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The Ask A Doctor message board provided a medium for sufferers of Heartburn and Gerd to ask questions about medical and surgical options for heartburn and receive answers directly from experienced Gastroesophageal surgeons.
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From: Mark Vierra, MD
Date: 02/18/01
Time: 07:59:24
You know, as a surgeon I always worry a bit if patients aren't at least a little scared! Because I worry before every operation that I do. We factor in all of those concerns, including the possibility of completely bizarre and unforeseeable events when we agree to operate on a patient -- I was in the middle of an operation when the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake struck! So being anxious is understandable; if it keeps you from getting medical care that you need, it is a problem. Most patients probably can throw up, but it does not seem to be a problem if they cannot. I haven't seen someone have to have their stomach pumped out because of the surgery; nor have I seen anyone explode. Everyone has some side effects after the surgery; in most people they disappear in a matter of weeks. And most people even when they are early postoperative and still having side effects relating to recovery would trade those side effects for their preoperative symptoms. You have done what you can and should have done, which is to find a very experienced surgeon that you trust.