NotSoLittleMermaid

Hi just checking to see if anyone has had acid issues or their gallbladder removed before or after surgery. I have acid reflux with water, no food, etc. other than avoiding coffee, egg yolks and bacon, diet doesn't seem to help. My ultrasound showed gallstones. 2/3 of my doctors feel like getting my gallbladder removed will solve the acid issue. Tums, Pepcid and even 2 PPI Previcaid a day do not stop the burning, I've heard that if the acid pills don't help it is gallbladder. Even on an empty stomach, my stomach burns. Drinking water on an empty stomach burns. Eating seems to help. I can eat most fatty foods with no problems or pains (most of the time I eat low fat anyway.) Sometimes I have pain off on the right side, or in the back on the right hand side, but mostly it is acid burning from a few inches above my belly button, to burning throat. I explained this to the gall bladder surgeon, and he ordered an Upper GI, barium test. The test showed acid refluxing throughout exam. 2 of the doctors still think I'd be helped by getting my gallbladder out, but the 1 the gallbladder surgeon seems to now think I will need something more serious to address the acid. Would love your feedback on whether or not your acid went away after gallbladder removal.

Thanks so much! I guess I spoke too soon. Today was a bad day. I think I have an ulcer.. but don't know. Pain, burning in the stomach/esphaguas all day. Weird because they've ruled out H Pylori and I've been on Cafate for ulcers. I hope to find an answer someday. Meeting with GI on 13th. Have a good one, thanks ALWAYS for your response and help, and congrats on your weightloss!

Thank you so much, Chow Chow.. I think my plication has stretched but I still have more restriction than before wls surgery. Gall bladder surgery went fine, the nausea and back/chest pain has gone, and I think most of my starving, gnawing hunger pains are gone. Inially, it made my acid reflux much worse, but they told me to give it a month. It seems to be getting better and better. I am glad that you posted it might even take longer..it is good to have hope! I still have little pains on right but I would take those over the starving pains or anything else I had before.

Hi Chow Chow, how long after your gallbladder removal did take for acid to stop? I had mine out 5 days ago and the acid is still awful. Same story, water doesnt help. Bread does temporily. Acid reducer didnt help either. so frustrated.. Really dont want to have to have a nissan wrap.

If you want to stay in the US, Dr.Watkins rules and I believe he has done more Plications than any other US doctor.. Even now, he personally will email or call me if I have a question. He is a VERY caring and detailed Doctor, who's skill, care and facilities are top notch. I was an out of town patient and he checked in on me over the weekend and gave me a cell number in case of emergencies. (No I do not work for him or get paid if you are wondering If you want plication, he is your guy. I never had surgery or was in the hospital before and had a great experience. Dr. Cottam in Utah has a lot of experience too, but they are harder to get a hold of. Dr. Watkins and his staff take the time to talk to you and address any questions or concerns you have. They do not push anyone into surgery. He even has a free You Tube class on weight loss tips regardless of whether someone has surgery. My experience and pictures are below in my esignature.

Thank you so much!

Hi can someone help? I am hungry nearly all the time. My stomach feels empty or uncomfortable in the middle above my belly button and between my ribs. It usually goes away temporarily when I eat then starts up again with half hour or more. I take 2 Prevacids a day. One in the morning with Water and one before dinner with water. This was the way I felt before surgery, all through my life-always hungry, always in the mood to eat. My doctor even did my hyatal hernia so that this would be lessened. Drinking liquids does not fill me up or take the discomfort away. I also typically wait an hour after eating to drink. It is getting harder each day to keep below 1200 calories, sometimes I am getting up over 1600 which could mean weight gain. I feel like I am starving all the time. Today I had 2 sausages, 1 egg and a tiny amount of hash browns for Breakfast and made it 2 hours before hunger again. A few days ago there was a post about another acid product to try that I have never heard of. I've spent hours looking for it on this site and cannot find it. Was it something with an "oid" or "Magnesium"? It sounded like a supplement or mineral. I have an appointment with my gastro doctor but would like to try the other product too. Tums only provide a few minutes of relief. I tried 40 mg of Protein like beef. Yesterday I tried a big bowl of salad with a little low fat cheese. Another time, bread, another time, fruit. The best results seem to be protein and carbs like low fat pizza.. That seems to hold me the longest. It is getting harder and harder to have self control and keep my calories low when I feel like I am starving all the time! Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Gastric Sleeve Plication. Stomach sewn together to make the same size bougie as a regular sleeve, but stomach not stapled and removed. I believe all WLS stretch in time. Thank you for "spa water" I will google it!

