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large Hiatus Hernia and gastritis

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Posted 4/6/2009 4:22 PM (GMT 0)
HI everyone,

I am a newbie and wonder if any of you are suffering from a Hiatus Hernia and gastritis. I was diagnosed last week and been having chest pains for over a month. I went to the hospital and my heart is great!! But they found a large Hiatus Hernia and gastritis. I am on Prilosec 20mg two times per day. This is very painful and I am so tired. I wake every morning between 1 and 5am with pains in my chest and abdomen. I have been on the meds about 2 weeks. I hope this gets better, nothing is working yet. I am a vegetarian, I have changed my diet even more now so that I am not eating anything that would upset my stomach. Like no tomatoes or onions or peppers. I am eating very bland food at the moment. I dont drink alcohol or eat fried foods. I got it from Motrin 800, I was taking 1 or 2 per day for bone pain from lack of vit D, that has been gone for over a month. I stopped taking the Motrin over a month ago, but I guess the damage was already done to my stomach. It seems worse even thou I dont take the Motrin anymore. Anyone know how long this should last? I feel like such a mess all the time now. thanks everyone!
Posted 4/8/2009 2:01 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Daisey,
Welcome to the forum. You'll find a lot of help and support here. I had a small hiatus hernia and gastritis--often. The hiatus hernia was fixed on Feb. 27th when I had the Nissen Fundoplication procedure, which repairs the hernia and wraps the top of the stomach around the esophagus to create a new valve to keep the acid in my stomach.

The Nissen solved the reflux and hernia, but gastritis is something I'll be living with. My stomach is very sensitive, and reacts very easily--especially to medications. I also first noticed my GI problems after taking Aleve for back trouble.

I'll describe my gastritis experience pre-surgery:
After taking a medication that is irritating (Aleve, or antibiotics--they are a real problem) my stomach reacts strongly, and the cycle of gastritis is started. I would get a feeling of a painful "lump" in the middle of my chest. My stomach would feel HORRIBLE, and I could only eat a tiny amount of food--and I'd feel totally full. I could only eat the most bland and soothing food possible. I don't know about you, but I also always get loose stools or diarrhea when I'm having gastritis. When my stools get solid, I know the gastritis is improving.

This pain and stomach reaction would last months...I can't remember exactly how long I could only eat tiny amounts without discomfort, but I'd guess about 1-2 months. After I started feeling better, I'd have to be really careful for about 4 months or more, before it finally straightened out.

Can you eat dairy products or eggs? The most soothing food I could eat was egg custard. I lived on that. Cream soups are also good. I would think the softer the food, the better, because your stomach mashes food, and if it is irritated, and is crushing solid food, it certainly would be hard on its tender tissue.

The main thing is for you to really baby your stomach until it has a chance to heal. It's a tough problem, but you're not alone.

The main thing is...be patient, and don't challenge your stomach before it's ready.
Hope this helps a little.
Feel better!
Denise
Posted 4/9/2009 11:45 PM (GMT 0)

Daisey,

Dencha gave great advice. I have a hiatal hernia and gastritis, my intestines making their way up  almost to my heart. Baby your stomach. Egg custard is great, Mashed potatoes and rice is good also. Small portions will also help. Obviously stay away from citrus, and anything remotely acidic, or spicy.  Hope you feel better, and keep posting,

Cordelai 

Posted 4/12/2009 10:39 PM (GMT 0)
thank you guys for getting back to me. It seems anything that I put in my mouth comes out twice as bad, sounds gross but thats how it is. I will have to look into egg custard. I have been eating plain apple sauce, yogurt, I had been eating salad without tomatoes or anything spicy. I eat mushrooms, they seem to be ok. Lots of water, a little grape juice. The only good thing is that I have gone done two sizes. lol.. I eat very small meals, about 4 or 5 per day. I have found out that lettuce is not a great choice, I am learning the hard way! Now I know! A slice of bread with jelly seems to ok also. I love bananas. I will be talking to my Doctor tomorrow about my biopsy and blood test. So I will let you know how that turns out. I am so tired, still getting up with the pain in the early am.

