Hiatus Hernia

[Suzywoozy]

Hi I was diagnosed with a small hiatus hernia after having an upper gastroscopy, I had been suffering months with excessive salivia (waterbrash) been on Lamiprazole, Pantoprazole and Omeprazole, also Peptac, none of these worked so I changed my diet cutting out all dairy etc, I wake up choking with it which is very scary, anyone got any tips for this acid reflux symptom 😢

[peege]

Has anyone mentioned avoiding acid foods, including citrus, tomatoes, a lot of fruit IE pineapple (pears are the least acid fruit), vinegar and fizzy drinks ?

[O2Trees in reply to peege]

. . . caffeine, chocolate, spicy foods . . .

[peege in reply to O2Trees]

....animal fat is the pits for my tum, unfortunately no buttered toast anymore.....do you find lemon juice is fine? I use it loads and I find it quite soothing. X

[O2Trees in reply to peege]

I can eat almost anything as long as it's balanced with other more alkaline foods - so yes, I can take lemon juice in meals but not alone in a drink. Same with lots of fruit - I can just about eat pineapple as long as it's with yoghurt. Even spicy food as long as it's with bland rice. I manage one fairly strong cup of coffee a day (for me decaffeinated is a waste of time). And eat about 20-30 grams of 85% chocolate and both these seem fine. Butter is fine, as is red meat though I don't eat much of that. Dairy of course produces mucus in the throat but I eat quite a lot in attempt to keep my weight up. Just has a large slice of chocolate fudge cake and a cup of coffee at our local cafe - very yum

Lemon and cidar vinegar are interesting in that they are adaptogens - for anyone not knowing this means they make our bodies more alkaline. But they are both obviously acidic when we have just imbibed them so I think the adaptogen bit doesnt work until they have been metabolised by our bodies. So as raw ingredients they don't work for me. It is all so individual.

I joined the oesophageal HU page but have never found it very helpful - I think it works well for those with more severe problems but not so much for ppl like myself. xx

[peege in reply to O2Trees]

Ah adaptogens, interesting O2. I also use live apple cider vinegar & that's fine too. XX

[helingmic in reply to peege]

Peeg, don't mix aple cider vinegar with honey, this is a sure way to chemically destroy teeth. Mic

[helingmic in reply to O2Trees]

O2, I really like your answer and can agree with most of it. Adaptogens, never heard of it. By the way, doctors will tell you that to make he body alkaline is a myth. The blood needs to be slightly alkaline. it you change its nature, you die! I take Lanzoprazole (which is a "pump" which tells the brain not to produce acidity in the stomach), but sometimes I need to take a spoon of Gaviscon, generally after strong meaty meals. The curry, pepper, turmeric and chilli are all supposed to help with digestion and combat acidity. I don't know really. I like them, so I have them! but it's too difficult to know exactly what protects you. As you say, a balanced diet with not too much of acid stuff seems good. Cheers, Mic

[O2Trees in reply to helingmic]

But the acid/alkaline balance can change Mic - isn't that why you get a ph reading when you get the ear prick blood test for O2 and CO2 levels? I think generally it's considered we eat too much acid food and not enough alkaline, but that could just be alternative healers rather than mainstream medicine. Quite a lot of what alternative medicine says which gets dismissed now, later becomes conventional wisdom, so who knows?

Nice to see you posting Mic

[helingmic in reply to O2Trees]

O2Three, I wasn't sure how to reply to this. so I looked it up here.

artp.org.uk/en/patient/oxyg...

I thought that the best thing to do is for you to read it. the Oxygen can be depleted, but the nature of the blood doesn't change, If you were to inject alkaline or oxygen ( which is acidic, direct into the blood you would cause serious damage.

When you take Gaviscon to deal with stomach acidity, the GAviscon is digested, but does not change the acidity in the blood,. it just neutralises the acid in the stomach.

Hope that's alright by you! Mic

[O2Trees in reply to helingmic]

Your link doesn't say anything about ph levels in the blood Mic. It only talks about O2 levels and CO2 levels as far as I can see.

I wasn't suggesting that ppis or other anti-reflux medication would make your blood more acidic, of course it just lowers the acid in the stomach - I think we're not understanding each other. They wouldn't measure blood ph levels if there was no issue about these - I think it's a very small range of figures which is considered ok so, as you imply, if it changes too much towards acidic that is a major problem.

[helingmic in reply to O2Trees]

OK, O2, I get along with you. Cheers, Mic

[O2Trees in reply to helingmic]

[O2Trees in reply to helingmic]

Link which describes what Im talking about better than I have!

draxe.com/balancing-act-why...

[helingmic in reply to O2Trees]

I love spicy food, they say that chilli and turmeric help the digestion ( it is said to prevent cancer, but then many things might be, it's easy to say it!)As for me, whole milk I prefer to semi and it doesn't povoke any untoward regurgiation, but an enormous belch after my cornflakes in teh morning!

I spray a handful of crushed chill (which they say is better than pepper, why I don't know). Resarch is sometimes very dictatorial without real backing up. I think it's a very personal choice of what suits your guts.

