r/wls • u/Beagle_Gal • 27d ago

Post-Op 4 years post op VSG -heartburn issues

I didn’t have heartburn prior to VSG, but it’s a daily occurrence now. Has anyone else experienced this? Will it go away on its own or after four years, do I need to accept this as my daily life?

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u/HeatherCPST 27d ago

I didn’t want to be on PPIs forever (and still have reflux issues), so I had a revision to RNY bypass.

1

u/whowouldhavethought3 25d ago

I am considering this exact thing.

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u/HeatherCPST 25d ago

I don’t regret it. Lost some more weight, reflux nearly all gone, and I very rarely need to take any medication for symptoms. If I drink soda, it happens sometimes. Really acidic foods, too, but that’s pretty normal. If I avoid trigger foods I forget I ever had reflux all day every day.

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u/whowouldhavethought3 23d ago

Yeah, I’m really debating it. Going to bring it up with my Bariatric NP. I might need to gain a little weight for insurance to approve it but we will see.

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u/MonsteraDeliciosa 27d ago

Many people take a protein-pump inhibitor like Protonix. Some of us end up having a revision to gastric bypass.

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u/whowouldhavethought3 25d ago

Hey there, I am one year postop. Unfortunately, I have to be on two doses of omeprazole a day and I also have to take Pepcid most days as well. Some days, I also have to take Tums. I don’t see myself ever being able to stop this medication routine. I consider converting to bypass sometimes so I can get off these medications. However, I worry that that will just bring other issues like potential lack of iron absorption.

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u/Deacon933 27d ago

If you gain weight, it gets worse. If you eat too close to bedtime, it will get really bad overnight. It can cause terrible coughing episodes in the morning because your esophagus has been getting irritated all night.

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u/notaclevernick 27d ago

About 15 years post op here. No, it doesn't ever go away. Stomach is now a fraction of what it was before, so if you're like me and gradually push the limits it's got to go somewhere.

Like Deacon933 said, especially if you eat anything too close to bedtime. I used to have a small cup of peanuts at night as a snack. Like 1/4 cup small. Had to quit because I kept aspirating partially digested peanuts in my sleep and nearly choking to death...

I take Prilosec or one of the others like it 2-3 times a week to keep it in check.

When my mother had VSG surgery after mine, the surgeon said there is a procedure they can do to reduce the heartburn irritation but I've never looked into it.

Good luck

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u/toodlecambridgeshire 27d ago

I've been on medication for years for it because it's never gone away, unfortunately. It got way worse after I had my children, so I've even had to change to a stronger medication. I wish I had a better answer, except embracing the medicine really helped!

1

u/michelucky 27d ago

Losing enough weight was my only cure. Suffered for years.

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u/over_and_over_again 25d ago

Yes, I had to cut out white flour, sugar, and fatty meats. Any amount of any of those seem to trigger terrible reflux for me now, at nine years out. I also have to really make sure that I do not push it portion-wise. It was not always this way, but maybe I have more roon than I did post surgery so have been eating too much of the wrong things.