Acid reflux after vsg

Hi, I would like to address my fears to people who never had acid reflux or gerd before the surgery. But developed those symptoms later on specially the FIRST WEEKS AFTER VSG.

Iam currently moving to the fourth week after my vsg and I never had neither acid reflux nor gerd. I developed my symptoms after the second week . My doc put me on pantoprazole 40 twice daily but im never back to normal noting that I never eat anything heavy. Still on soups or full liquids, rarely blended chicken with veggies and I barely have 3 spoonfuls.

My worries are all about will it ever get better??

Will I ever tolerate new real food some day without having acid reflux, gerd, stomach troubles wrecking my life?

Sending you all so much love

So for me I never had reflux before surgery then after it was bad, like waking up chocking at 3 in the morning feeling like I had swallowed and breathed in acid. The dr put me on PPIs and I had to stay on them for probably close to the first year. I didn't like the potential long term effects and at that point I felt that the reflux was under control so I weaned myself off of them and have been fine. I will take Tums when needed but I'm ok with that since those are calcium and don't have the same potential effects as the PPIs. Don't lose hope that it can resolve, it may just take time. Just be sure to always communicate well with your Dr so you can have a plan that works for you.

unfortunately,since gerd csn be a side effect of vsg, there is a good chance it will not go away. It goes away for some and does not for some. If it doesn't go away , it just has to be managed.

You won't know till you see what plays out.

I never had reflux or GERD before surgery. Mine developed about 6 months post VSG. I was first put on Omeprazole 2x a day, then was switched to omeprazole 1x/day and Protonix 1 x a day. Finally i was switched to protonix 1x a day and Dexilant 1x a day. I was tested and my acid was measured at 409% higher than normal. I was also found to have a gene mutation that affects the rate you metabolize PPIs. I'm an ultra rapid metabolizer and we discovered that the only medication that provides me any relief is the Dexilant since it utilizes a different channel in the liver that is not impacted by the gene mutation.

To make a very long story short, due to my medication issues and insurance issues, the only solution for me was to convert to RNY. I had my VSG on 5/12/14 and my revision surgery on 7/1/16. My acid is significantly better than it was with my VSG. My advice to you would be to try different medication combinations in the hopes that something works for you, but not to rule out a revision to RNY

I also developed GERD after surgery having experienced it only rarely pre-surgery (very mild heartburn one day every few months). What I experienced after VSG was like lava in my throat. I had a hiatal hernia repaired at the time of my VSG, but it didn't stay fixed. I had it repaired again 10 months later. It's so much better, but I still need a Tums every once in a while. I hope you find relief.

You can have a hiatal hernia fixed after VSG. I didn't know I am newly sleeved..

I NEVER had gerd issues before surgery. After surgery I often feel like lava in my throat as someone else stated. I take Omeprazole one time per day and have taken it for three years now. I worry about the long term implications but not sure what else to do as I have tried H2 blockers and it does nothing for me.

Schedule an appointment with your surgeon, request an endoscopy to see what's going on.

Many people take PPIs for the first few months after surgery, then wean off them, and never have a problem again.

It's common to develop GERD briefly after the VSG, because the sleeve hasn't yet acknowledged its new "size," and may overproduce acid. It's also, well, really swollen, so the capacity is going to be less for quite some time until the swelling goes down. Less capacity and a lot of acid means that it gets pushed up. Additionally, sleeves are high-pressure structures anatomically, and when we are obese we have significantly higher abdominal pressure. These are all factors in temporary GERD, or long-term GERD.

As for long-term GERD, studies vary with statistics, but typically 20-30% of people with a VSG may develop GERD permanently post-op. The majority do not, and the ones with GERD usually take PPIs and do well. It really depends which research you read. Additionally, the sleeve seems to increase gastrin production, and gastrin stimulates the production of more stomach acid. This is something I'm still researching...I found it curious, because RNY gastrin secretion actually plummets conversely. Sorry, I'll stop nerding out >.>

GERD...sucks. My GERD also started 5-6 months post-op like Stacy's. I won the long-term GERD lottery prize. I dithered for years, and tried PPIs and everything else possible because I was 100% determined to get the second stage of the DS procedure I had originally been aiming for.

Dexilant came the closest to bringing me relief. Eliminating most dairy and every single vestige of gluten helped at first as well, but after a while it was so bad I was starting to have constant nausea 24/7 and trouble swallowing. I would be hoarse by 4pm every day and in agonizing pain. I also overproduce acid so the other surgical options available for a sleeve were not going to work.

My experience is atypical, well hopefully, in that most people don't deal with this. I wound up revising to the RNY after speaking to people *****vised here and several surgeons. I now have zero complaints and have nnnno idea why I waited so long. It was a wonderful life-changing moment. I had some surgical complications, but other than that it's been amazing.

A few weeks out don't worry. As time goes on, be sure to monitor carefully and keep the surgeon updated.