hi just been diagnosed with a hiatal hernia. Any ideas how to manage it would be gratefully received.
hiatal hernia : hi just been diagnosed... - Anxiety and Depre...
hiatal hernia
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RayannAbbey
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I had surgery to fix it and got a linx device that helps manage reflux. That was 5 years ago. Managing it before then was very difficult. I followed all the advice for diet and exercise. Took expensive meds and repeated endoscopies that said nothing and kept costing more and more all pushed by a crappy doctors until I found the one who did the surgery. Not once did those doctors diagnose a hiatal hernia. I wish I had better advice. Given all the endoscopes I have been able to skip it may have been cheaper to do the surgery.
What meds did you take? X what were you symptoms ?
5 years ago. I don’t remember the name and it didn’t work that well. None of them did. I had gerd acid reflux.
what were your symptoms?
classic gerd symptoms. All of them
Sounds like the GERD meds like Omeprazole helped a bit (can buy OTC). I had an umbilical hernia a few years back and also had surgery. My father had a hiatal hernia and tried to manage but ultimately needed the surgery. My only worry for surgeries is if you have had several in the past. I had all C sections. During my umbilical repair surgery....they noted that the scar tissues was so bad it is actually a disease. Adhesion disease. Every time you get opened up, you are at risk for scar tissue. My organs are encased in a bee hive like giant scar tissue. If you have none of those concerns, I do think surgery will be the easiest solution. Curious what your doctor says?
Hi there, my wife was diagonosed with a Hiatal Hernia 6 months ago. We found that changing her diet helped, avioding trigger foods that are acidic (PH less than 7). Doctors are reluctant to operate on Hiatal Hernias 3cm or less. Her Hernia was of the sliding variety and some times it would get stuck. We would massage it, try stretching and do breathing exercises; but the biggest help was the change in diet. Alcohol, coffee and spicy foods should be limited.
thank you so much x does she take any meds for it ?
what does it feel like when it gets stuck? X
My wife took intially "Gaviscon" for Heartburn and Indigestion but does not currently take. She also took medication to reduce her stomach acid, PPI's and H2 blockers but this caused more problems and would not reccommend .
thank you what is what l found. Can l ask what problems these meds caused. How does the hernia affect your wife on a daily basis? I have been hospitalised several times due to severe pain.
My wife tried various PPI's. Somac, Rabeprazole and Nexium from 10mg to 40mg. They reduce acid made by the stomach. The problem with this the stomach needs acid to break food down. The diagestive system is also reposible for making Seriton (90% of the body requirment). The higher the PPI dosage the worse my wife got (Both physically and metally). These tables are also need to be tapped down, you can't phiscally quit them or you expereience "Acid Rebound". In regards to your own Hiatal Hernia, a Gastroscophy should indicate the size and type. My wife said when her Hiatal Hernia got stuck she got shortness of breath, cheast pain and sometimes irregular heart beat. If you chose to try Acid reducing medication, we found the H2 blocker "Famotidine" effective in dosage 10mg to 20mg. This medication did give my wife heart pupitations (but everyone is different). I still believe after 6 months of addressing diet and trigger foods will give a better result.
l can’t thank you enough. This has caused me so much anxiety and now on anxiety med. l agree the ppi made me worse. I tried the fam tablet but it made me very breathless. Does you wife ever drink alcohol at all? I was ok until l had my gall bladder out so now experiencing issues. Thank you for your help.
What does your Doctor say?
Mine only bothers me when I sleep. Unless I sleep sitting up which I don't like doing. Zantac worked for me when it was made from Ranitidine. They took that off the market everywhere but India. I can't take the other H2 blockers because of side effects. There is one other H2 blocker that might work -but it's hard to get. It's called Nizatidine. The only PPI I can take is Zegrid . I am allergic to an ingredient in the others. A large 100 mg B vitamin helps a bit. I take one later at night and then an hour later take a Zegrid. I sleep with gavison by my bed and I take that if I start to feel heartburn.