I sometimes take a pill called Jarro-Zymes plus. It contains pancreatic enzymes, LIpase (to digest fatty acids), Protease ( caseine or milk proteine) and Amylase (potato starch). I think it helps. when nothing helps, Gaviscon is the last resort! Yes, diet is iportant, but it is such a difficult and particular subject, I cannot comment on it, as I've been through quite a lot of trials, but found that moderation in everything is better. Mic

[mich11020]

Hi Suzy - my son suffers at times from this especially if he has been eating junk food. I know you are avoiding all dairy but the only thing that relieves my sons pain especially during the night is half a glass of warm milk. Hope you find something that works for you too.

[Sandy-]

Also avoid fatty foods, acidic foods, coffee, chocolate, spicy foods, caffeine, and avoid eating for at least three hours before bedtime. Some people find propping themselves up slightly in bed helps. Sit upright when eating and afterwards.

Hopefully some of these measures will help.

[Hidden]

Raise the head of your bed on 2 house bricks either side ....sleep with only one pillow the head up keeps gastric juices which cause the reflux down xxx

[skischool in reply to Hidden]

house bricks?whats the pillow made of Angie reinforced concrete with a corrugated iron duvet cover of approx 10 togs lol x

[helingmic in reply to Hidden]

Angie, I don't know about the bricks. The physiotherapist at the hospital prescribed a back rest because of my COPD; I must say it helps with the stomach acidity too, it doesn't come up at night any longer. So good idea I think! Mic

[Hidden in reply to helingmic]

Having worked in a specific area regarding the above condition it's sound advice given by experts in the specific field x

[Billiejean_2 in reply to Hidden]

I was given exactly this advice by my consultant Angie, when I was diagnosed with GERD. I haven't done it though - couldn't handle the thought of bricks in the bedroom. I take one Omeprazole tablet a day and that seems to control my reflux.

[Hidden in reply to Billiejean_2]

Worked with a lot of those type of ppl that gave you the advice something that sticks in your mind lol xx

[helingmic]

Suzywoozy, Yes, I have Lansoprazole too. All these -zoles, are "pumps" which tell the brain not to pump acidity in. I think you do have to find the diet that suits you better. I've heard that turmeric and chilli are said to help with lowering acidity ( I don't know. I like chilli so I take shilli; turmeric stains clothes yellow, so not so keen because of it, but they sell pills full of turmeric so yo don't have to spread it all over you!) One thing that may help at night is to sleep either with more pillows or with a back rest. I have a back rest because fo lots of mucus during the night. It seems to help in the mucus not coming up at night. Acidity comes up from the stomach, you can feel it,it's so sore. Camomile tea is a soother, yes I now some people hate the blandness, but one can accommodate, especially with a bvit of honey! Try to eliminate acid food ( type acid food in Google) just try. Mic

[Magpuss]

I have a back rest and four pillows, and I take Gaviscon at bedtime. It supresses both acid and bile reflux, ppi's only work for acid reflux. I can eat small amounts of most things as long as it isn't anything spicy but I tend to have a dry mouth so don't know what to suggest for excessive saliva.

[Salmo]

Agree with most of above suggestions regarding foods to avoid or eat. Certainly any fizzy drink like coke or lemonade will be very acidic and not good for you. Raising head of bed by 6 inches is also a great suggestion. I read that sleeping on your left side may also help. Small meals more often and nothing after 6-8pm also helps.

If drugs are not working check with your GP as there may be other things to try and there are tests that can be done. The following info may help when you talk to them as they often do not explain all of these issues.

The first line of treatment is almost always the "prazoles" also known as PPIs. How you take these is very important for standard forms of PPIs. They must be taken with water 1 hour before eating anything (usually in morning when you wake up) and you must eat 1 hr later or else they will have very little effect on reflux.

The other issue with PPIs is that some people (particularly those with hiatus hernia) may require double the normal dose or even require twice daily dosing with PPI to control acid. There are tests that can check for this.

PPI are not very effective against night time reflux (when you sleep) and so some people also need to take ranitidine (or other similar H2 antagonists) before bed as H2 antagonists are the most effective treatment for night time reflux.

Gaviscon can be very useful but to get any effect against reflux you should not eat or drink after taking it. The alginate in Gaviscon works against reflux by coating or lining the oesophagus and if you eat or drink that lining is washed away and its effects are greatly reduced.

Finally, for a hernia or problems with gut motility it is possible a D2 antagonist (metoclopramide or domperidone) may help. There are some risks with these compounds but I find it provides some additional help to all the above ( I have hiatus hernia as well).

[Christina1941]

Hi Suzywoozy. I have really bad acid reflux and my doctor prescribed Lansoprazole 30mg twice a day for six weeks, then once a day, also Gaviscon Advance 4 times a day, and happily it has worked and I don't feel as if I am choking anymore xx

[lKeith]

Suzywoozy

I too have a hiatus hernia and have the same effects in the middle of the night. Unlike yourself I have a good swig of Peptac or take Rennies then have to sit upright in bed. It's very uncomfortable but needs must. Speak to your GP to see if there is anything else on the market that would ease the discomfort.

IKeith

[Stephend]

Afternoon sorry to here this when you eat does it feel like it’s not going down what you described sounds very much what I have it’s called a nutcracker it’s when the muscle at bottom of the esophaugs which goes into spasm I have an hiatus hernia as well it’s sits just to the left of the muscle it’s very rare illness but ask as it’s not what they look for as it’s so rare I hope this can help in someways

Take care 🤓🙏

[Stephend]

I forgot to say I take 80mg of omprazole a day and I’ve had 4 Botox injections in the muscle at the bottom of the esophaugs

👍🤓🙏