Hiatus Hernia

Hi Carina,

I have a small 3cm HH and have all sorts of problems. My breathing is affected and is really bad some days, my upper stomach feels sore and is painful if I apply even small amounts of pressure. Some people though don't have any symptoms at all. What about you?

 

sore throat, nausea, laryngitis - but not all the time; I have had this hiatus hernia since 2005 and would really like to come off the tablets. I take 20 mg of Inexium every day but am wondering about having a kind of pacemaker fitted to control the sphincter valve. I must talk to the gastroenterologist but am put off by the thought of an operation particularly as I think it's fairly new.

My symptoms aren't too bad but I would like to join a choir and I do find my voice affected. I really hate clothes pressing against my abdomen and find this makes it difficult to buy fashionable clothes. I would like to hear from anyone who has had this operation.

That's all for now.

hi carina62, i would say all of us mortals, have hiatus hernia,s i have a sliding type hernia for twenty years,symtoms i get as follows ,trapped wind  moderate pain to severe pain, bloating in my stomach, tightness in chest and specially to throat area acid taste in mouth runny nose itchy nose,headaches ,tiredness ,belching and moody blues and bad temper,the tightness in thrat area leads to me taking my angina spray and tramadol to take or ease away the pain, im sorry to say this awful bloody hernia is getting worse or my mind is so far gone that it thinks it is getting worse i have found that i try some items to try and take this away lately i have taken part of a teaspoon of honey and i/2 of sugar and a little milk ,works for me at times not all the time because i do not like sugar ,and sugar is not good for us, give it a go the honey helps sore throats,john

Where oh where to begin  let me start by saying that I to have a hiatal hernia I have had it now for some for years I have a gambit of problems associated with it chest pain after eating lots of gas belching neck and throat pain also pain in my back so also breathing issues if I eat a large meal a hiatal hernia can cause a great deal of some things perhaps you should search through this board you will find a lot of information on hiatal hernia it's a hot topic

Carina:  I have a huge hiatus hernia.  When I eat something spicy or greasy I have an attack just under my ribcage on the left side of my abdomen...It will hurt and throb for about an hour or more.  I take a blood pressure pill that has an anti spasmatic in it, but it still happens, even if I'm nervous about something.  It causes a ton of gas, so be careful what you eat...Good luck!!

Hi Carina, Hope you are coping with your symptoms?  I have discovered that eating small amounts but often really helps, very bland food as well, sooooooo boring, I feel like this controls my life now! Ho hum.  All the best.

Jo

Hi you'all,

I had hiatus or hiatal hernia for a long time 4 cm long. That means that the wall that separates the bottom of the aesophogus from the stomach is partially open.When that separation is imperfect, stomach content can flow into the aesophogus and the acid rich content of the stomach can be felt especially when you lie down right after eating. 

The surgery to repair that condition is called "Nissen fundoplication or fonduplication" and what it essentially is to wind the upper part of the stomach partially around the lower part of the aesophogus and then sew it into place. As a result of this procedurethe access of the stomach to the aesophogus is restricted. One should realize not only that it is an imperfect solution to the problem but one nees to change his/hers eating habits as well as to acknowledge the fact that it is a major surgery.

I did not have this surgery because it was found that I already had varices (varicose veins) on the lower part of the aesophogus and the pressure the winding of the stomach around the lower part of the aesophogus would increase the pressure on those varices to the point when the pressure inside of the varices would be larger than the ability of the vein wall to withstand that pressure : resulting in (internal) bleeding from the varices. This is a serious consequence carrying a large rate of mortality. 

 The aspirant of a surgery like that would have to undergo a large number of various tests to weigh in to the decision to do it or not.

Good luck. And eat smaller proportions.

Bob 

Does anyone have a pain under their right rib radiating to the back with their hiatus hernia?

Hi Carina, I have only been having noticeable symptoms with my HH (sliding 2cms) for 8 months, but they have worsened over this period. I have reflux which doesn't affec my oesophagus but reaches my throat and the back of my mouth, making them sore. I only suffer at night (which seems to be unusual as most sufferers have this problem in the day!) but it keeps me awake for hours, even since my bed has been propped up. I couldn't take ppi's but have been on Ranitidine for a while now, this helps with the sleeping, but I still wake up several times in the night and swallow some gaviscon, which also seems to help. If I slip down the bed, I wake up coughing, which I gather could be the reflux entering my lungs. Apart from all these symptoms, I also have an uncomfortable feeling below my left rib, after eating. This has only been since taking Ranitidine, so I'm hoping it's something to do with this. I was back and forth to the doctors, with the cough and the insomnia and it took several months before one doctor suggested reflux as the possible reason. I have been for a gastroscopy, which showed no damage to my oesophagus and just recently, I had the manometry test and ph test. Still waiting for the results of this, back to see the specialist a week on Friday. I am really hoping that he will operate, to repair the hernia, as I don't think the Ranitidine is helping much. I still have the reflux and the bad taste in my mouth and I worry about the effects of this on my throat as I have read that it can cause irreparable damage. Also I gather that the acid/pepsin from the stomach can cause real problems with the lungs. I know surgery might seem a little extrem, but I can't see any other way of stopping the reflux. It's good to share all these problems, it helps to know that you are not alone with this stuff!! Hope this helps Carina and that you have some success with with your problems.

It is said that a hiatus hernia does not cause symptoms but i have read quite a few people on here who experience a lot of symptoms.  Apart from a lot of reflux (I take Omeprazole) i am also experiencing a discomfort behind my right shoulder blade but not sure if this is related to the hernia or not.  I seem to have such a lot of health issues at the moment that i am getting confused what is causing what :-(

Hi Carina, I know a lot of people, who have haitus hernias, and no problems at all. I guess you will only hear about the people who do have symptoms here, as they will be looking for answers. I think you have to really put pressure on your doctor/specialist to do something for you. Hope you get sorted soon.

Does anyone with a hiatus hernia feel full up quite quickly when they eat meals?

Dear carina I am 45 year old living in India, I am HH for the last two years. I was diagonised HH on 30-07-2013. I have been experiencing all the symptoms of it since then like bad breath, bloating, gas, fullness of the stomach, heartburn, indigestion, discomfort at upper abdomen, reeling sensation to name a few. even I had developed issues related to stools in trying to experiment the suiting diet to cope up with the HH problem. Doctor adviced me to have PPIs with gradually tapered power . the LES was found completely relaxed and appeared to have around one inch diameter opening in the endoscopy. Doctors told this would be perennial and LES relaxation would remain elastic and never return to its normal closure position and so the HIETAL HERNIA. During this period, I came across practising YOGA and found a sequence of exercises specially designed for HH. I was regularly doing them for the last 6 months and surprisingly the endoscopy report taken on 09-05-2015 showed the results. the LES was found intact with full closure and HH is completely gone. I attribute it to the combination of sticking to the medicataion, Diet and Yoga. Even now I have Bad breath and a minute degree of symptoms listed above, but I am very much relieved. Before I forget, I wanted to mention about the diet, I had no spices, no raw onions, no citrus fruits, no pickles, no sour or fermented things, no chocolates. I even had steamed fruits but not raw. These restrictions, I feel, helped me to come out of the HH condition. please follow food regime religiously and limit the symptoms.