Anyone have mild case of GERD before DS?

I have had GERD for about 10 yrs. Didn't even know it until i had a scope done when have a swallowing issue which turned out to be my thyroid. I am having a revision from sleeve to DS. Surgeon did a scope and took a couple biopsies they told my son who was my ride but i have heard nothing back. This was to determine if the surgeon would do the DS or not. I have a surgery date of November 3.

Just curious if anyone else had gerd pre-sleeve or DS. I have had no issues with it and rarely have heartburn etc but now wondering should I go with RNY or stick to what I really want. Predicting the future is impossible but this will be my last surgery for wls. I had the sleeve done in 2008 and had gerd then also.

I'll answer your question first - Yes, I had mild GERD before my DS. I still have mild GERD. I take prilosec once daily and occasionally need a TUMS here and there. No big deal.

But the really interesting thing about your post is that your surgeon is not making sense. If you already have a sleeve and just need to add the "switch" part of the DS, there is no reason to think that revising to the DS will make your GERD any worse. So why wouldn't he do a DS for you?? Well, without knowing who your surgeon is, I can say that we see all the time surgeons finding some piddily reason to do RNY instead of DS because they do RNY all the time and are comfortable with it, and the DS is something they do rarely, if ever, and it's more trouble for them. Of course, YOU are the one who will live with the consequences of this decision, meaning you get stuck with an operation with worse statistics for excess weight loss, much worse statistics for maintaining that weight loss, less resolution of all comorbidities except GERD. You will never be able to take NSAIDs again, which is a big deal as you get older, you may get stuck with dumping, which is a nasty side effect of RNY and not a weight loss tool, you will have a much more limited diet with a big list of foods you are never supposed to eat again...

If you had severe GERD I could understand this advice. But in your situation it sounds more like an excuse to me.

Larra

You know, I don't know the answer to that one. I did say to him i had it before the sleeve and have as yet, not had to take anything for it. Also that this is my last surgery and i want the DS which i chickened out of doing in '08 and just got the sleeve. It is the same surgeon i had back then also. You make a good point! I was a little leery the first time of having open surgery but since then i've had neck surgery and spent a lot more time in doctor offices than back then and told him i don't care this time if it's open or not. Which it will be. I have heard nothing back so maybe that's a good sign.

I have kind of wondered about going to the nutritionist again as he requested and wants me to eat as if i had the surgery. I'll be sure to mention that to the nutritionist just because if i ate now like i would after i'd probably gain weight with the extra fats vs barely any fats. I have discovered this time that my biggest issue isn't really even what i was eating but not eating enough. I feel like i'm eating all day long now with 3 meals and 2 snacks a day but i'm loosing a pound or two a week. Last week i had to go back home for a week to deal with family issues and only ate like twice a day and too many carbs and gained 4 lbs! So doing the journaling again has taught me something at least! Eat well, eat regularly as possible and it works.

Keeping my fingers crossed and hoping no news is good news on the DS! You might be right on the time it takes to do the DS as he said it is a longer surgery and a little tricker than doing a RNY which might be a big part of not doing it but i feel this is the best option for me.

Thank you for the reply and opinion, i will stick this in my 'pocket' to use if needed regarding the sleeve to ds.

You are the patient, you are the one who will live with the consequences of this big decision. It should be your decision, based on what is best for you for the rest of your life. The decision should not be based on what is quickest, easiest, or most convenient for the surgeon.

If you are confident that the DS is right for you, stick to your guns. If that means going to a different surgeon, so be it. If that means having surgery further from home, or other logistic issues, don't let that stand in your way. Those are all short term inconveniences, whereas the nature of the surgery is for life.

And, is there a reason that your surgery has to be open? Not that that's a reason not to go forward, but you will have an easier recovery if it's done lap.

