Horrible hiatal hernia symptoms
Posted , 68 users are following.
Hi everyone. My name is Jake, I'm a 27 year old male. I have chest pains daily. They last for seconds, minutes, hours, or throughout the day. Sometimes I get them as soon as I wake up and almost always after eating. They’re usually localized to one small area. They feel sharp and stabbing, sometimes dull, usually on the front left chest but sometimes it happens on the front right chest, middle of my chest, or on the sides under my arms. I have had 3 EKGs, two chest x-rays, an echo, a stress echo, all came back negative for heart disease. I also get palpitations like my heart is pounding when I lie down flat. It feels like my whole chest, back and abdomen are throbbing. It sometimes happens after eating too. Sometimes it feels like a lot of pressure in my upper chest and neck too when the palpitations happen. I was also having tachycardia when all of these symptoms started last summer. My heart rate was 100-120 at rest. My primary Dr. prescribed propranolol for chest pains, palpitations, and tachycardia. My HR is now 60-70 at rest. I’m still having chest pains and palpitations.
I’m also experiencing tightness, soreness, and pain in my throat and jaw like something is stuck in my throat. It’s worse when lying down or sitting up and putting pressure on my upper back, sides, or chest (pretty much my whole ribcage). It makes me cough and it feels like I can’t breathe fully, but I have no trouble breathing. It feels like something is in my chest, putting pressure on my throat and upper back between my shoulder blades and at the base of my neck. I have no relief with allergy medication or my rescue inhaler.
I have acid reflux and indigestion daily and regurgitation 2-3 times a week. It has gotten worse over the past 2 weeks. I had been taking Prilosec OTC for about a year before my GI doctor started prescribing it to me. She had me on Rx Prilosec for 3 months then she switched me to ranitidine for 3 months and Prilosec again for 3 months. I’m due to go back to her again soon and she said she wants to have me do one more 3 month round of ranitidine. I had an upper endoscopy done at the end of November last year and it revealed a hiatal hernia. I also had a barium swallow under fluoroscopy which also confirmed reflux, indigestion, regurge, and the hiatal hernia. After the last 3 months of ranitidine, my GI doctor said that’s when we’ll discuss surgery for the hernia repair if my symptoms don’t get better. The Prilosec isn’t working as well as it used to. I have eliminated all trigger foods from my diet, no citrus, chocolate, caffeine, tomato, pineapple, spicy foods, fried foods, garlic, bananas, alcohol, etc. I reduced sugar and carbs as well and I’m eating smaller meals throughout the day. I have nausea everyday. I almost always get nauseous after eating anything and stomach/abdominal cramps and pains.
I’m always fatigued despite a full night of sleep. I’m also getting headaches and upper back pains in between my shoulder blades and upper back. I’m just not feeling well overall, especially when all symptoms occur together. It’s difficult to function throughout the day some days. I’m just feeling miserable. I know all of these symptoms are caused by the hiatal hernia but they’re unbearable sometimes. My primary doctor said the hiatal hernia is most likely irritating my vagus nerve which controls heart rate, digestion, some muscles in the neck, throat, chest, and abdomen, which explains a lot. I just get panicked sometimes especially when I have chest pains and abdominal pains even though it's unlikely it's my heart or some other life-threatening condition.
Does anyone else have a hiatal hernia with symptoms as severe? Do you have anything you do for relief? What about the hernia repair surgery, has anyone had a nisson done or the linx? Any advice or anything would really help.
3 likes, 66 replies
Mel0075 jake62038
Edited
hi Jake
Most of your sysmtoms sound familiar with me, I had a terrible time last year with a&e a few times during night, I cut everything out most of what you have said food & drink also had no bread for over 1 year now! It can take over your life, last year the doc just kept giving me all diff meds for high bp, palpitations, stomach before I knew it I was on 5 pills a day and feeling much worse, so I stopped all meds and just went to eating heartburn ones along with small small food portions, I had not been as bad for sometime,until the other night I flew up out of bed with chest pains, I get dry mouth, shakes feeling cold & very agitated, I knew going to a & e would be same as last time So managed to try calm down took some heartburn pills after 1 hour the pains went away and I started to feeel better that's a first in a good few months, only thing I did diffeeent was a 3 mile walk that night and ate a stir fry! So back to plain eating!! I tend to sleep upright with lots of pillows this seems to help, when I went to doc she said I am fine it's only a small hiatus hernia but this thing can change your daily life ! I am 41! I found this forum and its good to know your not alone dealing with this! Check online for meds that you are on and side affects sometimes they can interact giving more palpitations that's what I found!!
