I suffer the very odd time from acid reflux , sometimes it wakes me from my sleep and I find it hard to breath as my throat is clogged from the reflux

Surgery is in September should I be worried about actually choking post surgery.

Hello and welcome to the forum. People who already have reflux prior to surgery are usually channelled towards a Gastric Bypass instead of Gastric sleeve. Is this the case for you ?

I think only your health care team can advise you, but I doubt it will be worse post surgery? One of the most common reasons for acid reflux is overeating. Certain medications such as NSAIDS can also lead to reflux.

Having reflux at night is very common. When laying down, it's a lot easier for the food/acid to overcome gravity. Many people that have this issue find they need to sleep propped up to get the problem under control.

It's also possible that one of the contributing factors to your reflux is something called a hiatal hernia. Up to 40% of bariatric surgery patients have this issue pre-surgery. This is where part of the stomach actually pokes through the diaphragm. Heartburn is a common symptom of a hiatal hernia and is something your surgeon will fix during your procedure.

Best of luck.

I would definitely be certain to tell my surgeon about this prior to the surgery day. They may want to consider bypass instead. Sometimes they go ahead with sleeve but a lot of times they choose bypass. I am not sure how they determine medically but they are the ones to trust to help make the decision. As for the mean time try sleeping propped up on a bunch of pillows or a bed wedge. They sell them at medical supply but they also have them on Amazon. Staying in a more upright position should help.

Acid reflux is a horrible experience. I used to wake up choking with a mouth full of acid and serious coughing to expel it. Then, all day until I go to sleep, I'd have a burning feeling at the base of my throat. I was so worried about throat cancer. Hopefully you are on a PPI right now (or equivalent) and I would alert your surgeon especially if your upcoming surgery will be the sleeve. RNY is usually to fix acid reflux so if that is your surgery then I wouldn't worry too much about choking post-op.

I agree with the others: ensure you tell your surgeon about your reflux before your surgery. If you were looking at a sleeve, I’d reconsider.

Yes, to the PPI too. You may need to take at least 20mg. Over the counter heartburn medication likely won’t help. Also you can reduce the incidence & severity of your reflux by modifying your diet. Cut out out or reduce caffeine. Avoid carbonated drinks & spicy, rich, creamy or fatty foods. And yes reduce the volume of food you eat & eat more slowly. I modified my diet for years & was able to manage my reflux (not as severe as yours though), only needing to take a PPI less than 5 times a year (usually if I had too many champagnes or gin & tonics?). I also propped up my bed with bricks under the legs at the head of the bed (until I bought an ensemble). I was advised not to use pillows because they can cause a bend in the upper chest below the throat & the acid pools there.

All the best.

most surgeons will recommend that patients who have reflux issues go the bypass route rather than the sleeve route. Bypass usually improves if not outright cures reflux. Sleeve can make it worse. It doesn't happen to everyone - in fact, some sleevers have said theirs improved, but for about 30%, it does get worse. Those odds were too high for me, so i went with bypass (like you, I had issues with it before surgery). Many cases can be controlled medically (by taking PPI's), but some people end up revising to bypass.

regardless of which surgery you get, a lot surgeons automatically put their patients on PPI's for the first 3-6 months post surgery just so any potential acid issues don't affect the healing. If yours doesn't, and if you start having issues, ask. They'll probably put you on one.

I just had a sleeve and my surgeon prescribed me prantaprozole, this prevents my acid reflux and I take it in the morning and before bed

8 hours ago, Arabesque said:

I agree with the others: ensure you tell your surgeon about your reflux before your surgery. If you were looking at a sleeve, I’d reconsider.

Yes, to the PPI too. You may need to take at least 20mg. Over the counter heartburn medication likely won’t help. Also you can reduce the incidence & severity of your reflux by modifying your diet. Cut out out or reduce caffeine. Avoid carbonated drinks & spicy, rich, creamy or fatty foods. And yes reduce the volume of food you eat & eat more slowly. I modified my diet for years & was able to manage my reflux (not as severe as yours though), only needing to take a PPI less than 5 times a year (usually if I had too many champagnes or gin & tonics?). I also propped up my bed with bricks under the legs at the head of the bed (until I bought an ensemble). I was advised not to use pillows because they can cause a bend in the upper chest below the throat & the acid pools there.

All the best.

Ooh I never heard that. Do you think the bed wedge would do the same thing or no?? It seems to basically accomplish the same thing as an adjustable bed does.

Not sure as I’ve never used a wedge. Maybe try it out before buying & if it only props up your head & shoulders it may not be right. If it props you up from the entire chest it should be ok. I only had to use a single brick under each leg so the bed was raised only by a couple of inches. Funny was for ages after I bought the ensemble & couldn’t use the bricks I was so used to sleeping on that slight slow I felt like I was falling head first off the head of my bed.

Before we bought adjustable beds (which I highly recommend - they are wonderful), I had two wedges, one for under my legs (to help take pressure off my lower back) and a wedge for under my upper body to help with reflux. The upper body wedge was a full upper lift and helped tremendously with my reflux.