Looking for Personal Experiences with VSG & Gerd

Would have been nice for someone to notice that 9 months ago, huh? Sadly, sometimes medical professionals get complacent. 

I had a very mild case of gerd b4 wls & was likely caused by a hiatial hernia that was repaired at surgery. I was on a ppi for like a month b4 surgery & for 2 months afterwards. I haven't needed it since then & so far so good. 

There are however many people who develop gerd that didn't have it b4. It's 1 of the cons of this surgery & it seems like a toss of the dice as to who gets it & who doesn't.

I had terrible GERD prior to surgery, and my doc wanted the Rny. I still went VSG. He repaired a hiate hernia during the Vsg surgery, and when I woke up no more acid issues. At all. The surgery was worth it just for that reason alone! Fast forward 4 years, and acid this past summer became a huge issue. I couldn't keep food down, and I was started on an acid reducer. Eventually they figured out most of my stomach had worked its way up into the chest (a massive hiatel hernia) and that was the issue with the acid. I just had it repaired 2 weeks ago, but was told to stay on the acid reducer for now. Not sure what the final acid outcome will be as a result. Overall, for me I would say that VSG was not a hinderace to acid and instead significantly reduced it. 

Post VSG GERD can also be from surgical technique.

A proper shaped sleeve will promote a directional food flow.

Aggressive treatment of a hiatal hernia and a proper shaped sleeve helps greatly.

The sleeve can be a very high pressure system and over eating can be a major reason for GERD also.

Under eat your sleeve capacity !!!

frisco

I had GERD prior to VSG.  I also had a moderate sized hiatal hernia which they repaired at the same time as my VSG.  I have only had GERD once since the surgery which was 7/30/15.  So, I think the hiatal hernia repair corrected my problems with GERD.

I've had GERD for decades and have had it it well under control for nearly the last 15yrs on the lowest dose of PPI I can take (10mg Omez, 2x a day, sometimes once.) Pre-op, I had attempted to wean off of the PPI very, very slowly and it was not possible to do. 

I have/had no hiatal hernia, so nothing to repair during my VSG, and I was warned it may make it worse, but it was a risk I was very willing to take. I didn't want and I didn't consider the RNY as a valid option for myself..  Post-op, same dose does the same thing, so no change at nearly 5yrs post-op. 

It never got worse, but unfortunately didn't get a whole lot better with the weight loss- as I had hoped it might. Maybe a touch better, as I do sometimes forget to take my med and I can't recall the last time I had the severe break-thru burn of it like I had many years ago.

My sleeve restriction is quite tight, even now- no real change from about 9mo out- my capacity capped at a maximum of about 6oz.. sometimes a tad less (stating this just as a ref about sleeve size & GERD.)

IMO, it's a calculated risk. If I hadn't been able to comfortably control it, I may have consulted for a larger sleeve.. however, I felt the risk was worth it as a revision to a pouch with a stoma is always possible if the absolute worst happened and it was not able to be controlled medically. 

I never had heartburn or GERD pre-sleeve; but, now, if I miss a dose of my PPI (Tecta/Pantoprazole), I definitely feel it by the end of the day.  My GP wants to get me off the PPI so we are experimenting with Zantac on off days.  I hope to eventually not need anything, but I'm willing to deal with it for the success I've achieved with my sleeve.