After surgery, woke up with a terrible migraine, a roommate with rap "music," tv, talking loudly on telephone and wearing sickening perfume. My husband told nursing staff that if they did not get me out of that room I would start throwing up with my migraine. Imitrex was administered too late to abort the headache. I was moved to a private room. I recommend that any migraineur who is going to have any surgery get an order for I.M or subcutaneous migraine medication in place at the hospital prior to the surgery and MAKE SURE the medication is there and available!

I had significant post-op pain. Esophagus had many attachments in the chest cavity and surgeon told me that he had to do more disection to release the esophagus (so that it can be pulled down) than he had ever done. As a result, I was in sufficient pain to warrant calling the pain team. Had difficulty respirating due to chest pain and had some flattening of the lungs. Stayed in hosp. five days because of this. I recommend that if your surgeon does not adequately medicate for pain you request the pain team. Every large hospital has one. Had I requested them earlier, I would have been able to be discharged earlier.

One month later, I am feeling great! No heartburn, no reflux - not a bit of either! I'm eating pretty much back to normal. I haven't burped but I don't care. I asked my doctor about vomiting, as some people can't do so after this surgery. He said that this is true with some fundoplications but that in the 300 which he has done, he has NEVER had a patient with this problem. Never. This brings to mind the critical importance of choosing your surgeon carefully. I have spoken with people who have to eat carefully years after their surgery or who cannot vomit. That's awful! Find a surgeon who has done hundreds of these and ASK QUESTIONS. I couldn't be happier with my surgery and recommend it to any appropriate candidate - but shop, shop, shop for the best surgeon and you will not be having those problems that you hear so much about.

Update 2:
Almost 2.5 years post-op from my Nissen laparoscopic fundoplication. Big news - I can vomit! What joy! I was very ill about 6 months post-op and spent 15 hours heaving - without being able to empty my stomach. Lovely. I opted out of going to ER for stomach pumping. Last week I picked up a nasty g.i. virus (at work, no doubt) and after some dry heaves, was able to actually expell some stomach contents. This continued for hours until I was actually vomiting nearly normal volumes. This lasted for about 20 hours - the course of the illness. After that, for two days I had heartburn and medicated myself PRN. Was quite unhappy about this, as I wondered if I would need the surgery again. However, I am now thinking that I was just experiencing the damage to the esophagus from all of the vomiting (stomach acid).
Everything is back to normal - I feel great, no heartburn, and just as it has been since the surgery, I can drink a big glass of orange juice, eat a plate of spaghetti, and go right to bed! I am extremely busy, and on some days, my only meal is at 10:00pm. (This is the glamorous doctor's life - 14 hour days.) I never have reflux anymore and it is a dream. As always, I recommend anyone considering this surgery to make sure your surgeon is experienced - at least 100 of these procedures.
Also, be a fanatic about keeping your hands clean, use alcohol-based hand cleaning gels (like Purell) and NEVER use the antibacterial cleaning products (you know, the hand and dish soaps), as they promote resistant bacteria. Essentially, they end up doing the OPPOSITE of what they are intended to do.
At potlucks, avoid anything which could possibly be growing bacteria - stick with breads and fresh, whole fruits to be absolutely safe! People with fundoplications need to be extra careful, as vomiting can be an issue, and you may end up needing to have your stomach pumped - unpleasant. In fact, I recommend to everyone to be especially careful with potlucks. You have no way of knowing how carefully others are handling food - food handling is the #1 cause of food poisoning.
Summary: my experience was GREAT. Remember, people are more likely to post something when they have a gripe. Not many people post happy stories. Find a very experienced surgeon and talk with your g.i. doctor about ANY worries or concerns that you have. Chronic GERD can be deadly. Talk with your doctor.

Dear Gene,
I spoke to you several months ago about my son Austin whom is 3 years old. He was having a Fundoplication surgery and as a very worried mom I looked to you for advice. I can't begin to tell you how much you helped. Austin had surgery June 26th. It was a rough 3 days in the hospital but since we have been home he has acted as though nothing has ever happened to him. He had his toys all over the house the day he came home and surgery has not slowed my very active 3 year old down one bit. After surgery he had the occasional problems with the food getting caught in his esophagus but seemed to handle it well with coughing the food back up or drinking something to help it down. I was very impressed with Dr. Allshouse the surgeon. A very concerned and dedicated man. He would visit us at least 3 times a day while we were in the hospital and every time I would call his office before or after the surgery the doctor would come to the phone and talk to me himself. I am so happy everything has turned out so well. I am sending you a picture of Austin's surgery (1) and a picture of our family. Please feel free to use them on your web site. Thank you so very much for reassuring me.

Sincerely,
Lisa Bertelsen
Fresno, Ca
Email Lisa

Hi Gene,
My name is John.
I had the Lap Nissen done about 2 1/2 months ago, and it sounds like I am much happier with mine than you were with yours. I had very little pain, in fact I never filled the prescription the doctor gave me for pain medication. I've had no blisters. I did have to be catheterized, but I am convinced that this was caused by the Morphine that I was given for pain, because less than 12 hours after they took me off Morphine, I was urinating on my own again.

I did experience a little difficulty swallowing, but I was on a Full Liquid diet for about ten days after surgery. (You can bet I haven't touched Jello or pudding since.)

I have had some chest pain since, but my doctor says that I have probably pulled some of the muscles in my abdomen.

I have had no heartburn, not even when I eat spicy foods, I am no longer taking any antacid. Before surgery I had gone through Prevacid, Protonix, Prilosec, and Aciphex and at one point none of them were being effective. I was on Prevacid for about a year without any problem, but then I started having heartburn.

I still burp, but I have noticed that if I drink soda pop too fast I get a bloated and gassy feeling. Other than that I have had no side effects of surgery. I am very pleased both with my quality of life after surgery, and with my surgeon. I think that she has been wonderful to me, and that she is very skilled. I feel I received excellent surgical and post-operative care.

I have no regrets about undergoing surgery, and have reaped far more rewards from it than ill-effects.

I just thought that you would be interested in another point of view.

Sincerely,
John P. Dennis
Email John

Hey Gene.
I had a Nissen in January of 1999. While I not longer have reflux/heartburn, I am bloated quite large. A gluten free diet that Celiacs go on does get rid of the bloating. On top of not being able to burp, puke, or hiccup, my problem is that I haven't had normal bowel movements (fun subject huh) since the surgery. I am all over the place. Just use your imagination. Gas is a major problem as well.

Here is why I sent the email. With the folks who have contacted you, has this been a problem for anyone else?

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Hi Gene.
I had Laproscopic.
Having the surgery eliminated the damage that was being done due to reflux. There was no other choice. Drugs were not 100% effective and there are many unanswered questions about there long term use. I wonder what will happen to me after 30 years? That is one question the surgeon couldn't answer. I just figured after the surgery that everything would be back to normal. He failed to tell me about the possible side effects of the Nissen. He claims the gas I have is from swallowing liquids incorrectly. I beg to differ.

Tony
Email Tony