Nissen Fundoplication surgery!

[l.89]

i have been doing a lot of research about this surgery and I NEED TO HAVE IT AND AM WILLING TO DO ANYTHING TO GET IT! anyone else ever think about how awesome this would be? to never be able to v* again? I truely want this operation so bad. i have had 3 surgeries before and never got sick when i woke up so no worries there. When knowing there is something out there that practically makes it impossible to never vomit again makes me so happy.

[HeatherC]

I am with you on this one. I was not aware of this surgery and I am currently googling it.

[l.89]

haha oh gosh now you will be just like me! i know you have to have bad GERD or acid reflux i do have acid reflux im just hoping that once i get insurance and go to the doctor they will allow me to have it done.

[turbokinetic]

Well - I said this on another thread but want to repeat it here so others can see it.

I'm so so sorry you feel this way about your stomach. It really hurts me to think about you having surgery on your perfectly healthy, happy stomach; just because of this phobia.

The nissen surgery only stops things from exiting your stomach. It does not stop any other part of the vomiting process. People with this surgery have massive, terrible problems when they get a SV or other vomiting situation. You would have all the nausea, retching, heaving, misery and pain - but none of the releif. Every time you get sick after this surgery, you will be in the hospital.

Your mind ALREADY has the power to overcome emetophobia. The anxiety and fear is the problem anyway - not the actual vomiting. Your mind can overcome the emetophobia, but if you have your stomach altered, it will never ever be normal again.

I was emetophobic for years, and even made myself puke to try and de-sensitize myself to it. The puking DID NOT MATTER and did not affect the phobia. This phobia is crossed signals in your head; a bad association; a misguided conditioned response. It wouldn't matter what happened to your stomach - you can not get over the phobia unless you address it in your mind.

I respect how you feel about this and see how hard it is on you. I'm glad you posted this and really don't want to offend you. It's just that I feel very strongly, because I have an utmost respect for life and for our bodies working well.

Sincerely,
David

[l.89]

You do not offend me one bit!! thank you for your input its appreciated. I do not mind feeling Nauseous. its the V* that scares me. I also do not mind havin D* id pick that over anything any day. I truely feel like this would help me tons! I do have acid reflux for 6 yrs now it started when my mom died and i am constantly stressed out so my body reacts by creating lots of acid which often makes me nauseous. My teeth and gums are suffering from the acid coming back up as well. I would truely like to thank you for your support!! i feel like this would help and like you said before you barely get a stomach virus so i think i could survive having one if i ever do get the surgery.

[KaydeeJayde]

Didn't I read on another thread that it's not 100% certain that you'd never vomit again? I thought it was like a 54% chance you wouldn't or something! I'm not sure, but I completely agree with David on this one.

[olschesky]

i have a friend that had to have this surgery because of stomach issues.......it really has not been a fun journey according to him......i'll pass

[MelP]

I really agree with David on this one.

Risking the dangers of surgery, (let's not pass by this one, there is always risks) because of fearing a natural body function? I don't think this is wise and I would question the ethics of any doctor willing to perform the surgery on you for the reason of a phobia, no matter how severe!

I'm so sorry, sweetie, I don't mean to underplay how severe your phobia may be. I don't mean to minimize your intense fear, I know how intense it is, I'm emet too. But the problem is not the vomiting. The problem is the little quirk in our minds that tells us to fear vomiting.

It just is not right to start altering the way our bodies work simply because we are uncomfortable with the way it works. Our bodies are wonderful and work amazingly well! And our digestive systems are awesome. And very sensitive.

I don't know the real reason the surgery is done. I'm sure that it is for a disorder that makes the surgery and it's benefits outweigh any of the drawbacks. I've never even heard of it, frankly.

Anyway, just my two cents.

[asianeko]

I'm with David on this too. Even with the surgery, an emet mind is sure to still me nervous about the surgery not working. Our problem is the anxiety, not vomit.

[SteveR]

I'm with David on this too. Even with the surgery, an emet mind is sure to still me nervous about the surgery not working. Our problem is the anxiety, not vomit.

