If you are about to get your weight loss surgery or have had it done recently, you are probably looking for information regarding possible complications. One of the issues associated with weight loss surgery is GERD or acid reflux. While it is not the most common laparoscopic bariatric surgery side effect, it is undoubtedly one of the most uncomfortable. Not only is GERD painful, but it can affect the quality of your life. Luckily it can also be treated after weight loss surgery, and patients report complete elimination of this side-effect after their weight loss surgery. However, weight loss clinics such as LI Obesity Surgery recommend that you inform any symptoms to your surgeon if they appear following your surgery.
There are different ways you can manage the side effects resulting from bariatric surgery with the help of your surgeon and weight loss doctor. If you want to know more about your choices if you experience GERD after weight loss surgery, we suggest you keep reading to find out more about your options.
What Are Your Options if You Develop Gerd After Your Bariatric Surgery Here in Long Island?
Luckily treating GERD caused by a bariatric procedure is not impossible, and with proper intervention, you get your bariatric surgery-induced gastric issues under control. Bariatric surgery-related GERD is treated through three primary methods here in Long Island and around the US. And without further ado, here are different ways it is treated after bariatric surgery:
Medication: The preferred method to treat bariatric surgery-related GERD is with the help of drugs. Your doctor will prescribe proton pump inhibitors for up to six months after your surgery to reduce the risk. These medications have been proven to reduce and even eliminate gastric issues. However, these drugs only help manage the symptoms and not the cause. If your GERD symptoms persist after stopping medication after six months, then your doctor may take steps to investigate the causes.
Surgical intervention: If medication fails to control GERD after weight loss surgery, the other weight loss surgery-related gastric problems treatment options include surgery. Surgical intervention is usually needed if the cause of your GERD is found to be a hiatal hernia. However, you can also consider it a bariatric surgery revision procedure because it often involves converting your gastric sleeve surgery into gastric bypass surgery. That is because individuals who have had weight loss surgery can’t get traditional acid reflux surgery. However, surgical intervention is often used as the last resort and therefore, your doctor will do everything else before going for bariatric surgery revision to treat GERD.
Endoscopic GERD treatment: Endoscopic GERD treatment is another way to treat acid reflux after weight loss surgery; this is non-surgical, and you can get it as an outpatient procedure.
How Does Weight Loss Surgery Gets Rid of Gerd?
Since obese individuals are more likely to develop GERD, getting weight loss surgery done is considered an effective way to get rid of it. In most cases, patients who get weight loss surgery report instant relief from GERD related discomfort or experience reduced intensity of symptoms. However, medical experts aren’t sure about the exact relationship between GERD and obesity. While weight loss surgery is not exclusively performed to treat GERD, it is a bonus benefit of weight loss surgery that you can expect once you go through the procedure.
Bariatric surgery is performed here in Long Island and around the US with a low risk of complications. However, should you experience symptoms of GERD or other digestive issues after your surgery, it is best to contact your doctor. Timely detection can ensure that your condition can be treated using drugs so it doesn’t progress to more advanced stages.
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