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Is Hiatal Hernia curable ?

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Posted 8/24/2019 2:49 AM (GMT 0)
Hello my friends , Im new here , 46 years old man ,
hopefully short story lol
This last 2 weeks I started feeling a lot of pain in the upper abdominal with palpitations ,although I don't have acid reflix nor Gerd I went to a GI he assumed that could be a stomach ulcer or a tear in my diaphragm area (HH) due to lifting and gaining some weight 214 pound ,but he said he need to do some test ( Endoscopy US abdominal blood test) he said if it confirmed (HH) and if the meds didn't work he will operate on me he said it's going to be a small procedure at the outpatient site ,my question is what kind of small surgeries would be done to fix the hh? .however he prescribe for me Sucralfate for stomach and Hyoscyamine for pain ,I started taking those meds the pain subside little bit on the first day but worsen since then especially at night and the early morning I couldn't sleep ,I still have the pain it is like a boll stuck in my upper abdominal and giving me a very bad headache .since I don't know what a heck is going on I started looking everywhere in the web hopping to find any clue to eases my mind ,I saw on youtub a video (Nessen F) procedure .so my question is why they have to wrap the stomach around the esophagus ? wait a minutes I understand because they want make like a ring to block the acid from returning up and causing damage but why they can't just fix the diaphragm ?is there any other technique to just return the stomach back down which is the one causing pain in the first palace ? the HH issue doesn't look like a mechanical fix ?endless seeing the other procedures the (Linx) also it has some risks putting a foreign solid object around a venerable soft intestine .please don't take me wrong I do saw more complications than success stories ; a lot of redos op. you can't focus on your life you always have to watch for what kind of food you have to eat,and how much and how to eat ,latterly we can't find on the health system a global success rate announcement , in the meantime I saw a resent procedure (TIF) but don't know when it s gonna be a golden global procedure , Hey ! one of my friends has heart valve implant and now she is enjoying her normal life back without any issues !! other friend get his vision back after a complicated cornea surgery !! come on Doctors $$
Sorry my friends I'm very devastated and lost ,thankfully I find you all caring humanitarian peoples in this forum ( HealingWeel ) abdicating your time and effort to show us show us your stories and performing us with a lot of guidance and information .
I ll keep you update
Again with all my respect Thank to all of you
Posted 8/27/2019 1:33 PM (GMT 0)
Salamon:

Unfortunately, most of your questions are better answered by your GI doctor. The HH hernia is not curable, but it can be fixed by lap surgery. I also suggest that you stop doing research using Dr. Google, as a lot of the information on the internet is incorrect. There's no need to feel devastated, as a lot of people have been in the same situation as you. I had the Nissen and HH hernia surgery, and I've also had a ventral hernia repair recently as an outpatient. If you don't feel that the medication is helping, contact your doctor and he can refer you to a surgeon.

Good Luck, Sharon
Posted 8/27/2019 4:19 PM (GMT 0)
SharonZ thanks for the reply , sorry about my frustration , I did went to a GI and I m waiting for my endoscopy test next week . I have had 3 different surgeries not (HH) on 2015 , I m just tired of its , yes the other surgeries healed completely , but like you said maybe I m over looked online and luckily watched only negative outcomes , hopefully there are some folks over there with successful surgery give us some encouragement or ease our mind at least .the thing is bothering me is I haven't seen someone came after a couple years and said I m 100% healed I can do anything and eat anything I want . from what I understand that the Nissen fundoplication procedure is 60% success rate is that right?? I know it is different from one to an other but I'm talking on general . I'm new here and I ll be posting my diary . thanks to everyone , God bless you all

Post Edited (salamon) : 8/27/2019 10:33:36 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 8/27/2019 4:54 PM (GMT 0)
Salamon:

I was told that the success rate for the Nissen was over 90%, I'm not sure where you heard 60%. I don't have any issues, can do or eat anything that I want. Most of the stories that you read online are negative. People don't take the time to post positive outcomes. We have quite a few members who have successful outcomes.

Sharon

Post Edited (SharonZ) : 8/27/2019 10:57:17 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 9/6/2019 2:41 PM (GMT 0)
Unless you somehow have a massive hiatal hernia, jumping right into a surgical procedure sounds odd. Do yourself a favor, during your endoscopy make sure they test you for eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE).

