Gerd/Gord and weight loss surgery

[morbidobesity 4]

Hi guys

i m new to this forum and just need some help. Basically I have acid reflux the past 2-3 years when I put on 35 + kg which is around 75 pounds. Before that I never had issues. I do pop every now and then a ppi or ranitidine and then I m good. I m kind of hoping thst with wls and losing all this excess weight the reflux will stop.i m very keen on getting the sleeve but don't know how this reflux will effect it or if I should do a bypass. Anyone with similar experiences? Thanks

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[Travelher 915]

from everything I've heard reflux is common with the sleeve. if it is an issue for you I would recommend bypass. if you look at some of the revision posts you will see people doing revisions from sleeve to bypass because of reflux.

[morbidobesity 4]

I m not sure if I see it as an issue though :/ it's manageable . I see it as a product of becoming morbidly obese

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[Dairymary 533]

What does your gastroenterologist and/or surgeon suggest?

[MaryCatherine 173]

GERD is manageable when you have a stomach larger than the size of a two-liter bottle of soda.

When you sleeve that stomach to smaller than a magic marker, the same acid is in a much smaller system, high pressure system and much harder to manage. The sleeve retains the pyloric valve so the acid is trapped in a very tight system.

With RNY there is a tiny stomach, but the pyloric valve is bypassed and acid can escape into the intestines.

That is why sleeve is not advised for patients with GERD and why patients who develop GERD after the sleeve are converted to RNY.

[Babbs 14,681]

I m not sure if I see it as an issue though :/ it's manageable . I see it as a product of becoming morbidly obese

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The sleeve can makes GERD worse. It did for me. Even after I've lost all my excess weight, I am still be treated for it. Treatment is working okay for me, so no biggie. In hindsight, I probably would have gone with the RNY in hopes it would have cured it. Otherwise very happy with my sleeve.

[bettyboop2088 19]

Hello:

I had very bad GERD before my sleeve surgery that required a prescribed medication. After my sleeve and the loss of 50lbs I no longer have to take the medication so it did help relieve the syptoms. I do still have to watch out for certain foods that stir it up but no more mediciation is huge to me. I am 11 months post op now and doing fine with it.

[morbidobesity 4]

What does your gastroenterologist and/or surgeon suggest?

I had a gastroscopy 2 years ago. I still have the pictures and film somewhere and there was slight gerd. He said modify lifestyle and take ppis if it's persisting. Nothing really changed. Other than I have months and months of nothing and I m fine. Then i have a small episode.

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[morbidobesity 4]

I haven't had a consultation with a bariatric surgeon yet, just researching as of now.

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[catwoman7 11,212]

I chose bypass specifically because I had GERD pre-surgery. Bypass often (but not always) cures it. And the sleeve often (but not always) makes it worse. I wasn't willing to take the risk.

[Djmohr 6,965]

I had severe gerd prior to surgery. I saw the surgeon with the idea that I would have the sleeve. After seeing him and then getting a second opinion from my gastroenterologist, we decided the RNY bypass would be the better option for me.

Since having my bypass 2 years ago, I have never even had so much as a slight heartburn. Bypass cured my gerd and i take no medication for it whatsoever.

I could have had the sleeve, they would have done it but I was told i might be looking at a revision to RNY down the road and I wanted to have one surgery and be done. So here I am two years later at goal with all my comorbitities in remission or cured.

Best of luck to you!

[justhere4theshow 462]

Don't take a chance like I did. I only made it five months with my sleeve and I just had conversion to RNY 10/26/16.

I have never in my life been so miserable...I had constant backwashing of bile into my sleeve and into the bottom of my esophagus. My recovery from the RNY has been a little harder, but I have no reflux now and I am so relieved. Best wishes to you no matter which you choose. It's all worth it!

[shedo82773 1,236]

I definitely would go with the RNY. I had a friend tho that has Barrets syndrome and her surgeon didn't want to do her Sleeve because of the outcome for most people. She insisted on the Sleeve. But with the idea that he might need to wrap her stoma. Now I'm not totally sure what that meant but her other Dr for her Barretts told her not to let him wrap it. Anyway, she seems to be ok so far. She had her Sleeve in 2014. But I have heard of so many others having the revision from the Sleeve to the RNY. It would be better just to have the one surgery I would think. Good Luck

[morbidobesity 4]

It's just puzzling because I surgery it's all hit and miss with a little bit of luck. Will be doing this out of pocket so yes one fee would be better than paying for multiple revisions. Thanks for the responses. I like many others jist find rerouting the intestines a bit excessive. But I could do with losing 100 pounds.

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[stacyrg2 350]

I developed GERD 8 months after my VSG. It got so bad I was forced to convert to RNY on 7/1. If I had any type of reflux prior to surgery I never would have gone with VSG. I lived in complete misery for over a year trying different combinations of medication until we decided that conversion was my best bet. In my view, getting a sleeve is not worth the risk of increased acid, particularly if you already have a problem. Just my opinion