Today Is My 3 Year Wrapiversary!

Yup, 3 years ago was the surgery that changed my life! Not a whole lot happens anymore that is worthy of blogging about, life is settled into a routine and, though not a day goes by that I'm not thankful for my wrap, I don't really think about it a whole lot. I may or may not repeat myself here :)...forgive me if you've heard any of this before, please? Life after 3 years means I'm eating nearly everything I want; exceptions are still caffeinated coffee and carbonation. However there isn't a vegetable that I can't eat, I can eat bread without issue, and even chocolate in small amounts. Limits are more about quantity (about 60% of what I could eat before the op) than type of food. And, of course, always chewing WELL and swallowing small amounts at a time. I am always more comfortable if I eat several small meals in a day, rather than 2 large meals and 2 snacks. That doesn't mean my schedule allows for that always - only that it is the ideal. I can burp. When I'm on my left side in bed. And, I have discovered, when I lean over the left arm of my chair to retrieve the TV remote. This will be more helpful in restaurants than spreading myself out somewhere on my left side I'm sure. (I just have to remember to bring my remote!) I have had heartburn. While my surgeon had said that my wrap would keep anything, including air or acid, from coming up, I have learned in the Facebook support group that other surgeons claim our wraps should return us to normal functioning - and normal functioning includes burping and occasional heartburn. My heartburn is VERY occasional, and almost always only when I have drunk way too much coffee (even though it's decaf), or when I've eaten too close to bedtime. I also had some heartburn from one of my newer prescription meds nearly every night. It was only after some weeks that I read all the warnings on the bottle, one of which was to not lay down within 10 minutes of taking. Since I took it about 30 seconds before laying down, that was easily resolved. There are ways that I know that my wrap hasn't been compromised, which is something that comes to mind every time I burp or whenever I experience heartburn (slight though it is now). One thing is that I still can't vomit. I still have an antiemetic to use whenever I start to experience nausea, to avoid retching (which can cause a wrap to fail). Another way is that I still get food "stuck" every so often. It isn't something that happens often - but dry foods are still problematic if I'm not careful (which I almost always am). And of course, no pain - no choking on acid - no burning in my throat waking me...no signs of GERD! Is NF for everyone? Absolutely not. In fact I have grave concerns that some doctors are recommending these for heartburn relief, similar to Tums. I'm seeing more and more people online who still get relief in other ways - such as sticking to a certain diet for example - whose doctors are all too ready to cut into them with promises of going back to work in a week, describing the op and the recovery period as something akin to wart removal. Yes, I am seeing a lot of this, and a lot of people in pain and confused and sure something is very wrong because when they were discharged within a few hours of this MAJOR surgery they weren't feeling perfect within days! Even surgeons who refuse to prescribe antiemetics or pain meds after the first couple of days...it is truly heartbreaking what this surgery has become: an easy sell to uncomfortable patients and an easy buck from their insurance companies. There are other issues with NF. If you've followed this blog from the beginning you already know that it is no walk in the park. I plan to address some of my concerns with a series of videos. I have begun vlogging (video blogging) and find it to be a good avenue for getting information out to people, so in addition to this blog, I plan to discuss various aspects of getting, and then living with, a full wrap. I will share here when I post any of these occasional videos. Thanks for sticking with me for 3 years :). It surprises me that some people have been following this blog from the beginning, such a long time...I'm thankful that I can come back and check on details, since I have forgotten so many as time has passed, which was the original purpose, a diary of sorts. But people tell me every week that they are reading and learning from it, I am very humbled! And now begins year 4 - GERD-free!

NF related Blogs

There aren't very many of us who have blogged about our experiences, but I thought I should post here about Debra's great blog! She shares how destructive GERD can be to our health and our lives, and how she found relieve and a new life after her Nissen Fundoplication. Excellent reading, and I recommend it highly!

If you know of other blogs besides the ones I've mentioned here, please leave me a comment and I will review it - thanks! :)

Post Operative Expectations

It seems that a lot of people have questions or even fears about the changes that they will see in their lives post op. As did I.

There are certain things that many of us are simply unable to do. My own surgeon was excellent about preparing me for the possibility that I couldn't tolerate some foods afterward, as well as advising me against certain foods (to contribute to the long-term success of my wrap).

The things he specifically warned me against were anything that would cause certain changes within my system, such as caffeine and alcohol. He also told me that I should never again drink carbonated beverages due to the amount of pressure the ingested gases would put on my wrap, or drink through a straw because of the amount of air that is ingested with the beverage.

The foods that he told me to prepare myself for being unable to ingest afterward were bread, raw vegetables, and "gassy" cooked vegetables. He advised that I could start trying them after 6 months, but to understand I probably wouldn't be able to stand them, and if they did cause pain from pressure that I was to avoid them completely.

Other things that people seem to have long-term difficulty with are pork and rice. I had trouble with pork for a fairly long time. As a low-carber rice isn't something I eat regularly (although when I'm going to splurge it is one of my favorite splurge-foods - with LOTS of butter!), but I didn't have difficulty with it. Maybe because of all the butter :).

He also told me that the majority of people who have this done will not be able to burp or vomit afterward - this should be considered a given. If you are one of those who are able to get air back up through your LES after your NF, you are in the minority. (NOTE: with time, some wraps will loosen somewhat and allow air to escape upwards; however, this means that stomach contents - acid - can also escape upwards, and this is not ideal obviously.) Remember, the intent of the Nissen wrap is to prevent the LES from allowing ANYTHING to go back up into/through the esophagus. That is the whole point of the procedure, after all.

For those who do find themselves able to burp, many are able to enjoy beer or sodas. (Definitely consider this the exception rather than the rule, however.) Whether this has any long-term effect on the integrity of the wrap, I don't know. I do know that with the fairly high failure rate - or shorter lifespan - of so many of these, my own choice has been to avoid anything that might contribute to an eventual failure. But some surgeons advise their patients that they may resume all normal activity and dietary regimens after complete healing. I'm just one to err on the side of caution with my own wrap :).

I've only mentioned the more common adjustments that most have to make after NF. Everyone has different results afterward and what is true for one will not necessarily be true for another. It may be wise to go into it accepting that we probably won't be able to drink carbonation or eat bread or raw veggies or caffeine or whatever...and then accept it as a wonderful gift if we find that we are indeed able to do so after we have healed.