Ok...so it dawned on me today that I have this blog...this fabulous blog...that I've never really used. So, I've decided to put it to good use. Perhaps this will keep me from boring people with my status updates on FB. lol
Today's topic? Surgery. This Friday (that's in 2 days, oh my!) I am going under the knife and having a procedure called a Nissen Fundoplication. (say what?) Well, let me back track and fill you in on the why, and then perhaps you'll understand the what.
When I was pregnant with my youngest little guy, C, I began having horrible acid reflux. Now, heartburn is relatively normal during pregnancy, but mine was so bad that they needed to put me on Rx drugs. So, I started taking the "purple pill" (Nexium) during that time and had been on it for approx. 6 years. I had an endoscopy last year that showed I have a medium hiatal hernia (part of my stomach is coming through the opening of my diaphragm- the muscle that separates your thoracic cavity from your abdominal cavity) Then, I started having breakthrough reflux...and then other symptoms...feeling food/drink stuck in my throat ( a lovely lump sensation) and regurgitating everything I ate and drank. So, my gastro dr switched me to another med (I've tried many others before this that didn't work...the purple pill was *the one*). This med helped a little the first few days (perhaps while I still had some Nexium in my system) and then my symptoms came back.
So then i got to go have this fabulous, amazing, wonderful test (note the sarcasm) called a pH Motility test. I was told it was no big deal...they're just going to thread a tube down my nose into my esophagus and test the muscles in my throat as I swallow (to rule out swallowing issues) and then replace that tube with a thinner one, albeit less flexible, that I'll wear for 24 hrs to measure the pH changes in my esophagus (i.e. is acid/food *really* coming up into my throat or am I lying to them?). I warned the staff in the Digestive Health Center that I have a horrible gag reflex, but they said I'd be fine. I threw up all over the place. It was THE. MOST. HORRIBLE. THING. EVER! I survived the first test. Then they switched tubes to the 24 hr one. Yeah, i threw up some more. Then they told me to wear it 24 hrs and eat as normally as possible. EAT? You want me to EAT? I couldn't even talk. For 24 hrs I communicated with hand gestures and written notes....I forced myself to eat 1/2 a normal meal and then gave up. Luckily, I made it through the required time and my test read that I was actually having the symptoms I declared. Gee...glad I could prove that to you.
So, that's what brought me to the surgeon. He's going to pull my stomach back down into my abdominal cavity, sew up the enlarged opening in my diaphragm (hiatal hernia fixed) and then (here's the Nissen Fundoplication part) wrap the fundus (top part of the stomach) around the base of my esophagus, tightening/supporting the LES (lower esophageal sphincter). This will basically make the LES a one way valve, instead of it's natural give and take ability, meaning I will no longer be able to burp or vomit, but also means acid/food won't be able to come back up on a daily basis either! Woo!
While my stomach and related stitches heal and I cope with a tightened opening, I will be living on clear liquids, then full liquids...and then slowly soft foods...very soft foods. I've heard mixed information on how quickly I'll be able to return to a "normal" diet of solids, and have heard from people who have had the procedure that there are some things they still can't eat, but here's my logic...
Rather than pay $30/mo for the rest of my life (which is a LONG time!) for medication that doesn't completely work, feeling uncomfortable for the rest of my life, and risk the precancerous changes that these symptoms can cause...I'll have the surgery and deal with whatever minor food inconveniences I'll encounter. And hey...the Dr said most patients lose about 10% of their body weight! WOOHOO!
No comments:
Post a Comment