Acid Reflux

[Trastan]

I am now three months post op and have been taking a daily ant-acid that I was just getting at the pharmacy. It is the local pharmacy no name brand that they keep behind the counter. The last time I went to get some the pharmacist told me that I shouldn't be taking an ant-acid for more then three weeks. He sold it to me but said he wouldn't sell me any more till I went to the doctor and got a prescription for one. He told me it could be a complication from the surgery. I tried to explain that acid reflux isn't a complication from surgery it is a side effect. Has anyone else been advised that they shouldn't be taking an ant-acid for more then three weeks. The previous pharmacist that I had bought from told me I could take them for up to a year. Seems silly to waste a doctors and mine time to just get an ant-acid. I am just curious if others have been advised not to take them? I tried not taking one on Saturday and was awake the whole night with acid reflux.

[Ann2]

Go ahead and get a scrip. My surgeon put me on a PPI for 4 months, then I went back to my regular H-2 blocker antacid (which I'd been on for years pre-op).

BTW, I think your pharmacist is an idiot. NOBODY goes on any kind of antacid for only 3 weeks.

[b02whitety]

Hllo my doctor told me to take them for 6 month and im 4 weeks post ops i forgot to take it one night and it was horrible ill just follow what the doctor
said ...

[Christie13]

The prescription you get from the doctor will be better anyways! And I agree with Ann....he sounds like a flake.

[Sandra3]

I agree with Ann's diagnostic: your pharmacist is an idiot who knows nothing about bariatric surgery.

My surgeon gives all his patients a prescription for a PPI from day one. Some take it one month and they are fine, for many it's longer.
I took Lanzoprazole 30 mg for a little more than 6 months, then took 15 mg for six more months.
I took my time and did it gradually but my goal was to stop that medication for good, because there's a lot of side effects and the last studies about it are really scary.

Anyway, it's important to protect your sleeve and the PPI does the job. I did suffer from side effects so I wanted to stop it asap but each time I tried it was impossible. I took Tums to help when I did cut the dosage in half. Again when I stopped completely. At first the fire is worth than ever, but then it will decrease in a few days.
Having your dinner three hours before bed time, no drinks 30 mns before and after a meal, watching your diet will also help to stop it. I also got that book in March to help "The Acid Watcher Diet: A 28-Day Reflux Prevention and Healing Program " and I did find some good tricks.

Now about the prescription, it's important that you discuss what medication you take with your surgeon. I always did with mine, even emailing from overseas when I had to take a treatment for my infection (I was 5 months out) to make sure the medication was fine for my sleeve.

Once he is on board, you could find your PPI at Walmart! I could get mine from a shelve, no need for a pharmacist (or you could even order online as well). That what I did when I was in the US last year because it was much cheaper than in Asia where I currently live, but also they had my 15mg dosage when I could only find 30mg in my country of residence.

[Trastan]

I agree the pharmacist was an idiot. I was so mad! I couldn't believe he didn't want to sell me an ant-acid. He is the owner so I couldn't argue with him but my husband has had problems with him in the past. He won't fill a prescription if it is due one day early. I guess I will get my prescription and atleast it will be covered under my drug plan then and maybe change pharmacies. I was just happy because the one I was using was working great and wanted to stick with the same one. Oh well I am sure there are other ones that will work just as good or better. I was just curious if anyone else had been told that you shouldn't take one for more then three weeks.

[sraebaer]

I was put on it just as a precaution for one month after surgery, so for 30 days. After that I didn't need it. If he said three weeks, he doesn't know what he's talking about. Some people need it much longer!

[Trastan]

I had to laugh because I went to my doctor today to get the prescription and the pharmacist happened to be there waiting to see the doctor too. So I told the doctor what he said and he just said oh I just saw him. He then gave me crap and said I shouldn't have had the surgery and I never would have been approved for it here in Canada. I was quite mad because he can say that now when he sees me and I am 45 lbs lighter. I was in the high end of obese scale prior to surgery borderline morbidly obese. My weight had just kept going up and up each time I quit dieting. I knew within another year I would be moribidly obese and have major health problems. I felt defeated and new I could never get to a healthy weight on my own. Anyways as I left he made a comment to me that the pharmacist needed to lose weight. I had to chuckle which is horrible of me but after the pharmacist refusing to sell me an ant-acid I took a little enjoyment out of that. Normally I would never be so catty but after having been given crap for having the surgery(oh and he told me that I will eventually need to have my gall bladder removed because I had the surgery) and the pharmacist telling me I shouldn't be taking an ant-acid for more then three weeks I was frustrated.
I think a lot of people look at me like I was trying to take the easy way out and just had the surgery out of vanity. They don't understand the frustration of dieting and dieting for months on end then to have it all rebound plus some after. My fear was it was getting out of control and I did not want my life to be a constant diet. I needed a lifestyle change and that is what this is but I can still treat myself every now and then and not feel so guilty afterwards that I would just want to binge eat. I feel so much healthier then I ever have. I have way more energy and want to be on the move constantly where as I was always so drained when I was dieting and had no energy. I am getting close to being in the normal bmi range and once I get a bit lower I want to quit smoking. I know that there will be a large weight gain with it as my metabolism slows. It is inevitable but if I am not extremely obese already I will be ok with gaining some weight.

