Is acid reflux manageable?

I'm still pre-op and am starting to get concerned about all I've read about how acid reflux gets really bad after VSG surgery. How many people have lasting problems?  I'm on a PPI now.  Anyone with a crystal ball know whether I'll be able to handle an increase of acid after surgery?  Maybe I'm just focusing on the few that are having problems, and am unaware of those who are managing just fine. Starting to get a little freaked out!  

I was not on a PPI before but had an occasional episode of reflux when I ate too late or too much or too fatty or fried or whatever was naughty! After surgery now 18 months, it is exactly the same situation. And I am not on a PPI. So there is hope! My surgeon told me 30% develop reflux post op. So far I am lucky but not out of the woods as who knows how these things evolve with time. Gotta not eat at night, nothing too greasy, not too much...that keeps me from having episodes.

Thanks Julia. That is helpful. 30%?  Eh, not too bad. 

I was on prilosec pre-op for acid reflux. Post-op they switched me to liquid zantac twice a day. I did well for a few weeks but then switched back to prilosec for some breakthrough acid. 

I'm three months out now and the prilosec works just fine for me. Occasionally I can feel a little extra acid so I personally just take a dose of the liquid zantac or an extra prilosec at night and it's all good. It's not usually a burning though now,  I can just feel things swishing around in there and just need it to quiet down. 

As always,  every person is different and your surgeon should be able to give you better info knowing your personal history. 

Thanks for your input!

I am not quite a year out yet, but I have not had to take a PPI since four months out.  I have not had any reflux issues since surgery at all, just some extra acid during the first couple months while I was healing.  Before surgery, I would wake up choking on the acid about once a month or so, plus all the heartburn and such during the day.

Wow, so your reflux got better after surgery!  Awesome!  Thanks for the input!

Pre-op, only when i was pregnant, I got really bad refulx and i was on prilosec. Then through the years, when I ate bad or too fast, I would get it occasionally. Post-op doctor advised that I had to be on Protronix for at least the first 3 months. I am just at like 14 weeks post surgery, and i need to use it every now and then and have been weaning off. Again, if I eat too late at night or just a little over what I am supposed to eat, I start to feel the burn. Now, I am just spot treating it when it comes. Everyone is different, so a crystal ball isn't going to work here unfortunately :)

I wasn't aware that I had acid reflux issues prior to surgery (but I probably did).  Post-op I had one of the worst cases my doctor says he's ever seen.   Had to try 3 different medications until we hit on one that worked (most of the time) and that I wasn't allergic to.  With the first two I broke out in horrible hives all over.   

I take Protonix once a day and tried going off it in November.  The rebound acid effect, which is normal and expected, was pretty horrible.  I held out for a couple months but found myself eating more and more often to deal with the acid.  So I went back on the Protonix.  I'm going to wait a couple months and then try weaning off it again. 

Bottom line:  excess acid production and severe reflux issues are worse for you than taking the PPI on a long-term basis.  Will you have the problem?   Statistics would say "yes"; but if the meds you are taking now help you they should also help you post-op.  It can be managed. 

If I can manage it with medication, fine.  I just don't want it to be unmanageable and debilitating as I've heard from others on the board.