3 Weeks Post Op Need some help/advice/encouragement...

[jojolynn73 3]

My surgery was June 29th. While I am obese (217 pounds day of surgery), my main and desperate reason for surgery was that I have SEVERE GERD, Barrett's Esophagus, esophageal ulcer, nodules/tumors in esophagus , hiatal hernia-- all from the never ending GERD. My health insurance would NOT pay for my surgery. It's totally excluded no matter the reason. I was headed to esophageal cancer land and was desperate. So, I paid out of pocket and flew to the Netherlands to a really good surgeon and clinic. I am still here and fly home in a few days. For the most part, my pain has been super super easy. But I've had a few issues... and now I am so scared that I made the biggest mistake of my life! What if this surgery causes worse complications than what I had before? I am having severe anxiety reading about all the things that can go wrong...sometimes decades after surgery!

This is what's been happening for me. I don't know if some of this could be from the hernia repair as well? If anyone has had that too , please can you share your story?

This awful sensation that something is stuck in my throat all the time. It's like if you swallow a pill and it doesn't quite go down.. that. I have that and it is never ending.

Esophageal spasms when I tried to eat more solid/less liquid food. Felt like food was stuck for two days. Had to have an emergency endoscopy. The endoscopy showed no food stuck but did show that my esophageal ulcer had not only not healed but was actively bleeding. It also showed that my opening between the new stomach and the intestines was a little narrow. They said it could be due to swelling and just needs time but that I should "keep and eye on it." She said she was able to get her scope down past it, but that was about as bit as it was and no bigger... I am worried about this?

Black stools... which, now could mean that my ulcer was bleeding this whole time maybe? They took me off the daily blood thinner shots I was taking. I think it may be slowly getting better...I hope.

Now they tell me back on only liquids for a couple more weeks. I am also now taking Nexium twice a day. 80 mg total! This makes me feel like crap. I thought this surgery was supposed to fix the acid? Does this mean it didn't work for me? Why do I have to take the acid meds for 6 months?

I have so many questions. I am scared because my surgeon is here in another country. Meanwhile, I have to go home and try to find someone to help follow me in my healing, etc. I just feel really stupid now. My surgeons in the states (4 of them) all said that this surgery was the treatment of choice for me and could totally take away my really bad GERD issues and maybe even heal the stuff in my esophagus.

Thank you so much for anyone who can offer some support or a similar story/reason for surgery.

[oldandtired 238]

Three weeks out, you are still healing. Go to your GP, address your concerns. He should be able to tell you if something is going on above and beyond normal healing. Let him in on your symptoms AND your concerns. If he is good at his job, he will address any problems he sees with you, and/or tell you to wait a little longer. That said, I assume the overseas doc is sharing his files with someone on this side of the "pond."

[jojolynn73 3]

Thank you. The doc here isn't really sharing anything with anyone else. I am going to ask him when I see for my final visit on Thursday for any paperwork or other info that I can please take home with me.

[kcuster83 1,504]

Calm down, stop freaking out and breathe. I know that is easier said than done but try.

I also had Bypass, hiatal hernia, severe GERD and nodules in my esophagus. I was not diagnosed with Barrett's but was told I was well on my way. I originally wanted the sleeve and my main reason was for weight loss and to hopefully not develop a ton of medical issues that hang around my family genes. After speaking with my surgeon at my first appointment, he explained that sleeve would likely worsen my GERD while bypass has a much better chance of resolving it. So, after some reading and further research I went with bypass.

I had bypass, my hernia fixed, repairs and "trimming" of my esophagus all at once.

Fast forward: I am not 4 months post op and have NO regrets or any issues. I did however experience that "stuck feeling" for about a week. I was told it was because my esophagus was narrow and needed time to heal and "loosen" back up after surgery. It did in fact go away, rather quickly. I also had minor spasms for a few days after surgery which also went away. You had more damage than me, it seems so you have to be paiteint and give your body time to heal. Everyone heals differently and you are still fresh out of surgery.

I was on 2 prescriptions and eating tums daily and my GERD was still out of control. The day of surgery they stopped 1 prescription of acid meds and I was only taking prescription grade pepcid( Famotidine ). I was told that was standard for at least 2 months after surgery to give our stomachs time to heal and to help prevent ulcers. I have been off ALL GERD medications including the pepcid now for 2 months and still have no signs of GERD or any other acid issues. The meds are likely temporary to give your body time to heal and to act as preventative medication.

