Chest pain update

So I am the lucky and thankfully rare VSG patient that apparently has horrible GERD which is intractable over a year after my WLS.  The surgeon wants me to get an EGD to check and conform this for certain so that is the next step.  Not looking forward to it, but also relieved it is probably this.  

Unfortunately, it means I may have to revise to the RNY if we cannot resolve the GERD.  I would have preferred to revise to the DS (or even the SADI-S) over the RNY because my original BMI was 78 (it's 50ish currently) but, this is still early in so we'll see what happens.  At this point I will take the RNY over the GERD!  RNY is still a perfectly fine surgery, too.

While this could be annoying, I'm grateful it is not any one of other things which could be worse, as strange as that sounds.  And I am grateful my insurance covers WLS revisions.  I could be in a much worse position than having several options.

As you say, it's unfortunate that you have to undergo surgery again, but it could have been something much worse. Severe GERD pain is no joke. Before my first WLS many years ago (the lap-band), my GERD sent intense pain up my neck and into my jaw. It was so far beyond "heartburn" it was a different animal altogether. 

Hope your revision goes smoothly and that it resolves your GERD.

psychoticparrot

I was terrified it was my gallbladder, because my total weight loss including pre-op is 450 pounds so I am high risk.  I was happy that my gallbladder is dandy.

I have no idea how you dealt with that for so long, psychoticparrot.  I'm a wuss after the heart pain starting only a week ago!

I didn't endure it for a long time. Rereading my post, it sounds like the lap-band resolved the problem. Nuh-uh. My doc put me on Prevacid right away and long before I knew what a lap-band even was. But the memory of the pain is still very vivid. I hope you don't need to wait very long to get your GERD taken care of.

psychoticparrot

Sorry you are going through this and RNY does sound like the best solution.  You will have about two years of malabsorption which makes weight loss much easier.  Hopefully it will resolve your pain and make life easier for you.

Thanks, White Dove!  I know a lot of people who have done REALLY well with the RNY, and my surgeon is very experienced with them, too.  I never had GERD before surgery, so this is almost funny.

I didn't have GERD before my VSG, but had a horrible case after.  I revised to RNY on 7/1, 2 years and 2 months after my initial surgery.  My GERD is gone.

I'm so sorry you had to deal with that, too!  If I need the revision and it gets approved I surely will not waste any time getting it.  I feel almost guilty having to revise at 14 months out, but none of us thought I'd get it at all.  All my pre-op tests were amazing and showed not even any signs of stealth GERD.

Thank you for sharing, and I am so glad it worked out for you!

Love the positive attitude! No woes me. Nice to have a solution on the horizon.

So sorry you have had a year of severe GERD.  Glad you are covered and hope you can get this under control soon.  Best wishes.