Hi I was taking 2 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar mixed with or followed with water I believe it was atleast 4 oz. I asked my Gastro Doctor about this, and she wasn't suprised it hurt. She said consuming anything with acid would feel worse. It got so bad for me, my back would hurt and I would get nausaous after drinking it. However, my friend swears buy it. I guess everyone is different. It is worth a try for most people.

Yes! Thank you for asking.. I will upload the GERD or acid reflux diet for anyone who is interested. I was very depressed about not having morning coffee or tea (I am not a morning person, so it was one thing I really looked forward to.) After a day of headaches, caffine withdrawl stopped. Since we are supposed to avoid cholocate, alcohol, fatty, oily, greasy foods, citrus, etc. acid and spicy things, this ruled out hot chocolate and spiced apple cider. However, I have found that I can drink SUISSE MOCHA (sugar free/decafinated) and it tastes really good.. my receipe is the following: 1/3 cup of lowfat hot milk, 1.5 tablespoons of sugar free Decafe Suisee Mocha and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar for around 70 calories. My doctor took me off of Prevacid, and I found it didn't do anything eitherway, diet is more important than the pills. I can take up to 2 Pepcid a day if I need to. Some times I do. But most of the time I don't. It seems like I can personally get away with a little bit of chocolate (like a chocolate chip cookie.) and maybe some very sweet or mild wine, but not the dark, strong reds. Some Sobe's or Chrystal Lite with acid (almost all have acid of some kind- but I hate Water and am trying to keep calories low) hurt for a few minutes and pass. All in all, giving up coffee and strong alcohol helped alot! Also found that I cannot egg full eggs, but egg whites alone are okay. It must be the fat in the yolk. Spicy food like pepperonis on a pizza can set it off, but not as bad as the coffee. Hopefully that helps anyone else out there reading!

Acid update: Citric Acid & Caffeine seems to be really bad. I thought it was the fake sweetners, but it appears to be anything with "acid" in it. That seems to be par for the course per my Gastro doctor.

Still having acid issues Going to Gastro Dr. next Tuesday. Tried Apple Cider Vinegar. Sometimes it takes the pain away, sometimes it makes it worse. Hope you all figure yours!

ACID UPDATE!! Last two days I've been experimenting. Here is what I found..(THANKS TO OTHER MEMBERS POSTS ON VERTICAL SLEEVE!)CRYSTAL LIGHT, MIO and anything with Aspertame or Splenda and TEA (even Herbal Tea with NO sweetner or sugar) gives me the HORRIABLE ACID or HUNGER! Now that I can't have soda and didn't want to drink calories like juice/lots of milk (I don't enjoy plain Water either) I would drink alot of these type of drinks throughout the day! I was HUNGRY or had BURNING PRETTY MUCH CONSTANTLY! It was weird, I could think about food and it seemed to trigger the acid! This happened before and after surgery. Last two days, I elminated those kinds of fake sweetened drinks. Instead I drank SoBe LifeWater (not as good tasteing as the others) but sweetened with Steveia, the all natural sweetner. My hunger is nearly erradicated! I am MUCH more satisfied. Today I went 6 hours after eatting sushi without getting hungry! I should have tried this before, because I can go hours without getting hungry sometimes by drinking my favorite coffee (sort of a Half Latte) before breakfast: Nescafe Instant made with 1/2 cup of 1% Lactaid Milk and either 1.5 tps of sugar or some vanilla creamer. It is a science to get it right. too much coffee, my stomach hurts, Not enough milk, my stomach hurts. The werid thing is, that my stomach hurt a few days ago with the acid, and drinking milk didn't cure it. But it was right after drinking the Mio. I think everyone with this issue should experiment with different things to find out what bothers them. Someone told me sugar, others coffee. One friend without WLS has recommended Apple Cider Vinegar. She was on 2 Prilosecs a day, and has cut them out completely. If she gets the burning, just take 2 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar in water or plain and that should stop the pain. I plan on trying this soon if and when I have my next bout with acid. My stomach was folded in and sewn to the same capacity as a regular Gastric Sleeve, this is called GPS or Gastric Plication Sleeve. Like all Sleeves, they are expected to stretch some. The major difference is the Ghrelin. I think more of it goes with regular sleeve (although my understanding is smaller amounts can still be produced in other parts of the body.) Some people with the GPS don't experience much hunger at all, and have the same experience as the regular sleeve. It is possible I stretched mine out from overeating due to acid. But I am still getting thinner and have it pretty darn good!

