Operation Fridge: Crappy Surgery Fast Track

I've decided to go through with writing about a pretty common medical condition (but not for someone my age or in my health) that I’ve dealt with for the last few years.  While I don’t want to seem like an elderly person writing one of those depressing Christmas card, if I am able to help just one person that was like me, embarrassed about having pretty severe acid reflux issues/GERD at such a young age and that lives a pretty healthy lifestyle but not sure where to go from there, then it will have been worth it.

While it might not seem like a big deal this next paragraph should put it into perspective.  An article that I recently read gave a list of the worst foods for people with acid reflux issues and I've taken the liberty of highlighting ones that I absolutely love and can not imagine living without: tangy citrus fruits, tomatoes, garlic, onions, spicy foods, peppermint, cheese, nuts, avocados, alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, carbonated beverages.  Let's just say that it sucks.

How am I supposed to say no to a face like this?

So here beings the journey down the GERD road, while be it a nasty one.  A few years ago I started noticing that I felt pressure in my chest, like there was a lump sitting there, found myself short of breath and yawning a lot but not being tired quite a few times during the day.  While I thought that it was all normal or just blamed it on something that I ate, the more time that I spent in the working world, the more that I realized that it wasn't normal and that it was getting more and more in the way of my daily life.  After looking into it, exploring the fact that it might be asthma, cutting soda almost entirely out of my diet, and other steps…nothing seemed to be working.

Goodbye to you too soda.

From there I did more research and realized that I might have acid reflux.  For example, I have not felt good enough to have a glass of orange juice for over 3 years.  I love orange juice…and thinking about it gives me a sad puppy face!  So then started the endless attempts of various PIP’s (proton pump inhibitors like Prilosec).  Then cutting out coffee, then tomatoes when I could part with them, and spicy foods.  Still with no big changes.  For example, I would have a glass or water or a bowl of cereal and have the same symptoms. 

Then began the tests.  The first one was the esophagogastroduodenoscopy or an upper GI endoscopy, where they put you almost all the way under with sedatives and shove a little scope down your throat to your stomach, checking to see if there has been acid burn damage or if you have Barrett's esophagus, both of which can lead to cancer.  Another thing that they look at while down there is weather or not your lower esophageal sphincter works.  The concluded that I didn't have burning yet but that they really wanted to do another test after seeing an potential issue with the lower esophageal sphincter. 

Well the next one, called a esophageal pH test was a really fun one.  You don't take your heartburn medicine for 7 days (oh my goodness this was horrible).  Then they put a tube from your nose and run it all the way down to your stomach, and leave it there for 24 hours while you carry around a little computer with an arm strap.  They also let you know that you can eat things that you have issues with then hit the buttons and keep a journal every time that you have a symptom (heartburn sensations, reflux, puking).  Let's just say that I ran out of lines and had to add my own sheet.  

GREAT look while doing my pH test.

It turns out that, in the easiest explanation, I have GERD and my lower esophageal sphincter is broken and instead of what is in my stomach staying there, it goes back up because it's not sealing shut.  So after lots of research on the options, reading feedback from people with the same condition, scary phone calls with my friend Josie that sees post-op patients as a nurse and thinking about this as a lifelong decision...a choice is finally being made that has been pondered over for a year. 

I'll be going through the recommended surgery that they call a Nissen Fundoplication where they'll take the upper curve of my stomach and wrap it around my esophagus so that it actually closes.  The hope is that everything goes as planned and it will be done by five small incisions on my stomach laparoscopically and I will be in the hospital for just one night and recovering for a few weeks.

Few things that majorly suck about this:

• That it's surgery...and surgery is freaking scary
• The fact that there is a chance that they can't do this via scope and they need to do it via a vertical incision which is a much more intensive recovery timeline
• That they fill your body cavity up with CO2 and from what I have read it hurts really bad for a few days, especially in your shoulder
• That I can't go to Zumba or yoga class for 4-6 weeks (No!  What am I supposed to do without you Leslie!?)
• That it's surgery...and surgery is freaking scary

Oh yeah, and I can't have solid foods for essentially two months.  Minor details.  Like I said to Adam, what a crappy reason to get on the Operation Fridge fast track...surgery.  The diets that I have seen go from a clear liquid diet, to pureed foods, then up to items like cream of wheat or mashed potatoes for the first 6-8 weeks.  Bring on the protein shakes packed with vitamins because I just don't see myself being able to go through a normal day on chicken broth alone!

Yummy?

But onto the great news...I won't feel like I'm going to puke every time that I eat spaghetti and meatballs or want to enjoy a glass of red wine :) and here are some more things that I will LOVE after this:

• Bloody Marys.  I still indulge sometimes but MAN do I pay for it.
• Meetings...being in meetings can be kind of scary for people with this condition
• Not having that disgusting acidic taste in my mouth all the time
• Public speaking...I used to love it but having this has made me more nervous about it
• That I don't have to bring my toothbrush into the bathroom at work (people probably think I'm behlemic or something!)
• Not worrying as much about having gum at hand ALL the time
• Eating what I actually want!
• Vino

Lastly, I don't want this to be a downer or a recommendation of what you should or shouldn't do...I'm not a doctor and I simply want this to be an informative post to let other young adult that are embarrassed and unsure that it's alright!  It's a big decision and it's different for everyone but you're not alone!  There are more of us out there dealing with this and if you have any questions, please feel more than free to email me at annmariescupoftea@gmail.com and I'm sure there will be more about what is going on post surgery once I'm up to it! 

Search terms: GERD, acid reflux young adult, healthy GERD, nissen fundoplication, fundoplication surgery, lower esophageal sphincter, GERD surgery, esophageal pH test, esophagogastroduodenoscopy, upper GI endoscopy, acid reflux surgery, shortness of breath