Hiatus Hernia

strangulation, tightness, upper abdomen under ribcage.I suspect it could be a hernia?pain never goes until i lay down to sleep.Tried cutting out all food's i eat but no relief.Had thos for about 2 yr's.Has anyone had or has this or could give me any suggestion's.Please.

No! I've been on Lansparole for about a yr.No change i am not sick or have indigestion, the excruiating pain is there 24\7.I have been told i have blockages, however when i eat , drink and especially when i'm vertical and moving around and also have bowel movements, inwhich i take med's for it is so unbearable.My quality of life is pretty rubbish.I had spinal surgery Nov 2011 disc herniation i also have another that was diagnosed over 2 yrs ago.So have that to deal with aswell.Don't get me wrong i just want some answers hence that's why i'm on several forum's.

Hiatal hernias are not like the ones in the abdomen that bulge outward, except that they're bulging through a hole in a muscle (the diaphragm). The hole they come through is the same place the esophagus goes through to the stomach. When the hole gets too large it lets a bit of the stomach slide up into the chest. That's not a problem unless it's a really big hole or the stomach gets stuck in the chest and can't move down (GPEH - giant paraesophageal hernia).

Hiatal hernias often don't cause pain, but they can if large enough. Changing diet wouldn't help. The only one who could diagnose this is your doctor. A simple barium swallow would show it - non-invasive, no anesthesia needed. Just scoping down the esophagus could miss it, although most good gastroenterologists would recognize the signs.

Pain can also be from a malfunctioning lower esophageal sphincter (LES). If it's open too much it can let acid into the tender esophagus which doesn't tolerate acid, causing pain. There are all sorts of acid reducers that can change the acidity of the stomach, but they don't cure the LES from being open.

If you're not getting help from your doctor, I'd see a different one. A gastroenterologist should be able to do a bunch of tests and then explain exactly what you need to try yourself, although it might take a while to get the right treatment.

Surgery is a last resort. It takes a long time to recover, sometimes a year, so don't just jump into it if you can find a treatment that makes life more comfortable. You shouldn't need pain medicines for stomach problems. Just treating pain means you haven't got the right treatment.

I lived just fine with a small HH and bad valve for at least 30 years. When it got pretty bad, I found out I had some specific food intolerances. My allergist helped me figure those out. (See the search box for sulfite intolerance.) I still needed acid reducers when I got off my trigger foods, but I no longer had episodes of food refluxing up after eating as long as I sat upright for a while. I finally did need surgery after a bad wreck that pushed my stomach into my chest where it got stuck. I'm glad I had the surgery, but it doesn't cure food intolerances. Surgery doesn't work for everyone and isn't guaranteed to last forever either. Make sure you need it before insisting on it.