The Our Lady of the Lake Acid Reflux Center within the Our Lady of the Lake Surgeons Group of Baton Rouge specializes in treating acid reflux and gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, with the most innovative techniques and skilled surgeons.
Our surgeons are leaders in the region for advanced robotic surgery, providing a full scope of comprehensive services for acid reflux and GERD patients. Additionally, our surgeons teach advanced techniques to other surgeons locally, regionally and nationally.
The specialized care provided at our Acid Reflux Center makes Our Lady of the Lake a trusted and respected destination for patients throughout Louisiana and the region.
Want to discuss treatment options? Request a consultation today.
The specialized care provided at our Acid Reflux Center makes Our Lady of the Lake a trusted and respected destination for patients throughout Louisiana.
Want to discuss treatment options?
Request a Consultation or give us a call at (225) 769-5656.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a chronic digestive disease in which acid and bile flow back from the stomach into the esophagus, creating pain and often causing damage to the lining of the esophagus. GERD usually has a life-long negative impact on an individual’s quality of life.
While typically used interchangeably, there is a difference between these two conditions. Acid reflux refers simply to the period in which stomach acid travels up the esophagus and causes heartburn, coughing, or other symptoms. On the other hand, GERD is a chronic condition that means someone experiences acid reflux at least two times a week or has severe symptoms, including difficulty swallowing, vomiting, and more.
The stomach and the esophagus are separated by the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), which allows food to travel into the stomach and should keep acid from traveling upward. However, pressure on the stomach, certain lifestyle choices, or a weak LES can result in acid refluxing up the esophagus, causing heartburn and other symptoms.
Pressure on the stomach can be caused by:
Lifestyle choices that can cause an increase in stomach acid include:
The best and most accurate way to determine if you have GERD is to keep a journal of the symptoms you experience, as well as their frequency and severity, and share it with your doctor. Symptoms to watch out for include:
In addition to producing a wide range of unpleasant symptoms, untreated GERD can also lead to potentially serious complications, including:
Contact the Surgeons Group of Baton Rouge to discuss your surgical treatment options for GERD.
There are several types of over-the-counter (OTC) medications for acid reflux, including:
The occasional bout of acid reflux is normal and ok, but you should schedule an appointment if you notice any of the following:
Call 911 or seek emergency medical attention immediately if you notice:
While the long-term usage of a PPI has not been heavily studied, some observational studies suggest that it can increase a person's risk of developing a number of conditions, including:
There are other treatments for GERD, including:
Some patients with gastroesophageal cancer will have trouble swallowing or may not be able to tolerate food without throwing up. Make sure to report this to your doctors.
It is important that you get in enough calories per day while you are undergoing treatment and preparing for surgery. Some techniques you can do to try to maintain your calories are:
If you feel like your food will regurgitate into your windpipe, do not force it. Let you doctor know of this problem. In cases like this, some people will require placement of a temporary feeding tube to increase the number of calories they are getting in.
Many supplements can be purchased at your neighborhood pharmacy, but discounted supplements can often be found at
Cancer Services of Baton Rouge:
550 Lobdell Avenue
Baton Rouge, LA 70806
(225) 927-2273
staff@cancerservices.org
It is common for patients to require a temporary feeding tube at some point during their treatment. In most cases (but not all), the feeding tube is placed at surgery into the small intestines through a small incision in the left abdominal wall.
Once the tube is place, before you leave the hospital, you and your family will be educated about it, how to use it, and how to maintain it. After discharge, you will have a home health nurse and an infusion team come to your home on a regular basis to assist you with its maintenance.
It may be more comfortable for you to use a soft velcro belt to hold the feeding tube in place. You can purchase one on Amazon.com. Search under “gtube holder belt” to find one for purchase.
When the tube is no longer needed, your doctor can remove it in the office.
Yes. As tolerated with the precautions outlined in question 1. If you feel like your food will regurgitate into your windpipe, do not force it. Let you doctor know of this problem.
You should have several meetings scheduled with a registered dietician who will assess your food intake, make recommendations to your treatment team accordingly.
To contact one of our registered dieticians, call (225) 765-5785
Cancer is treated in 3 main ways: with surgery, with medicine (such as chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and hormone therapy), and with radiation. Not every patient will need all three types of treatments, but effective cancer treatment often requires more than one of these treatment types.
Each type of treatment is provided by a different specialist. For instance, medical therapy (like chemotherapy) is given by a medical oncologist, surgery is performed by a surgeon (or a surgical oncologist), and radiation is given by a radiation oncologist. Your specific treatment will be determined by the stage of the cancer and by many other factors.
Prior to your operation, the surgeon and anesthesiologist meet with you and your family in the preoperative holding area to answer any last-minute questions.
The anesthesia team takes you to the operating room, where they put you to sleep with intravenous (IV) medications. The anesthesiologist also places a breathing tube so you can get oxygen during the operation. The surgical team inserts special IV lines, a bladder catheter, and a stomach tube (through your nose) after you are asleep.
Most patients wake up with a small tube in their nose to drain the stomach, an abdominal drain, a tube to drain from the bladder, and sometimes a chest drainage tube. These tubes are almost always removed before you leave the hospital.
Gastric and esophageal surgery is considered a major operation, but almost all patients survive the procedure. About one-third of patients may have a complication from the operation. These complications can be major or minor and can include bleeding, infection, clots, pneumonia and heart attacks. We can usually manage most of these problems without having to perform another surgery.
Yes. In the first few days following your operation, your surgical team may want to do an X-ray swallow test before starting you on a diet to ensure that food will pass through well. If this swallow test looks good, you will likely be started on a clear liquid diet of ice, jello, juice, and broth. Depending on how you tolerate this, you may stay on this liquid diet for a few more days or you may be allowed to eat fuller, richer food.
The goal will be for you to eventually eat regular food again within the first several weeks of surgery. However, the way you eat and digest (break down) food will be very different because of the surgery. Your stomach will be smaller, or it may have been completely removed. This means you will feel full much faster than you did before your surgery, and you will not be able to eat 3 big meals like before. In fact, if you eat too much at one sitting, you could experience symptoms like abdominal pain, nausea, dizziness, or rapid diarrhea. So adherence to this special diet is very important. More details about your post-surgical diet can be found in the nutrition guide.
If a large part of your stomach was removed during your surgery, you may need to take extra vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 can be given as an oral supplement (such as a pill), in the nose, or as a monthly shot.
An abdominal nerve block is typically done by the anesthesia team in the OR after you go to sleep. We take great care to work with your nurses and treatment team to ensure your pain is managed adequately.
Pain medications can be taken by mouth after eating is resumed or through the feeding tube as well. Patients go home from the hospital with a limited supply of the appropriate (by mouth) pain pills.
Our goal is for you to return to normal activity with time, and we want you to start by getting out of bed and to begin walking the day after your operation. Having said that, you should not lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk and avoid any strenuous physical activity for at least two months after your surgery. Please check with your surgeon before driving, working or participating in sexual activity.
Yes. Most patients return for a routine postoperative checkup within three weeks of surgery. Follow up after this will depend on how rapid your recovery is and whether you need any additional treatment.
Contact your healthcare provider if you have:
If you have any questions or concerns, please talk with your surgeon or nurse. You can reach us at (225) 769-5656 Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. After 5:00 PM, during the weekend, and on holidays, you can call the same number and you will speak to the doctor who is on call for your surgeon.
