Dear All,

Having been sleeved a whole 17 days, I have noticed a very nasty side effect to this surgery - Reflux.

I have been given the PPI, avoid fatty/surgery foods, limit caffeine and chew like the proverbial cow chewing the cud. None of this seems to help things. If I'm gonna get taken out with it, I'm being taken out.

On academic research, I have learnt that VSG increases the likelihood of GERD due to, in short and without doing the 'science bit', the Lower Esophageal Sphincter being weakened. Subsequently, all your gastric juices - PPI or not - jump above that valve and languish in your esophagus causing general discomfort, pain and misery.

Consequently, what I'd like to ask all you good people, is a) have you had this (before or after surgery) b ) how did your surgeons/doctors deal with it c) have your symptoms improved with the surgery, weight loss, or just got worse over time?

Any opinions, particularly from the long-term sufferers, are very much appreciated. x

Thanks, guys. Got my appointment with the surgeon this afternoon, so I'll see what he has to say. As it stands; by implementing some of the 'rules' identified on this thread, I have not had another night time attack (thank God!). Had a bit of a lump in my throat during the day and a weird burning sensation in my sinuses on a couple of occasions, but I think I'm good....

Famous last words! x

I sympathize with you. 2 years prior to this surgery , my GERD was so bad that I was scheduled to have my tonsils removed. They were constantly infected/ burned/ swollen that it affected my voice and swallowing. I also have moderate Barretts esophagus from the constant reflux. Then I was put on a drug called " Dexilant" and it completely fixed the throat issues, and i no longer needed that surgery. It is a newer PPI, and some insurance companies won't cover it because its more expensive than other PPIs. I was forced to go back to protonix by insurance for 3 months and it worked but not nearly as well as Dexilant.

Since my sleeve 3 weeks ago , I can honestly say that I have had zero GERD symptoms. I make sure I don't eat or drink an hour or so before bed and sleep with my head elevated, and take my meds regularly. You may even want to take your meds in the evening rather than in am.

Good luck and keep us informed of your progress and experiences. We learn so much from each other.

Janet, that sounds awful! I suspect that I, too, won't be offered Dexilant... Primarily, because we're so behind the times in the UK, it probably hasn't even hit the market yet!

As it stands, I take 20mg of Omeprazole once in the morning and once in the evening. If I feel things are a bit 'weird' when I lay down on my mountain of pillows, I might have a glug of Gaviscon liquid.

I think there's a lot to be said for nil by mouth for a couple of hours before bed time... Again, I'll just have to see what my surgeon says this afternoon.

What scares me most, is that I'll have to rule out all the foods I like (tomatoes/onions/tea) and live off baby-food, when they finally force me to go off the PPI....

Just seeing this post and thought i would share. After surgery my gerd was horrendous. I almost immediately started taking my prilosec 2x a day and that only barely helped.would wake up every night choking on acid. Was put on reglan for a month and that worked. Was sleeved August 28 and am down to taking prilosec only once a day again. Gerd seems to be mostly manageable now.

Hey Mme. - do let us know what the medical man says. I rarely have to resort to the multiple pillows treatment now, unless I eat too late before bedtime, so fingers crossed time will heal all wounds.

Lisa

Well, I went, I saw, I was left.. moderately unimpressed. He was more concerned about whether I was vomiting up undigested food than the reflux. Even when we did get onto the subject, he segued into an overview of a rat experiment which identified that sleeved rats make healthier choices as a consequence of their surgery, because their minds adapt to what the sleeve can and can't handle.... <cue slight impatience>

I expressed my concerns about bowel/intestinal motility being a factor, bile over-production and having a weak LES. His suggestion was to keep doing what I was doing, keep taking the PPI, don't eat late at night, and that he'd write a letter to my GP to get some special medicine which speeded up the motility of my intestines. Because, clearly, the bile was pooling in my stomach for my to have been 'flooded' like that.

So.. Did I learn anything that I didn't already read in an academic journal? No. Did I feel a little cheated that I told him I suspected it was the motility of my intestines/bowels - which is then something he jumped on as a diagnostic? Yes. Do I suspect he was more concerned as to whether I was developing a stricture? Yes. Do I think this is partially because he's only interested in issues which might require surgical intervention? Yes. Am I going to have to just suck it up and see if time heals everything? Yes.

Nowt more that can be said really! Happy days!

Groan. You have accomplished what I thought was well nigh impossible: I now appreciate the U.S. healthcare system.

So keep doing what you're doing and consider investing in your own consulting nameplate. Lovely help.

Ab-so-bloody-lutely...

I shall give it another month by which time, I shall be on full foods. If I take a turn for the worse, I will start firing off crunchy emails and will use the responses accordingly to secure effective treatment - even if it means demanding a fee-free referral to a gastroenterologist and any subsequent treatments until the problem is resolved.

I hate having to get 'crunchy'. Feels too much like being at work! <sigh>

Dang, madam! I'm so sorry your doc sucks! That makes things beyond frustrating!!! Hopefully you will get better on your own, because obviously he's no help:(

OH NO, that's terrible! I have to tell you, ever since they switched me from Prilosec to Protonix...I feel so much better! Sending you good vibes from Vegas!

I am 14 days out and in the past week it is bad. I am taking what my doctor gave me but don't want to continue. Prior to surgey I rarely got it but when I did I would take a cap full of apple cider vinager. It always worked. It helps as an alkalizer. I plan to do this again. I was just was not sure if vinager would be too hard on the tummy so early on.

Have you tried it yet? If so how did it go, do you drink it straight or in water?

Hey revs, how's the gut today??? Sorry to hear about the incompetence of your surgeon.

You are right though they usually look for the surgical way out!

I am feeling pretty fantastic today, as it happens and thank you for asking.. I managed to eat two chicken drumsticks over the period of, ooh, 2 hours. Took it very slowly and didn't even drink whilst munching. I consider that a bit of a success!

Now, if only cheese wasn't like the kiss of death for me... (although it's probably a good thing it is...)

So far (and fingers crossed) no bad reflux/indigestion for a few days.. I even (shock horror) went without a PPI this morning... I hope I'm not counting my chickens before they're hatched.. But I think if I limit the things which are 'iffy', I may stand a chance of beating this b'stard.

Yeah!

Good news! Life without cheese though... is not a life worth living! (Kinda like Oreos)

It sounds like your stomach and digestive system is on the mend though. So yay!

cheese.. oh how I miss thee.....

I hope I am on the mend. I think I'd be devastated if GERD was what I had to look forward to as a consequence of this surgery...