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SLIDING HIATUS HERNIA SYMPTOMS AND QUESTIONS

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eddie10
eddie10

Hi I'm new to this site, just recently been diagnosed with a 4cm sliding hiatus hernia after suffering for 2 years with horrendous chest, neck, shoulder and back pain! been to A&E a least 5 times this year thinking I was having heart problems! had an endoscopy 4 weeks ago and was diagnosed! so now what? I was sent home with no advise whatsoever. been on all the PPI's for the last 15 years as I suffer with GERD and IBS! I feel bloated all the time, I burp, fart, feel sick and light headed and now I get a pulsating throb from my tummy through my chest into my throat cry If I eat the wrong thing it feels like I got a tennis ball stuck behind my sternum, really fed up with this now. I won't go the operation route, it's not got a good success rate! so it's maintenance, put the head of my bed on two blocks 8inches high, given up gluten and dairy and all spicy foods eat 3 hours before I got to bed and have a swig of gaviscon as a night cap! I take a multi vitamin and magnesium supplements. the next step is stop smoking and drinking red wine rolleyes what else can I do? the omeprazole makes me feel crap, so I've gone back to ranitidine. any advise would seriously be welcomed.........

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  • linda84156
    linda84156 eddie10

    Posted

    Hi, have just been diagnosed with sliding hiatus hernia today, but am type 2 diabetic and surgion will-not do op untill I have it more under control, have lots of pain and take 2o tablets a day for varius conditions; just went through web site and no-one has talked about having the op. is this a bad idea then?

    Linda.

    • gillian50653
      gillian50653 linda84156

      Posted

      I know people who have had good outcomes although not for long enough to judge whether as some report, the problem tends to recur. If you are overweight then the op is probably pointless until you are within a normal weight range for your height and build and in particular are not carrying excess tummy fat especially the sort that sits high rather than round belly and hips.

      There is no doubt that the single biggest difference to this problem anyone can make for themsleves is to lose that fat. In fact so important is that, it is worth prioritising (and it often 'cures' type 2 diabetes). I know people who lost the weight and the problem went away. They did not then need the operation. If weight is your problem try fasting for three days a week (nothing but plain vegetables excluding starchy ones but including carrots and beets if you want- no dressings) and then calory counting at under 2000 cals (man) 1200 (woman) for the other four days. It works, although there is often a time lag so don't leap straight on the scales, declare it is pointless and make for the sweets (as I have been known to do), and most of all, my profound apologies for this mini diatribe if weight is not an issue for you. Just because it makes HHs so much worse doesn't mean only fat people get them. I had mine diasgnosed in my twenties as an inherent weakness and  I certainly wasn't overweight back then, if anything, the reverse.

    • linda84156
      linda84156 gillian50653

      Posted

      Hi gillian, thanks for the reply, I am overweight,(well guesed!) but  I am afriead to try the veg thing, every time I try a diet of any kind, I feel very unwell, bad headaces and always very, very hungry, I dont know what its doing to my diabetes, I also have a thyroid problem, high blood pressure and colcestrol and right now am so down troden I dont know which way to turn, I really hate my body!.

      Linda84156

    • gillian50653
      gillian50653 linda84156

      Posted

      What a horrible vicious cycle. I have the same problem with so called healthy foods fementing like hell in the gut. Except that if you just try veggies absolutely on their own, no fruit, no dressing and well cook brassicas, cabbage, you might get away with it and its nigh on zero calories. I also find beetroot raw and cooked actually good for the gut although with your diabetes you might need to eat it  with some fish (poached in a little water until cooked, not fried) or an avo- to slow down the sugar hit. 

      I wish I could reach out to you and give you hug. Daily life should not feel like a cosmic punishment. Try this. Before you eat anything else in the day boil up a spring cabbage and eat a plate of that and see how you feel. If you are OK try some cooked beets and an avocado later.  have a handful of walnuts later if you feel really hungry and/or a couple of boiled eggs. Just try that for one day, only small plates at a time- see how you feel. Let me know.

      I don't want to lecture about weight, I struggle enough, but all those health issues really will evaporate if you can lose the weight.... 

  • linda84156
    linda84156 eddie10

    Posted

    HI,Eddie,

    I was just diagnosed with the sliding hiatus hernia yesterday, lots of pain for last 2 years; Hosptial surgion will-not do the op; untill my type 2 diabeties is more under conrtol, but this is worring me, as I only seam to be able to eat small amounts of rubbish food, the only things that dont cause pain; never had a christmas dinner last year, knew I couldnt eat it. Reading the posts, not many people have talked about the op; has anyone had it , and how are things now?

    Linda84156

  • andy17741
    andy17741 eddie10

    Posted

    Reassuring to read a lot of this.  I had an operation as a 4 year old for HH- I'm 44 now.  Experienced pain again about 20 years ago, then had antother op to repair it 18 years back.  Lasted me about 10 years, but for the last 8, pain again.  Awful heartburn and on Patoprozol for arond 4 years, now lanzoprozol for the last year - which at least sorts out the heartburn.  They cannot operate on me due to the scar tissue, so just got to put up with it.  Manage most of the time, but have some bad spells.  Last few years have seen a lot of chest pains - especially on the left side - and shoulder blade.  This has left me a bit panicy about heart attack etc, so this forum has put my mind at rest - am normally the most laid back person in the world, but my health worries me - and the more stress, the worse it gets - never ending circle!!
  • carol82992
    carol82992 eddie10

    Posted

    Dear Eddie and everyone else that has been in the discussion.

