GERD 5 weeks post op- killing me

[Nicole oahu 0]

Hi- I am new here and hoping to find some “real world guidance”. I am almost 6 weeks post op from VSG and about a week and half ago my GERD became debilitating! Drinking flavored water, Gatorade zero hurts and often make GERD worse. I am doing small sips.

Eating bland foods causes GERD TO WORSEN. Despite eating about 2 oz over 45 minutes. sleeping elevated, has made a slight improvement. But trying to sleep is the worse. I am taking protonix twice a day.

talked to my surgeon and she is concerned, but wants to wait a month before further investigating.

was wondering if any of you have had a similar problem and if anything worked for you. At this point, I have not met my fluid goals for the same time period and I am starting to feel tired.

mahalo in advance.

n

[Arabesque 7,417]

So sorry you are experiencing such severe gerd. It is really important you get your fluids in & not risk dehydration. Try some warm drinks like herbal or uncaffeinated tea or even warm Water - the warmth is more soothing than cold. I’d probably avoid the flavoured waters & Gatorade too as there could be something in them which aggravates the gerd. When my reflux was diagnosed almost 30yrs ago, I made but changes to my diet. I cut back on all carbonated drinks (couple of glasses of soda, tonic or sparkling water a month only), cut out all spicy food, reduced my fat intake, avoided rich creamy foods & high acid foods, etc. which helped me a lot - didn’t stir up the excess acid in my tummy. I’m sorry this isn’t working for you. I also slept on a elevated bed like you do. (I used bricks under the legs of the top of the bed so your whole body is on an incline not bent at your upper chest/neck which causes the acid to pool there.) I was experiencing some late night acid burning in my throat & I was advised to avoid hard Protein 2 hours before bed - liquid or soft protein is fine. May be helpful so you can a little more comfort at night. Just suggestions.

I hope your surgeon can help you.

Edited June 17, 2021 by Arabesque

[lizonaplane 1,613]

I was told to avoid any food four hours before bed, but I tend to have GERD during the afternoons when I'm not even sleeping! (I haven't had surgery yet however). I notice that some of the flavored waters give me GERD, so maybe stop those for a while to see if that helps. Rich foods can be a problem as @Arabesque mentioned, not just spicy. For me too many sweets were an issue, but I've stopped eating most sweets in preparation for surgery. Good luck!

[Creekimp13 5,840]

No advice to add....just wanted to say I'm sorry this happened to you. It's a risk we all take and it stinks you drew the GERD card.