Miserable with Heartburn

Before being sleeved, I would occasionally get heartburn that was easily controlled with a couple of days of Zegrid or a few Tums. When they did my VSG, the doctor said he repaired a hiatal hernia (that I didn't even know I had). I'll be five weeks out in two days (Tuesday - my surgery was 8/28) and I am freaking miserable. What wasn't a big issue before the surgery is now a nightmare. I have heartburn when I wake up, all throughout the day and most of the night. I'm taking Zegrid twice a day and won't leave home without a big bottle of Tums in my purse. Heartburn literally wakes me up in the morning before I've had anything to eat or drink!

Aside from the heartburn, I'm also having quite a bit of nausea. I have to assume that the two problems are connected, but I'm not sure how. All I know is that I'm only able to keep the tiniest amount of food down. Even protein shakes make me so nauseous that I can't get them down. Ironically enough though, I ate several bites of a cheese quesadilla and had no problems. What the frack?

This can't be normal...I'm calling my doctor tomorrow, but I wondered if anyone else had experienced anything like this.

Definitely call your doctor! My experience was quite the opposite. I had taken Nexium for 8-9 years and the last few years it was twice a day. My doctor found and repaired a hiatal hernia also during my vsg. I took Nexium once a day for the first couple of months and then went off it. I only have the occasional slight heartburn now that Tums takes care of immediately. Maybe you need to try something different than Zegrid. Good luck!

I've had a lot of problems with acid reflux for many years.  After the surgery, I went on a very high dosage of Protonix and am weaning down.   That way my stomach can heal without the irritation of all that acid.  I only knew to do that because I had previously had gastritis and my GI Dr. prescribed it at that time.  My surgeon had never gone that route before and wasn't a fan, but I've been working with my GI doctor, and all has been going well.  Good luck. 

Hi!
I think it's a good idea to talk to the Doc. Remember...you just had surgery and any sign or symptom could mean different things.

I take Prilosec...and before my surgery ( 9/11) it worked fine. One in the morning on an empty stomach...nothing to eat for 30 min...and I was good the rest of the day. I still take it, but I do notice some reflux at like 11pm. It goes away with a litle protein shake...but it's strange.

Before our surgery, we all knew our own bodies so well...now, we have to trust our Docs to guide us as this is all new and how our bodies respond is different.

Go easy...it'll all come together
~Deb

Thank you for the feedback...it'll be interesting to see how my doctor chooses to treat this. Something has to give though because the constant pain and trouble eating has quickly become both frustrating and depressing. That's not to say I'm depressed, just disappointed that I'm having so many issues with  my sleeve. I'll give feedback soon as to what the doctor does and the results I have.

Thank you!

 I have been the Exact same way! My sleeve was 8/27.  Before the sleeve prilosec did the trick when I had an attack that woud last  a week or so.  I am now on Prevacid 2x a day and Reglan.  It was so bad I couldnt even drink liquids. Everything made me burp and came shooting back up.   I was dry heaving and not even getting any protein in for days.  i had to lay on couch pillows at night to even get rest.    My reflux is definatley worse!! I have had an upper GI and may have to do a EGD next if it does not get better.  I have been tolerating a few more foods and drinking a few more ounces the last  few days.  I am hoping the Dr.  is right and I am just more swollen than most people and need more time to heal.   Your not alone!!

Amazing...exact same experience here! Doctor put me on Reglan and Prevacid (3x per day for me) and the change has been amazing. I slept on my back for the first time last night without a ton of pillows to prop me up. My doctor basically said the same thing as yours and that I just needed to go easy on my stomach for a while longer and allow it more time to heal. I was trying to follow the post op plan and move on to more foods and my body just wasn't ready. The change totally ticked off my stomach and the doctor said it needed time to calm down so healing could resume. She put me back on a liquid diet for a week and said I could slowly go back to other foods in steps (just like we did for the post op diet, but doing each step over a couple of days versus a week or more). I had hit the point that I was so desperately depressed and was scared to death that this was my new "normal"...thanking God for modern medicine and a doctor that knows how to use them! So sorry you had to go through this too!