Here’s When to Consider Surgery for Your Acid Reflux

Your stomach contains acid that breaks down food. Your esophageal sphincter muscle at the top of your stomach keeps the acid inside, but sometimes, it relaxes at the wrong time and the contents of your stomach travel back up your esophagus.

When this happens, you get acid reflux — or heartburn. Most people experience acid reflux from time to time, but for some, it’s a chronic and painful problem.

Chronic acid reflux, or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), affects 20% of people in the United States, or 1 in 5 Americans. If you regularly get heartburn more than twice a week, you could have GERD, and you might need surgery to fix it.

As specialists in abdominal robotic surgery at North Tarrant Health Providers in Fort Worth, Texas, Balaguru Sambandam, MD, FACS, and our team can help. Let’s explore the tell-tale signs that it may be time to consider surgery for your acid reflux.

Lifestyle changes aren’t effective

Your habits could be contributing to your acid reflux, and making lifestyle adjustments could relieve your symptoms without medication or surgery. A few changes to try include eating smaller meals more frequently, eating slowly, and avoiding food 2-3 hours before you go to sleep.

Certain foods and drinks can make acid reflux worse. Some of these are:

• Alcohol
• Caffeine
• Citrus
• Tomatoes
• Chocolate
• Onions 
• Spicy foods

Consider keeping a food journal to identify your triggers, then work to eliminate them from your diet to control acid reflux symptoms naturally. 

Medication isn’t working

Numerous over-the-counter and prescription medications are available for acid reflux. Before turning to surgery, Dr. Sambandam typically recommends trying a combination of medications to find out if they relieve your symptoms.

The most common medications include antacids to neutralize stomach acid and acid blockers to slow stomach acid production and reduce your symptoms over time. For many people, a combination of lifestyle changes and medication sufficiently relieves acid reflux.

You have a hiatal hernia

Most of the time, GERD develops on its own. But in some cases, it’s a complication of another health issue — like a hiatal hernia.

A hiatal hernia forms when your upper stomach pushes up through the hole in your diaphragm where your esophagus is. Hiatal hernias usually aren’t painful, but they can lead to a backflow of stomach acid into your esophagus that causes heartburn and other symptoms of GERD. Hernias don’t heal on their own.

What to expect with acid reflux surgery

If conservative treatment doesn’t relieve your GERD, it might be time to consider surgery. Dr. Sambandam and our team specialize in robotic abdominal surgery, and we’re here to help you learn more about your options.

First, we do a physical exam and ask about any treatments you’ve already tried. After fully investigating and diagnosing your condition, we may recommend one of two surgeries:

Nissen fundoplication

Nissen fundoplication is the most common GERD surgery. Dr. Sambandam uses robotic instruments to wrap the top of your stomach around the base of your esophagus, tightening the sphincter to reduce acid backflow.

Hiatal hernia repair

If you have a hiatal hernia, you might need surgery to repair it. During the procedure, Dr. Sambandam repositions your stomach and makes the hole in your diaphragm smaller. Treating the hernia helps reduce acid backflow and reflux symptoms.

Both of these surgeries can offer long-term relief from heartburn and other GERD symptoms, especially if lifestyle changes and medication aren’t enough.

You don’t have to suffer the discomfort of chronic acid reflux. Call North Tarrant Health Providers at 817-904-4165, or request an appointment online to find out if you’re a good candidate for acid reflux surgery.