Anxiety, anxiety, anxiety. Spot on. Emetophobia is not so much different than any other phobia, they just all have their own unique triggers

[Rebecca85]

What if I was anorexic and wanted a gastric bypass so I didn't have to worry about gaining weight ever again? Anyone think that's a good idea? Hopefully not, because I would be undergoing an unneccessary surgery with many side effects, and the root problem would still be there. Same thing with the Nissen surgery.

[l.89]

to everyone. i actually do suffer from bad acid reflux. it comes up through my sinus' and is causing tooth decay and gum decay. i do understand where some of you are coming from but i actually do need this surgery. im willing to take the risks.. i do not have insurance atm and the meds i take for the acid are no longer working. i also have a stomach ucler. =[ oh and ibs! not constipation though... so im use to having D* im glad you all put your input into this. i appreciate it!

[hairyfairy]

I`ve heard about this operation, it`s a lovely thought, never vting ever again, but you can`t burp either, which means that all the gas your stomach produces goes down instead of up. That means that you break wind a lot more, & that`s really embarrassing,. If it was`nt for that side-effect, I would be pestering my doctor for the operation.

[Rebecca85]

L89- have you been tested for h. Pylori bacteria? It can cause stomach ulcers and things like that.

[l.89]

Rebecca,-no i havent. i dont have insurance but once i get married and do i will going to the doctors. ive never heard of that before. im about to google it! thank you!!

[sage]

Having this surgery would only make sense if it's medically necessary. It will NOT work for anxiety issues. David is absolutely right. The emetophobic's problem is anxiety, not vomiting. If you could never vomit again because you got this surgery you wouldn't necessarily be any more calm. For one thing, it's not 100% certain. So if your anxiety is bad enough, you will imagine that you are the one-in-a-million exception and that you will indeed vomit. Or else your anxiety would just manifest itself in something else. Whatever the second-most-scariest thing in the world is to you would become the first.

Spend your time, energy and money on treating your anxiety folks. Then you won't give a damn if you vomit or not!

[l.89]

Okay i have said this many of times in this thread... I suffer from acid reflux and it is severe i understand what you guys are saying . If i did not suffer from it then of course the surgery would be unnecessary but i do suffer from it. I feel like you arent reading my posts on this thread.. I asked if anyone has had the surgery and how it has worked for them. I appreciate all of you input but please read more before you lecture me about it. Thanks.

[Rebecca85]

I think it's the way you came across in the first post, you never mentioned then that you had reflux, only how great it would be to never v again. When you did say you have reflux, it sounded like an after thought, like an excuse to let you get the surgery rather than the real reason. At least, that's my opinion, and that's why I responded in that way.

[Rebecca85]

Also in another thread you said you would lie to your doctors or make your acid worse on purpose so you could get the surgery, so it doesn't sound to me like you are doing it for the acid at all! This is bordering on self harm, I really think you need to see a therapist. And lying to the doctors is never OK in my opinion, you could do serious damage to yourself, and tie up time/ resources needed by other people.

[asianeko]

Have you talked to a doctor about the options for your reflux? There are lots of really awesome medications and things you can do like changing your diet that work wonders! I had reflux problems to the point of vocal polyps, and I was able to get it under control with just a few pills and avoiding certain foods for six months.

[MelP]

L89- If your doctors believe that getting this surgery is going to help you, then it is an option you should definitely consider. I was only saying that getting the surgery to stop from vomiting would be a bad idea.

By the way, I would only consider surgery for ANY disorder as my last option, unless it's something only surgery can help, like appendicitis or something. Surgery comes with it's own set of complications and you have to consider the pros versus the cons.

I had never heard of this surgery before and when I posted I didn't even know what it was for. Maybe I should not have posted because of my lack of knowledge on the subject. But, I was just afraid for you because it sounded like a dramatic type surgery. Like a stomach stapling that some do to lose weight.

You are capable of making your own decision. No one here is saying otherwise. People are just giving their opinions, hoping for your best health options.

