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Fundoplication Reversal
Hi everyone, I'm trying to find out as much information as possible on having fundoplication surgery reversed.
I had this surgery not so long ago. Without going into too much detail a series of events and mistakes made by myself and others led me to believe that having this surgery would be a good idea. My reflux wasn't that bad at all really and the medication was working well.I had a small sliding Hiatal Hernia so I still had occasional reflux on the medication but it was more like a gas with no acids or liquids really and all of my other symptoms had gone despite not taking my diet and lifestyle changes that seriously.
Now I'm sure this surgery helps a lot of people with severe reflux that cannot be controlled well with medication and lifestyle changes but I have to say that in my case all of the complications or side effects associated with the procedure are 50 times worse and harder to live with that what the surgeon described to me himself after reviewing my 24 hr PH study as mild reflux.
I'm very keen to have this operation reversed and would love to here from anyone anywhere who has managed to have a full reversal. I would love to know if the bloating and abdominal pain has gone or improved. if you can burp freely whenever you need to ( something I totally underestimated the importance of in my case ), if your bowels have improved and if your reflux returned any worse than before having the operation.
Also I live in Australia, so if anyone down under has had this operation reversed or is looking into it please help me out with any information you may have.
I feel this operation is being marketed by some practitioners as a convenient thing to have done to avoid taking medication each day. Something I have learnt the hard way and wish someone had said to me is this operation is a big deal and the recovery time can be very long. Take your diet and lifestyle changes very seriously and only consider surgery if your reflux is bad and when you have tried every other option available with no success.
Thank you,
Gastroboy.
I had this surgery not so long ago. Without going into too much detail a series of events and mistakes made by myself and others led me to believe that having this surgery would be a good idea. My reflux wasn't that bad at all really and the medication was working well.I had a small sliding Hiatal Hernia so I still had occasional reflux on the medication but it was more like a gas with no acids or liquids really and all of my other symptoms had gone despite not taking my diet and lifestyle changes that seriously.
Now I'm sure this surgery helps a lot of people with severe reflux that cannot be controlled well with medication and lifestyle changes but I have to say that in my case all of the complications or side effects associated with the procedure are 50 times worse and harder to live with that what the surgeon described to me himself after reviewing my 24 hr PH study as mild reflux.
I'm very keen to have this operation reversed and would love to here from anyone anywhere who has managed to have a full reversal. I would love to know if the bloating and abdominal pain has gone or improved. if you can burp freely whenever you need to ( something I totally underestimated the importance of in my case ), if your bowels have improved and if your reflux returned any worse than before having the operation.
Also I live in Australia, so if anyone down under has had this operation reversed or is looking into it please help me out with any information you may have.
I feel this operation is being marketed by some practitioners as a convenient thing to have done to avoid taking medication each day. Something I have learnt the hard way and wish someone had said to me is this operation is a big deal and the recovery time can be very long. Take your diet and lifestyle changes very seriously and only consider surgery if your reflux is bad and when you have tried every other option available with no success.
Thank you,
Gastroboy.
Thanks for your input. I take it you were putting up with the effects of severe GERD for around 6 years before deciding to go ahead with the operation. I can certainly understand from your account why you have had it done and sincerely wish you a speedy GERD free recovery.
If my understanding is correct and it might not be, you can actually just have the Hiatal Hernia repaired without having to do a fundoplication as part of the repair process for the hernia, like if the hernia was your only problem. A high percentage of people having fundoplication surgery do have Hiatal Hernias so they fix them at the same time as they do contribute to GERD symptoms by not allowing the LES to function as well as it should or could.
I did read elsewhere on the internet about a person that had mild GERD, had the operation, suffered from complications and did have it reversed. He had a Hiatal Hernia as well and the surgeon that performed the reversal reinforced the Hernia area with extra stitching.
From what I have read there is a chance that the Hiatal hernia may come back anyway but I plan on doing everything in my power to prevent that. I can actually remember when I got the Hernia, at the time I was doing heavy labor work within the building trade, 2 of us lifting timbers and roof trusses that should have been craned into position. Anyway one day I felt a tear and a pop in my chest area with some pain in my neck. Never got it checked out at the time but I'm sure that's when it happened. My hernia was small the doctor said by the way.
I just think that this surgery(Fundoplication) wasn't necessary at this point in time for myself and I'm really finding the complications very disturbing, more disturbing than my GERD was.
If my understanding is correct and it might not be, you can actually just have the Hiatal Hernia repaired without having to do a fundoplication as part of the repair process for the hernia, like if the hernia was your only problem. A high percentage of people having fundoplication surgery do have Hiatal Hernias so they fix them at the same time as they do contribute to GERD symptoms by not allowing the LES to function as well as it should or could.
I did read elsewhere on the internet about a person that had mild GERD, had the operation, suffered from complications and did have it reversed. He had a Hiatal Hernia as well and the surgeon that performed the reversal reinforced the Hernia area with extra stitching.
From what I have read there is a chance that the Hiatal hernia may come back anyway but I plan on doing everything in my power to prevent that. I can actually remember when I got the Hernia, at the time I was doing heavy labor work within the building trade, 2 of us lifting timbers and roof trusses that should have been craned into position. Anyway one day I felt a tear and a pop in my chest area with some pain in my neck. Never got it checked out at the time but I'm sure that's when it happened. My hernia was small the doctor said by the way.
I just think that this surgery(Fundoplication) wasn't necessary at this point in time for myself and I'm really finding the complications very disturbing, more disturbing than my GERD was.
