Gastric Bypass and Hernia Repair

Question
Four weeks ago I had roux-n-y along with the repair of a hiatal hernia. My recovery is going well with the exception that I have a gurgling/growling sound every time I drink, coming from my chest area, which I assume is the area of the hernia repair. I have mentioned this to my surgeon and he said that it goes away. He did send me for an upper GI and the radiologist said she saw nothing out of the ordinary. What could be causing this and is it something that generally goes away?

Answer
Sheila,
The sound and/or sensation of gurgling in the lower chest or upper abdomen are fairly common after gastric bypass.  When you swallow fluid, there is also air in the area, and these are mixing in their new smaller area.  The odds are very high that this will go away with time, and the key thing is that you apparently have no sensation of pain or nausea or a sense of fluids backing up in your chest.  I am also reassured that your surgeon took you seriously and arranged an Upper GI series - if any new concerns arise then I'm sure that he/she will be right on top of this.

Best wishes!
Dr JP

1. Prev:Issues with Lapband
2. Next:bariatric