NorCal Heartburn Clinic
14901 National Ave, Suite 201, Los Gatos, CA
(408) 688-2149
Proudly serving the Bay Area
Ditch the heartburn meds and avoid the risk of cancer.
A simple 30-minute procedure is all it takes.
Quick and Easy Procedure
A modern procedure called "Laparosopic Fundoplication" allows you to have virtually zero downtime.
Covered by Most Insurances
Our team negotiates with your insurance company, ensuring they will pay BEFORE you move forward.
As Painless as Can Possibly Be
We utilize a special treatment which allows you to be up and out of bed as soon as you are awake.
we love patient education
3 Things Our Previous Patients Asked Us To Share With You
"i wish i would have known..."
Heartburn is your body's built-in alarm system.
Acid reflux is your body’s way of telling you that something is very wrong. Unfortunately, most doctor’s will prescribe you a lifetime of acid reflux medication and send you on your way.
Not only does this lead to unwanted side effects like increased infections, kidney disease, and weight gain, it's the equivalent of pretending like the fire alarm isn’t going off, at all.
"My doctor never told me..."
Heartburn medicine fails to protect you from getting cancer.
Did you know that heartburn medication doesn’t stop reflux? It only dulls the discomfort that your reflux is causing.
Said differently, digestive juices are still flooding your esophagus each time you eat—significantly increasing your risk of developing esophageal cancer.
"I was surprised to learn..."
Most doctors graduate without learning how to fix reflux.
There are literally countless things to learn about the human body in medical school. That's why most doctors think that heartburn can only be treated with drugs.
Fortunately, there are doctors called Gastrointestinal Foregut Physicians who are hyper-specialized in learning how to permanently correct all the problems associated with heartburn and acid reflux.
Meet Dr. Colin Dunn
Board-Certified Gastrointestinal Physician
Dr. Dunn grew up in San Diego, CA. He completed his undergraduate degree in Biopsychology at UCSB, then received a Masters in Medical Sciences at Loyola Chicago. He completed medical school at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, and General Surgery Residency at Rutgers NJMS. The residency program stressed operative autonomy in both minimally invasive and open surgical techniques, with nationally-recognized Trauma, Transplant, and Bariatric Surgery Divisions.
Dr. Dunn completed two years of clinical research and pursued a special interest in Esophageal and Gastric (stomach) surgery. He completed a research fellowship at USC, where many of the discoveries for modern antireflux surgery were made. He was fortunate to have trained with world leaders in Foregut Surgery during his clinical fellowship at the Esophageal Institute in Pittsburgh.
Dr. Dunn is the author of more than 20 peer-reviewed publications, has presented at multiple national conferences, and prides himself on being the Bay Area's expert in Upper GI Problems. He is a board-certified in General Surgery and an active member of the American Foregut Society.
Am I A Candidate?
One Step At a Time
Eliminate Your Reflux in 3 Simple Steps
Setup a Free Consultation
During your zero-pressure consult, Dr. Dunn will guide you step-by-step, giving you detailed answers to all of your questions.
Complete a Quick Test
After your consultation, our team will help you schedule a quick test that will ensure you are a candidate for the procedure.
Book Your Procedure
Once your results come back, we will find a day and time that works well for you to eliminate your reflux!
Am I A Candidate?
One focus. Extraordinary results.
Correcting reflux is literally all we do.
As one of Dr. Dunn’s patients, you can expect to receive the most state-of-the-art gastroesophageal care available in the world.
Via the use of devices such as the LINX® Reflux Management System and Nissen / Toupet Fundoplication, you will be benefiting from literally countless hours of proven technique research and device innovation.
Am I A Candidate?
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100%
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we love answering your questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What symptoms are caused by acid reflux/hiatal hernias?
The esophagus is not meant to be in an acidic environment. When acid and fluid refluxes back up into the esophagus from the stomach, you can feel heartburn (burning and pain below the breastbone).
