VSG to RNY due to Gerd

[Slimsoon1988 123]

Hello all- I’m interested in hearing people’s stories as they went from sleeve to bypass due to Gerd. I’m extremely nervous restarting this process. I was sleeved 5 years ago and have been suffering with GERD ever since, which I feel has gotten worse. In 2018, I did the linx surgery, which is a metal band around the esophagus to stop GERD- it didn’t work so I got it removed later that year. Now here I am in 2020 thinking about the switch to bypass. Obviously my fear is this will now be my 4th surgery in 6 years. In addition, will this really work.

[Jenna_87 5]

I had the sleeve done 10/19 and then had severe GERD about two months after and the doctor put me on omeprazole once a day then upped it to twice a day. Nothing helped. I also had a hilated hernia. So he decided to do the bypass on July 2020. About not even a day later I was having bleeding issues. So I had to go back in for surgery for them to fix it. So I had two surgeries in two days. I stayed in the hospital for a week. This was worse than the three c sections I had. Four weeks later and I’m still in pain. I’m not trying to scare you but just sharing my experience. My doctor said I was the 5% that this would happen to. So maybe I just had some bad luck that day I don’t know. I haven’t had to take any of my omeprazole. I haven’t had any GERD symptoms. So far it’s been worth it for that but otherwise I’m still figuring out if it’s been worth it altogether. Good luck in your decision!

[catwoman7 10,922]

I haven't had revision, but I've been hanging out on bariatric sites for the last 5-7 years. It does seem to work for most people, but of course you'll find outliers. Sorry to hear about the above responder's complications, although fortunately, as with virgin surgeries, those seem to be pretty rare.

[Starwarsandcupcakes 1,898]

I had a VSG December 2019. In March ended up developing a hiatal hernia and severe GERD. It was so bad I was on protonix, Pepcid, ans Tums for the reflux. I had also developed intractable hiccups esophagitis from the GERD. I had a VSG to RNY on 8/11 so I’m only 3 weeks out. I will say that I don’t remember being in this much pain after my VSG but the GERD is pretty much gone as far as I can tell. Still on the protonix twice a day until I’m 3months post-op.

[drawingdami 34]

Yikes! I am having my Nissen Fundoplication with metal banding revised to an RnY on Wednesday. I had severe GERD and a large Hiatal Hernia. The Fundoplication worked for about 2.5 years but now the GERD is back and I have another hernia that developed above the fundoplication. This sounds like it's going to be...not fun.😰

[Slimsoon1988 123]

Thank you all that have replied. Right now I’m debating between just living my life with GERD or doing the bypass. But what if the GERD gets worse. Right now I’ve had a sore throat for a week. This is my 3rd sore throat this year. I’m just really nervous.

[Foxbins 625]

10 minutes ago, Slimsoon1988 said:

Thank you all that have replied. Right now I’m debating between just living my life with GERD or doing the bypass. But what if the GERD gets worse. Right now I’ve had a sore throat for a week. This is my 3rd sore throat this year. I’m just really nervous.

Hey, Slimsoon1988--I had my sleeve in 2011, developed GERD a couple of years later. Took max dose PPIs for a few years, then started having acid even with the PPI. Took PPI plus Tums for a couple of years, but then the acid caused an esophageal stricture and I was regurgitating everything I swallowed. The last straw was one day I swallowed a bite of toast, and it came back up eight times (I counted) slimier and more disgusting each time, before it finally stayed down. All due to GERD. I saw a surgeon who said my only recourse was RNY, but I loved my sleeve, I was at goal, could eat most things, was almost 8 years older than the first surgery, didn't want malabsorption. So I got referred to the surgeon with the best reputation for challenging cases. He brainstormed a bunch of different surgeries, but after testing it turned out that RNY was really the only one that would address all my problems. So I had RNY on 6/29. OMG. I can sleep through the night again. I have not regurgitated any food at all. I have not had any acid reflux after any kind of food, spicy, coffee, fatty. It truly was a miracle. My surgeon made the bypass pretty short so I wouldn't lose much weight. I lost about ten pounds the week I was on liquids, but I'm okay with that, and my weight has leveled off since.

If you decide not to do anything, please have regular EGDs so that if you develop Barrett's esophagus from the GERD you know sooner rather than later. Barrett's is no joke.

Wishing you the best.

