ive been listed for fundoplication surgery....what can i expect?

[ThatVikRinA22]

ive been listed but have to go in for the ph test prior to the surgery. I have LPR, with a permanent sore throat, if i laugh or exercise i cough, if i get a cold i get laryngitis, chest infections and spasms of the air way (not great if you happen to be driving....)

i was diagnosed with hiatus hernia in Jan this year. Ive had symptoms for at least 15 years.

im on lots of meds currently which are not controlling the symptoms fully. (omeprazole, ranitidene, gaviscon advance, domperidone, and peptac)
the symptoms are still not fully controlled even on this cocktail.

im scared of the ph test - when i had a tube inserted into my nose to see my vocal chords i choked. My vocal chords are very inflamed.

what can i expect please?
has anyone else had the surgery? has it helped?

thanks

no one?

i found a fellow suffer on fb - apparently no food for 2 weeks post surgery and then another 4 on purees! ouch!

My DH had it a few years ago. Expect to feel pretty whacked out for a few weeks afterwards, even though its key hole, its quite a few holes!
It works immediately so you can have a glass of champers if u feel up to it.

You will be on purées / soup / ice cream / jelly for a while. You will possibly find that you lose weight, it definitely reduced my DHs appetite longterm & he's stayed slim ever since.

It's really improved his quality of life - he hadn't had a good nights sleep for years due to horrific reflux.

There is one downside... You will definitely fart more!

i just want an end to the symptoms....my vocal chords are getting pretty knackered.

My husband had the op a few years ago.
He recovered well.Was back at office job after three weeks and is off all meds.Throat symptoms were his main problem.
He is totally better.It was a big adjustment for him to eat smaller meals as he only used to eat twice a day.
He lost over a stone after op.
Good luck.

My dad had the ph test earlier this month op.
He said it wasn't nice when the tube was inserted but he coped really well once it was in and taking it out was easy.
Really hope the op helps x

Vicar can you have anything to sedate you for the insertion of the tube ?
Can you ask GP for diazepam or lorazipam - sorry about spelling .
I find the lorazipam better .

Good luck .

thanks guys - im worried more about the ph test than surgery tbh - but will be glad to have the surgery and hopefully stop the symptoms.

its having a massive impact on my quality of life.

My DH opted not to have anything when they did the ph test (duh - why??!!) but it was offered for insertion so you should ask for something.

It wasn't nicest thing he ever did but he was really pleased to have done it as the results backed up what he'd been saying & meant he could have the op.

Once it was in he just found it uncomfy rather than painful.

Vicar can you not ask for something from GP to calm you down ?

Hi vicar,

I had this done in feb, and the ph in London last year. Ph isn't that bad, they numb your nose, I went shopping and out for lunch with the tube in place and it was fine.

My Nissan didn't go totally to plan and I ended up with an open op, I was back to work after 4 weeks part time but was signed off for 9. It has worked really well and I have no symptoms of gerd or hh now.

You cannot have champers straight after unless you are lucky enough to be able to burp, it's really painful if you get too much air trapped in your tummy and the only way it can go is down! I love bubbly and hope to be able to have some soon, I belong to a support group that has members from all over the world and very few can tolerate fizzy of any kind post op.

Most food is fine, bread and steak are foods I now avoid as they 'stick' in my wrap and that does hurt (if you get esphogal pain now it is very similar) this seems to be the two things most people struggle with.

I need to eat less food now and avoid eating beyond hungry as being too full is uncomfortable. I have lost two stone so far :)

Do you have any specific questions? If you would likei can pm details of the group I belong too on fb, it is dedicated solely to this procedure and has over 600 members who all offer support and they're experience, it has been sobeneficial to me to have that contact, even now 5 mths out.

Do you know when your likely to have the ph test? I waited mths for a space in London then went private for the op as the waiting list was so long!

Some lovely iPhone typos on there!

Post op good varies. My surgeon put me straight on any food I felt comfortable with :) some surgeons (especially in America it seems) so purée etc for a couple of weeks.

thanks peachy - would love to get details of that group - im more worried about the ph test than the surgery tbh....

when i had the camera up my nose to view vocal chords i coughed and coughed - its my vocal chords that are suffering with the acid, it really stung my throat and couldnt stand it for more than a few minutes so im worried that the ph test will do the same to me.

Do you know if you are having the swallow test too? They do this to check the esphogal function as you can't have the op if its not strong enough bit also shows if your valve at the top of stomach etc are working?

The tube for the swallow testis the thicker one, they numb your nose and throat and then insert the tube down the nose, once it has passed your throat I was much less aware of it. I then had to drink water on command and eat a sandwich on command while it monitered what was going on. This is the worst bit, but is over reasonably quickly and I was offered more numbing if needed.

The second bit was the ph test, they removed the first tube then passed a very thin tube again via the nose. I found with this one too that it felt worse at the back of the throat and nose but once beyond there it felt ok, no aim or choking but you can feel
It a little. When you eat or turn your head you feel it pull a little and you press a button on the unit attached to it when you have symptoms, which they then match to the reading g from the tube. I went out with mine in but people did state and one group of ladies in a restaurant were shitty saying it put them off eating, I won't say what I think of them considering they had no idea what was wrong with me :)

Slept fine and then traveled back to London the next day to have it removed (some places you remove it yourself and send the unit back via the post). I was glad to have it out but at no stage was it painful or more than uncomfortable. I was so scared too, but it was no where near as bad as I gained it would be! And the relief of having it confirmed was huge, after years of being told it was in my head!

I'll pm you when I'm home with the group details!

My dad had both - the ph and swallow tests and we just heard today all his results are normal :)
He said the swallow test was easy as his throat was numb and the only "bad" bit of the oh test was the insertion of the tube.
He coped really well with it in situ and managed to eat and drink etc as normal.
He didn't feel them take it out.
I can totally understand why you are worried/stressed about it but my dad said that the thought of it was worse than the reality if that helps?
X

vicar can you not ask GP for some meds to sedate you ?

You never respond to me so this is my last time of posting .

Obviously something about me that you dislike .

Sorry Vicar, I've been offline in the rl thing! If you search nissen fundoplication on face book it should bring up a closed group, you need to ask to join (lady called Sherry) let her know ems in the UK recommended the group. :), it really has been invaluable to me, although one thing I would stress is that people ( not in the group but in general) talk about the negatives rather than the positives, worries, stresses etc. I think there were around 5 of us who had the wrap close together and I believe we are all doing great :)

I had the swallow test and the ph monitoring.

Felt weird and I was very aware of the tube IYSWIM.
Must have moved during the night tho as it made me sneeze and eyes water non stop and tube kept trying to work its way out of my nose, so I removed it.

well im suffering symptoms again badly at the min - very sore throat and tight raspy cough that is driving me insane....

hi again

i had the pressure test and the PH test on Tuesday this week - unfortunately at the hospital i had these tests done at they would not use numbing spray or sedation so i had to have it without pain relief etc and i found it very difficult.
the pressure test was worse due to the size of the tube and i gagged and was sick 4 times before it settled
the ph test was very tough to get through too, but the results show i have good enough pressures and a significant problem with reflux - enough to list me for the nissen fundo - so next step is see a surgeon.

peachy ive requested to join the facebook group - just hope ive found the right one.