paraesophageal hernia

my whole life I always thought the feeling of acid was hunger.  Till after I got sleeved and I was I finally figured out it was acid not true hunger.  It was never this bad but also my situation is a little different becuase my sleeve was done incorrect.  My diet is flawless no greesy food...no simple carbs..no soda....took all the meds pre op...still take prilosec 40mg 2x per day if not its unberable.  Worst part is at night only getting a few hours of sleep.  Just dont let vsg ppl talk you out of it if your worried about the acid follow your gut. I wanted the rny and came on here let ppl talk me out out of it now I have to get it fixed....good luck if you need anything let me know add me on fb gerard margiotta

Sorry just re read your post.  I'm not sure why they can't do both.  I would ask many questions of your surgeon, or of other surgeons until you are satisfied with the response.

I have been a lurker here for months, and I finally decided to register so I could answer your question.  I went in for VSG on 4/11/16.  My pre-op tests showed a 3 cm hiatal hernia that was supposed to be fixed at the same time.  Once they got in, they found instead a 10 cm paraesophageal hernia, which is huge.  They needed several sets of sutures as well as mesh to repair it.  However, they were still able to do the VSG, and they did not need to convert me to an open surgery.  Nobody ever said anything about the possibility of not doing the WLS because of a hernia, so I don't know why they would have told you that.  I would think you would be in even a better position than I was since they won't be caught off guard by your hernia the way they were with mine.  (I ended up with several complications probably due to the scrambling in the OR and the unexpected length of surgery, but that's a different story and hopefully would not apply to you).

Good luck and I hope they can proceed with your surgery!  Once I got past my complications it's been wonderful for me.

Lisa

The radiologists that read my UGI stated the hernia was large.... My surgeon said his definition of large differs from others. So with that said he told me once he got in there and depending on the size of the hernia and whether or not he has to use mesh will determine if he can proceed with the VSG or RNY. I'm going in with the understanding that I might have the VSG or RNY or just the hernia repair depending on what he fines when he goes in. I'm all for having it done at the same time, but my surgeon is being very cautious about complications that can occur from doing 2 procedures that have infection risk at the same time. If you don't mind me asking what complications did you have and how long did it take you to recover... Thank you for replying to my post I don't feel so alone now:)

That seems strange - I would think doing the procedures together would lessen the risk of infection since you are only being opened once.  And as I said, I had to have mesh for my repair and was still able to have the VSG.

I had two major complications.  The first one was a large abdominal blood clot (portal vein thrombosis), which was diagnosed about 2 weeks after my surgery.  They have no idea why it happened, and my surgeon who has done thousands of surgeries said he has never had it happen before.  This is actually a life-threatening complication and I was readmitted and in the ICU for 10 days.  Fortunately I came through it fine but I am still on blood thinners and being followed by a hematologist.  I just had a follow up CAT scan this week and I am hoping the clot is gone and I can go off the blood thinners, but I haven't gotten the report yet.

The second complication was debilitating nausea, way over and above what might be expected from this surgery.  I was violently nauseated 24/7 for nearly 4 months.  This led to several episodes of dehydration which required IV fluids and also an additional hospitalization (I ended up being in the hospital 3 times in 4 months, it was not fun).  No medications ever helped at all.  It was awful.  Nobody is 100% sure why this happened either, although the working theory is that at some point during the surgery the surgeon must have touched/bruised/injured the vagus nerve, which can cause nausea.  I had every test in creation but they never found any other cause. I finally started feeling better at around 4 months post-op (presumably because the nerve finally healed), and I am fine now.

Neither complication is common so try not to worry about them!

I don't fully understand all my surgeons reasons for possibly only repairing the hernia and that's it. He made a statement that the paraesophageal hernia is one of the rarer types of hernias, and there wasn't a lot of research on how well patients have done that had both procedures done at the same time. I've been researching and reading up on the paresophageal surgery and one of the most important things that is mention over and over is how easy it is to injure or damage the vagus nerve because it is so close to the area they are working in. I also read if it is injured you will have server issues with nausea and diarrhea.

I'm glad that you are better and doing well now:)

First of all....I am so sorry that you are going through this.

Sencondly, I think it's a really good idea to do as much research as you can on your own.  That way, you've got the best defense you can get.  

Thirdly, I believe your surgeon is looking out for what is best for you.

I am praying for the best outcome for you and your hellth.  Hang in there.

Thank you some much! :).. I do believe I'm more afraid of the paraesophageal surgery than the wls. Just added stress, and nerves setting in. Thank you so much for your prayers. It's greatly appreciated :)

Hi Lisa,  Just wondering how you're doing? I had my surgery on 11/7/16. I was able to have the hernia repair along with having the VSG surgery.  So far so good still a little sore in my chest area when I breath in and out almost feels like strained muscle soreness, but hopefully it will pass with time. Best of luck to you, and hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

I'm glad to hear you're doing well and things went well. I am doing much better and feeling great. Fully recovered from all my complications, and 3 pounds from goal! I had the same pain you are describing when breathing at first. It went away within a couple weeks. I think it's totally normal but if you're concerned always check with your doctor. 

Good luck in your journey!