Sometimes this can cause severe chest pain, called an esophageal spasm (feels like a heart attack). With lots of damage from acid, the esophagus stops squeezing normally so food can get stuck. This is called dysphagia. Sometimes you can have reflux that goes all the way into your mouth (called regurgitation).
You can also have shortness of breath when acid goes down into your wind pipe, causing acute asthma flairs. Some patients have such bad reflux that they have multiple pneumonias which require them to go to the hospital for antibiotics. Large hiatal hernias can sometimes push on the heart, causing shortness of breath or dizziness.
Also, sometimes the stomach can twist on itself up in the chest, causing vomiting and severe pain (gastric volvulus). This is an emergency, where the stomach can die if the patient does not visit the emergency room quickly. Finally, large hiatal hernias can actually damage the inner lining of the stomach, leading to chronic bleeding and anemia. Patients feel exhausted and short of breath because of the bleeding caused by the hernia. These are called Cameron’s ulcers.
If my symptoms are controlled on medications, can’t I just stay on them forever?
Some people do, but there are 3 reasons why you should think about getting off: cost, side-effects, and risk of cancer.
Research has shown that early anti-reflux surgery is cheaper in the long run than paying for multiple medications. Also, there are many associations between these medications and various side effects, such as infections of the colon, kidney stones, osteoporosis, dementia, vitamin deficiencies, weight gain, etc. People who are on these medications long term have higher rates of these problems.
Finally, the medications don’t stop reflux, they just make the reflux not acidic so you don’t feel it. The problem is still there, you are only masking it. Non-acidic reflux (silent reflux) can still put you at risk for certain types of esophageal cancer, as well as pneumonias, asthma flairs, and all of the other problems described above.
What does the procedure actually do?
The procedure fixes the hole in your diaphragm, so the stomach can’t slip up into the chest. It also strengthens the barrier between the esophagus and stomach.
It either does this by wrapping a very small part of the stomach behind the area, or by placing the new LINX device to strengthen the area.
Which version of the procedure is best for me?
This really depends on your discussion with Dr. Dunn in your free consultation. The good news is, each version of the procedure works really well and people are happy afterwards. In fact, nearly everyone ends up recommending the procedure to a friend with the same condition—and when asked 5 years later or more, they still feel like the procedure was an excellent choice.
Will I need to stay in the hospital for this procedure?
Most patients undergoing a laparoscopic anti-reflux procedure prefer to stay in the hospital for 1 day. However, some patients are able to go home on the same day.
Will I have pain after the surgery?
Patients do not feel much pain because the area where the procedure takes place is quite small. Additionally, we do a nerve block during the procedure, which blocks pain for the first 24 hours.
Most patients only require one or two doses of a prescription pain pill, then pain is well managed with just over the counter Tylenol.
What is the recovery like?
Because the procedure takes place over a small area, you will be up and walking around the day after. You can shower normally, but long soaking in a hot tub could cause trouble to the focus sites, so please stay away from hot tubs or swimming for the first 2 weeks.
You will have diet instructions sent to you, but the diet is easy to follow and quickly brings you back to normal within two weeks. We ask that you don’t lift anything greater than 10 pounds for 4 weeks. Otherwise there are no limitations.
What will my diet be like after the procedure?
After your anti-reflux procedure, you will need to follow a modified diet for the first few days. You will discuss all the details with Dr. Dunn during your consultation.
Will my results be permanent?
The goal is for you to never need another procedure, and most patients never need one. There is a rate of recurrence at 10 years out, but even these patients don't have any symptoms. Unless the patient is extremely frail, the surgery will prolong the patient’s life.
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TESTIMONIALS
What Our Patients Say
"Dr. Dunn was thorough and informative. I didn't feel rushed, and he was very kind."
"Dr. Dunn's character, knowledge, and enthusiasm made me feel so comfortable with my decision."
"I felt like Dr. Dunn treated me like one of his family members, which I truly appreciated."
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NorCal Integrity Surgery
SOUTH BAY OFFICE
14901 National Ave
Suite 201
Los Gatos, CA 95032
(408) 688-5871
Monday through Friday
8:00am to 6:00pm
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