Thanks Denise and CordeliaGray!
Posted 4/13/2009 3:10 PM (GMT 0)
Good luck, Daisy! Hope you find some answers with your test results.
Denise
Posted 4/16/2009 5:39 PM (GMT 0)
Well I got my results back from the biopsy, I now have added inflamed esophagus to my list of stomach issues. I have my next appointment on may 18.........so far away. I have been walking, eating small meals, I am hungry!!!!! I still wake up every mornig with chest pain from the Hiatus Hernia and the other things I have wrong. People Please be careful when using Motrin 800, this is what happens when you take it on a regular basis!!! Love the egg custard, nice and smooth. Can't wait to heal and feel normal, still losing weight! thats a good thing!
Posted 4/17/2009 1:04 AM (GMT 0)
I know, Daisey, healing a burned esophagus/stomach takes time. I also lost a lot of weight as I recovered from it as well.

I'll tell you...if they suggest the Nissen surgery, you can know one thing...the recovery is much more comfortable (in my opinion) than recovering from an esophagus/stomach burned to a crisp. I thought the recovery would be similar, but there was no comparison. The surgery was much easier to recover from!

I know, it is always hard to wait to see a specialist. It's hard to believe that they can't get you in sooner--no matter how much you're suffering, you've got to wait. If you keep babying your stomach, you'll start feeling better.
Best wishes!
Feel better,
Denise
Posted 4/18/2009 12:22 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Denise!!
I tried to eat a regular meal thinking that it would be fine.......WRONG. I did'nt have anything spicy or with fat in it either, I had a piece of toasted bread. I had burning and what feels like broken glass all the way down. The hardest part of all this is the waking up at 3am or earlier. People can tell now their is something wrong with me when they look at me, I have dark circles under my eyes and I am very pale at times. I have been invited to a few parties, 40th bday, out to dinners, I have been declining because what am I supposed to do......I dont drink anyway.....now I really cannot eat whats on any menu unless I tell them before hand. I just dont feel like explaining this all the time. I think I will take up friends activities when I feel better. I have been walking in the mornings, playing a lot out side with my son. Staying busy, its funny because now I realize why I was so heavy. Everything I have been doing revolved around eating.

Did you have a hard time keeping your calories up? I am averaging around 1000 or less.

You are right about not getting in any earlier to my Dr. He is booked solid every day. I know that I will see him soon enough.

Thank you for your support!!
Daisey
Posted 4/19/2009 2:45 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Daisey,
You sound like you've got a good attitude. It's nice that you can get outside to play with your son. I'm sure he loves that.

I can tell you something that you can be thankful for. You don't have asthma. Before my surgery, whenever I had a burned esophagus/GERD/Gastritis issue, I'd end up with severe asthma, which was untreatable, as the acid was out of control. I was in the hospital the week before Christmas because my asthma doc couldn't control my asthma and was afraid I was going to die. He had me on high levels of prednosone IV. I couldn't eat anything except the egg custard I ordered--and water. (The hospital was terrible, and sent me a regular diet--spaghetti, etc. I guess that would be my GI doc's job, wouldn't it?) My GI docs did nothing to help me. I finally got my family doc to spring me from the hospital. My asthma was still terrible, but I was good enough to manage at home. (I promised my asthma doc that I'd go right to the hospital immediately if I had trouble.)

When I went home, I was still in the condition you're in now. (plus I couldn't breathe and was coughing constantly...)
I do know what you're going through. It will take a LONG time to get things healed. I wish it weren't so, but it is. You need to eat only tummy-comforting food for a long time. After your stomach feels 100% better, you'll still need to go slowly introducing other foods into your diet. I guess that stomach and esophagus tissue is very sensitive and slow to heal.

I also lost a lot of weight whenever I had one of these bouts. I didn't eat much--I don't have any idea how many calories I took in, but I'm sure it wasn't many. I survived, though...and after time, went back to eating normally again--gaining back the weight I lost.

