's "War and Peace."
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2 ReactionsMy doctor told me I will be very bloated if I do the surgery .
There are not length limits. As a general guidance, I suggest keeping posts on point as best you can and to a length you yourself would read. It can be difficult when trying to communicate complex medical situations and experiences in written form.
I’m so sorry. I know this has to be miserable and depressing. I’ve had 2 fundiplications within the last 2 years. Before that I had a LINX procedure that failed. The first fundiplication turned into a mess (bad surgery). The last one was in February of this year. It was working great until a few weeks ago. I had an EDG this week and now have grade D esophagus; up from grade B last year. The wrap has slipped again. My gastroenterologist and surgeon are telling me that my options are now more limited. They are talking a gastric bypass.
Not exactly what I want to do, as I’m only 127lbs. However, as afraid as I am to do that, I’m equally afraid not to do it.
My gastroenterologist is David Richards, at MD Anderson, in Houston, TX. I can not recommend him enough. My surgeon is Lee Morris, at Houston Methodist, in Houston.
He is (like many surgeons) not a good communicator, but an excellent surgeon. He luckily has a great PA, who helps him communicate with patients.
I live 9 hours away from Houston, but it is definitely worth the drive and cost to see excellent doctors, who I trust.
Houston’s medical community is known as one of the, if not THE best in the country. I should make clear that the LINX and first fundiplication were done by a different surgeon, where I live.
It took the surgeon, in Houston, 6 hours to “fix” issues from the first fundiplication. 2 of those hors just to cut the adhesions in my abdomen. I say this to emphasize that traveling for better physicians and care is worth it.
Again, I’m so sorry you are having this difficult. I hope you can find a good gastroenterologist that you trust and who can help you find some answers.
Thank you for sharing. It's certainly reassuring to hear from someone who's been there (#2). Your kind thoughts were most welcome, and I do wish you the very best from your next medical team.
I was asked if my 2nd fundoplication was successful and if the risks were discussed beforehand...risks?..... no one could have predicted what would happen. I will say that when I walked into that hospital, every condition necessary to insure that my surgery would fail, was present. And overnight, fail it did, before I was discharged the following day.
This experience taught me to NEVER agree to an elective, major surgical procedure on a late Friday afternoon when an overnight stay may become necessary. The hospital will be short-staffed for the weekend, and the surgical team may lose a measure of concentration because of plans they may have for the evening/weekend.
After surgery I woke up in my hospital room feeling very unwell and it only got worse. I later learned that I had hemorrhaged quite a bit during surgery. The inside of my mouth was all scratched up, especially my gums, and really hurt. Never found out why... did I die, or something? Oh, by the way, it is NOT ok for a post-op patient to wait 2-3 hours for pain meds simply because of short-staffing. I was urged to drink as much water as possible throughout the night, but could not urinate. All night... more drinking...and still couldn't squeeze out a single drop. My bladder was about to burst. I pleaded for a Foley Catheter that never came. More drinking, lots of pain, pushing my IV pole many trips to the bathroom, STRAINING my abdominal muscles with everything I had until I felt something inside me suddenly tear-the surgery had ruptured. Only then did I get that Foley Catheter (a bit too late) and what eventually came out of my urethra were long strings of blood clots. I could not urinate because catheter placement and/or removal had torn tissue and the subsequent bleed had clotted and blocked urine flow.
Straining to urinate was the worst thing anyone could have done after this type of surgery, yet they left me no choice. Shame on whoever rough-handled that catheter placement and/or removal during or immediately post-op; it should have been left in place! And shame on their mess of a system too!
When this 2nd Nissen failed I started to aspirate into my trachea at night because there is no gag reflex to protect that delicate tissue and the lungs from pneumonia. Oh, and to have a urinary tract that functions as well as it used to would be lovely.
I was asked about the success of my 2nd Nissen procedure. And there you have it. Be careful what you ask for!
ps: To the doctor who operated on me
and left immediately without so
much as waving goodbye: May you
have 5-star indigestion at that 1-star
diner!
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5 ReactionsI had the Nissen in 2015.. post operative gastropanesis was the result.. I have written several times about it.. Every meal is a challenge.. the local surgeon did it I had to go to Mayo MN to find what was wrong.. lost 50 pounds (was not overweight) have gained some back.. my first and only Nissen cannot be reversed . Damaged stomach nerves cannot regenerate..
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2 ReactionsOh my — I hope I never end up in that hospital or have surgery by that surgeon!