widgeasha Mel0075
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i get that cold thing as well, and the other stuff you said. i also have emphysema and can't take all the acid in my lungs, it's literally killing me. drs have let me down repeatedly. today i have fasted, only sipping water, still in a mess from it. i heard chiropractors can help relieve it so have started seeing one. she says my muscles are like wood and she can't feel anything through them it's so bad. by the way, lying on your right brings up more reflux. i got my hernia from years of constipation then a massive breathing exacerbation. i don't breathe properly from the emphysema and it's worse cos your diaphragm can't work properly when your stomach is in your chest. i feel for everyone here and so wish i had the answer for us. my life is ruined. yoga Definitely helps if you can do it but some moves make it feel like your chest is splitting so be careful. wishing for a miracle for us all. xxx
maggie25776 jake62038
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Hi I really do feel for you. I have so many of same symptoms. I take Omprezole 20mg morning and night but get regular flare ups with chest pain, spasms, that can last for a hour or all day/night.
GP just gives me different tablets each time I have a flare up and then I go back on Omprezole.
I have been trying Yoga to help stretch the muscles in diaphragm and chest in hope this will help. Certainly it's not made it worse.
Good luck, hope you get some relief.
samantha15562 maggie25776
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hello , the spasms you are talking about what are the symptoms of those? ive been having some kind of spasm in my diaphragm esophagus area and it takes my breath away feels like im going to stop breathing, it sends me into so much anxiety i just want to know if there are other people going through this that can help me
md_abdul78822 samantha15562
Posted
i also have esophagus spasm whenever i eat slight solid food its stuck in diaphragm i feel pain backside at diaphragm place and in right ribs too .... since how long u have this ??????
christine12299 jake62038
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Hi. I suffer exactly the same it's awful to the extent it feels life threatening. The last episode I woke up at 2am with severe pains in the centre of my upper abdomen so bad I wondered if I was having a heart attack. A week off work trips to my gp and eventually I asked to see a consultant urgently so I was referred to a private hospital where I saw the same consultant I'd seen before on the NHS! She is recommending some tests but it seems as I went private my gp does not have to agree. I'm constantly exhausted I have palpitations, nausea and occasionally get other pains suddenly like I've swallowed a brick! It's amazing how I read so many stories from people with a HH but doctors are not recognising just how awful this is nor do they seem to think it can be so bad. Once these new tests have been carried out I am considering having it fixed privately as the NHS won't recognise the severity and so won't operate. Like others I have been to a&e on more than one occasion. I try to stay positive but at times like this is impossible it really gets you down. I am not over weight in fact since this recent episode I have lost weight and now under weight but just don't have an appetite.....why would you when you feel like this! I think for me going private is my only option now but, will be worth it if it fixes my problems. I'm a young 56 but feel 20 years older. My symptoms have been on and off for 4 years but recently no let up. Have stopped all meds as they don't seem to do anything I take morphine for major pain. Heart and lung tests fine, my oesophagus is tight and have already had it stretched but made no difference. This is a mine field isn't it
Tammyshernia jake62038
Posted
Everything you just described I have lived with for years I just had my surgery on 3/25/17 please do your homework on surgeons I had 1 of the best but I'm still nauseous everyday this is horrible I don't have my strength back yet I don't have the heavy ness in the chest anymore thank god but I'm tired a weak I hope you get this taken care of it's a horrible thing to live with my stomach slipped into my chest my surgery was 100.000 I'm wondering if I'll ever be back to my old self
Tammyshernia jake62038
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I also had the Nissan done they wrap mine and had to use 2 pieces of mesh my hiatal hernia was 6 in wide and I felt like I was having heart attack I was nauseous everyday but my problem with nausea is still there I'm also 57 and feel like I'm in my 70's not sure where your from pkease make sure you have a great surgeon or you could be back in for several more surgerys good luck
rd59191 Tammyshernia
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I am 48, am 128 lbs and 5' 9". I have always been an athlete, play sports and generally healthy. This April starting having breathing issues that hit me like a truck. Prior I had very occasional regurg, like once or twice a year. I ate pretty much whatever I wanted, although mostly had a very healthy diet. Never had a lot of heartburn and still don't.I have a small hiatal hernia which every doctor says is too small to cause problems and GERD based on a recent Bravo and endoscopy.But I went from 0 to 100 in two weeks this April. Now every day I have symptoms, but some days better than others. I lost 25 lbs in a matter of weeks and haven't put it back on because I am eating like a bird. But when symptoms are bad, breathing difficulties, burping, area under my lower ribs feels like being squeezed like vice and or an expanding balloon, nausea. It is crazy. It is out of nowhere. I am still in the process of trying to figure out if it is the hernia, GERD, or something else. Wanted to share my background. But my real question is that post is from years ago and you said you were not feeling well after surgery. I would love to know if that has changed. Making a decision to do surgery is a big one, so the more information and stories that better. I appreciate forums like these.