[Sandra3]

Hey Tracey,

Seems to me you are not lucky on the medical side, neither your GP or pharmacist are professionals! but the doctor criticizing the pharmacist and vice versa is a big classic, you should see family reunions on my side of the family shame on them, it will almost always finish with name calling! the doctor is a "fortune teller" and the pharmacist " a rug sale's man" and those are the nice ones....

Anyway, the gall bladder is not removed for all patients after bariatric surgery, but unfortunately for a few who lose really quickly and a lot of weight is does happen. I lost a lot of weight all together but it was slow and I didn't need to get it removed. My surgeon has been monitoring me on that aspect because my BMI was really high.

Obesity is a disease and even if you didn't have a BMI over 40, in many countries when you have two comorbidities you are covered by the insurance for bariatric surgery. If your GP knows nothing about bariatric surgery can you get a new one who's better informed? because you will need to do regular blood tests check you D vitamin, iron etc and having a supportive doctor is also an important part of the process. Many doctor know nothing about the complexity of obesity. Still today many think it's just a matter of eating the right amount of calories to lose weight. It's not that simple and indeed bariatric surgery is extreme but it has been proven that nothing really works long term besides bariatric surgery. I wish I could have done it sooner...the world is full of negative Nellies...the key is to ignore them. You are the only one who can decide what's good for your health, even doctors can make inappropriate comments!

Regarding the smoking, because I was a heavy smoker (until 21 years ago) and I stopped for good when I knew I was pregnant, I will give you my two cents.
First smoking for me was really stupid, I have asthma, and did cost a lot but the cost is even worth today. I smoked for six years, with the money that turned into smoke I could have done great things (vacations...new car...you name it) but instead I paid to damage my lungs. But I lived in France at that time, everybody was smoking. Today it's different, it's actually the opposite and people who smoke get bad looks.
If I was you I would stop smoking right now. Your restriction is really good right now, but it's going to increase little by little. Smoking does suppress hunger but right now your sleeve is at it's full potential and in a few months you will be able to eat much more. Time is flying! At three months I could eat half a cup, 6 or 7 months one cup. After 12 months it was half a plate and it didn't move since, and I will not eat more anyway. So since you have the best restriction right now, with a good nutrition and your sleeve's help stopping smoking right now will not make you gain weight.
At 5 months I had to have a treatment that usually make me gain weight like crazy, before the sleeve I could gain 15 pounds in three days and it would take months to lose it. Since I had the sleeve to help I gained "only 8 pounds" and in two weeks those were gone with a bonus!
I'm pretty sure you can quit right now and not gain weight at all!

Keep us posted! good luck and take care!

[Trastan]

Thanks Sandra! To be honest I never actually thought about that aspect that when my restriction becomes less it would be much easier to gain weight when quitting smoking. I have been so focused on trying to lose so that I can afford to gain some that I never really took that into consideration. Last year when I tried to quit I gained 25 lbs in six weeks! I was so depressed and defeated especially after I had struggled and struggled to lose weight prior to that. I eventually figured that the weight gain was probably just as unhealthy as the smoking so I started again in fear of what my weight would be in another months time. But what you say makes so much sense. I guess I need to go back to my dr and get my prescription for Champex to quit now! Thanks for the advise!

[azladyrider]

Buy them online from Amazon or whoever - never heard of a pharmacist refusing to sell them but then again why would you go to the pharmacy anyway? They're OTC so it's a regular checkout at the front counter not the pharmacy

[azladyrider]

If you mean Chantix do NOT do it ! NO WAY NO HOW! I took one dose and felt absolutely horrid - every person I know that's ever taken that garbage has had horrid side effects. I took one and tossed the rest

Thanks Sandra! To be honest I never actually thought about that aspect that when my restriction becomes less it would be much easier to gain weight when quitting smoking. I have been so focused on trying to lose so that I can afford to gain some that I never really took that into consideration. Last year when I tried to quit I gained 25 lbs in six weeks! I was so depressed and defeated especially after I had struggled and struggled to lose weight prior to that. I eventually figured that the weight gain was probably just as unhealthy as the smoking so I started again in fear of what my weight would be in another months time. But what you say makes so much sense. I guess I need to go back to my dr and get my prescription for Champex to quit now! Thanks for the advise!

[belle69142]

Thanks Sandra! To be honest I never actually thought about that aspect that when my restriction becomes less it would be much easier to gain weight when quitting smoking. I have been so focused on trying to lose so that I can afford to gain some that I never really took that into consideration. Last year when I tried to quit I gained 25 lbs in six weeks! I was so depressed and defeated especially after I had struggled and struggled to lose weight prior to that. I eventually figured that the weight gain was probably just as unhealthy as the smoking so I started again in fear of what my weight would be in another months time. But what you say makes so much sense. I guess I need to go back to my dr and get my prescription for Champex to quit now! Thanks for the advise!

I took Chantix for 5 months.. it was a blessing.. I smoked for 24 years 1-2 packs a day.. haven't smoked now for going on 9 years... I took the full dose the first month.. then my doctor suggested just taking 1 pill a day.. so one pack lasted 2 months.. it was perfect and I am so glad I did it.. everyone has different side affects to medicine.. so take everyone's comments with an open mind. some it works for and some it doesn't.