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Hiatal Hernia. What helps?

Posted by betterb4 @betterb4, Feb 13, 2017

I was just diagnosed with a small hiatal hernia but I'm feeling pretty miserable. I was a perfectly healthy person and this all started a couple months ago. It started with a feeling of a "lump" at the bottom of my esophagus (or top of my stomach). Sometimes I had a burning feeling in my esophagus. I mentioned it with my gastroenterologist before a routine colonoscopy; she pretty much dismissed it but immediately put me on Prilosec in the morning and Zantac.It really doesn't help very much. before bed. I had and EGD and she diagnosed and irritated esophagus and stomach and a small hiatal hernia.
I have now given up coffee, wine, chocolate, beef, tomatoes and eating after dinner (everyday the list grows.) We have propped our bed at an angle. I am afraid to eat. She insists that the hernia is not causing this, but it must be. I'm in my 50's, perfect weight and have never even had heartburn. If this doesn't improve soon, I am thinking of going to Mayo for a full evaluation. I can't live this way and I DO NOT want to be on medicine the rest of my life.

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cezanne | @cezanne | 2 days ago
In reply to @19281928 "@hobbity mine is now causing stomach twisting (incredibly painful and takes your breath away) plus unable..." + (show)
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@hobbity mine is now causing stomach twisting (incredibly painful and takes your breath away) plus unable to take a deep breath, sometimes episodes of nearly passing out. I'm worried my appointment with GI tomorrow will say not much can be done or what can be done will be worse than what's currently happening. My acid reflux isn't that big of a deal, I always eat healthy and don't need the Omeprazole that often. It's just the stomach pain, chest pain and the twisting, near passing out . Feeling full for several days , only able to eat a cup or two at a time and feel incredibly full

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@19281928 Your symptoms are worse than mine but I have had episodes including the shortness of breath. A "full" feeling is a clue for me to go on a liquid or pureed diet of small meals until something shifts and I feel better. Constipation and a slow digestive system makes things worse so I watch all of those things before it gets too advanced. My reflux is the silent type and not causing pain. I agree the hernia IS a factor.

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19281928 | @19281928 | 2 days ago
In reply to @cezanne "@19281928 Your symptoms are worse than mine but I have had episodes including the shortness of..." + (show)
Profile picture for cezanne @cezanne

@19281928 Your symptoms are worse than mine but I have had episodes including the shortness of breath. A "full" feeling is a clue for me to go on a liquid or pureed diet of small meals until something shifts and I feel better. Constipation and a slow digestive system makes things worse so I watch all of those things before it gets too advanced. My reflux is the silent type and not causing pain. I agree the hernia IS a factor.

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@cezanne I'm having another endoscopy to see if the hernia has gotten bigger and possibly having surgery to repair it . at least I hope it's something that can be fixed 🤞🤞.my father had one 50 years ago but it was done differently back then and his hernia came back. I may have to live with this 😞.not fun on top of fibromyalgia.

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cezanne | @cezanne | 1 day ago

May you have a good outcome. Dealing with multiple sources of illness is not easy.
My hernia is stable enough that I’m trying to avoid surgery.
Please update on your progress as things develop.

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