Breathing problems, posture and hernia are all related ?

This sounds exactly like me... in effect, it IS me. I love to eat, but the slightest thing causes me to "lock up" in terms of my breathing. I feel overly full (not from overeating), bloated, and I get so thirsty. I drink a lot of water (or club soda). Note that I have been checked for diabetes, so I can rule that out.

Only just come accross this site and this post so don't know how far on you are with it.

I have recently been diagnosed with early stage COPD [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease].

I also have a hiatus hernia diagnosed c10yrs ago but was never informed that it can affect breathing. The problem is that stomach acid is very strong and when lying down at night, even if there is no acid reflux, the fumes settle on the chest and I used to wake up coughing during the night.

The problem is that I had previously been prescribed ppi's to cut stomach acid which only exacerbated my condition! I do not suffer with acid reflux and several years ago my acid levels were monitored [one of those tubes put down the back of the nose into the stomach with a little machine to record acid levels and worn over the weekend - not very comfortable as I have a strong 'gag' reflex so had to remember to move slowly :-D ].

As with so many people with stomach discomfort and associated problems it was discovered that I produce too ittle acid resulting in poor digestion which may account for the fact that I developed gallstones and subsequently had it removed due to a thickened wall but which results in putting an extra strain on the liver once the gallbladder is removed!

I also suffer with 'leaky gut' etc. and in the past have been diagnosed with chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia - the list is endless! I was prescribed codeine for joint and muscle pain - but this leads to constipation as a result of sloqing down the digestive process a it is morphine-based...

So many problems and syptoms people experience are bound up together - one problem leading to another. 

What was it that famous physician said "You are what you eat" :-) 

The internet has many problems but after 25+yrs of suffering since its inception I have learnt so much [of course you have to be discerning as there are a lot of quacks' out there] - and have implemented so many lifestyle changes especially with diet - and all to the good!

Here are two excellent sites which although they have things to sell have many articles and videos [all free] packed with information to educate people - plus there are many more but these two are my 'go-to' ones...

https://draxe.com/

https://www.globalhealingcenter.com/

Take your pick from the following :-)

https://www.naturalnewsblogs.com/

Hi I’m so glad also I found this site. I was just sitting here thinking about what am I going to eat so not to affect my stomach and breathing .I’ve been to doctors about it one doctor said I had COPD and another doctor took some test and he’s not sure about it and he says they did not find anything  on the test . And although I am not a doctor either sometimes you know your own body and all along I felt something in the stomach and I’m almost sure of that. As I breathe it doesn’t feel like a long problem it feels like something in the stomach is stopping me from breathing . And then I have occasional pain sometimes pressure.So anyway needless to tell you I’m pretty fed up so I’m going to go to another specialist for another opinion if you don’t mind would you tell me anything  you found out about this I knew .In the meantime I’m going to get back to dreading what I’m going to eat for dinner but trying to keep a positive attitude thank you for your story, Martin

Correction to my last post I meant to say “it does not feel like a lung problem not long problem”😶

Hi, i've had a hiatus hernia for a number of years now and i am asthmatic too; its easy to get both confused because your HH WILL give you a cough and a wheeze. My wheeze and cough are a nightmare as i am asthmatic anyway; i've had this hellish cough for a while now. I am due to have an operation this year for my HH.

You will find that your doctor at the General Surgery dept will order the gastroscope (down the throat for a look around in there), they might send you for a sigmoidoscope but for HH it may not be required as HH is all 'upstairs". A doctor in this dept will want to explore all relevant avenues and tick ALL the boxes and this will include Ph testing and Manometry. Ph and Manometry is carried out at your ENT dept; they pass a tube through your nostril down the throat and have you drink a series of 10cc's of water, also they may give you a small sandwich to eat during it. The tube is full of sensors that measure the pressure of your swallowing; the PH is done the same way but the tube is much thinner and longer, its designed to go to at least the oesophagus valve and you will have it attached to a small matter (looks like a disc-man) and you will have this in place for an overnight period at home. It had a 'heartburn button on it and this is to be pressed each time you get heartburn; i was getting it ALL the time.

Another thing about PH and Manometry is that you have to pause your preventive meds for a week before it (e.g. Omeprazole, Ranitidine etc); you CAN keep using your instant relief meds (Peptac, Gaviscon etc) but only up to 24hrs before you get for the test. You have to stop then because they want to see exactly whats going on without treatments. My heartburn was terrible in that time, and you cant use your instant relief medicine at all until the tube has been in overnight and they take it out the following morning.

Normally this test is the last one before they decide on surgery. It doesnt matter if they send you to a different hospital for this because it all goes on their systems and network; no more carrier pigeons, smoke signals or post man!

IF they decide you are to have surgery they will carry out a Nissen Laparoscopic Fundoplocation, after it you cant eat solid at all for a few weeks, it'll be soup, smoothies, yogurt or blended food and near the end of 6 weeks your food has to be soft food; you wont be able to drink fizzy drinks or beer in this time. at the end of 6 weeks you may be able to experiment with what foods you eat as you go along.

I read that people who have HH also have asthma, but even if you dont it does feel like you're short of breath and have a terrible cough like a seal bark! My GP has checked and my lungs are clear; its my throat thats causing the issue due to many years of hiatus hernia. I cant do much energetic stuff at all and only gently in short periods at a time. When i bend over i feel as if my lungs are being squashed and find it very hard to breathe at all (not much use when building a fence, because i couldnt put any nails in that were low down, had to get someone else to do the low bits). I did think it was my asthma but its not.

I hope this helps and answers some questions for you. These are all my findings, based on my experiences so far, I am to see the surgeon early next month and find out how soon i can get my operation, but i was told it would be a few weeks in May this year.

Hi, further to my first reply, you may find that an adjustable bed works; i have noe and i keep the area at my head up all the time, and also find i dont need a pillow.

I have identified what foods set my HH off, and its quite a wide range, it used to be just spicy and hot foods, but greasy food can do it too. I had a balloon trawl done too at my last gastroscope; its a small attachment to the scope that can inflate to widen the airway, they trawled mine at 20mm. I was finding certain foods were getting stuck and took a LOOOOOOONNNNNGGG time to go down - painfully! I found that drinking on top to help it makes it worse as it pushes the food down making it a very painful and distressing transition! (I thought i was gonna pass out);  Foods that can do this are bread, potatoes and boiled rice! as they tend to be a mass of dry food that can glut in the

throat. Hope this helps. Kind regards, markh75