I have a minor hiatal hernia, but during a recent EGD biopsies revealed I have EoE. Am in the middle of a food elimination diet which has all but ended my struggles with reflux/swallowing difficulties I've experienced for years. Kinda explains why I never got fully better with these issues even though I am careful about what I eat, not lying down for at least three hours after I eat, etc. EoE diagnosis came as a surprise, but now feel as though I have a path forward to esophageal health.

Good luck.
Posted 9/11/2019 4:19 PM (GMT 0)
I'm new to this site, but I am going through basically the same stress as salamon. My problems started suddenly on 7/28/2019 following an abdominal strain lifting accident. Daily Burping, hoarseness, heartburn that did not exist at all for me in my life prior to that day. It's been consuming me and I feel like I haven't slept well or enjoyed a meal since. I'm a 40 yr male normal weight. I was convinced that a hiatal hernia was the main reasonable possibility after researching online my symptoms. My first GI doctor did an endoscopy that showed NO Hiatal Hernia ! I was thrilled and thought that means this must be able to resolve. Two days later the GI doctor called and let me know that my biopsies showed mild grade A erosion due to reflux. He prescribed pantoprozole PPI drug once daily. I took that one day and had a panic attack and figured it might be the drug so I called the GI doctor asking what I should do because I still felt all the symptoms and could not sleep due to the chest pains. They told me that it's all anxiety and to follow up with another my general doctor. So much for them! They basically told me to get lost. So, I was able to schedule with another GI doctor in town. He reviewed my history and the endoscope photos. He too thinks it's not a hiatal hernia, but did admit that it's possible for them to be missed if they are small sliding types. He changed me to H2 blocker Pepcid. I've been struggling to understand how one can go from no GERD to GERD daily overnight without something functional happening like a HH so I asked my new GI doctor is I could have a barium swallow. He agreed that's reasonable and ordered the test. I now I'm waiting for it to be scheduled. I'll post what it shows.

Agree with salamon. I'm amazed at how poor our choices are in GERD treatment in comparison to other conditions. Tough to deal with because it tends to be chronic, everyone tends to tell you it's no big deal, it does lead to ongoing tissue damage of the esophagus, makes eating and sleeping stressful, etc. The only real "cure" is surgery and agree that they all sound major, and there are some really sad stories of misery post surgery online out there.
Posted 9/11/2019 6:14 PM (GMT 0)
Gman45:

Welcome to the Healing Well Forum! Believe it, or not - anxiety can cause/make your symptoms worse. It's quite possible that you never realized that you were suffering from GERD until it became severe enough to cause symptoms. I would continue to take the Pepcid and follow a strict GERD-free diet. You might want to try a different PPI, if the Protonix didn't work for you. There are a lot of choices, and what works for one doesn't work for all. One good thing is that your symptoms have been relatively recent as opposed to a lot of our members that suffer for many years. I had NF surgery 5 years ago and it was a complete success. Most people don't share positive outcomes, only negative ones.

Good Luck, Sharon
Posted 9/11/2019 7:30 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for your response Sharon. I'm sure you are correct about folks not sharing positive outcomes nearly as often as negative ones.

I plan to stay on the Pepcid and maybe talk with my GI doctor about other PPI's. The GERD free diet thing is hard. I feel like it makes little difference what I eat, but more about when I eat or if I'm exercising or trying to lay down.

My anxiety has become an issue during this for sure.

PPI's get a pretty bad wrap on some sites. What do you make of all the "acid rebound" and "low acid is the problem" theories out there? Did you ever experiment with those?

Glad to hear that your NF was a complete success.
Posted 9/11/2019 7:49 PM (GMT 0)
I try and stay away from all the different theories, quick fixes, etc. I'm also careful not to use Dr. Google as a self-diagnosis tool, as there are a lot of misinformation out there. I suffered from horrible acid reflux for most of my adult life, and developed asthma before I ultimately had surgery at age 53. Since your symptoms came on so suddenly, you might get a lot of relief from a PPI that doesn't cause you side effects. Just remember that you aren't going to get immediate relief, it takes a while for the medication to start working.

Sharon
Posted 9/11/2019 8:08 PM (GMT 0)
I don't really believe all the theories either, but some sound convincing when they go into their logic. However, I think it's pretty telling that nearly all of them are trying to sell you some fix and don't seem to be genuine folks sharing their stories.

Sorry to hear that you suffered so long with reflux. I have a new appreciation of how tough it is.