Don't isolate yourself from your friends! Bring your own food...they'll understand. You need to keep busy and live as normally as possible. Otherwise it's too easy to get down--and that doesn't help at all.
Nighttime waking is a hard issue to deal with, since it makes it hard to feel well the next day. Do you take Maalox to coat and soothe your esophagus and stomach? That's always been helpful to me.
Hope you feel better soon, Daisey!
Denise
Posted 4/21/2009 12:31 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Denise,

Asthma to!! You had it bad. I am glad that is not on my list. Sorry you had to go through that. And at Christmas time, I am so glad you are better now. I wish you never have to through that again. I am wondering if you still monitor what you eat, I have a feeling I might if I were you. Your GI doctor dropped the ball on you. He should have had a mild diet at the very least.

It seems I should only baby my stomach for now. I am the cook of our house of six. So its hard not to want some of what I make. I know if I do, I will wake up worse, so I dont. When I was in the Hospital they also had me on a low fat diet, but pasta with sauce? tuna mao and onions with chips? two days of this kind of stuff. No wonder I was worse in the Hospital.

I am not really isolating my self completely....just the things I know that I will be uncomfortable with. Good idea on bringing my own food, I will do that from now on.

I just starting taking Maalox for in between bout s of pain. Yesterday while cooking for my family, it felt like my stomach did a huge flip that lasted a few seconds. It was scary and it hurt, It only happened once but I sat down for a while. That has never happened to me before. So that was a sign to me to maybe take it easy for the rest of the day. I am gathering it takes a little time to learn what I can and cant eat, babing myself is best.

Thanks for taking time out of your day to listen to me, What a good person you must be.
Stay healty!!
Daisey
Posted 4/21/2009 11:06 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Daisey,
You will get better--and you'll be able to eat normally again. Until then, you just can't be too careful. Maalox helped me a lot when I was having trouble, because it coats and soothes. You could ask your doctor about Carafate. It is an old drug that coats your stomach and helps it heal. I take it by putting the tablet into a little medicine cup, stirring it until it dissolves, then tossing it back. It doesn't really have a taste. You can also just take it like a pill, with water. I had the Nissen surgery recently, and can't get a pill that big down.

Believe me, I understand your feelings. I am the cook as well. The Thanksgiving before last, I couldn't eat ANYTHING. My stomach reacted to mashed potatoes! I could eat about a quarter of a cup of yogurt or custard, and that was it.

Most of the time my gastritis/GERD issues have been due to medications--especially antibiotics. I have a family doctor that I've been seeing for a very long time, who knows my stomach really well. He always has me go off all supplements--(even calcium!), and any meds I don't absolutely need when I'm having a flare up. You might think about those types of things that might also be adding to your problem. The more consistently careful you are, the quicker you'll feel better. It's hard...I definitely understand.

Actually, once things get back to normal, I can pretty much eat anything I want. I just have to wait patiently until that time. If I eat or drink something bad too soon, I'll go backwards...it's not worth it. As you begin to heal, you can start adding some things into your diet, but be very careful.

Hospital diets are hopeless. Nobody will change it for you. You have to insist that you see a dietitian, and change your own diet. I recently had stomach surgery (Nissen Fundoplication), and with that, you're not supposed to drink caffeine, soda, or drink out of a straw. All those things were on my tray. Don't ever trust hopitals to provide you with the right things to eat!!

I wish you lots of luck, and hope you feel better fast!
Denise
Posted 4/29/2009 4:46 PM (GMT 0)
smhair Hi!!

Kind of having a set back, prilosec is not working at all now. I take 2 20mg per day, 1 in the morning and 1 before bed. Malanta during the day also. For the last week I am waking in lots of pain in the chest again, worse than before. I did call my Dr. and I am waiting for a call back, I also tried to get a ealier appointment with out any luck! My diet is good, been on baby food. Piece of bread once in a while. Veggies are killing me. I am trying to do this right so I can get well. I had a boiled egg this morning, killed me. I had baby food for lunch, killed me. I just done making homemade custard. Hope this be fine for me. I really dont know what I a doing wrong. I have been walking almost every morning to lose more weight. I just want to feel better, I usually have a great attitude about things. I am feel defeated at the moment.
Posted 4/29/2009 6:19 PM (GMT 0)
Daisey-

Hi, I had to switch from Prilosec to Prevacid after about a month. The Prilosec didn't work for me. You may just have to switch to a different medicine. I hope you get some answers and relief soon. I see you have an appointment on May 18th, I have my redo surgery scheduled for that same day.

