long time new guy

Hey all, I am a long ago big user of OH when I first got my band 6 or 7 years ago.  Tuesday I had to revise to sleeve due to complications.  Lost 160, gained about 45 back, and the doctor strongly recommended I not just remove the band but go sleeve.. in addition to normal band issues, I had bad gerd so this was a concern..  

Well here I am four days later and the gerd is really awful..  wondering if any of you had initial gerd that slowly faded away?  Please give me some hope here 

I'm sorry your doctor is sadly not well informed about having a sleeve when you have pre-existing GERD but the sleeve is not advised for those with existing issues. What you should have had was the RNY but since that is too late now the best you can do is get on some good strong meds. You may even need prescription PPIs or proton pump inhibitors to calm the acids I would suggest you contact your surgeon and let him know this is a problem and ask him for a prescription for one and ask what else you can do to calm things down. I feel for you as I had terrible GERD from the band and still battle it even a year after having my band removed (no revision). Good luck!

I'm almost 8 weeks out, so take my experience in that context:

Are you on a prescription PPI?  I am, and had horrible GERD initially even with meds.  It would flare if I was even an hour late with my meds.  A few days ago I went on a trip and left the meds at home, and noticed I didn't have an issue even after I forgot to take the pills.  I'm back on the PPIs and will stay on them for three months, but my doctor did clarify that many have GERD initially after surgery that fades.

Of course this isn't a totally analogous situation, I didn't have the issue before surgery, and I'm not a revision, but hopefully this gives you some home.

Thanks, yes it does make me feel better.  My doctor and I were fully aware of the gerd risk and discussed it fully when i made the decision, and I'm on the ppis.  Of course I'm still on clear liquids so I'm hopeful it's going to fade.  If not I'll have to deal with it, but I had lots of other issues with the band.  I'll keep positive :)

I had GERD and it greatly improved post-op. I do still take omeprazole, daily with great control. I had done reflux after surgery but they just had me on liquid famotidine. Once I switched back to the omeprazole things got much better for me! Hopefully yours will improve too!

I had mild reflux pre VSG. Right after my GERD was over the top! FREAKING HORRENDOUS! By week two it was pretty much okay and then it continued to gradually settled down. I stayed on Pepcid for a while, but switched to a generic Zantac after about 3 months. I ended up going on Protonix at about 18 months out, but it was not due to GERD, but because of over acid production that was not resulting in GERD symptoms, but some others.

Every person is different. I don't think you should worry about GERD long term. You'll most likely have to take some meds for a few months and then re-evaluate with your docs.

There is definitely hope. Don't despair!

I am in the same boat with band to sleeve revision coming up in two weeks.  My doctor and I discussed the gerd issue but he said WEIGHT LOSS would help the problem more than anything else.

That gave me hope!

Just had revision from band to sleeve and all his sIeeve patients have to do Pepcid complete 2x a day for 6 months. He said because the body still produces the same amout of acid even though the stomach is smaller, said it takes about 6 months for the body to catch up.....so sounds normal to me. Had heartburn on clear liquids but started full this morning and none.

You may need to try different brands before you find one that works best for you. Some work better than others just depends on which one works best for you.