How many people have GERD and get a sleeve anyway?

[Mhy12784 423]

While theres a general consensus that the Bypass is a good choice for people who have GERD and the Sleeve not so much. Does having GERD mean a sleeve is doomed to fail ?

The data ive seen is incredibly murky and wildy varies (some suggest that 80% of people's GERD wont get worse with a sleeve, others pretty much that everybodys will)

Almost 50% of bariatric patients have GERD so obviously a ton of people with it that end up getting a sleeve.

Whats the outlook on here ? How many people have had success having a sleeve while having GERD ?

[KarenOR 180]

I have GERD. I didn't want to be rearranged. I wanted the sleeve. My surgeon didn't have any compelling reasons not to have it. It's been totally fine as I keep on my meds. Will I have to be on them all the time? Who knows. I'm willing to wait and see.

[Mhy12784 423]

Just now, KarenOR said:

I have GERD. I didn't want to be rearranged. I wanted the sleeve. My surgeon didn't have any compelling reasons not to have it. It's been totally fine as I keep on my meds. Will I have to be on them all the time? Who knows. I'm willing to wait and see.

How bad was your GERD preop ?

Were you regularly on meds or only took them for breakthrough ?

And if you dont mind me asking, if you were on meds preop what/how much were you taking ?

[Catden 11]

I have GERD and had the sleeve. I have stalled for years about doing weight loss surgery because I did not want to do the bypass. When I was given the option of doing the sleeve, I was told that GERD might be worse, but I was willing to take the chance. Taking same meds that I have taken for years. Still early in the recovery so will see what lies down the road.

[KarenOR 180]

I developed it when I was pregnant, so I have been on one Protonix a day for 15 years. I feel like it was pretty bad. Without meds, I would be miserable, feeling it all the way up my neck sometimes. I started taking 2 a day after surgery just until everything is healed and the weight starts coming off.

[Catden 11]

Not sure exactly when I started having issues with GERD. Prior to surgery I took omeprazole (prilosec) 1x daily. If I had issues, I could directly connect it to what I had eaten -- spicy foods were a killer. Meds were not changed after surgery.

[Mhy12784 423]

4 minutes ago, KarenOR said:

I developed it when I was pregnant, so I have been on one Protonix a day for 15 years. I feel like it was pretty bad. Without meds, I would be miserable, feeling it all the way up my neck sometimes. I started taking 2 a day after surgery just until everything is healed and the weight starts coming off.

Yeah mines been somewhat bad for about 5 years. When I first got it it was absolutely horrible, came with a vengeance. Now its more of a nuisance . Like i occasionally get a cough from it or choke on secretions. But I rarely get actual heartburn anymore (unless I miss meds). Its more just of a burning sensation.

Originally I was going to get a bypass just for fixing the GERD, but getting closer to surgery and doing research im just too concerned about the long term effects.

[Nataliesmom 112]

My doctor said he has had people who never had gerd get it really bad after the sleeve. Then he has had people who have a quite a bit not have one lick of problems after the sleeve. As he says only time will tell and stay on treatment.

[Berry78 4,259]

I came across an interesting study. Basically, people with the sleeve end up with GERD mostly because of unrepaired hiatal hernias. People without bariatric surgery get GERD because of ... guess what? .... hiatal hernias.

Anyone with GERD should be carefully evaluated for a hiatal hernia. (According to that study, it looked like only 5% of GERD was NOT due to HHs.)

There is a complication of the sleeve.. where basically the sleeve gets pulled a bit up through the diaphragm (maybe because of vomiting). This is essentially the same thing as a hiatal hernia, and may explain some of the correlation. In this case, a bypass could fix it, since the intestine kinda "pulls" on the pouch, keeping it below the diaphragm.

[CarpeDiem129 38]

I'm so glad you asked this as I've been interested to see as well. There are so many conflicting statistics. I recently developed GERD after my last pregnancy. However, during my pre-op EGD, my surgeon also found a hiatal hernia, which could be to blame. I have no idea. I'm not on meds for it currently. I just get the reflux and my throat feels tight a lot so I told myself that I probably have it. It was SO bad during my pregnancy, but I only took TUMS.

My surgeon still suggested the sleeve for me. He said a lot of patients GERD symptoms dissipate with weight loss. I'm also hoping when my hiatal hernia is repaired, it will fix it. We shall see!

[CarpeDiem129 38]

2 hours ago, Mhy12784 said:

Like i occasionally get a cough from it or choke on secretions.

