Heart complications with Paraeosophageal hernia

 My name is Marjorie and i am a middle aged woman living in Australia.

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.

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.

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

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?

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

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.

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.