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Hiatus Hernia - Breathing Problems.

Posted , 113 users are following.

guyofchelt
guyofchelt

A few years ago after an Endoscopy I was diagnosed with a small sliding Hiatus Hernia which I have treated with Omeprezole. Recently I have been encountering some breathing difficulties combined with a staggering amount of reflux and despite doubling to 40mg of Omeprezole the reflux and breathing problems continue. I have just had a further Endoscopy which revealed the same Hiatus Hernia and lots of reflux. I am fairly certain that the Hiatus Hernia/Reflux is responsible for my Breathing problems, but doctors seem to disagree although they can not tell me what is causing it.

I have seen a few similar postings to mine, can not sleep, wake up all sweaty, panicy, can not breathe, but no where can I see where a resolution was arrived at?

So, could the breathing problems be down to the Hiatus Hernia and if so how was the problem resolved.

Grateful for any advice.

Regards

Guy Greening.

4 likes, 199 replies

199 Replies

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  • nicola56800
    nicola56800

    Posted

    Hi liketoknow, you are correct pain comes and goes, depends how much or what I've eaten, the pain in

    the back and around the middle is troublesome, I find I can't stand having a bra done up, even though it's not tight.

    Sometimes it just flares up, which is usually my fault, for example eating a toffee, or even a cup of tea in

    the morning, which is better left to cool a little. I take one tablet twice a day of pantoprazole 20mg Gastro -resistant and before bedtime Ranidine 150mg x 1, plus gaviscon as and when, I am supposed to take

    Domperidone half and hour before eating, but it just doesn't happen I don't know when I'm going to eat,

    sounds a lot but has helped enormously having the Ranatidine, which is what the surgeon told me to do. I am concerned about whether the side effects of the op will be worse than what I have at the moment,

    but I've more or less decided to go ahead as I'm concerned about the HH getting any bigger and what

    would happen, as it's now 8cm. I wonder what the pain specialist can offer you, surely they need

    to sort out your HH medication. I have some co-codamol for another problem, which if I have to I use to

    ease the pain, but has it's own side effects.....

    • j61834
      j61834 nicola56800

      Posted

      I'm 42 year old male live in Midwest USA. 2009 I had reflux so bad that it would come up from my stomach while I was laying down asleep and aspirated into my nasal cavity and not only did it feel like hot lava it also gave me the sensation of drowning. My doctor (active duty) advised me to take tums or anti acid over counter. 5/6 visits later they finally sent me for the camera scope. The doctor said " it's bile not acid, that's why the anti acid didn't work. And it's the worst case he has ever seen and I was in surgery 3 days later. He said 2/3 of my stomach was in my cheats cavity. They "fixed" it thru liposcope surgery (STILL EXTREMELY PAINFUL RECOVERY) I had to get a retirement physical 2013. The cheats x-ray showed I have a hiatus herina "again". Well since the "fix" back in 2009 I have only been able to eat about as much as a very young child or I would have shortness of breathe and felt I was getting a heart attack.

      today April 2014 I just had the repair fixed, course I was on an empty stomach and the doctor report I has only 70% use of one of my lung and he figured if I had a full stomach that lung would have been redused to maybe 50%. Same liposcopic surgery ( worst pain I've ever had I'm on day 4 recovery right now, still in ALOT of pain. However it explains why even though I no longer had reflux I still had shortness of breathe and why I couldn't eat very much food. I have had my spine fused, injections, wrist surgery etc. I HAD TO DO THIS SURGERY I NO, BUT I WILL NEVER EVER DO THIS AGAIN!!!!!!! Extremely painful.

  • paula84839
    paula84839 guyofchelt

    Posted

    Acid reflux at night can definitely cause lung damage.  You can inhale acid while you are sleeping.  You must sleep with a raised bed head, eat at least 3 hours before going to bed, and nothing after.  And go on an alkaline forming diet (google it).
  • kristy81250
    kristy81250 guyofchelt

    Posted

    You need to e careful taking omeperazole. I ened up with 6 sessile polyps in my stomach

     

  • LiamTheWise
    LiamTheWise guyofchelt

    Posted

    Hi guys and guyofchelt. I want to ask you haitus hernia/breathing trouble sufferers if you currently or have ever used a CPAP (continous positive air pressure) machine.? Because i have, to solve a minor sleep apnea problem and it turned in into something really nasty. The machine gave me a sliding hiatus hernia and I have breathing troubles causing worse sleep apnea than i ever had. This is because i suspect i wasn't using the cpap machines setting where it let off when you exhaled, so i was always battling the pressure to exhale. Causing my diaphragm to stregthen to push against it. Giving me an always exhaling breathe by default, and causing a hernia that has healed up in terms of acid reflex in about 4 months, but the sleep apnea is still rather bad. If you guys have never used one of these machines i can't help you, if you have i'd love to talk, Thanks!
    • cheyann43943
      cheyann43943 LiamTheWise

      Posted

      My grandpa has sleep apnea and a hiatus hernia. He is having severe breathing problems and is in a lot of pain. Is there anything I can or he can do to help him? He is 83 years old and is most likely to old to have surgery.

