I am 4 weeks post op. I have somewhat gotten a little appetite. I have been eating a very small about of mushies like grits, mashed potatoes, and yogurt. I have also been drinking my protein shakes and eating well done squash and zucchini ( that I have really been enjoying). Question is what is this feeling that I am experiencing? Its not hunger but it like a gurgling bubbly feeling in between meals.

I'm pre-op, but have read that an ant-acid / PPI may help with that sensation. Good luck!

It is acid in the tummy...

I posted about this yesterday. Here's a repeat!

You may be experiencing excess acid production and sometimes this leads to reflux. Many VSG patients have reflux post-op. For some it resolves with time, for others it ends up being fairly permanent.

The good news is that it is quite well controlled with medication (a proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) such as Omeprazole (Prilosec) often by itself or in combination with another med).

There are many theories as to the why patients develop Gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) post VSG surgery:

1. The new long narrow shape of the stomach make the mobility of the acids more easily progress up into the esophagus.

2. The sphincter muscle between the esophagus and the stomach many have mobility issues post-op due to the surgery. Often these will resolve with time and healing. In some cases, there may have been some scarring or injury to the sphincter during surgery that can result in a more permanent condition.

3. During post-op healing (which can take up to 6 months to fully heal), the lining of the stomach is very sensitive and more likely to react to the acids being produced. This can cause some spasms that may push the acids upward into the esophagus.

4. Some patients may develop a hiatus hernia. A hiatus hernia is a widening of the diaphragm at the point where the esophagus passes from the chest into the abdomen. When you have a hiatus hernia, the stomach slips into the chest and the sphincter at the end of the esophagus is less effective. The hiatus hernia can be surgically repaired (and often patients have this pre-op and it is found during VSG surgery and it is repaired during the VSG!), which should also help resolve the sphincter mobility problems.

5. And of course, eating foods that irritate the stomach or cause excess acid production, such as citrus fruits, tomatoes, garlic, onions, spicy foods, foods high in fat, alcohol, and caffeine should be avoided in the early post-op stage.

If you are progressing well following the elimination of many of the foods suggested above and are taking a PPI, you can begin to try to reintroduce one of these foods at a time and assess your tolerance.

Laying down after eating can also increase the likelihood of GERD and should be avoided.

Good luck!

Gurgling Bubbly feeling..... oh yeah I got some of that.

Right after eating, or when hungry, my stomach sounds like a Blue Man Group concert (or some nice tribal drums) - not particulalry loud all the time, but it is a bubbling. Feels pretty funny. It is pretty pronounced and when it decides to get loud - wow.

I am not taking my daily Pepcid religiously, and I need to be more careful about doing it daily. I think that will help. In the mean time try to get your stomach to play show tunes. I am working on a complete musical myself. (all the songs kinda sound the same though)

Is Nexium ok to take for the acid after surgery? I keep reading about all these antacids like Pepcid, but thought Nexium was the same.

You want a PPI - Prilosec, Protonix or Nexium. You need a proton pump inhibitor to control the problem and stop the symptoms, not an antacid that will barely control the symptoms.

Keep in mind that a new sleeve is noisy, too. Healing sleeves make noise. I don't know when it finally stopped, but somewhere before a year or so I finally realized that my husband and I were no longer being serenaded by my belly while lying in bed at night!

~Cheri