Freaked Out! - ThinnerTimes

LQQkn · 06-21-2007, 11:40 AM

Hi I just got back from my appointment with the Heartburn doc on my 24 hr PH test, and he said my gerd is very severe. I had 150 episodes of reflux over 24 hr period, and 120 were bad enough to come all the way up my esophogus into my throat and mouth.

So you say big deal, just have surgery. Well he said the way to fix my problem is to remove my stomach completely and attach my intestines to my esophogus since I had gastric bypass surgery two yrs ago.

HOW DO YOU LIVE WITH NO STOMACH? He claims I can.. what the hell!??

He said usually a bypass patient has no acid in their pouch.. and before I had GBS I had no problem with gerd. He also said that if my bariatric doc wanted to reverse my surgery and thinks my 'old' stomach will work properly after he is nuts. Didn't know I would lose my entire stomach? Anyone else have this issue, or problem.. ever heard of it? Janie

Nette72 · 06-21-2007, 12:03 PM

I had heard of people having their whole stomach removed. There was a family on the Today show who all had the stomach problems and they all had their stomach's removed and were getting along fine.

Sorry I can't help you with any thing else. I hope you get the information you need and are able to make things better for yourself.

bridgetgirl · 06-21-2007, 12:24 PM

Wow! That's interesting! I didnt know you could live without a stomach at all. I also find it incredinly interesting that you didnt have a problem with reflux until after GBS. Any logic on how that occured?

LQQkn · 06-21-2007, 12:33 PM

I was curious about this myself, and asked the doc. He said usually most GBS patients come out without acid reflux who had it prior, and is very rare that my system went the opposite. He has only seen one other case. I'm just freaked to think I'm gonna lose my "entire" stomach due to having this surgery. Plus with the fact I can't eat normally now, and I have NO flippin idea what my system will do when that changes, OH and the biggie is he said if the Bariatric Doc thinks he can put my system back together (reversal) he is nuts. He said once you cut into the stomach, it will never have the elasticity, and emptying that it does prior. Putting it back would only aggravate my problems. He said my pouch is all inflammed, he biopsied no ulcers yet. He said it would be a matter of time because of the severe reflux that is happening right now while I am taking nexium twice a day I can feel it.
Basically he said how miserable are you, and this is the surgery that will correct it, and the ONLY thing to fix the problem. I'm inclined to suffer for years take multiple meds, and try and manage this and hope it never turns into cancer. I'm only 44, and don't see how long term I could live without my stomach, especially with my delicate system right now! Janie

P.S. Van, Paige, Trina, Lisa, all others I forget names of those who eat funky... give me your thoughts please.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bridgetgirl

Wow! That's interesting! I didnt know you could live without a stomach at all. I also find it incredinly interesting that you didnt have a problem with reflux until after GBS. Any logic on how that occured?

justawoman · 06-21-2007, 12:53 PM

Maybe I can help just a little bit.....My daughter who is now 9 years old had severe gerds as a baby. I will keep this short as possible. She was the worse case a specialist had seen. At 8 months old she had the 24 PH test she was refluxing 93% in a 24 HR period. She was soooo thin and so weak. They tried every medicine they could and all they could do is minimize her reflux to 64% and she still wasn't gaining enough weight.

When she turned 15 months old they gave me the option for surgery for her. The surgery involved taking her stomach muscle and wrapping it around her esphogus to tighten/close it off. This would eliminate her reflux....Side effect: She would never throw up again in her life...IE: pregnant, drinking, stomach flu....Can not throw up at all....Hmmmm so how does that affect someone....It was a nightmareeeeeeeeeee! Poor baby would get sick and couldn't get nothing to come up....As most of you know if you have had a little to much to drink or have stomach flu you feel a bit better after bringing it up back...She can't! When she was 5 years old after seeing her struggle so much I sought out another specialist and she went through another surgery which basically undid her first....Long story short, she is doing good now...She can now throw up and her gerds test was down to 30% in a 24hr period. She still has upsets with the gerds but nothing like before!

I am not sure if this is going to help you as your grown and she was a baby and they claim the reason she may be doing well now is that she just "grew out of it". But wanted to share, not sure if this is the surgery your doctor is talking about but if it is I would ask alot of questions as I know my daughter really suffered! Yeah she was suffering with the gerds as well so not sure what was better but I think in the long run if she had stayed with the surgery for the rest of her life she would have been miserable!

Sorry for the babbling!

I wish you lots of luck! Keep us updated!

Quote:

Originally Posted by LQQkn

Hi I just got back from my appointment with the Heartburn doc on my 24 hr PH test, and he said my gerd is very severe. I had 150 episodes of reflux over 24 hr period, and 120 were bad enough to come all the way up my esophogus into my throat and mouth.

