Less Gory post re hiatus hernia.

[kkatz]

I am posting this less gory version(post still available )of my symptoms & lead up to Crisis.I have had an hiatus hernia since about 2010.Seemed to cope quite well with careful diet till a few years ago.

Sometimes experienced pain in left shoulder front to back.Not knowing if hernia,AF , stents or arthritis the cause.

Then increased Ppis, gaviscon & strong painkillers.

For about a year I have experienced pain in ribs after excercise and between shoulder blades.Felt as if holding fluid.

I thought it might be Arrythmia or chest infections.

A couple of x-rays have prompted remarks such as "very large hiatus hernia"or "you can certainly tell you have a hernia"I did ask one of my GP doctors who said sliding hernias can look bigger sometimes and did explain ops can be done but I though only a hiatus hernia.well I got really bad Pain, couldn't eat and asked for face to face.We were going to a funeral the next day the other side of the country and I thought it could wait till a few days later .

Later I rang 111 told go to A& e.

Of course with my heart history everyone thought heart or chest infection and they were going to send me home with antibiotics.However a doctor in A & e thought symptoms didn't quite fit & sent me for CT scan.

Rest is history.

Now PLEASE don't all panic & rush to docs or stay up all night with anxiety.My case is very Rare.

And despite several unpleasant experiences I am still in NSR .I had to fight for 4 days to get my BP meds and it went up to 192/98.

Now a little high but ok.

[Cavalierrubie]

Thanks Kkatz. Having a hiatus hernia myself, l guessed it would have been excruciating pain, nausea, vomiting etc. Knowing how bad the pain can get, you must have been in agony, enough for you to know it was time to go to AE. The difficulty for the medics. is that the pain mimics a heart attack and they admit they cannot tell the difference until the appropriate tests are done. Thank goodness the doctor was thorough and checked everything. I hope you will be much better when you have healed. I think the op. Is pretty successful, so speedy recovery.

[Jalia]

Thank you Kkatz. Now that does sound like a bad H H! How awful to have to suffer like that.

Mine does not give me anything like the problems you've had except I can see the bulge! I have to say though that since I've lost a stone in weight I'm rarely aware of it.

Pleased you are now free of it ! Keep well.

J

[PleasantPink]

Thanks for sharing your experience. That's ashame you had to go thru all that but sounds like a good ending except for the part where you had to fight to get your BP MEDS !!! Why in the world was there such a delay ? If it was a matter of the pharmacy not having them, if there's ever a need for another hospitalization bring your own meds with you. Here in the USA you can have your doc write orders that the patient can take their own meds. The staff will not administer them but you can. At most you have to wait for the pharmacist or tech to check the bottles & confirm they are what you say they are but certainly better than waiting four days !!!

It was good for you to explain to folks not to minimize having a hiatal hernia . Hopefully from reading your experience it will alert others. I do have a moderately large hiatal hernia but the decision for surgery is complicated by my age & anatomy. I am hoping weight reduction will prevent ever needing the surgery.

Hope you continue to have a good recovery.

[kkatz in reply to PleasantPink]

Reason for delay.Changing wards, communication,.top doc says no.No good giving you tabs with a tube emptying your stomach.They will just come back.Intravenous? Asked doc.Yes they can ! Not prescribed.

Absolute chaos.

Nightmare

[PleasantPink]

Thank you so much for your quick reply. OMG yes indeed you certainly had absolute chaos with a capital C to put it politely !!! I wasn't thinking about needing the gastric suction post surgery. Sounds like the surgeon didn't plan ahead for sure !!! What a terrible ordeal but hopefully all worth it now. Hoping I'll never need it but good to know these details...just in case.