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Heart complications with Paraeosophageal hernia

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Heart complications with Paraeosophageal hernia  
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Posted 11/13/2013 2:11 PM (GMT -7)
eyes  My name is Marjorie and i am a middle aged woman living in Australia.

I have just been diagnosed with a very large 'Hiaturs Hernia' which needs to be operated on in the next month.

I have been having really bad chest pains which i thought was from a 'Mitral Valve' replacement that i had 2 years ago, which would cramp me over and give me extreme pain for about an hour until i belched my way back to normality.

The surgeon informed me 4 just recently that the hernia is so big it has just about all of my stomach to rise into the chest cavity behind my heart and that i will need to have a large incision to have things put right as he is pretty sure that key hole surgery will not work.

I have read that some people have heart or lung complications when having surgery for a 'Hiatus Hernia" has anyone got any advise for me in this situation.

Also how straight forward is open surgery and how long is the recovery time? i would also appreciate any information of the diet for after my surgery, i have been pretty much living on protein shakes for the last 9 weeks.

It will be so good not to be afraid to eat anymore.

Posted 11/13/2013 3:02 PM (GMT -7)
Welcome to the forum.

Is there any chance of a second opinion about the open surgery? I had "giant paraesophageal" also and had laparoscopic surgery. It may have been that I was a premier university hospital for this kind of surgery that this was possible.

If it's available you should still get at least some testing. Although the test wasn't easy, I am grateful I had the test for swallowing. I knew I had a weak swallow, but it was even worse than I thought. It made a big difference what kind of wrap I needed along with closing the hernia.

Does anything you can think of "trigger" mitral pain? I get tachycardia and chest pain when I eat certain foods. I could expect if when I ate tasty cereal with dried fruits. My allergist had me keep a food journal to find my triggers.
Posted 11/13/2013 4:19 PM (GMT -7)
Hi thanks for that, yes i have had the testing and they have cofirmed that this is what i need but the surgeon will try the laparoscophy if possible.

The mitral valve seems quite stable, but i did have collapsed lungs for awhile after the surgery for the replacement and AF for quite awhile. So this makes me a bit nervous.

I have been told that i need to have a special diet after this procedure, could you tell me how long i might be in hospital and what sort of diet i can have?

Posted 11/13/2013 5:29 PM (GMT -7)
Midgey

Welcome to Healing Well.

My last redo was done as an open surgery. It actually was easier for me to recover from than my 2 lap nissens. I haven't heard of and heart or lung issues with this surgery other than the normal for any surgery.

With the open surgery I didn't have to deal with the referred pain from my diaphragm as I did with the lap surgeries. I had a band that went around my belly, like a big Ace bandage that helped to keep my ab muscles tight and reduced the pain of getting up and down. I did have to stay in the hospital about a week with the open surgery vs 2 or 3 days with the lap surgery.

I also had this surgery 6 months after surgery for a torn esophagus, so I wasn't in very good shape when I had this redo. Even with that it was still my easiest recovery.

Take care,
Bill
opnwhl4
Moderator: GERD/Heartburn, Kidney disease

Nissen 6/06 and 5/09
#3 8/24/11
Posted 11/13/2013 6:29 PM (GMT -7)
Thanks for that information, it is very reassuring and it will put my mind at rest.
Could you help me a little more with the information about what sort of diet i should be on afterwards?
Posted 11/13/2013 7:43 PM (GMT -7)
Midgey

Diet is very subjective and varies from surgeon to surgeon. I was on liquids at the hospital and then soft goods I could chew very well to a liquid consistancy. Some surgeons have a very strict diet regime and start with liquids for X amount of time followed by soft foods for so long, etc.

It takes anywhere from 2 to 4 months to get back to solid foods for most people. Some a little sooner and some a little longer. It all depends on how your body heals.

Take care,
Bill
opnwhl4
Moderator: GERD/Heartburn, Kidney disease

Nissen 6/06 and 5/09
#3 8/24/11
Posted 11/13/2013 10:50 PM (GMT -7)
Midge -

There's a good diet at http://www.upmc.com/patients-visitors/education/nutrition/pages/diet-after-nissen-fundoplication-surgery.aspx
Just google post-Nissen diets for more.

I went home still on clear liquids after being in hospital several days - until I could walk and take care of myself a little.

You won't be able to drive for at least a couple of weeks, so unless you have someone who can do the shopping, stock up a little on a few liquids and soft foods. A blender or food processor might come in handy too. I froze very small containers of foods. I read a lot of threads on the forum, so I knew it would be a while with my extensive procedure (like yours) it might be a little longer recovery than some have.

See the search box at the top of the page.
Posted 11/14/2013 1:38 PM (GMT -7)
Thanks so much for your help with the information Bill and Alcie i am very grateful. i am trying to research as much as i can so that i have a better understanding of both the surgery and what to expect afterwards.
My surgeon did tell me that when they stitch there is a strong chance that it will be too tight (which is better than being too loose i gather) and i will have to go back into hospital to have the procedure amended.
Does this happen to many people? i work full time and i am not sure what to expect with regards to being able to come back. Also i have Rhumatoid arthritus which gives me a fair bit of pain that i take medication for, will i still be able to take the medication after the surgery ?
I take about 6 tablets a day including the Coumadin.
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