    • jazztrain
      jazztrain cheyann43943

      Posted

      Hi Cheyann

      I had thought that sleep apnea was severe snoring - now I have heard that if 2 cotton reels were sown into his pyjama jacket he would instead of sleeping on his back which causes the condition, he would automatically turn over and so relieve the problem.

      Perhaps at 83 years of age it is a harsh thing to do but if it works it's worth a try!

      Kind regards

      Richard Banks

    • LiamTheWise
      LiamTheWise cheyann43943

      Posted

      That sucks... i could say get a cpap machine and make sure to use the biflex setting where it lets off when you exhale, because exhaling against a pressure is bad bad news. I'm angry at all the people on stupid cpap forums who told me to "pick your setting, go to sleep, and tell yourself the machine is there to help and not hurt you." That did perminent damage to me.  Also with cpap i noticed it ruins your teeth which is why i wont use it anymore. The air pressure does something to your teeth, within a month of using it my teeth were chipping, felt terrible, looked awful, changed to whole new shades of yellow, my gums were enflamed etc. 

      So in short for your grandpa, see a sleep specilist and look into getting a cpap machine, it will take some time to get used to sleep well with one but once you do it really changes your life. Use the biflex or Epr breathing setting where it lets off pressure when you exhale, and i figure hes 83 he has dentures or something where the pressure wouldn't do anything to them anyhow. haha, thats my advice thanks. 

    • kovax
      kovax LiamTheWise

      Posted

      Hi Liam, thanks for this post. It gives me a new avenue to investigate. This sounds very much like what I've been experiencing. I've been on a CPAP for about 5 years and have over the past year or so began to notice breathing problems including feeling like at times that I'm breathing too hard. I have just recently been diagnosed with a hernia. I have an appointment with a pulmonologist coming up in a few weeks. Any information on what you have done to treat your situation would be of help. For me though the CPAP seems to have helped sleeping up until recently. I sounds like I should ask about a new machine that is constant pressure. 
    • Cass73
      Cass73 jazztrain

      Posted

      Try a tennis ball or smaller. You don't want his skin bruised at his age.

  • Hoppy_6556
    Hoppy_6556 guyofchelt

    Posted

    i can sympathize with u i to suffer from breathing difficulty and all their meds do nothing...i had gastic by pass done because of bile backing from liver into esophugus  i have barretts esophagus..i was like a new born baby for almost 2 years no breathing problems at all....then slowly i started refluxing again....i then developed the small haietal hernia and my breathing problems returned in full blast .....im told no not because of the small hernia..but my lungs are great...it is because of the hernia ..i dont know why i cant get a dr to just operate on the small hernia and see what happens ...fixing any hernia is a plus but i know myy breathing would be fine
    • LiamTheWise
      LiamTheWise Hoppy_6556

      Posted

      Hi hoppy so you think the Hernia is causing breathing problems? I always thought there might be something with my diaphragm but now that you mention it your stomach being stuck in between your chest cavitity and abnominal cavity, stuck in the breathing muscle, could make breathing more difficult. What do you think? I lie awake at night thinking about what is wrong with my breathing, because i have sleep apnea because of this hernia complication and at 21, to not look, feel, BE, who i could if i could get deep sleep is very frusterating. Not to say that at any age it isn't frusterating..
    • shannel82
      shannel82 Hoppy_6556

      Posted

      hi when i found out i had my hitius hernia they told me they would only operate once it gets to about 8cm which is a joke as mins is only 1 cm but i have really bad symptioms. try and find out how much yours is open you may be able to get them to operate.
  • karrymc
    karrymc guyofchelt

    Posted

    Does anyone else experience dizziness for several days after having a spasm... drives me crazy...feels like I have taken too many cold tablets...spacy and disconnected...
  • jazztrain
    jazztrain guyofchelt

    Posted

    Hi Guy

    I'm not really qualified to answer this as hust a patient myself?

    However, I went to Papworth and did the same laborious tests as I did in Ipswich, Lung Function Tests and Walking Test?

    Like you they said I had a Hiatus Hernia yet I have never suffered from Reflux;

    Heartburn or any other symptoms of a H.H. yet they put me on 15mg once a day of Lansoprazole, however after two weeks it felt as if my windpipe was closing over so I have stopped taking it and to my relief my windpipe has returned to normal.

    They say I have an IPF but never worked with asbestos; wood and have been a non smoker for 36 years? I don't have any problems sleeping though - as soon as my head touches the pillow I know nothing more till the next morning?

    So I don't know I suppose everyone is different and I suspect the doctors don't know either - they seem to be like the blind leading the blind except they say I have to undertake a course of breathing excercises!

    Perhaps I shall know more when I go for my next follow up appointment in September.

    Kind regards

    Richard Banks

    • LiamTheWise
      LiamTheWise jazztrain

      Posted

      common sense would tell me breathing exercises might help but if a hernia causes the breathing problems directly you may want to look into surgery for a permenent fix.
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