eosinophilic esophagitis & vsg?

Hi guys. I'm a little stressed/worried to say the least. I got back home from my upper endoscopy a few hours ago & the doc that performed it gave me some bad news. He said he thinks I have EOE & was asking me if I ever had trouble swallowing, getting food caught in my throat, etc. honestly, this came as a shock to me bc I have never had any of these problems. He also said that once they test the biopsy for the final result, he's not sure if the surgeon will want to go through with performing vsg. I am beside myself. I've been working so hard for 7 months now, jumping through hoops, dieting to lose the required weight, missing work for various appointments, and it could all be for nothing. I guess my question is has anyone else on here had experience with EOE pre op & what did your surgeon decide to do? Any advice will help.

Thank you

Are you having a lap band revision? My lap band gave me a dilated esophagus and I am haveing a lot of problems not feeling any restriction after my VSG... I dont know what you have and I am not a doctor but my advice, take care of the esophagus problem before proceding with the VSG. So you dont find yourself in my boat...

Best of luck

Sorry to hear that, but, I'm guessing this is something they can get under control with PPIs. Don't lose hope, just hang in there and keep following the path. I hope this is only a little bump in the road for you.

Because of the prevalence of gerd after VSG, it would cause problems for anyone who already has eosinophilic esophagitis. RNY might actually help resolve your condition, and is probably a wiser choice, Did the surgeon mention that as an option?

The doctor hasn't suggested RNY to me. I'm afraid of RNY though bc of the complications..not that's vsg doesn't have any, but RNY, as described by the nurses at my hospital, is the surgery with the highest rate of complications & mortality. I know I need to wait to hear what the surgeon says...I'm trying not to give up hope.

Do read up here on RNY. I was opposed to it as well and opted for the VSG, but after being here a while, I can see that my fears of RNY were totally unfounded. It's a very safe operation with an excellent track record. And as someone who developed GERD after my VSG, I agree with Grim that if there are any signs of GERD in you at all you should stay far, far away from a VSG. The risk of esophageal cancer is much scarier.

Complications and mortality from RNY are not nearly as high -- not even in the same ballpark -- as the complications and mortality associated with morbid obesity. RNY is an exceptionally safe and effective surgery.

Also, don't feel panicky or hopeless at this point! You have one doctor who is suspicious, that is not the same thing as a confirmed diagnosis. It sounds like you have an excellent medical team looking after you -- I would say, for now, just keep putting one foot in front of the other and don't jump too far ahead. Good luck!

Complications and mortality from RNY are pretty much indistinguishable from VSG, gallbladder, appendix, and many other commonplace surgeries. It's about as safe and routine a surgery as any.

mortality rate on RNY is 0.3%. While that is higher than the mortality rate for the VSG, come on - that means 99.7% of people make it through just fine. Those are some pretty good odds right there. I'm not sure what the point was with those nurses scaring you like that.

most people don't have any complications at all with RNY - and for those who do, most are minor - like strictures. I really question the professionalism of those nurses. Again yes, they're technically higher, but....seriously???

RNY is no more dangerous than related surgeries such as getting your gall bladder out. And it's safer than hip or knee replacement surgeries, which are done every day. Like Grim said, it's a routine surgery these days. Those nurses are either ill-informed or....well, I don't know. They shouldn't be scaring people like that, especially since the odds of mortality and complications are so low.

My son has EoE that was diagnosed this year. We don't have experience with it as far as it involving a VSG. As far as the treatment goes, I would recommend waiting to see if you have a positive biopsy result from your gastroenterologist. EoE is believed to be caused by a food allergy. Initially, the inflammation in the esophagus is treated with drug called Flovent. Even though it is an inhaler usually used to treat asthma, it has been proven that the medication clears the inflammation in the esophagus by swallowing the medication and not inhaling it the was an asthmatic patient would. Some doctors will use a PPI medication as well. My son only had to take it for a month. If you are positive for EoE you will also have to work with an allergy doctor to determine what foods are causing the eosinophils to exist in the esophagus. Diagnosis and treatment can take quite some time because patients are dealing with multiple physicians. Most definitely mention to you weight loss team that your gastroenterologist is suspicious of EoE. The medical professionals should be able to come together and determine the right path for you to take with this situation.