Help please: Do I have acid reflux?

[Hanir 1]

Before surgery I never had any Acid Reflux in my life. I had surgery 5 weeks ago (July 19th) I know they say one potential side effect of the surgery is possibly that you'll develop Acid Reflux. As a preventative, my doctor gave me 30 days of prescription Prilosec. I didn't start taking it until about a week after surgery. During that 1st week (when I didn't take it) I didn't have any Acid Reflux. This past Monday (it's Saturday today) was my last dose of the Prilosec. Beginning on Tuesday, and every day since, I have intense waves of pain around my sternum. They come and go throughout the day.

1) Is what I'm feeling Acid Reflux?

2) I've heard that all of the PPI's can be habit forming and that you'll have worse pain than you started with if you try to stop taking them. Could I have become "addicted" to Prilosec in only 30 days?

I'm concerned that I've inadvertently created a permanent Acid Reflux problem...

Any thoughts from you all would be most appreciated!

[Indymom 132]

Not sure about pain in the area you're referencing, when I had problems with reflux I had a gross taste in my throat and burning taste in my mouth. My doc wants me on my PPI for the first year after surgery.

[KellyL 173]

It could be acid, a lot of people use the PPI's up to 3-6 months post-op. Some even longer. It depends on a lot of things, such as the size of you sleeve, post-op swelling, "false hunger pains", nausea, etc. I am 3 months post op, and have stopped taking them with no problems yet. But I don't have any info on the habit forming aspect. Whatever you are feeling may be acid, but I don't believe anything you did caused a permanent acid problem. It's fairly common to use acid reducers for a while post op. Hope you feel better and you may want to see a dr about the problem you are having. Good luck!

[mjs6172 2]

I also never had a problem before surgery. I get a burning sensation in my throat if I don't take the PPI. I've also heard it's normal 3-6 months and up to a year after surgery.

[DoOver 17]

Check with your doctor please. I also never had acid reflux until after the surgery. This is nothing like what I have experienced which is like having old faithful at the top of my stomach shooting acid up into my throat.

I did just learn that you should wean off of the PPI's. I'm 5 months out and taking 1 every other day for a month or two, then will quit them. I never had any issue until I went to solid food.

Do you still have your gall bladder? It's been known to get very pesky right after this surgery.