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Help needed for hiatus hernia heartburn

Posted , 7 users are following.

kaydi
kaydi

I was diagnosed with a hiatus hernia last summer and until recently the medication (one PPi before breakfast) kept the heartburn at bay. But it's now back with a vengeance after I ate three Foraro Rocher chocolates and a chocolate hobnob! That's the only thing I can think of that has caused it to flare up but I've only had one day without it in over two weeks.  Even cider vinegar isn't helping where it did before. The only time it eases is when I'm actually eating but I'm very careful in what I eat and only eat small amounts at a time. Even so I can't get back to where I was before I ate that chocolate and I desperately need some advice. I've tried not eating but if anything that makes it even worse. I am very lucky that it doesn't effect my sleep but my days are miserable. I've lost 6lbs due to eating less which should help as I am overweight but it hasn't. What I don't understand is I didn't do or eat anything different the day before or on the one day when I was heartburn free. Please can anyone give me any advice ?

0 likes, 25 replies

25 Replies

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  • sean92481
    sean92481 kaydi

    Posted

    Kaydi i have had heartburn since i was 12, and it just got worse over the years. I was given medicines  by different GPs, and treated for ulcers. The meds never worked and i lived on bicabonate of soda for years, especially if my work involved stooping. About 15 years ago i was sent for an X Ray (Barium meal ) and diagnosed with a hiatus hernia, and told i had never had an ulcer..I was then prescribed Ranitidine, and had about 12 heartburn free years. Two years ago i started taking heartburn again, and after an endiscopy i was put on Omeprezole. I never had heartburn since i started it, except when i miss my dose for a few days. I had the same problem as you, everything i ate gave me heartburn. and i can tell you  the only relief is to take a medication regularly such as Ranitidine or Omeprazole.
    • kaydi
      kaydi sean92481

      Posted

      Thanks for replying, I really feel for you having heartburn for so many years. I only had it for about six months, had the camera down my throat and was diagnosed with a hiatus hernia and was prescribed Lansoprazole. From that day my heartburn disappeared which I can only guess was due to the stress easing (I was stressed about having the camera down my throat but it wasn't as bad as I expected). I've continued with the Lansoprazole symptom free until I ate that chocolate yet I'd been eating two large and one small box of maltesers a week with no heartburn so it just doesn't make sense. Ranitidine doesn't help me, not even the double strength prescription ones (Zantac) which I used to take. The Omeprazole you're taking is the same type of medication I'm on, they're called PPi's and it's worked brilliantly until now. I've even tried taking two instead of one but it didn't help so I'm sticking to one. I tried to make an appointment to see my Dr but the first one they had was over 3 weeks away! Did your heartburn ease while you were actually eating? Mine does but obviously I can't eat all day long but I have lots of small meals and eat apples and celery which helps a bit. I daren't even have bicarbonate of soda as I've also got oedema in my leg so have to keep my salt intake down. Have you tried organic cider vinegar? That used to help a lot but has stopped helping now. I'm at a loss now as what to try.

         I think it's terrible you spent all those years being treated for ulcers when you didn't have them!

    • andrew62131
      andrew62131 sean92481

      Posted

      Hi sean92481

      all medication prescribed for a hiatus hernia only reduces the acidityin the stomach to prevent refluxed acid burning the bottom of your osoephagus giving you heartburn you may want to speak to your gp to get an endoscopy to check the botoom of your osoephagus for acid scarring

       

  • judy54212
    judy54212 kaydi

    Posted

    I had an hiatus hernia ( paraesophageal hernia) . I'm thinking that the position of the hernia has changed or the size. Chocolate used to be one of the things that could set my digestion off, also fatty foods. I think the only thing that is going to help now is to go to the doctor and get re evaluated. Since you are losing weight that should get their attention.the GE valve ( gastroesophageal) is very sensitive to fatty foods it seems. My hernia was operated on six months ago. I had lost 15 pounds and my hernia was very symptomatic, I was off to emergency every month it seemed. I found I couldn't sit only stand or lie down . The squishing of my abdomen made me very uncomfortable. Good luck with finding a solution. 

