Results of Bravo today. talk of Linx and Tif procedures

rpgdancer:

I think it makes sense for you to check all your options before considering surgery. There are a lot of different medications for GERD, and some work better than others for certain people. I don't have experience with Dexilant, but others have had great success with it. I was on Protonix for a number of years, and it gave me lots of relief. Give Dexilant a chance, but if you have any side effects or if you don't think it's helping your symptoms, check back with your doctor. You might surprise yourself with the benefit of weight loss, even it's just a few pounds. I can't help you with the other surgical procedures, as I had the Nissen. You might want to first check and see if they are covered fully by your insurance carrier, before you consider them.

Good Luck, Sharon

I did have a good experience with the Nissen and have had no major issues since I had the surgery over 3 years ago. It's major surgery and the recovery is slow. I didn't take any PPIs after my surgery and have not taken any since. I had a full wrap at 53 years old, and can no longer belch or vomit. These two issues were something that I was made aware of before surgery and it really didn't bother me. I still have occasional nausea for no reason, but I keep a prescription of Zofran with me at all times. I was fortunate that I was healthy and was not on any type of prescription medication before the surgery. It's a good idea to have any medication in liquid form to make swallowing easier during recovery.

It shouldn't matter what meds, if any, you are on - just that it's easier having them in liquid form - even things like Tylenol. You are much younger than I was for surgery, and I think that works in your favor. It took me roughly 6 months before I started feeling better, and one year before I started feeling like the "new" me. My biggest complaint during recovery was that I was exhausted. I was off from work for 2 months and went back the first week as 1/2 days. That was just me, personally, and a lot of people recover quicker than others.

It is a major surgery, and unfortunately most doctors don't go into great detail about recovery. Have you made an appointment with a surgeon yet? You can just make an appointment, it doesn't mean you have to agree to surgery. It might make sense for an appointment so the surgeon can explain to you in detail about the different surgery options and what they involve. I agree that too much conflicting information can make it difficult for decision making.

Take look at my thread called “robatic-assisted gastroesophageal valvuloplasty ...” You can search on those terms and my post will come up. I considered THE TIF Procedure, but my hernia was too large. My surgeon performed another option to the Nissen wrap. He puts a valve between the esophagus and stomach and closes the hiatal hernia with a patch which eventually dissolves.

I wish you luck, I know what a terrible condition it is and very painful and choosing the right procedure takes lots of thought.