    I have only just picked up this website.  I am 72 years old and pretty fit and active fortunately. However have had just these problems for so many years but at the moment appears to be in check. The first is that I have supraventricular  tachycardia diagnosed, have had many tests to check heart which is fine but it is the vagus nerve which stimulates this problem. I take a beta blocker once a day and have done so for many years. This controls the reaction.  I also have a sliding hiatus hernia and have experienced similar symptons as in the discussion.  I find the best way to keep it in check is of course to watch the trigger foods I eat and do rely on gaviscon dual action tablets, however for me at 5ft 3ins and any weight I put on goes around my middle, I do find the less I weigh the better I am.  I appreciate how frustrating it is to be given and receive test results without any positive feedback (excuse the pun).  ( If its any consolation, more than 30 years ago when I went to my GP thinking I had heart failure, I was told that my heart would be pounding like that if I had just run a 4 min mile! I also mentioned that I thought there was a link between my 'indigestion' and my palpitations, this was brushed aside.)  Has anyone found that weight loss helps? This happened to me after a particular long period of trouble when I hardly ate anything at all. I now find if I can keep my weight down it does seem to eliminate most of the problems

     I do hope everyone is doing better. Best wishes.

    Carol

    • kushgoblin604
      kushgoblin604 carol82992

      Posted

      Hey carol I talked with a few other oeople concerning weight (I'm 6'1 175lbs and I'm a skinny guy from what it looks like we are both on the other end of the spectrum physically but I heard that if you got what I like to call the "belt" (weight around the middle region) its smart to diet but not to take it overkill, you don't wanna be too skinny like me be it feels like my entestines are worming threw my weak points sometimes. Diets smart it takes the weight off I heard but done be doin sit ups or anything your crazy oldie wink hope all is well. -Eric
  • Power1on
    Power1on eddie10

    Posted

    I have reply to this thread before but I thought I would add on some additional information I had this surgery about four years ago unfortunately it came undone the doctor thinks due to the type of work that I do which is physically demanding I also get chest pain constantly after I eat it's almost as if you can feel the food trying to go down slowly but surely there is a technique that I sawon the Internet where you drink a warm pint of water then hit down on your heels 10 times supposedly this helps your hiatal hernia slide down and stay down for the day check it out on the web good luck all I really enjoy this discussion
  • carole28488
    carole28488 eddie10

    Posted

    Eddie10, thank you for your post I have had a huge HH for many years I have been to the ER so many times with terrible chest pain and bloating in my stomach like you wouldn't believe I went through all the cardio tests, too. Now I'm on a muscle relaxer to relieve the spasms, and also a Prilesec each morning. I feel that I'm in good company with so many others who know what I'm going through. Hope we all find the answer one day. 
  • kushgoblin604
    kushgoblin604 eddie10

    Posted

    Hey eddie I noticed your post and that its about a year old now but my questions for everyone, I'm 21 and had a minor hernia about two years ago n it dident bring me any discomfort so i thought nothibg of it (foolishly) but about two weeks ago I was smoking a joint and I bent over to grab my lighter while coughing (dumb move I know) when I had another out my side. it went in right away and cause no discomfort until two days late, NOW Im mimmikking all of eddies symptoms (minus the base ball in the chest) that aria feels more or so like you would after you get winded or punched in the stomach. (I think that's a result of the old hernia) so on the third day I went to the doctor and he comfirmed it but dident telk me much took some x rays n sent me to see a physician I'm canadian yet I kost my service card so meeting with them is costky but ever since that day at work I stopped working n my lower left of my stomach all the way up to my where my ribs meet my chest feels like its doing the wave after I eat. Dosrnt hurt but it feek like it did before tge hernia came out I chilled out ob smokinv cuz I know the coughing was the problem but I'm just wondering if you had similer discomfert? It dosent hurt but I feel like my guts are testing for weak points in my abs n will come out if I'm not careful. Any feedback woukd be very aporiciated I don't wanna go yo the hospital n spend 600 bucks I don't have if this is just the norm. Thanks again wink
  • joanna17875
    joanna17875 eddie10

    Posted

    Hi Eddie, you have my every sympathy!! I am 55 and after a lifetime of hiking, swimming and riding I have been forced to give them up due to a series of events similar to yours all gastric, everything from bloating, nausea, dizziness, chest pain like I have been stabbed and back and shoulder pain so bad I could cry. The cardiac investigations showed nothing and were done pretty quickly but the endless holy grail to find the cause of all this this continues.  I have started to experience the tennis ball behind my sternum this weekend, waiting for an endoscopy, saw a surgeon last week who after 6 months of question mark gallbladder  is not convinced it is so wants to start her own investigations - here we go again!!.  I have just started to have reflexology and Reiki, both of which do give me a few hours relief and good sleep, something else which has been disrupted by this carry-on.  All the very best to you.
  • mary35368
    mary35368 eddie10

    Posted

    I would suggest you stay taking prilosec otc daily. It works way Beyer than randitine. Take one we very day and don't skip.
  • Kentgirl
    Kentgirl eddie10

    Posted

    Hi, I am a newbie, just over a year ago I diagnosed with lung problem and my MRI scan found I had a hiatus hernia as well. Since then I have lost 1 and a half stone and have felt a lot better.keeping a note of the things that aggravate it does help. I do suffer with phlegm which can be a annoying.like you Eddie I get the burps etc 
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