Thanks for the advice about trying different PPI's. Did you find PPI's more effective than H2 blockers to stop symptoms pre NF? I'm assuming you are free of those now.
Posted 9/12/2019 11:26 AM (GMT 0)
The one that consistently worked the best for me was Protonix, which is the one that you had issues with. I sometimes added a Pepcid before bedtime, in addition to the PPI. In your situation, I wouldn't even look into what is involved with surgery. I always tell everyone that surgery should always be the last resort. I can tell you that as bad as my reflux was, it didn't interfere with work or my social life. I went to work every day and still went to hockey games. I just didn't eat that hot dog and nachos that I wanted!

Sharon
Posted 9/18/2019 9:37 PM (GMT 0)
Having a barium swallow test on Friday 9/20/2019. I'm nervous, but hopeful that it will show either normal or something treatable. I know it's irrational, but I really have a fear of them finding a hiatal hernia on this barium test even when my endoscopy did not show one. I know so many people have and live with hiatal hernias. I know should really not be so fearful of it, and if it's there it's there.
Posted 9/18/2019 10:15 PM (GMT 0)

Gman45 said...
Having a barium swallow test on Friday 9/20/2019. I'm nervous, but hopeful that it will show either normal or something treatable. I know it's irrational, but I really have a fear of them finding a hiatal hernia on this barium test even when my endoscopy did not show one. I know so many people have and live with hiatal hernias. I know should really not be so fearful of it, and if it's there it's there.

Good luck with the test.
Posted 9/19/2019 1:03 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the well wishes guitar gerd. I too love guitar. Been playing for 25 years. I see above that you have a small hiatal hernia. Was it discovered recently . Endoscope?
Posted 9/19/2019 3:58 PM (GMT 0)

Gman45 said...
Thanks for the well wishes guitar gerd. I too love guitar. Been playing for 25 years. I see above that you have a small hiatal hernia. Was it discovered recently . Endoscope?

I've been a guitar hacker since I'm a kid. Keeps me occupied and I love playing the old tunes from The Who, Zeppelin, Humble Pie and the rest from that era. Yeah, I'm that old. lol

As for my hiatal hernia? Yeah, first identified in a barium swallow test, then confirmed during a EGD, a few years ago. It has has not gotten bigger and does not cause swallowing issues. As I mentioned, it seems like my problems were emanating from undiagnosed EoE. Right now, eliminating diary and wheat (two of the most common EoE triggers) has me swallowing better than I have in years. Make sure you get a biopsy for EoE the next time you are scheduled for an EGD.

Best of luck with your path forward toward feeling better.

GG
Posted 9/25/2019 1:12 PM (GMT 0)
I got my results from my barium swallow. I do not have a hiatal hernia. They said everything looked normal. I guess I just have gerd. Good news. Gerd does stink as we all know, but I hope I can learn to manage it better. The gerd diet is really tough to stick to.
Posted 9/25/2019 7:29 PM (GMT 0)
It is very difficult to follow the diet, but it's worth it if you can alleviate your symptoms!

Sharon
Posted 9/25/2019 7:47 PM (GMT 0)

Gman45 said...
I got my results from my barium swallow. I do not have a hiatal hernia. They said everything looked normal. I guess I just have gerd. Good news. Gerd does stink as we all know, but I hope I can learn to manage it better. The gerd diet is really tough to stick to.

Fantastic news, Gman. The diet is challenging but eventually you find the triggers which cause most of the problems. The two books specializing in reflux diets which helped me the most were written by Drs. Aviv and Koufman. You can definitely find them in your library.

Also, if after some time you are not getting better (or worse), you might want to consider an esophageal pH test. This will give you the level of acid making its way into your esophagus over a 24 hour period. IMO, its a much better/more illuminating test than the barium swallow. Basically, it's an in office procedure where the doctor places a sensor through your nose into the stomach which gives readings/LES strength over a 24 hour period. A bit uncomfortable, but nothing crazy. Hopefully, the diet or medication will do the trick and you won't need this test.

Best,

GG
Posted 9/26/2019 2:35 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks to Sharon and guitar gerd for helping me feel like I am not alone with gerd. Good forum for us who have dealt with reflux. I think folks that dont have this issue dont quite undertand what it Is like to worry about laying down and so on. Time for me to eat the right foods I suppose even though I want that chili dog at the ballgame. I will keep you posted if I find anything that seems to work for me to feel less heartburn in hopes it can help others.
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