New to forum, almost 6 years out, GERD
Hi everyone. I had my open RNY in November 2004, and since then I've had gradually worsening GERD, until now at almost 6 years out I'm taking 60 mg Dexilant in the morning, 300 mg Zantac at night, and still have bad enough breakthrough reflux that I eat extra strength antacids like they're candy, drink extra strength liquid antacid like it's water, and had 2 episodes of reflux aspiration in the past 6 months. They led to aspiration bronchitis, and if my internist hadn't been on top of it with clindamycin, I'd have had aspiration pneumonia.
I've had a thorough GI workup by a gastroenterologist and a surgeon, and it appears I have a rather large hiatal hernia, and my pouch is sliding up into my chest cavity then down into my abdomen. I've also had about 4 ventral hernia repairs with mesh, so I have a pretty complicated abdomen. The surgeon I saw today has referred me to an über-surgeon at Emory University in Atlanta, and has warned me that I may have to have the RNY taken down, either partially or completely.
I'm okay with that -- I've lost so much sleep, woke up with mouthfuls of acid many many times, and just generally am tired of the whole GERD experience. I don't want to eat when I wake up, because the acid pumps are asleep, and eating wakes them up. Then they stay so overactive that I have to keep bread or crackers in my stomach all the time (per the gastrodoc!) to keep the acid soaked up. Now how much sense does that make? It's probably because of that that I haven't lost but 80 lbs out of the 160 I had to lose -- I started at 343 lbs, now I'm 260. True, I regained my health, and I've kept it off for almost 6 years, but I would have liked to lose more.
I guess I just wanted to introduce myself and find out more about RNY reversals, and particularly if WLS can be done again at a later date. I'd like to look into having the DS done, since I think I'd have done better with that instead of the RNY. But in all honesty, I think I can keep my eating under control now, since I've gotten used to "normal" portions.
So. That's my story.
I've had a thorough GI workup by a gastroenterologist and a surgeon, and it appears I have a rather large hiatal hernia, and my pouch is sliding up into my chest cavity then down into my abdomen. I've also had about 4 ventral hernia repairs with mesh, so I have a pretty complicated abdomen. The surgeon I saw today has referred me to an über-surgeon at Emory University in Atlanta, and has warned me that I may have to have the RNY taken down, either partially or completely.
I'm okay with that -- I've lost so much sleep, woke up with mouthfuls of acid many many times, and just generally am tired of the whole GERD experience. I don't want to eat when I wake up, because the acid pumps are asleep, and eating wakes them up. Then they stay so overactive that I have to keep bread or crackers in my stomach all the time (per the gastrodoc!) to keep the acid soaked up. Now how much sense does that make? It's probably because of that that I haven't lost but 80 lbs out of the 160 I had to lose -- I started at 343 lbs, now I'm 260. True, I regained my health, and I've kept it off for almost 6 years, but I would have liked to lose more.
I guess I just wanted to introduce myself and find out more about RNY reversals, and particularly if WLS can be done again at a later date. I'd like to look into having the DS done, since I think I'd have done better with that instead of the RNY. But in all honesty, I think I can keep my eating under control now, since I've gotten used to "normal" portions.
So. That's my story.
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