So you say big deal, just have surgery. Well he said the way to fix my problem is to remove my stomach completely and attach my intestines to my esophogus since I had gastric bypass surgery two yrs ago.

HOW DO YOU LIVE WITH NO STOMACH? He claims I can.. what the hell!??

He said usually a bypass patient has no acid in their pouch.. and before I had GBS I had no problem with gerd. He also said that if my bariatric doc wanted to reverse my surgery and thinks my 'old' stomach will work properly after he is nuts. Didn't know I would lose my entire stomach? Anyone else have this issue, or problem.. ever heard of it? Janie

taleci · 06-21-2007, 01:13 PM

Janie,
I am so sorry you are going through this. After having my gallbladder removed a few years ago, I had terrible GERD and IBS issues. It apparently happens to 5% of all Gallbladder removal patients but is not something the surgeon thought to tell me about. The bile reflux is the worst and the only thing that helped me was to take Aciphex.
Fortunately for me, the surgery seems to have cured my issues. I wouldn't wish them on anyone. Good luck.

LQQkn · 06-21-2007, 01:14 PM

Thanks and are you kidding me keep it short??? Please elaborate my dear this is my life we are talking about LOL!! I just got off the phone with the doctor again, after getting more freaked as I read about people who have had their stomach removed, and their struggles. He said that basically they have already taken my stomach out when they did the bypass, and I have a little 2" centimeter pouch that holds a little food before it bypasses and enters the intestines. So not to minimize this... the nissen surgery your daughter had my doctor says he cannot perform on a bypass patient cuz the part of the stomach they pull up and wrap is stapled from surgery. So the only option at this point is to just remove the little pouch, and call it a day I guess and correcting the gerd for good. Still would love to have another option. I hate to be a guinea pig and I sure do feel like one since having the GBS two yrs ago. Janie

Quote:

Originally Posted by justawoman

Maybe I can help just a little bit.....My daughter who is now 9 years old had severe gerds as a baby. I will keep this short as possible. She was the worse case a specialist had seen. At 8 months old she had the 24 PH test she was refluxing 93% in a 24 HR period. She was soooo thin and so weak. They tried every medicine they could and all they could do is minimize her reflux to 64% and she still wasn't gaining enough weight.

When she turned 15 months old they gave me the option for surgery for her. The surgery involved taking her stomach muscle and wrapping it around her esphogus to tighten/close it off. This would eliminate her reflux....Side effect: She would never throw up again in her life...IE: pregnant, drinking, stomach flu....Can not throw up at all....Hmmmm so how does that affect someone....It was a nightmareeeeeeeeeee! Poor baby would get sick and couldn't get nothing to come up....As most of you know if you have had a little to much to drink or have stomach flu you feel a bit better after bringing it up back...She can't! When she was 5 years old after seeing her struggle so much I sought out another specialist and she went through another surgery which basically undid her first....Long story short, she is doing good now...She can now throw up and her gerds test was down to 30% in a 24hr period. She still has upsets with the gerds but nothing like before!

I am not sure if this is going to help you as your grown and she was a baby and they claim the reason she may be doing well now is that she just "grew out of it". But wanted to share, not sure if this is the surgery your doctor is talking about but if it is I would ask alot of questions as I know my daughter really suffered! Yeah she was suffering with the gerds as well so not sure what was better but I think in the long run if she had stayed with the surgery for the rest of her life she would have been miserable!

Sorry for the babbling!

I wish you lots of luck! Keep us updated!

CeeCee · 06-21-2007, 01:25 PM

No words of wisdom except this: Second opinion!

Good luck!

Mavis · 06-21-2007, 02:27 PM

I have to echo CeeCee for a second or even third opinion. I find it interesting that he mentioned reversing your GBS. Perhaps a surgeon who has done some of the successful revisions on this board would be the place to start.
Mavis

LQQkn · 06-21-2007, 03:23 PM

Well the heartburn doctor did NOT recommend reversal, the bariatric doctor did. But that was after he threw his hands up and said they can't find any reason for my pain. I was referred to the heartburn specialist to do the PH test to see if my problem was motility or gerd/reflux. It is apparent that it's gerd... lucky me.
I'm leaning towards taking multiple meds to control this than to take my stomach out. I can have my stomach taken out anytime. Janie

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mavis

I have to echo CeeCee for a second or even third opinion. I find it interesting that he mentioned reversing your GBS. Perhaps a surgeon who has done some of the successful revisions on this board would be the place to start.
Mavis