Looking for advice - PLEASE!

[chefcoll 53]

Soooo I have been involved in a Bariatric Center of Excellence since August. They do a ton of testing and have lots of mandatory meetings, which is fine. I have learned a lot. Last month my upper GI showed signs of reflux. Due to that, they then wanted an upper endoscopy. Yesterday I had a meeting with the surgeon. She was amazing! Talked to my husband and I for over and hour. Bottom line is this: I cannot have the "regular" bypass due to Crohn's disease. She is apprehensive about doing the sleeve because of my reflux. She said if I then have severe problems with the reflux after, they do not have a back-up plan. They cannot go back and do the gastric. She said it could be a horrible, awful way to live - very painful, could lead to Barratts /cancer or a feeding tube! OR - I could end up fine with no problems! She is not taking it lightly and said neither should I. As it stands now, she wants me to give this surgery a lot more thought and she is going to talk with my GI specialist. Then we will meet again next Wednesday. I was so upset. I thought i already had my decision made! Guess not, now knowing all of these possibilities! I feel like I cannot make a decision until they both talk as they are the experts. Soooo I am wondering if ANYONE else has been in this situation? I cannot believe how much i have learned from all of the generous people on this site! I pray one day i am able to give back!

On a side note... I made "weight" for my surgery! Down 29 pounds in 11 weeks!

Thank you everyone!

[Tbird49 66]

Without going to far in a limb here I think most of us have reflux atlest I know I did fit years I am already being weened off of omeprazol to Zantac then to go off all together ... The sleeve surgery as well as my hernia fix has been great so far .... Is it the chrones that is the issue ???? I don't know about that and surgery sorry but good luck in your journey ...

[endless80 697]

Soooo I have been involved in a Bariatric Center of Excellence since August. They do a ton of testing and have lots of mandatory meetings, which is fine. I have learned a lot. Last month my upper GI showed signs of reflux. Due to that, they then wanted an upper endoscopy. Yesterday I had a meeting with the surgeon. She was amazing! Talked to my husband and I for over and hour. Bottom line is this: I cannot have the "regular" bypass due to Crohn's disease. She is apprehensive about doing the sleeve because of my reflux. She said if I then have severe problems with the reflux after, they do not have a back-up plan. They cannot go back and do the gastric. She said it could be a horrible, awful way to live - very painful, could lead to Barratts /cancer or a feeding tube! OR - I could end up fine with no problems! She is not taking it lightly and said neither should I. As it stands now, she wants me to give this surgery a lot more thought and she is going to talk with my GI specialist. Then we will meet again next Wednesday. I was so upset. I thought i already had my decision made! Guess not, now knowing all of these possibilities! I feel like I cannot make a decision until they both talk as they are the experts. Soooo I am wondering if ANYONE else has been in this situation? I cannot believe how much i have learned from all of the generous people on this site! I pray one day i am able to give back!

On a side note... I made "weight" for my surgery! Down 29 pounds in 11 weeks!

Thank you everyone!

I had bad reflux before the surgery but nothing showed up on my Upper GI. I had HORRIBLE reflux after the surgery. I take Prilosec and a really good probiotic daily. Reflux gone. Not an issue.

[psis 13]

check out Dr. Guillermo Alvarez YOU TUBE channel Endobariatrics. He does informational videos and has a nice one about GERD and how it is often caused by the obesity itself with all the extra "pressure" of the fat on the stomach. Many people report that their GERD is resolved with weight loss. check it out.

[marfar7 1,528]

I never had even heartburn, let alone reflux, until my lapband slipped almost 2 yrs ago. Then I got severe nighttime reflux. So bad that I'd wake up with a burning in my throat with brown ick on my pillow or vomiting in the middle of the night. Prilosec (RX version) took care of most of it, but I still had occasional reflux. After my sleeve, my surgeon switched me to RX Pepcid. The following week, I had constant heartburn. So bad that I chewed about 40 Tums a day. A week after this, I took it upon myself to start my old RX Prilosec again.

It worked. No more heartburn or reflux. Now the only time I have problems with reflux is when I've eaten something greasy within an hr of going to bed (like normal people get it). I haven't had a Tums in about a month.