The black stools are likely the bleeding and if you were on blood thinners, it would be worse.

I assume you did some research before choosing your surgeon and trusted him/her. So, trust them. Give yourself the time to heal. Ulcers in general take a bit of time to heal, then adding the surgery and all the other issues you had before surgery. Give it some time.

I hope it works out for you! Take it easy.

[jojolynn73 3]

Thank you SO much! I did research and really like my surgeon. In fact, when they did the endoscopy at the hospital (not the same surgeon), they said the surgery all looked really good... Other than that mild tightening at the stoma and intestines. I'm so grateful to hear from someone with similar symptoms as me! I was eating Tums and taking PPI meds too with no relief. I am also a teacher and the reflux and regurgitation were so bad that I had severe vocal cord dysfunction that caused really bad pain and tension in my vocal cords and made it hard to talk... Maybe that is all just super irritated right now... I will give it time and try to relax. I also just really want to go home. I've been gone almost a month. It's great here and I am with a dear friend at her house... But I think I am a bit homesick... and feel out of sorts and a bit vulnerable.

[kcuster83 1,504]

1 minute ago, jojolynn73 said:

Thank you SO much! I did research and really like my surgeon. In fact, when they did the endoscopy at the hospital (not the same surgeon), they said the surgery all looked really good... Other than that mild tightening at the stoma and intestines. I'm so grateful to hear from someone with similar symptoms as me! I was eating Tums and taking PPI meds too with no relief. I am also a teacher and the reflux and regurgitation were so bad that I had severe vocal cord dysfunction that caused really bad pain and tension in my vocal cords and made it hard to talk... Maybe that is all just super irritated right now... I will give it time and try to relax. I also just really want to go home. I've been gone almost a month. It's great here and I am with a dear friend at her house... But I think I am a bit homesick... and feel out of sorts and a bit vulnerable.

I understand. There is no where better to be than home when you are not feeling good. I hope you get relief and start feeling good soon.

[catwoman7 11,212]

are you taking Iron? That can also cause black stools.

like others have said, you're still healing, so that might be all this is. If the stoma remains too tight (known as a stricture), that's an easy fix - they can stretch it out during an upper endoscopy. I had that done twice (strictures, when they occur, are almost always 1-3 months post-op - they're very rare once you're three months out)

[toodlerue 452]

I had a bypass for sever GRED also. I felt the same way that I had made a big mistake those 1st few weeks. Even though it’s done laparoscopically, it’s still a MAJOR surgery.
I had a Fundalipacation 12 years prior to fix the GERD it eventually failed & my esophagus was now in an L shape so 1/2 of it wasn’t where it was supposed to be.
My insurance covered it but I went to who they recommended (wish I would have known better). He is a great Thorasic surgeon but he’s not a bariatric surgeon. He told me to get all my info off of the internet 🙄 so I pieced together my own eating plan for the 1st 6-8 weeks.
He did tell me that I would have to take a PPI for the rest of my life.

[jojolynn73 3]

I heard that we can get off the ppi after a few months... That is my hope. I never want to be on it forever. I have Ehlers Danlos, so my surgeons told me that the Nisson already has such a high failure rate that is even worse with someone with Ehlers Danlos...So they wouldn't even do it. But my GERD and issues were so bad... In fact, I have to have another biopsy and ultrasound in Sept. It will be my 5th in the last year. They are concerned that I already do have some early cancer in there. So this surgery is going to save my life. I hope. My surgeon says to think of it as life saving surgery with a side order of weight loss. I can't complain about that I suppose.

[jojolynn73 3]

26 minutes ago, catwoman7 said:

are you taking Iron? That can also cause black stools.

like others have said, you're still healing, so that might be all this is. If the stoma remains too tight (known as a stricture), that's an easy fix - they can stretch it out during an upper endoscopy. I had that done twice (strictures, when they occur, are almost always 1-3 months post-op - they're very rare once you're three months out)

I have not started Iron yet. I think the bleed stopped because a week ago my hemoglobin was only at 6 and now it is at 8! Whew!