Bile reflux post RNY (proximal) bypass

I see many posts, old and new, here regarding BILE REFLUX and I felt I needed to share my story with you that have had RNY gastric bypass.

I had mine in 1997, one of the first. I had it in a neighboring state from mine, as nobody in my state did gastric bypass back then. My surgeon, had been doing gastric bypass over 10 yrs when I had mine. I went home with bile reflux but at the time had no clue as to what it meant. (I had NO REFLUX, of any type, prior to my RNY.) I called my surgeon and he told me that (in 1997) 1 in 100,000 RNY patients had BILE reflux after surgery and that the only GOOD treatment for it was to move the roux limb lower, meaning another surgery. No way could I go back to that state and have another surgery so I waited to see if it resolved on its own. IT DIDN"T. During the 2000s I tried to find a MD in my city to treat it and all of them told me it was gastric reflux and put me on PPIs....as in 13 yrs of them. I was busy and a single mom and thin, so I took the PPIs and worked and raised a child. Bariatric surgery was just beginning to be popular in NC then.

By 2010, the BILE REFLUX was so bad that I couldn't quell it with ANYTHING except eating some type of food that created a barrier from my pouch to the esophagus...like popcorn, bagels, that consistency food...and all BAD for weight loss. I had aspirated bile MANY times...so many that my voice was changing and I had been treated (by those same doctors who told me the reflux was gastric and put me on the PPIs) for pneumonitis 20++ times in ten yrs. BILE is alkaline and doesn't belong in the lungs and will eat them up. It eats away the esophagus, too, creating gastritis and Barretts Espophagus...then esophageal CANCER.

In 2012 I was diagnosed with early onset Osteoporosis, and the doctor I was sent to asked me if I'd been on PPIs for any length of time...13 yrs. He told me they were seeing early Osteoporosis in women who took long term PPIs and told me to stop, so I HAD to take my healthcare into my own hands again.

I found a Gastroenterologist who did an Endoscopy on me finding SEVERE gastritis AND LOTS OF BILE...he took pix of it for the 'quacks' who told me it was gastric.  He also said my espophagus was considered pre-Barretts...meaning it had patches of eaten areas on it from the bile. I then looked close to home  and found a Bariatric surgeon who KNEW ABOUT bile reflux and extending the roux limb, and I went to see him. He talked about reversing my RNY, but I refused that. He did out-patient surgery in July 2012 for the bile and extended the roux limb and I woke up with NO MORE BILE REFLUX. Three years later still no bile but I think that he DID reverse my RNY. 

PPIs do NOTHING for bile reflux....they are 100% the opposite of what is needed if you have BILE REFLUX. You may even be hurting other parts of your body taking PPIs LONG TERM...so be careful. IF you have been told you have GASTRIC reflux and you've had RNY bypass, go and see a Gastroenterologist to confirm it or find out if you, too, have bile reflux. BILE doesn't belong in the airway, the esophagus or mouth...it eats away at them all. BILE tastes nothing like gastric secretions! It's awful and when you have it in your lungs or nose  or vocal cords it is doing damage.

I can only tell you what has happened to me and hope it may answer some of the posts I see on OH. I wish I had all the $$$$ I have spent on PPIs before they were OTC and after. I can only move forward now. 

Thank you for sharing your experience.  I was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia and bile reflux along with Reactive Hypoglycemia.  

I am now working on solutions to my multiple issues and am researching responses here on OH. I will see my surgeon to discuss what options are available to me.

I've stopped taking my PPI since it is not effective--now I know why--PPI's don't work for bile.

Thanks again.

It CAN be fixed, surgically, and the PPIs longterm will give you early osteoporosis. I hope you find a surgeon to correct the problem. I havent had heartburn from ANYTHING since mine got fixed....4 yrs ago. Good luck to you. 

Hi there. I would really like to know more info on your symptoms and if you had a scope done what the biopsies said. Hope to hear from you soon.