I decided that if I have to take 2 20mg Prilosecs a day for the rest of my life in lieu of being fat, I'll take it. I may still have problems with reflux, who knows. I take my meds as directed. I will definitely take taking pills to combat reflux for the rest of my life.

Not sure what I'd do in ur situation. I would try to take a PPI now and see if that helps ur reflux now. Then maybe give it a couple mths to see if it works. Then choose whether to have the sleeve or not. Obviously if no PPI's don't work now, they probly won't work after 85% of ur stomach is cut out. If it works well, then maybe that same PPI (they all work differently, so u may have to try a few) will control ur acid after the sleeve too.

Good luck with ur decision...

[chefcoll 53]

Thank you all soooo much! A lot to consider. I will keep you all posted on my visit Wednesday!

[MCM13 87]

Soooo I have been involved in a Bariatric Center of Excellence since August. They do a ton of testing and have lots of mandatory meetings, which is fine. I have learned a lot. Last month my upper GI showed signs of reflux. Due to that, they then wanted an upper endoscopy. Yesterday I had a meeting with the surgeon. She was amazing! Talked to my husband and I for over and hour. Bottom line is this: I cannot have the "regular" bypass due to Crohn's disease. She is apprehensive about doing the sleeve because of my reflux. She said if I then have severe problems with the reflux after, they do not have a back-up plan. They cannot go back and do the gastric. She said it could be a horrible, awful way to live - very painful, could lead to Barratts /cancer or a feeding tube! OR - I could end up fine with no problems! She is not taking it lightly and said neither should I. As it stands now, she wants me to give this surgery a lot more thought and she is going to talk with my GI specialist. Then we will meet again next Wednesday. I was so upset. I thought i already had my decision made! Guess not, now knowing all of these possibilities! I feel like I cannot make a decision until they both talk as they are the experts. Soooo I am wondering if ANYONE else has been in this situation? I cannot believe how much i have learned from all of the generous people on this site! I pray one day i am able to give back!

On a side note... I made "weight" for my surgery! Down 29 pounds in 11 weeks!

Thank you everyone!

Did your doctor mention a procedure called a Nissen if your reflux gets worse? I'm guessing that is a concern to her as well. The procedure involves wrapping the stomach around the esophagus to prevent the acid from going back up. I'm not sure if you'd be able to get that procedure if you were sleeved. I haven't run into that scenario at work so maybe ask about that.

[chefcoll 53]

MCM13 - she did not. but she did say she is going to make my size a bit larger and hopefully this will help. After she spoke w/ my GI she felt better about doing the surgery but not 100%. I appreciate her honesty. Taking into considerartion all risks...I am going for it! December 10th!

[goldilox 30]

Have you been diagnosed with Crohn's? If so, I could see why she would be hesitant.

[caroline2 89]

I have reflux and hernia. My surgeons office is also a Center of Excellence. My surgeon is going to repair the hernia when I get the sleeve. She also told me reflux (like so many other conditions related to obesity)would greatly improve with weight loss. Just wanted to share. Good luck to you.

[Lorettanjgal 19]

I had a hiatal hernia and constant reflux. Since my lapband on july 29, 2013, I have not yet to have heartburn nor reflux. Down 50.5 lbs

[chefcoll 53]

goldilox - YES i do have Crohn's. After my surgeoun spoke w/ my GI specialist - she felt better about the sleeve. I am full steam ahead! Dec 10th!

[Clexie 3]

I also have Crohn's and am getting sleeved on December 17th. My gastro doc wanted me to have the band so that nothing would be cut out, but the more I read on the band the more it seemed that that wouldn't be good either. When I met with the surgeon, he recommended the sleeve over the band so that is what we are doing. My surgeon had already successfully did the sleeve on other Crohn's patients.

[SoccerMomma73 1,867]

I also have Crohn's and am getting sleeved on December 17th. My gastro doc wanted me to have the band so that nothing would be cut out, but the more I read on the band the more it seemed that that wouldn't be good either. When I met with the surgeon, he recommended the sleeve over the band so that is what we are doing. My surgeon had already successfully did the sleeve on other Crohn's patients.

theres also a bit of literature on not performing bands on anyone with any type of autoimmune disease for worry of worsening the autoimmune disorder by introducing a foreign body into the body....it's technical, but last I checked my surgeon wouldn't perform bands on patients with Crohn's disease. Just too big of a risk.