Well, I'm back after having had my Niessen Fundoplication (fancy name for acid reflux surgery) and hiatal hernia repair. The surgery went smoothly and quick. And I will say, HYPNOSIS WORKED! I was in absolutely NO PAIN post-surgery and left the hospital with NO PAIN MEDS! I only felt discomfort from anesthesia and gas which made it hard to breathe the first day and reason I used any pain medication. I used so little of it, the nurses constantly kept reminding me "You can use it every 6 minutes". By the time I left the hospital 2 days after surgery I had used less than 1mg of Dilaudid!!!
Post-surgery wasn't quite as smooth, there were a few bumps in the road but nothing too alarming. First, I began developing the initial signs of an allergic reaction to the Dilaudid. Some pain meds can cause some flushing of the skin, I looked like a lobster and irradiated heat! I let the nurse know and said said they had already left a standing order for Benadryl knowing my past history and it was up to me whether I wanted it by mouth or IV...IV please! We started at 12.5, standard initial dose for IV but I could get up to 50mg, I just needed to ask when I felt I needed it. I felt powerful! The doc's were listening to me and trusting I could manage my condition! (that or they were terrified, result is the same) I waited a couple of hours with no change so I asked for a second IV dose; the flushing and heat started to dissipate. Even after another Dilaudid dose, the flushing did not return. Phew!
Initially, I was told this would be outpatient surgery, however, the day before surgery I was notified I would be staying the night. I think the doc decided to be cautious precisely because of my history with med allergies...and well, just because of my history. However, the day after surgery I was still experiencing some nausea and I was held an additional night. He explained that after a Niessen Fundoplication and after anesthesia, its not unusual to experience nausea and there is a risk that vomiting might develop causing the surgery to become undone. I would need to be given Zofran to manage the nausea until it passed. I'm familiar with Zofran, it's what I use when I have an intense migraine that is accompanied by nausea; it's also what is used in cancer patients to control nausea related to chemotherapy. Zofran was of no help. I asked for Phenergan (the most wonderful pharmacological invention along with Benadryl!) but it never came...don't know what happened there....so I just used Dilaudid to fall asleep and let the nausea pass.
I'm able to ambulate around the house freely with no pain, but I don't press my luck by standing for too long and definitely don't lift heavy objects. I've graduated from a clear diet consisting of broth, frozen ices and jello, to a soft diet that includes yogurt and a little bit of milk. I won't be able to have fresh fruit for a while, and I may not be able to have seeds forever because they can become stuck, maybe meat too...it's going to be a lot of trial and error.
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