kevin77212 rd59191
Posted
i would check with chiropractic adjustment for that hernia first and look into CCI and CI cervical instability and cranial cervical instability goes undiagnosed for so long might be an underlying issue
Halocline jake62038
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Hi Jake, I have absolutely the same symptoms, everytime pounding heart pulse also dizziness and stronger pulse after eating, with absolutly normal ECG, cardiography and doppler ultrasound. My blood exams and hormones are normal. I'm 25 and sporty.
Endoscopy and barrium swallow x-ray revealed hiatal hernia with enormous GERD. Did you do the surgery and was it fine ?
My heart doesn´t beat fast (60bpm) but very strongly and I feel it everywhere, my left chest is painful.
Thanks for helping me.
lois91528 Halocline
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hi just read your post and wondered if i can ask what you mean with the gerd too? i feel like i have the hernia and gerd when reading up on things. making me feel crazy like ive got something really wrong
gage0613 Halocline
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I'm the same man. I'm 26, earlier this year I got a small hiatal hernia and since then I have the same heavy heart most of the time. Eating alot triggers it more but even if I don't eat alot I'd say it is heavier than a normal pulse. It also gave me shortness of breath.
jamie68331 jake62038
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Hi Jake,
I have just registered on here and have just posted a very similar post to yours! have a read of mine too if you can, but yeah I get the same sensations and feelings/palpations with mine at the moment too!
I cannot seem to control it and my sleep is all over the place as I feel like it just protrudes upwards and tries to suffocate the heart area and vagus nerve.
With mine it just feels like it is often beating at a sporadic and strange rhythm, I'll get like 3 relatively normal beats and then the last one will be a quick one on the end, and I notice it changes with the breath in and out sometimes like it catches the nerve with the diaphragm movements.
Do you get stomach spasms too? I am struggling majorly with this at the moment, I get this jolt and wriggly movement below the sternum in the central area and it simultaneously sends my heart into a spin of out of control rhythm and rapid heart rate, only for it to subside after a few minutes if I really dig deep and distract myself (which is incredibly hard!).
I, too, am at the point where I need help with this and to be told what is going on with it more than anything to get a bit of reassurance!
I would point out though, I am with a naturopath who is really good and the approach to actually understanding the belching side of things is important, doctors only treat the symptoms as a single black and white approach.
I have incredibly low stomach acid which is often the route cause of acid reflux in the first place so be careful taking too many PPIs, this may make your symptoms worse in the long run.
Did you know that the vagus nerve is also crucial in telling the stomach to produce stomach enzymes which help digest food properly? I wonder if the culprit for us is the vagus nerve just not firing how it should and that is the real reason for the other symptoms. The trouble is and the big question, how do we get this thing under control?!
Do you get burning acid reflux sensation in your oesophagus? I never seem to get that I just get the chronic belching with lots of gas and food, but never the burning feeling!
I am also a similar age I am 28 year old male, who is otherwise healthy and slim build.
Thanks! Jamie.
rd59191 jamie68331
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I have small sliding hiatal hernia and GERD from Bravo. But any sort of burning seems infrequent and insignificant compared to my breathing issues, chest pressure, and thoracic/ stomach pain and pressure, gas, burping. i also get crazy wriggly movements which feel like they travel from the stomach all the way up through my thoracic region, hoping around like dominoes.
steve66064 jamie68331
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Hi Jamie, do you still have your symptoms, did you ever find out what was going on. My symptoms really match yours and I'd been exploring vagus nerve theories as well as gastro cardia. I'm also athletic and slim. I especially get the sensations on in/out breath where it feels like it catches something and triggers a jolt. It seems to flare up more related to diet and upset stomach, but no real reflux and a lot of belching.
Steve.
kevin77212 jamie68331
Posted
vegas nerve might be correct check out caring medical in florida and CCI