Gene � my experiences of my laparoscopic fundoplication (May 1999) and my thoughts today. Hope it can help someone.
Mark Smith
At the time of my surgery I was 36, very active, and in good health. I had been suffering from GERD for at least 8 or 9 years, and I simply started to �just live with it�, meaning constant antacids and foregoing spicy & acidic foods. I went to my doctor with a laundry list of complaints, from heartburn, to continual sore throats, to lung congestion. Turns out all the symptoms were related to GERD. My doctor prescribed Prilosec and MOST of my symptoms went away, particularly the reflux, but I still suffered from sore throats & lung congestion. My doctor suspected a hiatal hernia, which was allowing digestive crud to wash up my esophagus as I slept. I was referred to a gastroenterologist who performed an endoscopy and confirmed the hiatal hernia and also discovered a mild occurrence of Barrett�s esophagus. He gave me two options: Prilosec for the rest of my life or laparoscopic fundoplication. He recommended the surgery due to my age and good health, and I opted for the surgery because the Barrett�s esophagus was something that may not ever improve without surgery, which scared me. I also was having incidents wherein I would be awakened during my sleep after some digestive fluids would find their way out of my stomach, up my esophagus, and into my sinuses. It caused a severe burning in my sinuses as well as about � hour of sneezing and general discomfort.
My doctor (the gastroenterologist) as well as the referred surgeon who would perform the surgery downplayed the total impact the surgery would have on me. The motility study was one of the most hellish things I have ever had to do. The surgery itself went perfectly, but the pain was MUCH more than I was expecting. And there wasn�t just one incision in my abdomen, as I was led to believe, but there were 5, all of them very painful. My hospital stay was one night, the pain was very intense, and thus the pain killers were a very welcome relief.
After returning home I was in bed for another 2 days or so, but overall I felt OK. The incisions were obviously very sore and I continued taking the pain killers for those two days.
Eating food was a chore, even liquids would not stay down � everything backed up into my esophagus. It took nearly a month before I could eat anything relatively normal, and to this day (3 years later) I still have occasions where food will �back up on me�. I lost 15 lbs. The surgeon said it�s normal to take between 2 and 4 weeks to regain some sort of normal eating pattern.
Recovering from the surgery took longer than expected. It took my body several weeks to fully regain strength � perhaps a combination of little food and the overall impact of a surgical procedure.
Overall, there are good things and bad things about this surgery. First, the good things: The Barrett�s is all but gone, absolutely no heartburn, only 1 sore throat in 3 years, and never any lung congestion. My �tank capacity� is about 2/3rds what it used to be as far as how much I can eat � which is kind of a bummer because I like to eat, but it does keep the weight in check.
Now the bad things: My stomach hurts quite often. It hurts when I eat due to gas bloating. It really hurts when I don�t eat (sharp pains) and it still becomes bloated with gas. I can find no rhyme or reason as to why and when it hurts. I have learned to live with stomach pain in one form or another, and I am grateful for those occasional hours where my stomach feels �content�. I have not learned to live with the gas, however. It�s constant, never ending, and by far the only really notable drawback of the whole experience. I don�t see it as trivial by any stretch of the imagination. I have tried several things to eradicate it, but so far nothing has proven acceptably effective for me. My quest continues.
All in all, it was the best solution for me. My only caveat is this: � Things are never as good as they say they will be, and things are never as bad as they say they will be.