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Gastritis and Hiatal Hernia

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GERD & Acid Reflux
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Posted 9/30/2005 8:33 PM (GMT 0)
Does anyone have any info/experience with being diagnosed with gastritis and a hiatal hernia?  I was just recently diagnosed and don't know if the hernia heals itself or what.  For the gastritis, the doc just kept me on the aciphex 20 mg I was already taking.  Some days are better than others, but still have daily heartburn.  Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Posted 9/30/2005 8:59 PM (GMT 0)
I've got a hiatal hernia and acid reflux. My understanding is that a hiatal hernia does not heal itself or heal by taking any medications. Taking a PPI like Nexium is supposed to help heal ulcers and some esophagal traumas caused by acid, but not a hernia. I think you need surgery to repair the hernia and it probably isn't worth it.

I was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia and silent acid reflux 7 years ago. The acid reflux was damaging my esophagus even though I didn't feel it and the only reason it was discovered that there was a stricture that resulted in a choking incident. I used to take prilosec and now nexium to protect my esophagus. I recently started feeling the acid reflux. It was so bad I would call it debilitating. I've gotten it back under control by being much more careful with my diet. I've also taken the suggestion of several people to eat less food at each meal but eat more frequently. When it was really bad I took a two to four Tums each day. My gastro doctor didn't like that since I was already on Nexium and Zantac, but the Tums did provide short term relief and he said a couple a day were ok.

I read somewhere that many people with acid reflux have hiatal hernias but there are a lot of people with hiatal hernias that do not have acid relux issues.
Posted 9/30/2005 9:03 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks, my esophagus is fine according to my recent endoscopy.  I am on a PPI called Aciphex.  How can I keep my esophagus from getting damaged?  I try to eat right, but not exactly sure what is "right".  I get frustrated because even food that I would think should not cause me heartburn (such as oatmeal) does give me heartburn so I figure if it gives me the same heartburn as something bad I might as well eat the bad stuff!  What does your diet consist of?

Posted 10/3/2005 6:03 PM (GMT 0)
I'm probably not the right person to answer that. I have had silent acid reflux for years. There was no feedback so I couldn't tell what hurt me. Out of the blue I started experiencing severe pain several weeks ago. I'm feeling better but I still feel some pain. The biggest difference in the last few weeks is not what I'm eating, but what I'm NOT consuming. The big item is soda -- I used to drink a lot of it. I think I was eating ok but then messing it up with what I drink. I think I also ate too much spahettti sauce, low acid orange juice, and some Advil for a bad foot. I'm still struggling with what to eat.

I have discovered that eating smaller meals but more often during the day seems to help.
Posted 10/24/2011 3:59 PM (GMT 0)
Speaking from experience, I have had 4 hiatal hernia surgeries, my last one was in 2010 and I almost died. Thank goodness I have a heart surgeon perform the 2 days surgery with being put in a coma during the surgeries. My stomach was cemented into my chest wall so on the first day they went thru my stomach and the second day they opened my back because of all the scar tissue and the positioning of my stomach in the chest.. From experience and alot of research it is my understanding that Hiatal Hernias are the hardest to repair. I just had an endoscopy performed and was told I have another small Hiatal hernia. If not repaired they definately can become life threatening. Think twice about this surgery and ask a lot of questions and get plenty of opinions from different doctors. I feel like I will be fighting this the rest of my life.
Posted 10/24/2011 7:45 PM (GMT 0)
mcgee-
Sorry to hear you had such a hard time with your last surgery.
Almost everyone has a hiatal hernia of some sort. Not everyone has to have it repaired, only if it gets too large or causes problems.
When they do a Nissen they also fix the hernia, if present, while they are there.

what one really needs to look for is a surgeon who has done this a whole lot of times successfully. And also make sure you have had the right tests to be sure you are a good candidate for this surgery, not everyone is.

Please start your own thread and introduce yourself to the members. You have posted o a 6year old thread.

Take care,
Bill
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