[GreenTealael 24,905]

Check these threads out ♥️

[Slimsoon1988 123]

On 08/31/2020 at 22:27, Foxbins said:

Hey, Slimsoon1988--I had my sleeve in 2011, developed GERD a couple of years later. Took max dose PPIs for a few years, then started having acid even with the PPI. Took PPI plus Tums for a couple of years, but then the acid caused an esophageal stricture and I was regurgitating everything I swallowed. The last straw was one day I swallowed a bite of toast, and it came back up eight times (I counted) slimier and more disgusting each time, before it finally stayed down. All due to GERD. I saw a surgeon who said my only recourse was RNY, but I loved my sleeve, I was at goal, could eat most things, was almost 8 years older than the first surgery, didn't want malabsorption. So I got referred to the surgeon with the best reputation for challenging cases. He brainstormed a bunch of different surgeries, but after testing it turned out that RNY was really the only one that would address all my problems. So I had RNY on 6/29. OMG. I can sleep through the night again. I have not regurgitated any food at all. I have not had any acid reflux after any kind of food, spicy, coffee, fatty. It truly was a miracle. My surgeon made the bypass pretty short so I wouldn't lose much weight. I lost about ten pounds the week I was on liquids, but I'm okay with that, and my weight has leveled off since.

If you decide not to do anything, please have regular EGDs so that if you develop Barrett's esophagus from the GERD you know sooner rather than later. Barrett's is no joke.

Wishing you the best.

Thank you. I’m 80% going to move forward with the bypass. I just have to get my courage there. I had such an easy breezy sleeve recovery. I just don’t want any issues with the bypass.

I have gained 50 pounds from my lowest sleeve weight. Another thought I have is what if I lose weight. Would that fix the GERD on its own without surgery? Or no matter what I will need RNY

[Slimsoon1988 123]

On 08/31/2020 at 22:56, GreenTealael said:

https://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/426636-%E2%9D%A4my-revision-story%E2%9D%A4/&comment=4793825&embedComment=4793825&embedDo=findCommenthttps://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/431938-revision-completed/

Check these threads out ♥️

Thank you I read your thread! Are you still GERD free?

[GreenTealael 24,905]

3 minutes ago, Slimsoon1988 said:

Thank you I read your thread! Are you still GERD free?

Yes 🏆

[Foxbins 625]

1 hour ago, Slimsoon1988 said:

Thank you. I’m 80% going to move forward with the bypass. I just have to get my courage there. I had such an easy breezy sleeve recovery. I just don’t want any issues with the bypass.

I have gained 50 pounds from my lowest sleeve weight. Another thought I have is what if I lose weight. Would that fix the GERD on its own without surgery? Or no matter what I will need RNY

My sleeve recovery was a breeze, too. RNY was a little harder. I definitely felt like my insides were rearranged the first couple of weeks. Now now so much.

My understanding, from my surgeon, is that it's the sleeve itself that makes the GERD so bad. It's a skinny tube with a valve at the bottom, and if the valve is shut, the only place for the reflux to go is up. RNY gives you a hose, open at both ends. The vagus nerve is also severed during RNY and has something to do with acid secretion. No acid+open-ended hose = no GERD. At least, that's the way it was explained to me.

[KateinMichigan 24]

On 8/31/2020 at 10:27 PM, Foxbins said:

Hey, Slimsoon1988--I had my sleeve in 2011, developed GERD a couple of years later. Took max dose PPIs for a few years, then started having acid even with the PPI. Took PPI plus Tums for a couple of years, but then the acid caused an esophageal stricture and I was regurgitating everything I swallowed. The last straw was one day I swallowed a bite of toast, and it came back up eight times (I counted) slimier and more disgusting each time, before it finally stayed down. All due to GERD. I saw a surgeon who said my only recourse was RNY, but I loved my sleeve, I was at goal, could eat most things, was almost 8 years older than the first surgery, didn't want malabsorption. So I got referred to the surgeon with the best reputation for challenging cases. He brainstormed a bunch of different surgeries, but after testing it turned out that RNY was really the only one that would address all my problems. So I had RNY on 6/29. OMG. I can sleep through the night again. I have not regurgitated any food at all. I have not had any acid reflux after any kind of food, spicy, coffee, fatty. It truly was a miracle. My surgeon made the bypass pretty short so I wouldn't lose much weight. I lost about ten pounds the week I was on liquids, but I'm okay with that, and my weight has leveled off since.

If you decide not to do anything, please have regular EGDs so that if you develop Barrett's esophagus from the GERD you know sooner rather than later. Barrett's is no joke.

Wishing you the best.

Who was your surgeon?