Hiatal Hernia! Help please!

[She_red_dee 1]

Hello everyone, I am new to the community and I have a question? So I saw my surgeon for the first time on 8/16/2017. He looked at my medical records and seen that I have a Hiatal Hernia and he recommended the gastric bypass instead of the sleeve which I have been doing my research on . He said that with the sleeve that my pain from the hernia would be 10 times worst. I do not want to get the bypass! So my question is has anyone had this problem or was told the same thing but got the sleeve over the bypass? If so, are you experience worse pain then usual?

[sleevedshereen 524]

In my personal experience, I did the sleeve with a hiatal hernia repair. Before the surgery, I had excruciating heart burn all hours of the day and nausea all the time as well as shortness of breathe. I developed ulcers due to the hiatal hernia as well.

Since surgery and the hiatal hernia repair, I have not had a day of heart burn. It's pretty amazing. This might be a rarity though because I've read on here that it could be worse but in my personal experience, I seem/feel cured.

[She_red_dee 1]

Thank you so much!

[YeaMe 246]

I too had a hiatal hernia and it is a very common practice for them to fix it at the same time as doing the sleeve.

[nurse1 4]

I had a hiatal hernia repair as well as the sleeve. I have had minimal to no heartburn post op ( I am 2 1/2 months out now)

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[RickM 1,753]

I would be inclined to get a second opinion on this. As you can see from other posts here (and in many other threads) a hiatal hernia repair is very common combined with any of these WLS procedures, and I haven't seen any comments overall that recovery from a hernia/sleeve surgery is markedly different than from a sleeve alone or from a bypass (there might be a small difference for some, but nothing major.) Even if the pain is a bit worse, is avoiding a short term pain increase (which can be medicated) worth getting a procedure that you aren't comfortable with?

It sounds like this doc is more comfortable doing bypasses than sleeves, which is not uncommon given that the sleeve is the newer procedure and many docs don't have that much experience with it yet. This is fine if you want a bypass, but if you want a sleeve, or are on the fence between the two, it would be best to seek the opinion of a surgeon who is more experienced with the sleeve, even if it means delaying things a bit - much better to take a bit more time now to be sure than regret things for the rest of your life.

[Cactus spine 2]

1 hour ago, She_red_dee said:

Hello everyone, I am new to the community and I have a question? So I saw my surgeon for the first time on 8/16/2017. He looked at my medical records and seen that I have a Hiatal Hernia and he recommended the gastric bypass instead of the sleeve which I have been doing my research on . He said that with the sleeve that my pain from the hernia would be 10 times worst. I do not want to get the bypass! So my question is has anyone had this problem or was told the same thing but got the sleeve over the bypass? If so, are you experience worse pain then usual?

Hi,

I had a hiatal Hernia but my Doc repaired it during the sleeve surgery. I would imagine it would depend on where the hernia is and how bad it is. I actually wanted a bypass but could not have it as I had a diverticulum on the top of my stomach which was in the way. This isn't much help but I hope you can get another opinion.

Lots of Luck

CS

[She_red_dee 1]

Thank you!! It is actually good to know a little of your story!

[Introversion 1,876]

2 hours ago, She_red_dee said:

He said that with the sleeve that my pain from the hernia would be 10 times worst.

Welcome! I advise you to obtain a second opinion from a different surgeon.

I was sleeved 2.5 years ago and had a hiatal hernia repair performed at the same time on the operating table. I've had no symptoms prior to or ever since the surgery.

[GassyGurl 428]

I actually had a type II hiatal hernia (stomach and esophagus bulging up) and I had it fixed and the sleeve at the same time. Prior to surgery, I had heartburn daily, slept with a Wedge pillow and tool ppi's twice a day. Since surgery, not a shred of heartburn! I feel better than I have felt in a long time.

I did consults with Dr's, and they all told me the sleeve would be OK.

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[PrayingForWeightLoss 337]

I was not aware that I had a hiatal hernia. My surgeon repaired during my sleeve surgery. I have had no complications from both surgeries.

[Gazebo 27]

I found out I had one after upper endoscopy and I'm scheduled to have it repaired during VSG. The way they made it sound is that they just pull it down. I have some pain from time to time and get heartburn frequently so I'm hopinf that will stop after surgery.

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[Dimples58 167]

I hope the above responses are helpful. You have to live with whatever decision you choose. I was sleeved on July 26, 2017. My surgeon discovered and repaired a hernia at the time of surgery. I am loving my sleeve.

[jrmoseley 101]

I'm so happy to hear so many say their hernia issues were successfully repaired. Honestly, that's the main reason I'm having WLS. I think I'd be too chicken otherwise. But my surgeon said fixing the hernia without WLS just doesn't work. I am having bypass, as that's what my surgeon has recommended. I hope you're able to make the decision that's right for you!

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