Gastro problems
Posted , 7 users are following.
Hi I have been having telephone appointments with my GP over the last 3 week. I have a hiatus hernia and he basing his ideas on that. he has sent me prescriptions for omeprazole, lansoprazole and gaviscon. this current situation is preventing me having physical examination but I honestly feel as though I have some sort of blockage in my upper stomach/rib area and it seems to get worse each day. I feel like tightness around my rib cage area and the continual 'blockage ' feeling is in the centre just below my bust line. can anyone please help? thank you
0 likes, 10 replies
ray68221 Laughlin
Posted
could potentially be an ulcer....I had those symptoms when I had one. They take a couple months to heal so keep taking the medication and make sure you are taking a sufficient dosage...ask your doctor. also dont take any nsaids.
pauline20996 ray68221
Posted
Did you get stomach pain with your ulcer as well?
ray68221 pauline20996
Posted
I sure did...right at the spot you describe...and a pressure like feeling. It took a long time to heal also. I took about omeprazole twice a day. Be sure not to take aspirin products.
westerby1 Laughlin
Edited
I have a hiatus hernia and the feeling you describe are exactly the same as I have! It is the hernia though, and to do with reflux. I feel as if something is stuck/twisted just below my sternum and I get tightness in the chest too. Even my feelings of not being able to breathe properly, and heart palpitations, are being caused by the hernia's pressure on the vagus nerve & direct pressure on the heart/diaphragm. The consultant I saw said that hernias can give no problems at all, or a whole host of weird/strange sensations due to pressure on the vagus nerve. I belch an awful lot too! Eat little and often, and raise the head of your bed by at least six inches. The gaviscon advance really helps me, especially on a night when 95% of my reflux happens. Make sure you don't eat for at least 4 hours before you lie down/go to bed.
Sgt.lindalee Laughlin
Edited
Hi Laughlin, I have a sliding hiatal hernia, didn't want to take meds forever, had open surgery(7in diagonal incision)1992, to repair it, then had a lifting injury, 1994, tore out incision, another surgery to close inside tear(softball size)but, then the 1st hernia repair slipped, now with chronic pain and severe scarring and adhesions, back on meds again....back where i was but worse!!! There are different types of hiatus hernias and different levels/sizes, positions.... THAT feeling you have is quite normal for this condition. Your stomach(depending on the type of hernia you have) slides up into your chest, sometimes when laying flat, turning over etc... everyone is different, so are symptoms but, it can feel like a lump in your upper belly, lower esophagus, chest, depending on where exactly it slides up, you can feel palpitations, slight shortness of breath(temporarily until it goes back down)IF its on the left side.. or even feel tightness as high as between your breasts....so you should take your meds to keep acid out of your esophagus, you don't want more burning & chest pain...see if laying on one side is better than the other, they say prop the head of your bed 6in...i prefer to prop my upper body about 6-8in(sometimes more) for sleeping, to keep it from sliding up...avoid lifting until you ask your Dr if its okay...if its a sliding one, you will get used to the sensations and once you realize its not doing HARM, you treat your symptoms, other types can have certain things to watch for like severe pain & bloating, need to be reported to your DR...once you get your scan, your Dr will know exactly what you can and cant do...eating small meals/snacks like every 4 hrs(over eating is bad), carbonation can make bloating worse(pop, sparkling H2O) don't eat within 2 hours of bedtime, avoid tight belts, clothing in that area, i get swelling there, so i bought extender hooks for my bra to be able to breathe w/o pain (when its up there), you can sometimes get back pain in that area, a heating pad can help relax you and help both(front & back)...because of tightness/chest pain, many people start getting anxiety issues as they mistake pain as being heart related, your Dr can help you with anxiety symptoms....if you have severe shortness of breath, pain in your jaw, down your arm, nausea, sweating, feeling of doom & any other concerning symptoms, don't hesitate...THOSE NEED EMERGENCY TREATMENT...If you have any more questions, would like more specific details, chat at me anytime, BEST WISHES💒🎶💞💐🐾☮🍀🌈
moon53540 Laughlin
Posted
I thought I had a blockage too but it was actually gastritis, are you taking the medication prescribed and is it helping?
pauline20996 moon53540
Posted
Im taking 30mg of Lansprazole daily. I have been on them for nearly two weeks . I get pain in my upper abdomen . At times it feels like trapped wind too but also have just points of pain. At night and sometimes when i wake in the morning my stomach feels like its burning on the inside . Also my throat gets sore .I also get a pain between my chest . I have good days and bad days. Yesterday was a bad day. I felt quite nauseus .I was diagnosed with bile reflux and a hiatus hernia a few years ago . I haven't been able to physically see my doctor - i had a phone consultation with her due to Covid19 . I have, in the past, suffered with anxiety so am concerned that its all related. Thanks to everyone that has replied. Its good to talk
moon53540 pauline20996
Posted
I would recommend switching to esomeprazole it works so much better, lansoprazole didn't work well for me and most patients say esomeprazole is better. Ask you doctor if you can change to esomeprazole. Also it sounds like you may have IBS, ask to try alverine, it is an antispasmodic and it helps with trapped wind. You can also get some over the counter tablets called deflatine and I would also recommend kefir yoghurt drinks, they have helped my IBS so much, I no longer get symptoms. Although they are a little hard to get at the moment because of people stockpiling! Anxiety can make reflux worse and IBS, but PPI tablets can also give you IBS symptoms.
keith52258 Laughlin
Posted
Hi Lauglin,
My GP initially prescribed Omeprazole and then Ranitidine for reflux. These didn't work so I was referred to hospital.
Like you I had a hiatus hernia, and that needed to be repaired by an operation. I had a Laparascopic Fundiplication, or keyhole surgery in more ordinary language. As far as I can tell, although I am no doctor, if the medication doesn't work, an operation is needed. I certainly can't see how medication is going to repair a hiatus hernia.
It sounds to me as though you need a conversation with your GP to find out whether they are not referring you at this time to allow the covid-19 situation to settle down, or is there another plan.
All the best
Keith
westerby1 keith52258
Posted
I was told that they won't repair mine because it is too small, and they only repair large hernias and/or strangulated hernias. I also have an oesophageal motility problem, so they don't think I would get much benefit. The idea of the PPI is to limit the amount of acid in the reflux, as they say it's the acid which does the damage. But I think some people reflux bile and that seems to cause burning too. PPI seem to make my reflux worse, as I get an awful lot of flatulence with them, and that causes even more pressure on the stomach. I also get indigestion (perhaps due to lack of acid?) which I don't get normally. If I could sleep sat up I don't think I'd have any problems!