And diet is important. High fiber foods at night help. Avoid acid foods and spicy foods.
thank you x do you drink alcohol at all? X
No. Alcohol is poison.
does it affect your hernia? X
Hi. I was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia when I was 18. I'm now 63. So I have a tremendous amount of experience with this. First of all where is yours located? Mine is at the beginning of my esophagus. I have not been able to drink alcohol for 45 years. A lifetime designated driver is what I am. So I don't know what your symptoms are but let me know and we can discuss further. Regards.
l have a sliding hernia about 3 cm
in reply to RayannAbbey
hey Rayann, loved reading all this great info on hiatal hernia. Mine was just diagnosed, also 3 cm. I have Crohn’s disease which complicates this. PPI’s don’t help me. Just cause rebound. Alcohol definitely makes it worse. Doc doesn’t seem to worried about it but I don’t think he gets how uncomfortable mine is. Perhaps Crohn’s makes the bloating worse. Wrong foods make me feel/look 5 months pregnant some days. I can see and feel it sliding up above sternum sometimes. Very scary. Let me know what relief you find. Thank u!
Yes. Depression definitely affects your personality and way of life. You get to a point where you'll try anything to help reduce the negative feelings. I tried all types of help until I combined the ones I mentioned before and it has definitely helped. When I skip any one of those I feel my anxiety and depression coming back. This works for me and the same regimen has helped a lot of people I talk with. Have I helped to at least giving some things I discussed a try?
I was diagnosed with hiatal hernia several years ago. All I take is prescription Omeprazole. I still get occasional acid reflux. If it happens I take a few big swallows of water to flush it down and avoid damage to my throat.Fortunately I do not drink alcohol, and limit coffee to 1-2 cups a day. I also try to eat slowly and not rush through a large plate of food, because this can trigger the reflux, at least with me. "Everything in moderation" is a good adage to remember!
thank you so much x
Small meals, avoiding certain foods (especially a few hours before bed), eating Granny Smith apples with everything ( a few small slices), not letting myself get too hungry. Hunger is a huge trigger for mine so I drink milk a lot to avoid it. If I’m not careful and do get really hungry, drinking a cup of milk and letting my stomach calm down before eating anything else really helps. I tried stomach meds but they didn’t really help. Someone told me about the green apples twenty-five years ago and they’re the only reason I can eat halfway normal.
I’ve lost over seventy pounds in the past five years by only eating one meal a day and drinking milk the rest of the day. I eat meat three times a week, and fruits and vegetables the other days. I had become gluten intolerant so I cut out breads and stuff because gf stuff is expensive and most of it doesn’t have a good texture.
thank you x do you take acid meds at all? X
Nope. I take meds for anxiety and constant head pain.
There is a website called drugs.com that can tell you about side effects and interactions with other medications. Doctors don’t always know about that stuff so we have to look it up ourselves to protect ourselves.
thank you so much x can l ask what you take for anxiety ? X x
Hi RayannAbbey, don't eat when you are tense and stressed out.
When having a meal make sure you are sitting in a straight back chair
and not slump into a couch. Mealtime should be a relaxing event.
When you are finished, do not bend over to pick something up or
your food with regurgitate, it's better not to lie down immediately
after eating. Allow time for the stomach to process the food.
Watch caffeinated drinks. Chew slowly and well before swallowing. 
xx
thank you x
have it for 40 years . First raise your head up when sleep about 15-20 degrees like another pillow or raise mattress . Avoid citrus hot spicy foods caffeine alcohol fatty fried foods . Loose weight if applies . Exercise abdominals make sure you eat at least 1 1/2 hours before sleep . Eat smaller meals but more often . Good luck
do you get lower back pain and pain in your shoulders with it? Any spasms in your stomach at all? X
I have lower back pain but not from that . I don’t have any stomach pain now but it does come sometimes when I go off the diet!
what foods do you avoid ?
do you take omeprazole or acid blockers at all?
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