That is very interesting DoOver. I felt very disappointed for a long time that I could eat so much. But I am about 10 months out. I will be very happy if my sleeve stretches no more. I also find that with a normal stomach, some times you can shrink it a little. tntransplant06 Yes, I lived my WHOLE LIFE hungry. I swear, they should do some kind of public service announcement. Whenever I heard about Acid Reflux/Reflex, I always thought that meant heart burn or integestion. No one every told me it would feel like hunger! It wasn't until I came here that I learned about it. Still, I am happy to shrink my monster. Acid or no acid, having a smaller monster to feed has given me access to the road to weight loss. Before I felt it would be impossible, I'd have to work out 3 hours a day, and I did try to work out daily and diet. But I am so glad to have WLS surgery! purple tulip consult your doctor about your sitiuation to be sure, but many people will take it temporarily. Yes Prevacid is over the counter and can be purchased at Walmart, Walgreens, whever. I don't like being on medicine that can cause stomach polyps (although I already had them even before I took Prevacid or any anti acid/PPI -which is unusual) or possible bone loss or other side effects, but burning the esophagas and being obese isn't good either. All I know is, acid definately feels like hunger for me, and it will go away when I eat. Hence, one reason why I got fat. Easy to give into cravings and nice to take pain away. It has improved since I started the Prevacid.. I am going to Gastro Dr. on 18th, maybe she can prescribe something like Prevacid but stronger so I don't have any acid. That would be nice! Great posts! Thanks for your replies!

Thank you very much for your replies. From the research on this site, (Thanks for posting!) I've been experimenting, and even though it doesn't say to wait an hour to eat after taking Prevacid, drinking it with Water ONLY (I was drinking it with Crystal Lite or Mio and/or taking it with other vitamins) and a 2nd one with water only 2-3 after food in the early afternoon does seem to help alot! Had acid burning in the middle of the night, but a couple of grapes made it go away temporarily where I could go to sleep. I am noticing that I am not hungry all the time. When my stomach hurts, it is down lower on the right or left and it comes and goes and isn't bad. I am guessing that is what normal hunger should feel like, actually forgot about food for alot of the day. I also am noticing when I drink Mio or Crystal Lite or eat most things, it causes a little of the acid pain in middle between ribs, but it goes much quicker. I can live with this and have been able to keep my calories between 1000-1300. For me, a combination of protien, a little fat and carbs seems to be the most filling and satifiying, such as a salad with cheese, chicken on lettuce w/cottage cheese, lowfat tuna, etc. There is light at the end of the tunnel! Yes, I can eat wayy more than I thought I would be able to. I think the regular sleeve may have helped me more, but I was afraid at the time to get most of my stomach removed. Weird thing, with GPS, over eatting has never made me throw up, etc. It just hurts for a little while. Naturually, I try not put myself in that position. I've started back to basics, eating much slower. Much more satisfied since acid is under control. To answer someone's question, I work out very sparatically. Sometimes I've gone a few weeks working out. But when I do, it is usually 300-600 calories burned twice a week on the elipictal machine. I burn 100 calories (it take about 15 min) step off and lift weights, then get back on for another hundred, etc. till I reach my goal that day. Losing close to 50lbs, I have enjoyed the day swapping out my size 16/XLs to size 10/12 and small tops! It is so awsome to be smaller! Shopping is unbelieveably fun now! Resale shops are especially great for this. It feels really good to get organized and clean out the old fat clothes forever.. Saying goodbye to them is fun and a committment I've made to myself to persever and stick with healthy eating forever! It still would be great to find out what suppliment or product that was talked about in the thread I cannot find. It wasn't a medicine, I think it was more like a mineral.. maybe it started with a "G"? I thought it was in a post about apple cider vinegar, but I still can't find it.. At any rate, my friend who has not had WLS said that she had horrible acid and her stomach was "all torn up" when she drank soda, ate Taco Bell, etc. and was cured by taking a high quality probiotic from Quivana. Also Fat Flush advertises one for acid reflex I may check out those out as well for a natural cure/enhancement to Prevacid. Long timers, if you can think of this mineral, please chime in! Thanks for this great link! http://www.consumerreports.org/health/resources/pdf/best-buy-drugs/PPIsUpdate-FINAL.pdf

