I have started noticing a burning in my throat that now that I think about it I have had quite a while but it’s getting more and more frequent now. Nothing in my chest though? Is this GERD??

yes it could be, pre-op that was how gerd presented itself for me , commonly know as LPR this one doesn't have chest pain

sounds like GERD. I had that before I had my bypass.

Ehhh, GERD. ?

Time to schedule an endoscopy. For me it was only in my chest but that was just a few days after surgery.

Yes, it sounds like reflux; do they have you on any anti acid medication for it (omeprazole, pantoprazole, etc)? Those are commonly prescribed for the first few months after any bariatric surgery (and many other surgeries, for that matter.)

2 hours ago, RickM said:

Yes, it sounds like reflux; do they have you on any anti acid medication for it (omeprazole, pantoprazole, etc)? Those are commonly prescribed for the first few months after any bariatric surgery (and many other surgeries, for that matter.)

I am 14 months out. They never had me on anything and I didn’t have any issues early on. It has been going on for a while though. It was just once in a blue moon at first. Now it’s a couple times a week and i realized it is after I eat. I only had heartburn like twice in my life prior to surgery and it was from spicy foods.

Edited May 20, 20224 yr by ShoppGirl

27 minutes ago, ShoppGirl said:

I am 14 months out. They never had me on anything and I didn’t have any issues early on. It has been going on for a while though. It was just once in a blue moon at first. Now it’s a couple times a week and i realized it is after I eat. I only had heartburn like twice in my life prior to surgery and it was from spicy foods.

I am 1 year out and have it now too ? Tums are my new best friend. And have to be vigilant about not laying down after I eat.

Man, acid reflux /GERD is horrible. Especially if it gets bad. I had it so bad before surgery I was on 2 meds and eating tums daily. This is why I went with Bypass. So far 2 months post op I still have zero acid problems.

It is my understanding a lot of people have to get a revision from sleeve to Bypass for GERD resolution.

I hope they can control it with meds!

My surgeons office just called they called me in two prescriptions but they are over the counter so insurance may deny them she said. She said to first try the Famotadine which is Pepcid and if that doesn’t work to try Omeprazole which is also over the counter. But they said as long as it’s controlled with the medication I do not need to do anything else. I just worry about it leading to other issues if left untreated but the girl made it sound like if the medicine works there will not be any damage. Does anyone know if I understood that correctly. As In as long as the meds work I don’t need to worry about damage to my esophagus or anything.

Edited May 20, 20224 yr by ShoppGirl

7 minutes ago, ShoppGirl said:

My surgeons office just called they called me in two prescriptions but they are over the counter so insurance may deny them she said. She said to first try the Famotadine which is Pepcid and if that doesn’t work to try Omeprazole which is also over the counter. But they said as long as it’s controlled with the medication I do not need to do anything else. I just worry about it leading to other issues if left untreated but the girl made it sound like if the medicine works there will not be any damage. Does anyone know if I understood that correctly. As In as long as the meds work I don’t need to worry about damage to my esophagus or anything.

Those were the 2 I was on before surgery, my insurance covered both. (Cigna)

Correct, if the meds work COMPLETELY then you are safe. No acid in your esophagus to damage it.

They were not working good enough for me, I would wake up in the middle of the night literally puking acid which felt like fire. I couldn't do anything to stop it, no matter how many tums I ate I just had to wait it out till it went away. I would stand over the sink and just let acid drain out of my mouth burning every step of the way. it was horrible. Sometimes so bad, I would be hoarse for a few days after an episode.

When I had my surgery they found some pretty severe damage to my esophagus and repaired it while they were in there.

I am SO GRATEFUL that the bypass seems to have completely eliminated my acid problems.

It really is miserable, especially when you had to as bad as I did. I feel for you and hope the meds work and you get relief!

32 minutes ago, ShoppGirl said:

My surgeons office just called they called me in two prescriptions but they are over the counter so insurance may deny them she said. She said to first try the Famotadine which is Pepcid and if that doesn’t work to try Omeprazole which is also over the counter. But they said as long as it’s controlled with the medication I do not need to do anything else. I just worry about it leading to other issues if left untreated but the girl made it sound like if the medicine works there will not be any damage. Does anyone know if I understood that correctly. As In as long as the meds work I don’t need to worry about damage to my esophagus or anything.

Correct. Those two medications are the front line for GERD and work really well.

7 hours ago, liveaboard15 said:

Time to schedule an endoscopy. For me it was only in my chest but that was just a few days after surgery.

I dont think its time for that just yet, it can be sorted by finding what foods are triggering it and avoiding them, something as simple as renny's, tums or the equivalent could also settle it down. If that doesn't work meds like a daily Nexium.

2 hours ago, ShoppGirl said:

I am 14 months out. They never had me on anything and I didn’t have any issues early on. It has been going on for a while though. It was just once in a blue moon at first. Now it’s a couple times a week and i realized it is after I eat. I only had heartburn like twice in my life prior to surgery and it was from spicy foods.

Have you noticed what foods trigger it, the 3 main triggers are coffee (caffeine), Chocolate, and Carbonated drinks. other people find food like orange juice, tomatoes etc. I find the first 3 I listed are triggers for me especially if I have all 3 on the same day . Mine is controlled with 20mg Nexium daily.

1 hour ago, kcuster83 said:

Those were the 2 I was on before surgery, my insurance covered both. (Cigna)

Correct, if the meds work COMPLETELY then you are safe. No acid in your esophagus to damage it.

They were not working good enough for me, I would wake up in the middle of the night literally puking acid which felt like fire. I couldn't do anything to stop it, no matter how many tums I ate I just had to wait it out till it went away. I would stand over the sink and just let acid drain out of my mouth burning every step of the way. it was horrible. Sometimes so bad, I would be hoarse for a few days after an episode.

When I had my surgery they found some pretty severe damage to my esophagus and repaired it while they were in there.

I am SO GRATEFUL that the bypass seems to have completely eliminated my acid problems.

It really is miserable, especially when you had to as bad as I did. I feel for you and hope the meds work and you get relief!

Ooh no. I am praying I don’t get it that bad. The pharmacy just tested and said the two rx are ready so I guess i will know if they work very soon. It isn’t bad now. Hopefully it doesn’t get worse.

1 hour ago, ShoppGirl said:

My surgeons office just called they called me in two prescriptions but they are over the counter so insurance may deny them she said. She said to first try the Famotadine which is Pepcid and if that doesn’t work to try Omeprazole which is also over the counter. But they said as long as it’s controlled with the medication I do not need to do anything else. I just worry about it leading to other issues if left untreated but the girl made it sound like if the medicine works there will not be any damage. Does anyone know if I understood that correctly. As In as long as the meds work I don’t need to worry about damage to my esophagus or anything.

I have a script for omeprazole. 90 pills at a time. Cost with insurance which i just picked up yesterday was 6 bucks and my insurance does not even pay anything its just the discounted price. If they dont cover it, Use GOODRX. and you will get a decent discount. After surgery i did get a stronger medicaton for 30 days called pantropazole 40mg and was told to stop taking omeprazole until thats finished.