Larra

I've had severe GERD and got the rny instead of the sleeve. The RNY did not cure my GERD. It improved as I slowly lost weight, but I was still taking Nexium and had the head of bed elevated. Unfortunately the rny was not a good surgery for me due to my slow metabolism. I stopped losing weight and begain gaining 2 lbs a month after 24 months on 1500 calories (I was hungry all the time) I've gained half my weight back and the GERD is back to severe ( plus the return of urinary incontinence). I'm taking 2 Nexium daily. I was on a 1200 calorie diet for insurance and did not lose weight, but did not gain the 2 lbs a month I had been gaining. My heart rate also went back into the mid-40's like it did after my rny for 24 months. Because of my metabolism and my need for NSAIDS, I am in the process of having a revision to the DS. My sleeve will be bigger like it was before the stand alone sleeve. Due to the malabsorption, I will be able to consume more calories (protein and fat) and fool my metabolism to keep it from going into starvation mode. (as with any wls, carbs will need to be complex and low.) Also, since 75% of my stomach will be removed, the production of gastric acid will be reduced.

I realize that your situation is not like mine, but people need to realize the rny doesn't always cure GERD, especially if it is severe. My GI doctor feels that the pressure in my abdomen from excess weight worsens my GERD (and urinary incontinence) and that losing weight and keeping it off will help improve my GERD. I did see improvement with weight loss, but my screwed up metabolism did not cooperate with the rny, so I never got my weight low enough for a cure

I plan on sticking to wanting the DS as i feel it's the surgery that i'll get the best results.

Thank you for the reply about GERD not going away after RNY it's something to add to my arsenal just in case. Since i am not on any meds for it before or after the sleeve and rarely even notice it i see no reason why i shouldn't have the surgery i want.

As far as doing it open, this particular surgeon prefers open for the DS to be extra sure that he gets everything right. He is also going to remove my gallbladder while in there too. I'm not too concerned with it being open as it's just one more scar to add to my collection, most being from horse wrecks, working on cars and other fun stuff since i was a kid. So i'm not going to be out there sporting any bikinis! He does perform most laparoscopically, maybe it was a ploy to see if i would chicken out like i did 8 yrs ago. Not this time!!

Shotrod64

Not only did I have GERD, I had Barrett's Esophagus, which is considered pre-cancerous. upper GI

scope and biopsies of the suspect areas. Biopsies were negative for cancer.

I was put on Nexium for 3 months, I believe, and scoped again. There was no sign of Barrett's and

surgery was done as scheduled.

I would say stick to the DS, ask your gastro to put you on Nexium (omeprazole is the generic) for 3-6

months, then re-scope to check. You might have to move your surgery date ahead, and wait some

more, like I did, but to be sure, and for the DS, it's worth the wait.

Update finally! Still no DS but I got a big sign that it is the one I think!
I was to have surgery Friday the 20th with a 1pm show up time. I sat there til 5. I guess there was an emergency come in and my surgeon is one of the top guys there so they worked on this person and finished up like midnight or something like that. But anyway they put me in a room rather than me sitting there and then I waited and waited. I was out to the nurses station at like 10 saying ok, what do I need to do to get out of here. By this time i'm starving, don't feel good, headache and paranoid. Laying there thinking I don't want this surgery etc. He was going to be doing a distal rny. They contacted who ever I guess but never came to update me til next person I got onto and she found out they called and said they would get me at midnight. Midnight came and went so this time I called my husband and told him to come get me and told them I was going home. Not only am I miserable but also I didn't think I wanted my surgery done by someone that had been up since 5am. At this time tech came up and said they would be doing it at 2am but I told him no, i'm going home, there's no way. I got home bout 3.

Next morning I called my friend that was going to be bringing me home and found out her car still wasn't done so she wouldn't of been able to give me a ride. Another sign! My surgeon will be deploying in a week also.

So now i'm going to support group today hoping the one lady I remember had the ds and gerd will be there so I can get her surgeon's name and then set up an appointment with him. Plus it would be nice to have my surgeon still around after even if all th surgeons here are great.

Things happen for a reason and this was a big happen in my opinion. Shoot, what are the chances of being stuck waiting for 12 hrs other than it wasn't meant to be?!

Keeping fingers crossed!!

Went to new surgeon today and surgery to DS is Dec 18th!! Woohoo! So glad I escaped that day and pursued the DS again!