Thank you for quick reply. I had Plication, hoping that it would deal with my hunger issues that I've had all my life. I was scared to get the sleeve and have most of my stomach removed but I wouldn't be now. I have lost weight with Plication, and it is a power weightloss tool. But yes, I was hoping for way less hunger - I am 10 months out and do have to watch what I eat. Amazingly, I went on a cruise to Italty and ate pretty much what I wanted, bread, butter, fruit, a few Desserts, prime rib, etc. and walked alot. Came home 2 pounds lighter than when I left! But I am short, and if I continue to eat based on how I feel, it will be bad and I am sure the scale will go up. Unfortuately, since I have to work, I cannot walk around Italy for 4 hours a day I think there are others who have had less of an appetite with Plication than me, but I had problems before surgery with constant hunger. I think there is something wrong with me, maybe my brain is firing hunger signals when it shouldn't be. Thanks!!! Please keep the posts coming!

Dr. Watkins has resumed the proceedure and I believe he is writing an article or talking at a conference as one the leading experts about the proceedure. Of course, you had your surgery last month, so that is proof right there that Dr.Watkins has resumed it. http://www.cincyweightloss.com/gastric-band-surgery/gps-procedure.html

After surgery, I can eat alot more than I would have thought. It is basically a small portion of what a normal person (who doesn't eat seconds eats.) So yes parties, etc. are no big deal. Actually I was hoping I would be restricted to a whole lot less. But I guess the upside is if I have a few bites over, I am not going to throw up or anything. I have to still watch my calories and limit myself, but others are different. Plication is a socially easily surgery to live with. I've had a few people make comments that I don't eat that much, but not many. For me, plication is just half the stomach I used to have. Instead of eatting 2 platefuls, I have 1 small one. It takes a little while to adjust to the smaller portions, but now sometimes, it amazes me how much a normal person can eat.

He is the BEST if you want Plication, you can do no better! His staff are caring and supportive too!

Still happy and loosing weight! I eat about 1/3 of what I used to... Still love to eat, but am very satisfied with little portions and am averaging 1 lb week weightlosss on an average of a 1400 cal diet (sometimes more, somestimes less.) My hunger IS SO MUCH LESS NOW!! But it took a few months to get there. GPS has taken away the monster stomach and replaced it with satisfaction, control and happiness! Before I was raveniously hungry every few hours and could eat huge platefulls and rarely ever feel full/satisfied - I am now with very little. I do not deprive myself of ANYTHING (except carbonated drinks-yes I know, they may not do anything, but it is not worth the risk to me.) I do not exercise (bad I know-I've got to start up again.) Cookies, Pasta, cake, wine, pizza, drinks..none of these are forbidden.. I eat good first and may have a small amount of any of those things daily.. but I budget for it and it eat healthy the rest of the time. Instead of eating 6 cookies I'll eat one or 2.. and it is budgeted into my calories. I also don't have to eat those things every day. I have moose tracks in my freezer that has taken me months to eat. I feel like a normal person, that just gets full on a small amount. Sometimes I'll forget that I've had the surgery and it takes sometime to figure out the portion sizes, but I am getting better now. It should be noted that vomiting isn't the only sign that you've overeaten with this surgery. I have only thrown up only once to date, and that was from taking too many Vitamins at once, and taking them with ice tea.. (it apparently didn't agree with me.) It is possible to overeat and be in pain until the food goes down. Of course, this is bad to do. So I am really committed NOT to overeat and really pay attention to the first signs of fullness. The most likely reason that I've tended to overeat is when out with friends at a resturant. I order a normal size meal (or appetizer or even kids meal) because if I only order something tiny like just a cup of Soup, many times people start asking questions. It is easy to forget how much you've eaten, talking with friends and it can take a while for your brain to catch up with your stomach. So I pay attention now to avoid overeating in social situations and get my box to go (and then go on to enjoy the rest of the leftovers over 2-4 meals Every week, my pants get looser.. I am throwing out underwear that is too big for me. It is so exciting to know that I will only down in size! Enjoy your WLS success.. I am!

I was spotting/bleeding for a looonnnnggg time after surgery. Then it stopped, then I had a really bad period and now I am bleeding again on and off. What lucill35 said was interesting.. maybe that is the cause of our being out of whack.

Flying is a breeze. Just make sure you TAKE and HAVE your medicine with you.. AND GasX strips.. I packed all my stuff and suffered for hours! The rest of the whole experience was easy.

Dr.Watkins rocks! Very skilled and experienced.. Awesome followup and care with him AND his office! Check out my experience with link below autosignature.

Thank you for posting and sharing freely