[l.89]

Thank you very much. I have not yet spoke to a doctor as i dont have insurance. i just got annoyed that people started assuming i didnt need this surgery without reading that i actually do suffer from horrible acid reflux that is causing my gums and teeth to be damaged. Thank you. please understand that its just fustrating that people would say things like "if i was anorexic and wanted to get gastric bypass would people think thats a good idea?" of course it isnt.. I know there are risks but would i want to possibly get stomach cancer and my teeth to decay? I think if the doctors did say they reccomended it then i would do it in a heart beat.

[Rebecca85]

So why did you say in another thread that you would make your acid worse on purpose so you can get this surgery? That doesn't sound like you really need the surgery for your acid!

[l.89]

i said if i had to tell them it was worse then it was to get it i would.. i dont know what they consider bad enough to have the surgery... i do have it bad but i dont know what they consider to be bad.. understood now?

[l.89]

and if you have ever suffered from acid at all you would know that even just mild cases are not fun and i think a lot of people would want the surgery to eliminate it no matter how bad it was and i dont have a mild case i have got multiple peptic ulcers from the acid reflux.. and btw Not all of us can afford to see a therapist and thats why im on this site..

[Rebecca85]

I'm afraid I still don't understand, you say you need this surgery for the acid, but you're not sure if your acid is bad enough so you're going to tell them it's worse to make sure. But if your acid isn't bad enough then you don't need the surgery for it. If you have ulcers and have tried every med going and truely nothing else helps then you do need the surgery and you shouldn't need to exaggerate your symptoms to get the surgery.

Also, just occured to me, will the surgery help with peptic ulcers? Because peptic ulcers are in the stomach and the surgery only stops acid going up your throat, it won't do anything about the acid in your stomach.

And for the record, I do suffer from acid reflux from my Crohn's disease.

[l.89]

I believe my acid is very severe.. like i said before.. i have not been to the doctors to confirm if i would need the surgery or not. I feel like i would but i dont know what the requirements are to have it. And yes if for some reason they did not give me the option of the surgery i would tell them it was worse because i do feel like it would help me a lot. My peptic ulcers where caused from stress because when im stressed my body creates more stomach acid.. If i had this surgery i would be less stressed because i wouldnt have to worry about burning liquid coming up into my mouth everyday and while i sleep. Which means less stress about my gums and teeth being ruined as well.. It is very expensive to go to the dentist when you dont have insurance. So saving money would be less stressful to me too.. So that would be less stress causing acid for me.

[Rebecca85]

I am still concerned that you would tell your doctor your symptoms are worse than they are, so that you get the treatment you want rather than the one you need. But all I can say is I hope the op turns out to be the magical cure you want.

[asianeko]

Honestly (and this is just my opinion) if your reflux isn't bad enough to force you to the doctor's without insurance, it's probably not bad enough for surgery. Keep an open mind, there are SO MANY options that can help you out, surgery should always be a last resort.

[ButterfliesInHerEyes]

1. How is acid reflux ruining your teeth? Does a mouthful of acid come into your mouth daily? If so, you're vomiting acid?

2. You can exaggerate your symptoms all you want but before doctors will do the surgery (any surgery) they run a battery of tests and based upon the results they determine whether or not the surgery is necessary. They won't do it based on your word. They can tell if you're lying/exaggerating.

3. The Nissen is a fairly big operation... and a lot can go wrong. Retching without vomiting (which means you get no relief) is common after the surgery. This can go on for months. Your body can "learn" to vomit past the valve so the surgery is rarely 100% because nature always finds a way and yes, unfortunately, sometimes it is very necessary to vomit. Sometimes this surgery causes diarrhea or as it's better known as "dumping" after a meal. Sounds lovely doesn't it? After a while (months or years) the surgery may stop working altogether and your acid reflux returns... and so will your ability to vomit like a normal person. Lastly, in some cases, vomiting actually becomes worse after this operation because the stomach can't tolerate anything in it.

At first blush this operation sounds like a God-send to those of us with emetophobia BUT when you really look into everything that's involved and everything that could and DOES go wrong, I bet even emetophobes would rather vomit on those very rare occasions when our bodies naturally do than to go through the Nissen.