Lots of Questions....Surgery Wednesday

Diseases & Conditions GERD & Acid Reflux
1
I am scheduled to have the surgery on Wednesday at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.   They are rated #1 in the world for GI...
 
My questions are:
 
For those of you who have had the surgery, what health problems do/did you have?
 
How old are you?
 
Who did your surgery and where? 
 
Do you feel your surgeon was skilled/qualified to do the surgery?
 
Are you satisfied with the outcome?
 
I realize that 95% of these surgeries are successful.
 
Any other information is welcome.
 
Thanks,
 
Heidi
2
Heidi, I have not had the surgery but am considering it for next year. I just wanted to wish you the best of luck and improved health. God bless you.

Laura
3
Thanks Laura. I know lots of people on these boards have problems and the ones who don't have problems, well they don't post anymore because they have moved onto other things.

I'll keep you updated, please keep me in your prayers, seriously!

Heidi
4
Heidi,
I am curious. Did you have the surgery? If so, how did things go?

Norm
5
Hi everyone!!!
 
 
I did go ahead and have the surgery on Wednesday.   I came home last night.  It was really a breeze. They did the lap surgery.
 
I have no more heartburn.  I don't have difficulty swallowing.  I don't have any of the horror story symptoms.
 
After surgery, yes your bowel does have to wake up and that involves lots of walking and going slow with introducing liquids and sticking to the diet they tell you to stick to.  I ended up getting two suppositories just to get things moving in the right direction.
 
I am able to BURP and FART!   Which I am very pleased about.
 
Just remember, my surgeon is one of the best in the country.  Dr. Steven Cassivi at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.
 
If anyone has other questions for me I'm willing to answer them.
 
Heidi
6
Heidi,
Great to hear things went well. Keep us posted.

Thanks,
Norm
7

Wow.  I have lots of questions and I hope you don't mind:

What are the incision scars like?

What kind of restricted diet are you on?  Will there always be some diet restrictions, or do you anticipate being able to eat a wide variety of foods eventually?

Are you able to vomit?

Do you still need to elevate the head of your bed at night, eat 2-3 hours before going to sleep, etc.?  Or can you live more normally?

Are you off all meds?

Thanks, Heidi.  I'm most likely having the surgery soon, too, so I'd love to hear your reply.

LauraV