Having a reversal seems like a difficult procedure. From what I read and researched before agreeing to having a NF operation, how tight the wrap is done is critical. I wonder if the wrap can be relieved.
When did you have the procedure? I was told that I shouldn't eat solid food for six weeks after the operation, and to expect some very uncomfortable bowels for about that period of time. I also was told that burping would be difficult, and to expect problems with loose bowels and frankly, passing gas. After two months, gas and loose bowel problems stopped and I started mixing into my diet solid foods, and the results have been wonderful. Tonight we had dinner at an Italian restaurant, something I couldn't have done before the surgery.
Smiley and I both had strong motivation to have the procedure, we had a pre-cancerous situations. I had a barium test, an endoscopy, a test to determine my acid level and also a test to determine how well I could swallow, plus a test to determine the damage I had to my vocal chords.
I've had prostate, heart bypass, and bowel blockage surgery as well as a NF surgery, and will tell you the recovery from NF surgery was the most difficult for me, but eventually the most rewarding.
Again, when did you have the surgery? Also, were you given a dietary plan?
When did you have the procedure? I was told that I shouldn't eat solid food for six weeks after the operation, and to expect some very uncomfortable bowels for about that period of time. I also was told that burping would be difficult, and to expect problems with loose bowels and frankly, passing gas. After two months, gas and loose bowel problems stopped and I started mixing into my diet solid foods, and the results have been wonderful. Tonight we had dinner at an Italian restaurant, something I couldn't have done before the surgery.
Smiley and I both had strong motivation to have the procedure, we had a pre-cancerous situations. I had a barium test, an endoscopy, a test to determine my acid level and also a test to determine how well I could swallow, plus a test to determine the damage I had to my vocal chords.
I've had prostate, heart bypass, and bowel blockage surgery as well as a NF surgery, and will tell you the recovery from NF surgery was the most difficult for me, but eventually the most rewarding.
Again, when did you have the surgery? Also, were you given a dietary plan?
G'day Gastroboy!
I live in South Australia now (have been here for 8 months) and had my Nissen Fund. surgery done 4 weeks ago by Prof. Peter Devitt, in Burnside, Adelaide.
Long story short: During 2006 I was diagnosed with having GERD, erosive gastritis and had 5cm Barret's Esophagus and I started taking PPI's and even though I was on 60-80mg Nexium my Barret's progressed to 10cm, so I had the Nissen Fund. to prevent further damage. But I had extensive tests done and consulted 2 Surgeons in the last 4 months and they adviced me to get the op.
I had some typical GERD symptoms - chest pains, burps, back pain - and I had a lot of ENT issues - also during the last 2 years I had 24hr Impedance study/PH study/Manomatric study done and tests indicated I needed the surgery.
My point is: I would not advice you to have the Nissen reversed as you do have a Hiatal Hernia and they fix that when they do the wrap. Even if your initial symptoms were not severe and tests said GERD was not severe - if they undo the wrap, your Hiatal Hernia could become bigger and then you need the surgery in anyway to fix the Hernia. ALSO: Longstanding GERD can cause Barret's in some people and that is a pre-cancerous growth and turns into cancer in 5% of patients - but it is permanent damage and you need lifelong surveillance once you have it. The type of cancer you get from this is adenocarcinoma and mostly bad news.
Now that I've had the operation, I also have bowel issues, bloating and would actually diagnose it is IBS (Irritable bowel syndrome) due to the fact that we can no longer burp we have more gas in our bowels/intestines and prone to developing IBS - unfortunately. I am still early in my recovery (4 weeks) and hopefully it will improve. But IBS is much better than risking cancer or ulcers, strictures in esophagus - that is also complication of GERD and Hiatal Hernia makes GERD so much worse.
All the best and let me know how you are doing.
I live in South Australia now (have been here for 8 months) and had my Nissen Fund. surgery done 4 weeks ago by Prof. Peter Devitt, in Burnside, Adelaide.
Long story short: During 2006 I was diagnosed with having GERD, erosive gastritis and had 5cm Barret's Esophagus and I started taking PPI's and even though I was on 60-80mg Nexium my Barret's progressed to 10cm, so I had the Nissen Fund. to prevent further damage. But I had extensive tests done and consulted 2 Surgeons in the last 4 months and they adviced me to get the op.
I had some typical GERD symptoms - chest pains, burps, back pain - and I had a lot of ENT issues - also during the last 2 years I had 24hr Impedance study/PH study/Manomatric study done and tests indicated I needed the surgery.
My point is: I would not advice you to have the Nissen reversed as you do have a Hiatal Hernia and they fix that when they do the wrap. Even if your initial symptoms were not severe and tests said GERD was not severe - if they undo the wrap, your Hiatal Hernia could become bigger and then you need the surgery in anyway to fix the Hernia. ALSO: Longstanding GERD can cause Barret's in some people and that is a pre-cancerous growth and turns into cancer in 5% of patients - but it is permanent damage and you need lifelong surveillance once you have it. The type of cancer you get from this is adenocarcinoma and mostly bad news.
Now that I've had the operation, I also have bowel issues, bloating and would actually diagnose it is IBS (Irritable bowel syndrome) due to the fact that we can no longer burp we have more gas in our bowels/intestines and prone to developing IBS - unfortunately. I am still early in my recovery (4 weeks) and hopefully it will improve. But IBS is much better than risking cancer or ulcers, strictures in esophagus - that is also complication of GERD and Hiatal Hernia makes GERD so much worse.
All the best and let me know how you are doing.
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