@Mhy12784 hearing your symptoms, I randomly get a cough too. I didn't even think it was likely attributed to my GERD! I always thought it was allergies. This makes more sense. Based off your research, have you decided which surgery you're getting?

[Mhy12784 423]

5 minutes ago, Lauren_jos19 said:

@Mhy12784 hearing your symptoms, I randomly get a cough too. I didn't even think it was likely attributed to my GERD! I always thought it was allergies. This makes more sense. Based off your research, have you decided which surgery you're getting?

Im scheduled for a bypass a week and change from now. But im strongly reconsidering.

My one surgeon is adamant the bypass is the best option. His partner (off the record) told me no way should I do it. Safe to say im extremely conflicted but i really dont wanna do the bypass

Im basically stuck between 3 less than optimal options (including doing nothing)

Edited November 4, 2017 by Mhy12784

[CarpeDiem129 38]

7 minutes ago, Mhy12784 said:

Im scheduled for a bypass a week and change from now. But im strongly reconsidering.

My one surgeon is adamant the bypass is the best option. His partner (off the record) told me no way should I do it. Safe to say im extremely conflicted but i really dont wanna do the bypass

@Mhy12784Aw bless you! I feel for you because I've been constantly conflicted throughout this whole process. One day I am completely confident in my decision and the next I'm about to back out. My surgery is scheduled for Wednesday. I know I want it, just so afraid of the unknowns.

As far as being conflicted as to which procedure you should choose, what were his partner's reasons for such a strong stance of opposing the bypass? I'm sure having the conflicting professional opinions is definitely sending you in a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions.

Edited November 4, 2017 by Lauren_jos19

[Mhy12784 423]

6 minutes ago, Lauren_jos19 said:

@Mhy12784Aw bless you! I feel for you because I've been constantly conflicted throughout this whole process. One day I am completely confident in my decision and the next I'm about to back out. My surgery is scheduled for Wednesday. I know I want it, just so afraid of the unknowns.

As far as being conflicted as to which procedure you should choose, what were his partner's reasons for such a strong stance of opposing the bypass? I'm sure having the conflicting professional opinions is definitely sending you in a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions.

That its hardcore and scary. He said he personally wouldnt get a bypass. And basically anytime for the rest of your life you get stomach pain you need to rush to the ER and get a full workup scans etc. And could need emergency surgery. Thats a lot of stress to be looming over you for the next 50-60 years of your life. He said clinically getting the bypass is the right choice, but he wouldnt do it.

Am i willing to deal with it for 5-10 years probably. Do i want that as a 50 or 60 year old, id much rather not

Edited November 4, 2017 by Mhy12784

[CarpeDiem129 38]

@Mhy12784 Wow, that is certainly intense. He sounds very adamant. I wonder why he and his partner have such conflicting views. Remember, the one professional opinion was to do the bypass, was his only reasoning due to the GERD? I'm sorry you're in a debacle. I wish I could be of more help, but this is such a personal choice.

I can tell you, for me, I immediately wanted the lap-band. This was before I did any research though really, I simply attended a seminar. Then, after my surgeon consultation, he suggested the sleeve for me because of the lap- band fillings and maintenance with my husband being military, moving a lot, having kids, it'd be a lot of appointments. It seemed to me he had a preference for the sleeve. So, I think all surgeons kind of have their own preference, although it's a professional opinion. He didn't even mention the bypass to me. In fact, even in the seminar he said he usually only recommended them for patients who had severe diabetes.

After doing my own research and having friends who've had the bypass, the only conclusion I could come to that would lead me to choose the bypass aside from the diabetes was that it's been around longer and has more sufficient long-term data. I looked into everything. I looked into future cancer risk, side effects, long term complications, etc. for all 3 types of WLS. I like the band because I was so afraid of the permanence of the sleeve, but the band is out for me and after researching, I realize it has a lot of complications and higher rate of failure. So anyway, he conclusion I came to is that the sleeve can be converted to the bypass if GERD symptoms persist bad enough. I also don't like the malabsorption aspect of the bypass. Does the thought of removing 80% of my stomach terrify me though? Yes, definitely. But, they've been doing it for a long time, just not as a weight loss procedure. That is fairly new. What did help me was reading about people who live pretty normally without a stomach at all.

I'm sure this didn't help much or if it made any sense at all, but I'm just trying to shed some light on my own thought process. Ultimately, the decision is yours. But I think a lot of surgeons have their own preferences. I just wonder if they're truly supported or if it's just a personal bias type thing. It's hard to tell.

Edited November 4, 2017 by Lauren_jos19