    Judy

  • susan_41763
    susan_41763 kaydi

    Posted

    Kaydi, about 10 years ago, I was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia. I tried every OTC medication available. Finally, my gastro prescribed Aciphex----it was a lifesaver! I took it for nearly nine years with pretty good success. When I'd have a flare, I'd drink a small glass of water with raw apple cider vinegar (has to have the "mother" to be affective) with a little raw honey to help the taste. I found instant relief! I also bought a large foam wedge to sleep on. It provided the night time relief.  Just five months ago, I had my hernia surgically repaired using the Nissen fundoplication method because the years of acid reflux has caused Barrett's Esophagus, a pre-cancerous condition. The surgery didn't take care of the Barrett's, but the repaired hernia won't continue to damage my esophagus. I feel so much better!

    I highly recommend continued regular endoscopies, so Barrett's won't be in your future.

    Good luck!

    • kaydi
      kaydi susan_41763

      Posted

      Thanks for your reply, I've never heard of Aciphex but I'll check it out online when I've finished writing this, thanks. Maybe my Dr will prescribe it for me when I finally manage to get an appointment and I'll also ask about having another endoscopy as I didn't realise it's important to keep a check on esophagus. The cider vinegar I was using before my endoscopy was organic but didn't have the 'mother' (although it did help) so I ordered a bottle of Braggs online and this is the one I've been using with no success. I'll try using the first one again as maybe that one is just better for me. I also tried adding organic honey to the Braggs but that didn't help either (although it helps it go down lol). Thanks for all your advice and it's good to hear you're so much better now :-)
  • susan_41763
    susan_41763 kaydi

    Posted

    Just a warning...Aciphex is outrageously expensive! Using U.S. health insurance was the only way I was able to get it. 

     

  • kaydi
    kaydi

    Posted

    I managed to get an emergency Drs appointment today as when I checked my diary I realised this heartburn has been going on for a month not two weeks as I originally said. My Dr spent over five minutes lecturing me about smoking even though I'd said I'd cut down from 22 a day to around 7 or 8 and my partner has cut down from over 40 a day to around 24. My partner refuses to try to give them up or smoke outside making it much harder for me to give up. He then suggested the E cigarettes so I bought one for us both to try. He also changed my Lansoprazole to Omeprazole, 2 a day instead of one and told me to drink apple juice (just sips though as he wants me to reduce fluids because my oedema is no better) and eat apples which I do anyway. He's also given me antibiotic tablets and cream as my pompholyx eczema is infected and cream for my toe fungal infection! By the time we'd covered all this there was no time to talk to him about another endoscopy as the receptionist phoned him to say other patients were complaining. All I can hope is the Omeprazole work - sean92481 how many Omeprazole do you take a day?
    • sean92481
      sean92481 kaydi

      Posted

      Kaydi

                      I take one Omeprazole each morning, (When i was on Ranitidine i had to a couple each day plus Bicarbonate of  Soda ).. Sometimes i may still have to take soda as wel.l but generally one tab does me. I stopped smoking years ago as this aggravated the symtoms, and i havent drank alcohol for years as it also was a major irritant. A lot of foods such as onions, peppers and fried foods are also  something which cause excess acid, so 95% of the time i eat my food grilled or boiled. I never heard of the apple juice before or eating apples.

    • kaydi
      kaydi sean92481

      Posted

      I must admit although I bought some apple juice and have been sipping it all day I'm a bit worried about all the sugar that's in it! I'd read that apples help heartburn n my favourite are the pink lady ones which I eat one or two of every day. I find the burn stops immediately n I always eat them slowly savouring being without that horrible burn for a short time (yes it always comes back!). In fact the burn eases with everything I eat but only WHILE I'm actually eating. Within minutes of finishing back it comes. 

         Last night when I got back from the Drs I took two Omeprazole and within a short time the heartburn eased n eventually stopped completely and I enjoyed an evening free of it. But it was short lived as today it's been bad all day even after I took two more Omeprazole :-(. I'm scared to eat and stick to the few foods I've found that don't make it worse - seafood such as prawns and cockles, celery, apples, pears and crumpets with marmite. I found porcini mushroom soup is good n I've had it for dinner every night for the last four nights. I daren't have bread with it though so often wake in the night starving but coming down for a snack is out! Mind you I am lucky in that it stops at night and has never affected my sleep. Must go and have some cider vinegar to try ease it (strangely the Braggs didn't help at all but the organic Aspells that hasn't got 'the mother' does help!).

