Alvear/Fowlkes Procedure

I had the procedure done February 2025. I was in the hospital for 16 days, and was still not able to eat solid foods when I left the hospital. I was told some people have a longer turn around before their body starts "working" again, and to stay positive. We went back home to Indiana, and my MALS pains started getting VERY bad, way worse than before I had this last procedure. At a follow up I asked about it, and Dr. Fowlkes told me that can happen when they fix the SMA, then the MALS shows up full force so he wants me to heal up and then come have my MALS surgery. All this time, I still can not eat, and I am not at a feeding tube rate high enough to be satisfactory. When I am healed, I make another trip to Virginia to have robotic MALS surgery, During surgery he notices a hiatel hernia and attempts to fix it. After about 2 weeks in the hospital, I am released and go back home, still unable to eat, and now in worse pain than ever before.

Forward another month or so and a couple more local feeding tube surgeries, (because I had not 1, but TWO feeding tubes fall out in this time) and my MALS pain is worse than before, and I cant even swallow medicine without it getting stuck because my throat feels like it is closed. After a couple virtual follow-ups he tells me to come back again, for a MALS revision, to dilate my esophagus, and to loosen his hernia repair. So we once again go back to Virginia for all of those surgeries and repairs. After only about 10 days this time, I am released and we head back home, still unable to eat with a feeding tube that is well below the dieticians suggested rate...am I finally about to heal up and catch a break???....nope...