How bad is Gerd after Sleeve?

[Bariatricguy03 5]

I am scheduled for a Sleeve this Friday however I have gerd. It is manageable now only really happens when eating certain foods.

This is my main concern with the sleeve for me. Bypass scares me. I can take the pain and nauseau from the sleeve but the complications from bypass worry me more than gerd.

So how bad did you get gerd after the sleeve?

[ellebeekay 7]

This is my big worry too. I am getting the sleeve on 7/17.

[Creekimp13 5,838]

I have literally had no nausea. Zero. Nada. Have had extremely minimal acid. Maybe twice, I was a little bit bothered by acid the next morning after eating late....and took an antacid.... in seven months.

My doc put us on omeprazole for the first couple of months. I weaned off without issue.

Sleeve is not usually recommended for people with GERD. What does your doctor say about your GERD after sleeve?

[Creekimp13 5,838]

Many people who get GERD after sleeve end up needing revision to bypass because their symptoms are so uncomfortable. It is a realistic risk to discuss with your surgeon.

My advice is to make sure you are using a surgeon who does hiatal hernia repair, who has some expertise in checking for them.

My upper GI noted moderate chronic gastritis...so I was a little concerned about developing GERD. My surgeon said my hiatal hernia was probably complicating this condition and fixed it when he did my sleeve surgery.

I have had no problems with nausea or acid.

[Bariatricguy03 5]

13 minutes ago, Creekimp13 said:

I have literally had no nausea. Zero. Nada. Have had extremely minimal acid. Maybe twice, I was a little bit bothered by acid the next morning after eating late....and took an antacid.... in seven months.

My doc put us on omeprazole for the first couple of months. I weaned off without issue.

Sleeve is not usually recommended for people with GERD. What does your doctor say about your GERD after sleeve?

So i had an egd back in 2006 and was diagnosed with a small hiatal hernia.

My surgeon now says she will repair it and give me the sleeve. She thinks i will be fine on the sleeve but says that I can always do a revision later if need be. She wants to take the least complicated approach first

[ellebeekay 7]

I should have also said I do have gerd now and my surgeon seemed unconcerned as its well controlled on medicine.

[Creekimp13 5,838]

There are a few folks around who have been in total hell with GERD after sleeve on here if you search for them, you might get some more balanced feedback. There have been people through here that needed and did the revision.

I can only say I've been totally happy with my sleeve and have had no symptoms.

A lot of people have their GERD resolve after sleeve, too, though....losing weight helps a lot.

Luck of the draw, I'm afraid.

[YeahOkay31 651]

I had very mild GERD before my sleeve, if i took an antacid once a month it was a lot. They also discovered a hiatal hernia which they repaired. I am 10 weeks out and have acid issues every day. I take Pantoprazole 20 mg twice a day, plus 40 mg of nexium at bed time. Plus I pop a few tums per day. I am still sick to my stomach. There are days were I just can't bring myself to eat.

There are a lot of people that have no ill effects and others that medication works for. I don't seem to be one of them but I am still hopefully time will remedy this. There is no way to tell how the sleeve will effect you until it is done. Best of luck.

[SouthernGirl76 74]

I am off of all of my meds for GERD. I did have a hernia repaired with my sleeve and it was the best thing ever.

[Orchids&Dragons 9,047]

1 hour ago, YeahOkay31 said:

I am 10 weeks out and have acid issues every day. I take Pantoprazole 20 mg twice a day, plus 40 mg of nexium at bed time. Plus I pop a few tums per day. I am still sick to my stomach. There are days were I just can't bring myself to eat.

There are a lot of people that have no ill effects and others that medication works for. I don't seem to be one of them but I am still hopefully time will remedy this. There is no way to tell how the sleeve will effect you until it is done. Best of luck.

We're very similar, except I never had issues before the surgery. I could eat virtually anything and my stomach was fine. I am 4 months post-op. Now the acid churns whenever I eat anything. Some days my voice is hoarse by 10am. I used to love spicy foods. Now they burn all the way down because my esophagus is irritated.

I am now on prescription Prilosec 2x/day plus Tums as needed. My surgeon is already considering a revision to bypass, but the insurance company wants to try to control the acid with medication for 6 months first.

One thing to be aware of - when PPIs first came out, they were considered safe for long-term use. Now the recommendation is for 6 months or less. So, those of you who are on PPIs might want to research this.

[mi75 1,235]

Well let me chime in here- I am 4 years post op!!!!

I had pretty significant GERD way BEFORE my surgery, and in fact it was a huge mitigating factor in my surgery. my surgeon told me that the reduction we both expected in weight would easily eliminate my GERD, so either surgery was an option. I chose VSG in 2014. I lost about 70 lbs total and felt great. I took the occasional PPI for the first 4-6 months during that huge weight loss.

Then...well about 2 years post op I regained a lot of my weight and GERD returned. I went back on a PPI. last fall I made an appointment with my surgeon who said that I REALLY had to lose all of the regain, and that if the GERD didn't resolve, I would probably face a revision.

Around the same time I had an EGD and got some ugly news from my GI doc. That sparked a huge drive in me, I went full on Keto and have re-lost all of my regain!!!

BUT...my GERD is still present and not getting any better. I know that I DO have a sliding hiatal hernia that may be reacting to the fat in Keto, so I just keep pushing and hope that by the time I see my GI doc in fall, it will be gone..

So yes, reflux after surgery can be and IS a real issue. for me, I honestly wish I would have just had the bypass 4 years ago, because I STILL face that option, even 4 years out!!

EDITED TO ADD: I was formally diagnosed with Barrett's Esophagus in 2012 but thankfully, no other positive screens since that year.

[Frustr8 7,886]

Yes I am on Dexilant the Ferrari of the PPI family. I will be having my RnY yet this month. One morning Ms.Frustr8 was feeling froggy and decided to skip my PPI. Was not a happy situation, all the GI symptoms resurrected themself and even Hector woke up and started jabbing my gastritis a little. I learned my lesson that day, I may be one of the few that don't come off eventually And yes I also have the lovely hole in the diaphragm a hiatal hernia is. Going to remind Dr Needleman to chinch me up good, shoot it probably is on the game plan but might not be bad to remind him. I am just grateful with my amount of GERD I don't have Barrett's Dysplasia in my esophagus. PCP and pulmonologist suspect it was contributory to me developing asthma and hoarseness.Have a righteous and happy day Everyone!

[S@ssen@ch 745]

I had reflux with the LapBand, but it mostly resolved once I had the band removed. I had occasional flare-ups and with the last one I had EGD that showed possible "sliding hernia". All went away after a round of Dexilant.

When investigating into another bariatric surgery, my doctor and I had a talk about it. I told the doctor I really did not want to go RNY route. I did not like the malabsorption aspect of it. We came to the conclusion that my GERD was situational, meaning it was related to stress, diet, and overall obesity. Doctor felt it was safe to proceed.

About 4 weeks after my sleeve surgery, I started getting heartburn. Started Nexium right away, which took care of the heartburn nicely. Then, a couple weeks ago I noticed that I am waking up with a sore throat. Self-diagnosed return of the reflux, so I am now propping myself up at night.

Before I get a bunch of "talk to your doctor" comments, it's not bad enough that I feel I need to and I will at my next f/u visit. But, my theory is that the "sliding hernia" that may have been there didn't rear its ugly head during surgery and therefore wasn't addressed. So, I'm hoping that with time and weight loss this will resolve or at least stay very minimal. Really do not want ANOTHER bariatric surgery. I think my insurance would revolt.