Hiatus Hernia Surgery

H Shaz

I know how you are feeling as I have had those symptoms at the start of hiatal hernia last year. I can tell

you that it does get better but to what extent is determined on that person. Mine managed to calm down

so that I could eat properly and get off the tablets but it took up to 9 months. By 6 months you should already been feeling better as the stomach has time to adjust to its new position . With good diet, smaller meals and less aggravation it may even heal itself slightly. However there will always be a weakness in the diaphragm.

I am now experiencing the hernia symptoms again and unfortunately like you, the doctors have taken a

non interested stance as they don't consider it life threatening although it makes your life thorougly miserable. I can totally commiserate. You can insist on seeing the gastroenterology consultant again and ask if they can give you further tests to see if you are eligible for the operation.

If you have funds available then maybe private is your route to the operation. I have done some research on some consultants operating on this and it will cost approximately 6000 for the actual operation but not including seeing the consultants before and after so maybe you should factor in an extra 2-3 k for extras just in case.

I have had a hiatus hernia for 7 years now, I am 22 years old.

I have my pre op booked for next week, getting nervous as not really had any information on what to expect...

I have had the weird hiccup thing, acid reflux, food coming back up, vomiting, chest pain, trouble swallowing, heart palpitations from pain and dizziness. Dizziness is also due to my labyrinths disease.

I was put on omeprazole, lansoprazole and antacids, all different strengths, I lost a job because I had too much time off sick, Doctors have been ignoring me and pushing me to meds that don't work, I stopped taking them about 2 years ago, I figured it's better not to pump my body full of chemicals that do nothing for me.

A few months ago I opted for surgery, I went to my GP and insisted they get me referred, they sent me for another endoscope first, I had one when I was diagnosed after being rushed into hospital.

The guy who did my endoscope messed up and didn't give me enough sedative so I am really really nervous about the surgery because of that, the pain for that was awful, then he tried again to get me back on meds, after returning to the doctor for results she also tried to put me back on meds, I told her no and I want the surgery, stick with it and keep going on, if you insist they cannot refuse.

My hernia is "only" 2-4cm, does not matter how big it is, I am home from work again because of the pain and sickness, it impedes my life, at 22 I can't even drink one alcoholic drink, eat much takeaway, no deep fried or fatty, I am grateful for the diet as I am trying to lose weight but the rest... far from appreciated.

You have to really push them. I hope they give me more info on what will happen next week... scared and excited... nervous also.

Keep you updated.

Christine. xx

P.s I am in the UK, I guess the NHS isn't looking so bad anymore...

Hi Christine

The pre-op appt is usually the very final check on your health (height, weight, allergies, breathing, heart etc) and is usually done by a nurse. If you're at that stage I would guess that you've had a meeting with the surgical consultant (maybe via one of his trainees) to decide that the op is the right thing for your condition. If you feel you've not had an explanation of what they're going to do then perhaps you could give the surgeon's secretary a call and ask if you could talk to a member of the team to go through a few questions. If I've misunderstood and you haven't had that meeting yet then my advice is to make a list of questions for the surgeon and take it in and don't feel embarrassed about going down your list.

The surgery will hurt (afterwards) more than an endoscopy, sorry, but they would need to do it under a general anaesthetic so you wouldn't have any of the worry during the op. In my case it was brilliant, they put a needle in my hand, I started to say "hey my arm feels weird..." And the next thing I knew I was In the recovery ward. The most painful thing I had was shoulder pain. The CO2 they use to inflate your abdomen during keyhole surgery apparently has the effect of causing pain in your shoulders post-op. Not sure why, but it was miserable for about 2 weeks (longer than the stitches), and 2 years later I still have sore shoulders and it all started with the op. Might just be stress now though!

Hope everything goes well for you and hope you drop a note on the forum to let people know how you get on.

I had the hernia repair surgery just under two weeks ago. All done via keyhole surgery in a four hour operation. Immediately afterwards I felt OK; the usual post anaesthetic tiredness. Very little pain, although I had pain reliever on a drip for two days. I am asthmatic and I was kept on oxygen for two days too as there was some fluid on my chest, which has since cleared. I was also given anti nausea drugs for 48 hours.

I had no problem swallowing at all from straight after the operation and was given cups of tea, soup and yogurt four hours after it. I had a slight sore throat where the tubes had been placed down it during the op.

I moved onto sold food three days after the op and now can pretty much eat anything- I do not feel as if there has been any surgery at all. The only difference- aside from being reflux free, obviously, is that my stomach fills much quicker than before. I have lost a stone in just less than two weeks.

The only pain i had was from the five incisions, easily treated with paracetamol . Wish I’d had it done years ago.

i also had the operation for hernia repair just under 3 weeks ago by keyhole at Southampton General,

the operation went well and not really any pain afterwards (i suppose the morphine helped a little ) i was back home the next day.

i have had no problems burping at all, i did have bad diarrhea and stomach cramps after a week, could be due to soft diet.

i never got any pain from incisions, the only pain i get now is if i eat something too fast or too much at once and it feels like it gets stuck and really hurts but passes after i minuet or so.

now looking forward to when i can eat properly again