Update 5 years post op

I'm sorry I haven't posted in a very long time my stats hw 279 sw 254 cw 215 I'm not super happy with my numbers but I've struggled with Gerd and had surgery 1/29/2018 on my foot. When i had the surgery on my foot i was 202# and when i returned to work 11/12/2018 I weighed a wopping 240# since November I've been working hard to bring my numbers back down. Not happy with my sleeve because of the GERD i did try to qualify for revision surgery but was denied by BCBS of Illinois apparently GERD isn't medically necessary so I've been just trying my best to work through it. On an up note I'm seeing my surgeon again to try to get qualified for revision because of the insufficient weight loss. I have an appointment with my sleep dr to reevaluate my sleep apnea and i do have high blood pressure of which i take meds for. Hopefully I can qualify with bmi 43.5 sleep apnea and high blood pressure. We will see. I'll keep you posted.

Hey so sorry you have been having a hard time with GERD. Welcome back. Hope everything works out and you get your revision. Question..How long after the VSG did you start having symptoms of GERD. I am almost 7 months Post- OP and No signs of GERD as of yet and I am not on a PPI.

2 years and I've struggled losing since because GERD makes you feel hungry all the time. I right now have been on a roll though I have yet to see onderland. I've lost 25 pounds since November.

I don't have any advice but wanted to say I'm sorry that you're struggling. I've had a couple of stalls during my 5 months and found it quite a struggle. Hopefully you're surgeon is able to help you. Good Luck !

Thanks I always seem to make my way back to OH it helps me put things into perspective and realize I'm not the only one going through this type of stuff.

I am sorry you are dealing with GERD. I know that is horrible.

I had RNY and unfortunately for me, my WLS contributed to me getting GERD long term post-op.

I am currently on Rx PPI, Dexilant. That is the only one that really helps. I have been trying to get off that one, and most days I can take 30 mg to control it. But I still have weeks when I need 60 mg and zantac and Tums.

If you have not done that - please ask to be checked for Barrett Esophagus. Precancerous condition of cells in Esophagus. Unfortunately I had some changes already.

Also - sometimes GERD is caused by food allergies - intolerances or sensitivities.

Eating some foods can cause severe burning in my throat for days. Avoiding that food helps clearing up the burn and pain.

Good luck finding an answer.

BTW: looks like you are 4 years post op, not 5 if your surgery was in 2015.

I also use Dexilant 30 mg and occasional zantac and tums when needed. It controls the Gerd for the most part. I thought if you had RNY you would not have Gerd, so sorry.

RNY does cure - or at least greatly improves - GERD for most people, but not everyone. Mine came back after two years - but it's not as bad as it was pre-surgery.

What steps have you taken to diagnose and treat the GERD, particularly things that would be documented to the insurance company (prescription meds, tests - EGD, upper GI, etc.)? I can see them denying surgery if this is the first that they have heard of the problem. They often have some kind of stepped therapy they require first to verify that simpler, cheaper treatments aren't effective before jumping into surgery. They often do the same thing with drugs, covering basic generics in favor of more expensive name brands and newer on patent meds unless it is demonstrated that the cheaper drugs don't work.

I would certainly exhaust the simpler treatments first as well, as the bypass is no guarantee of being GERD-free (as HALA and others will attest); it merely doesn't have the predisposition towards it that the sleeve has (it has its' own predispositions that aren't any fun, and it's much harder to revise should one run into one of those problems.) I have minor GERD that is well controlled with basic OTC meds, and is improving (moving to lesser drugs - H2I vs PPI) with minor diet/life tweaks.

By your BMI and comorbidities, you do normally qualify for revisional WLS on weight alone, assuming that the insurance company doesn't have on of those "one WLS per lifetime" limitations - that makes it harder but not impossible to get what you need. But if the GERD is documented as severe enough, that should do it, though it may take some appeals to get it.

I had an xray with berium contrast and egd and a devise i had installed through my nose to record the acid level s for a few days. Almost every kind of pills for reflux tums peptobismal and just about everything you name it and nothing helped. I still have the issue but I don't even realize anymore

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