Hope Assassin

Had my sleeve gastrectomy end of April, 2017, so it's been 5+ months. Before the surgery I would rarely have acid reflux, now it's constant and without omeprazole, it really sucks. Omeprazole keeps it in check though what I am wondering is, does it get better down the line so one can get off it? My weight is near my goal weight, I feel better than ever.. just this stupid acid showed up and I want to rid myself of it sans PPI medications. Anyone tried any surgical anti GERD procedures like Linx or Stretta? What's your experience with those as a sleever? Sent from my Pixel XL using BariatricPal mobile app

I'm having a Ph test done in December to diagnose it, and then looking at options to alleviate it, currently for VSG's the best options are Stretta or Linx. If you haven't gotten it 5-6 months after VSG surgery, consider yourself lucky/blessed. Usually it shows up fairly quickly and I have only heard of one or so cases resolving on their own... Chances are you're stuck with it for good if you are like me, I had episodes of it before the surgery but never really took PPIs and now after surgery without the PPIs it was like a constant burn.... fortunately 40 mg of omeprazole does the trick for me, however I'd much rather not take PPIs for life. Sent from my Pixel XL using BariatricPal mobile app

Dr Lopez is the only other doctor in TJ in addition to Dr Ortiz that I would trust with my life to perform WLS. Congratulations on making that move and ensuring a higher quality, if not longer life. Sent from my Pixel XL using BariatricPal mobile app

When you're over 30+ BMI, have given it your all more or less to lose weight and have failed and yoyo-ed more times than you can count, the years gi by and you're not getting any thinner,. then I would take statements like "you don't need WLS" as an insult. Majority, and I do mean majority of what kills Americans today is directly related, if not caused by being overweight and/or obese. My VSG was God send with Dr Ortiz in TJ. I can't remember last time I weighed 168 at 5'9" as a man... too long ago, probably high school, and am 41 now. Excess weight ruins your mood, outlook, health, satisfaction, sex life, chances of promotion, increases singlehood, stamina, strength... the list goes on and on. Even smoking cigarettes at 2 packs a day, I would consider it less dangerous than being a fatass. Not saying you should take up a nasty smoking habit but I'm convinced being fat is far more dangerous to you than smoking. Take charge of your life, break your foodie addiction and have the WLS. The alternatives are not appealing. Sent from my Pixel XL using BariatricPal mobile app

Thanks for the heads up Gurl, saw the study is in progress on ClinicalTrials.gov (ID: NCT02429830). Man I wish they'd speed it up :).

I was 30+ BMI with no hope of it staying down even after losing successfully through diet & exercise multiple times up to 50 lbs. The ASMBS has a paper/study advocating benefits of bariatric surgery for ppl with 30-35 BMI. Look it up. Sent from my Pixel XL using BariatricPal mobile app

Mine's (gastric sleeve) scheduled for 27th of April this year. My BMI is 30. I'll let you know how it goes. It's with Dr Ariel Ortiz.

It doesn't make you eat more... it somehow slows down your metabolism, so for the same food intake, you retain more of the calories in the fatty tissues. Try Wellbutrin once your kid's weaned completely.. I hear SNRIs (such as Wellbutrin) are better than SSRI for weight, and actually even cause you to lose weight.. of course, talk to the doc before asking to be put on wellbutrin, but I've heard many women like it because of its weight loss properties... provided you can take it.

Howdy folks - I'm a 41 year old software engineer (tells you about how physically active my job is :), and since I was diagnosed with MDD about 3-4 years ago and started on a 100 mg Zoloft (sertraline) regimen, my weight went from around 180 lbs to a current 204 lbs (I'm 5'8"-ish), without any change in eating habits or exercise patterns. God bless psychiatry whom I was a major skeptic of until I realized depression for some people isn't caused only by situational circumstances but also genetics and heritage contribute to much of it as well... My entire family has been dealing with their own anxiety and depression in other ways, via alcohol, lustful activities, gambling, shopping, overeating - since I don't come originally from the USA, the taboo on psychiatrists is even greater back home where I'm from..... and taking an antidepressant for most people who suffer is almost non-existent. Zoloft has helped reduce, or rather, help me cope with 90% or more of the symptoms I experienced - basically reluctance to do anything and just curl up and cry due to the severity of the depression as well as the several times a day panic attacks each of which felt like impending doom and death knocking on the door... Good luck focusing on mental work with those experiences in your head/body - I don't wish them on anyone. What I never saw coming as a result of my SSRI regimen is the progressive weight gain that has been taking place... obviously partially this is due to age, but the majority of it is really due to the side effects of taking an SSRI like Zoloft. I've found it nearly impossible in terms of time consumed and habit change to manage my weight with exercise and nutrition alone and I've scheduled a surgery with Dr Ortiz for this April after reading here extensively, watching Dr Ariel Ortiz and Dr Juan Lopez Corvala perform this procedure on numerous patients. It was a tossup for me between Dr Ortiz and Dr Corvala, I guess I really liked Dr Ortiz's website and information provided better, so I picked him, but I feel that these 2 doctors are probably among the best at what they do in the Tijuana area.... With a BMI of 30 and no end of the weight gain in sight as age progresses... I feel like I've made the right choice for myself, my wife and my children. Wish me luck and pray for my speedy recovery. Many of my colleagues suffer from extreme obesity, so I'm hoping I start a trend here :). M.

Hi Sky - thank you for sharing. My weight has been steady around 200 lbs and it seems after the first year or two of being on Zoloft, the gain has slowed a lot and I hover around this weight that I'm at right now for quite some time now. Regardless, I feel like crap with the BMI being 30 and the weight I'm at w/my height... I feel WLS (gastric sleeve, which is what I'm going for) is drastic enough to hopefully reset my weight downward enough to pre-zoloft levels at this age, which in my view, "buys" me healthy years even if I have to continue with the SSRI regimen... The only thing I am curious about is if dropping the weight as a result of WLS will relieve my symptoms, as I've read that people develop depression as a result of being overweight too... I don't know which came first, the gain or the depression or perhaps in parallel... All I can say with certainty is I felt the depression in spades and I also felt great relief while on Zoloft. I tried stopping once, it backfired... so I learned my lesson, sucked it up and took the weight gain rather than counter productivity and misery as a result of MDD.... Quite frankly, I have no idea how it will all pan out.. I'm glad this forum is here so I can share or update on what will happen, but this is certainly a venture into the unknown for me, hoping God steers me in the right direction, whatever that direction may be.... could be good, could be bad, or could be ugly... I have an intention of losing weight - how it pans out and what the ultimate price might be and what it looks like, I have yet to see - though I have optimism based on other people's experiences so far. Thanks for responding.