  • andrew62131
    andrew62131 kaydi

    Posted

    hi kaydi

    you didnt state how long you have been suffering severe heartburn

    as a result of having a hiatus hernia the valve that is at the top of your stomach 

    may be incompetant and is letting acid flow from your stomach into the bottom of your osoephagus which  is burning the lining of your osoephagus causing severe heartburn  no matter what you eat? i would advise you to speak to your gp further about your persistant heartburn i may be a good idea to get an endoscopy to inspect for inflamation at the bottom of your osoephagus and to rule out  a condition called Barrats osoephagus. . my endoscopy showed acute inflammation at the bottom of the osoephagus due to acid burning the lining i have never had any heartburn or sickness for 25years after surgery and i have been through your current symptoms dont rely on your symptoms going away on there own get the bottom of your osoephagus examined if anything to put your mind at reast

    hope you get well soon

    • kaydi
      kaydi andrew62131

      Posted

      Hi Andrew 

          I did say in my first post it has been going on about two weeks but then I checked my diary n realised it it's been a month bar one day when I was free of it (what bliss that was). I have read surgery to mend a hiatus hernia is difficult to get right as it can fail by being either too loose or two tight so surgeons don't like to do it. So I must admit I'm envious of everyone whose had it done successfully. 

          I will definitely ask my Dr for another endoscopy next time I have an appointment although I think it takes years for Barratts Osephagus to develop. My heartburn was bad for several months while I waited for the first endoscopy but from the day I had it to a month ago I've been symptom free despite eating chocolate and tomatoes and loads of other things known to set it off every day although I was taking 

      Lansoprazole every day. The only explanation I can think of for this is I was no longer stressed once I'd had the endoscopy. And stress may be a factor this time as my partner almost died a few weeks ago from a bowel obstruction and had to have his bowel removed so it's obviously been a stressful time. 

    • andrew62131
      andrew62131 kaydi

      Posted

      hi kaydi

      i am sorry to learn of your partners ill health and subsequent operation i wish him a speedy recovery. i found that gaviscon liquid helped my heartburn years ago by coating the bottom of my osoephagus.

  • kaydi
    kaydi

    Posted

    From the second I woke up this morning I knew I was going to have a heartburn free day and it's been wonderful. But last time I had a day like today the following day it was back again! I've keep reading about how a shortage of stomach acid can be the cause of heartburn n today I started a test to check if I'm lacking in stomach acid. It said to take a quarter of a teaspoon of baking powder in a glass of water before eating breakfast and if you fail to burp within 5 minutes you're probably lacking in stomach acid. To get the best result you need to do this three days running. Well I didn't burp at all today so it will be interesting to see if I do the next two days. If I don't then I will feel even more confused as Lansoprazole have kept my heartburn under control until now since last summer so surely it has to be excess acid I have? After reading these articles about low stomach acid and how you shouldn't take PPi's I debated whether to take my Omeprazole today especially as I'm heartburn free but then it could be the Omeprazole that's prevented it so I did take them. Has anyone been diagnosed with low stomach acid that's the cause of their heartburn who can shed some more light on this confusing subject? 
  • kaydi
    kaydi

    Posted

    I have now enjoyed two glorious heartburn free days :-) and I'm now praying it's the Omeprazole that's given me them. Anyone know if they take a few days to work? The scales told me this morning that I've lost another 2lbs which makes 8lbs I've lost since the heartburn started five weeks ago which can only help too. I'm still being very careful what I eat and continuing eating rice cakes with organic honey as not only do I know they won't set the heartburn off again they also feed my need to eat sweet things as chocolate is still a no-no, I daren't even have one malteser but that will help with my weight as I was eating several boxes a week before the heartburn came back! My stomach has obviously shrunk as I've been eating smaller meals and I want it to stay that way as it will help me keep the weight off.

     

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