Hi Everyone
Is there anyone who can help. My wife has a 4cm sliding hiatus hernia she has extreme difficulty in swallowing food. At the moment she has just started taking ometprazole. Has anyone experienced what surgery is involved should t come to that.
Hi, that's the same size of the Hiatus Hernia I have, and I don't think it would be considered for surgery yet. Surgery so far, has never been mentioned to me. The last time I had the endoscopy they said it was a giant Hiatus Hernia, that made me laugh as I didn't think giant was a medical phrase!
Sorry!
Anyway, I've had mine for a long time and it is getting bigger, but I don't know at what point surgery is offered. I take a Lansoprazole 30mg tablet twice a day, and without it I'd be in a mess. Your wife could always ask for the Orodispersable ones, as I think they're much quicker acting. Sometimes swallowing things is horrendous, and I frequently get things stuck and feel like I'm choking. Had she by any chance been tested for Sjogren's Syndrome? This makes everything dry, including the mouth, and just makes everything worse.
I'm sorry I can't be of more help regarding the surgery side of things, but I'm sure someone on here will be able to help you.
Thank you for your reply any information is valuable.
Hi Pompeyboy . I am in same situation but was given choice of surgery and am now on waiting list . Following a 5 week cough that wouldn't shift plus having difficulty swallowing certain foods for about 6 months I decided to visit GP .I took 2x Lansoprazole 30mg for 8 months but now down to 1 daily for the last 3 months . The swallowing improved but the coughs /sore throats are frequent .Maybe a 5 day break then returning . I had problem getting clear answer to long term effects of taking this medication but chatting at work made me opt for surgery as I would have to take some form of medication for life , the problem could worsen and 2 colleagues - 1 developed polyps and the other said he advised as I was aged 57 and healthy then why wait . I had difficulty swallowing especially gluten - bread /pasta and steak /chicken . With Lansoprazole it is easier but I still have frequent sore throats and cough. After 3 months of this medication and the worry of cough especially bad in morning , my GP made appointment for NHS hospital care.
I have had various unpleasant tests leading up to surgery - 2 endoscopes , a barium meal and a 24 hr monitor which I almost think was to test my endurance ! Not looking forward to pureed foods and 4-6 weeks off work but if I am off tablets and can stop this persist cough then I am willing to have surgery.
Hi Focused1. Thank you for your reply and information therein.
Omeprazole sometimes does take a couple of weeks to develop into full effectiveness.
There is a belt of muscle between your chest and your stomach (the diaphragm) which also creates a valve between the bottom of your oesophagus and your stomach, the lower oesophageal sphincter, that should keep stomach acid in its place. A hiatus hernia means that part of the stomach protrudes up into the chest area. nhs.uk/Conditions/Hernia-hi...
I think she would need a scan and/or endoscopy to assess the seriousness of the hiatus hernia, which can sometimes lead to complications. If she is having trouble swallowing, and it is indeed the hiatus hernia that is causing that difficulty rather than any other cause, it does seem that would be serious enough for something to be done about it. I think I would want to clarify the exact cause of the swallowing problem.
As I understand it, there is a reluctance to repair hiatus hernia cases because sometimes they are relatively minor inconveniences, the reflux can be controlled by medication, and there is a fair chance that the hernia re-appears some time later. On the other hand, not everyone responds to medication like Omeprazole, there are distinct health risks in being exposed to reflux in the long term, and there can be solutions with devices like Linx, a magnetic bracelet that recreates the valve effect at the diaphragm. Lumping everyone together simply because they have a hiatus hernia is not helpful, because at one end of the scale they might be best left alone for a while, and at the other there is a real need for proper surgery by an experienced Upper GI (gastrointestinal tract) surgeon.
Thank you Alan for your valued comments, my wife has had endoscopy with the result that she has a 4cm sliding hiatus hernia. Having spoken with a person with considerable medical knowledge they think that maybe a consultation with the gastrointestinal department because that have more freedom to prescribe medication that a doctor has the freedom to do, pursuing this route rather than surgery. However I do thank you for your input.
That sounds perfectly sensible.
Hi 6sep17 i had HH op .. nissen fundoplicarion 360 .. NF. I had giant HH. Had HH & reflux for abt 10yrs .. never any pain .. so never went doctors. Early 2016 i began experiencing swallowing probs but i was almost 18st and incorrectly decided to lose weight before going doctors. With diet and exercise after a year..ish i got down to 14.5stone .. still had swallowin issues but volume of reflux had reduced. Went to drs aug16. They noted weight loss(thinking cancer) and within a week i had endosc .. barium and cct scan. I had a huge rolling hh that had kinked my oesoph. Also they noted a stricture in my oesoph which was scarring from acid burns. Oesoph had narrowed at that point to 10mm. Also on eating my food wld backup and this resulted in my orsoph dilating to 10 times a normal oesoph.
Hosp were concerned that the stricture was cancerous. I was put on 20mm omprez/day. In march17 my final test indicated no cancer. They tried mammometry but this failed as pipe wldnt go round kink in oesop. The plan was step 1 treat the HH and if this didnt resolve reflux then consider more treatment.
I was nhs and the NF op took place 6sep17. In hosp 3 days .. keyhole. Its a big op but i was male 60 and fit and thanks to nhs i got thru it ok.
U lose upto 20% if stomach with nf, but it stretches backin time. They wrap top of stomach around oesoph for support .. hence its called nf 360. I was off work -3wks and have to be careful now when lifting .. u retain permanent stitches.
Ive now stoppd omprez. Get some acud at night .. not too bad. We are hoping things will improve with time. Swallowin improved but not 100%. Ive yet to have an endosc post op .. my concern is progressing to barrets.
U can also treat HH with the lynx procedure. This is less invasive than NF.
Hope this helps. Happy to answer qs.
Cheers. Gary
Swallowing difficulties 5 months post-op
advice please for Creon 
Post op sleeping position 
GERD and nightly heartburn 
Bad dumping incident?
