QuestionI had bariatric surgery 3 years ago in December. Have had wonderful experience, except, from the very beginning i burp excessively. No matter if i drink water, or dont drink anything i burp. If i eat or dont eat i burp. I wake up in the morning and burp. The only relieve i get is if i lay down on my side it stops and sometimes even with laying down it takes a while for it to stop. I have had NUBEROUS, test, with no answers. I had tried probiotics, antacids, antibiotics, no milk products, milk products. I know that ice cream and things that are very sweet make me go off like crazy. At times i feel like, when you put vinegar in baking soda together and how they explode, that is how my stomach feesl at times. I am so tired of burping, it makes me feel sometimes like i am loosing my breath i burp so much, and these are deep down beer belching burps. I dont drink sodas, i drink mostly water or crystal light flavored water. Please, Please help me.
AnswerWendy,
I am sorry to hear about this problem that is obviously bothering you a lot.
Our usual understanding is that burping is caused first by swallowing air. We often have patients who experience more burping for a few weeks after their gastric bypass but it goes away on its own in every case I have seen. When you describe the pressure buildup, my thought is that you may have a partial kink or twist of your intestine at some distance downstream from your stomach pouch, but usually a patient would noticed difficulty eating and drinking more so than pressure and belching. In any case, this possibility could be tested using a CT scan or Upper GI X-ray, and if a problem is found then it could be surgically corrected. If the X-rays have already been done then I must confess I am at a loss.
Best wishes,
Dr JP
