Gastric Bypass Cured My GERD

I once suffered terribly from GERD. I can clearly recall the burning in my throat and mouth. So intense, it would awaken me from sleep gasping for air and unable to talk. The very first time it happened, I had no idea what was going on and I was panicked.

In 2003, I had gastric bypass surgery. I lost weight quickly, a total of 100-lbs. in all. Thinking back, I believe that my GERD was cured immediately after the surgery. It is a big relief and one of the many health benefits I recieved from my weight-loss surgery.

How Can Gastric Bypass Surgery Cure GERD?

The reason gastric bypass surgery can cure GERD is that the very small upper stomach (the pouch) created during the surgery has very few cells that can produce acid. The acid producing portion of the stomach is disconnected from the esophagus. So the GERD usually goes away -- often on the first day after the gastric bypass is complete.

Patients no longer have acid reflux. They are free from the symptoms of GERD. This gives the esophagus time to heal, and stops the ongoing chronic injury caused by acid reflux.

References
Gulf Coast Bariatrics http://www.gulfcoastbariatrics.com/weight-loss-surgery-blog/gastric-bypass-relieves-gerd-syndromes-in-most-obese-patients accessed on 4/17/12
Texas GERD Institute http://www.gerdcare.org/obesity-gerd.htm accessed 4/17/12
USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/story/health/story/2011-12-23/As-obesity-rises-more-suffer-from-acid-reflux/52188004/1 accessed 4/17/12
WebMD http://www.webmd.com/heartburn-gerd/guide/reflux-disease-gerd-1 accessed 4/17/12
Poplowski Baritric http://www.poplawskibariatric.com/blog-1/bid/123301/Gastric-Bypass-as-a-Cure-for-GERD accessed 4/24/12

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My Story...

You can read about my decision to have weight loss surgery back in 2003 and my journey to maintain a lifetime of obesity disease management since that time. My wish is to help you on your own journey of lifetime obesity disease management with shareposts along the way to help you navigate that journey successfully.