Take care,
Bill
Posted 5/2/2009 11:10 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks Bill, I have to try something before my appointment. I hope you redo operation goes well. What are you having redone?

I am wondering if anyone has had intense back pain in there upper back because of a hiatus hernia. Mine is large from what the dr. told me. The back pain is so bad at night when my hiatus hernia is flaring up. I do have a better attitude today knowing my appointment is soon. On a good note I have lost 16 pounds this month. I know that is a lot for one month, it cant be helped. I made the home made egg custard, it seems my body likes it and no pain after I eat it. Just in the middle of the night , that has not changed......

Hope everyone has a great day!
Daisey
Posted 5/2/2009 11:34 AM (GMT 0)
Daisey -
I am having the Nissen Fundoplication redone. And I also had upper back pain before my first surgery. That was horrible. I sure don't miss that. I think it was worse than the gallbladder attacks I had. After they did the Nissen and fixed the hernia I haven't had that pain since.

Take care,
Bill
Posted 5/6/2009 3:49 PM (GMT 0)
Bill I hope all goes well for you on May 18th. We have the same day appointments!

I tried to have a low fat meal, I was craving a hot dinner. Very small amounts of real but bland food. Didn't work out so well. I woke up at 2am and sat up the rest of the night. I don't feel burning just pain from the Hiatus Hernia and my back. Prilosec and now Prevacid neither works for me. I stopped taking them 2 days ago. I cannot justify taking these meds if I have no change at all. Its just worse now, so why take it.

Bill did you have a large Hernia and they fixed it? I am just curious about what went on with you before your operations.

The pain I wake up with is like glass cutting me on the inside, was it like that for you. I am having trouble now with food stick in the throat. I feel like such a mess. I have stopped complaining to my family.....I think they are sick of listening to me. When I tell them I am in pain, no one even listens anymore.

I am still walking in the morning with some friends, losing weight.

Thanks

Daisey
Posted 5/6/2009 11:22 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Daisey,
Sorry you're having these problems. How long did you take the prevacid before giving it up? It usually takes about 2 weeks to get any relief. Once you have things riled up, and have burned your esophagus, it may feel like it's not doing any good, when in actuality, it is. Healing stomachs and esophaguses is a long term process. I know you've been struggling for a long time. Hopefully you can get help from your GI doc.

When I was hospitalized four years ago for GERD/Gastritis/Severe Asthma, I was switched to 40mg Protonix twice a day. Although I did get some breakthrough acid, it generally worked well. I actually found out just how well it worked when I had to go off it for two weeks before getting the 24 hour PH monitor test. My GERD was horrible.

Good luck in getting resolution to this problem. I know how frustrating it is.
Denise
Posted 5/7/2009 12:07 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Denise,

I probably didnt give the Prevacid a chance, I have no relief at night. I am kind getting a little anxiety over this. I didn't have this before, its just getting worse and I feel a little panicky. I know its a long term process now. I have 12 days until my appointment. I am tired.

Thanks for listening
Daisey
Posted 5/7/2009 12:32 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Daisey,
I know...it's one of the most frustrating problems you can have. It takes over your life. It definitely gets old.
I really hope that you'll get help from your GI doc. It's hard to believe that they can't get you in sooner when you're struggling.

Don't feel bad, though. When I was hospitalized with uncontrolled gastritis and GERD, which caused life-threatening asthma, I got very little help from my GI office. They did nothing to intervene with the hospital diet, and did precious little to aid in helping my stomach. Have you ever tried Carafate? It is a very old drug, but definitely helps your stomach, by coating it and protecting it. I took it in the hospital...they made a little slurry with it...melting the tablet in a medicine cup with a little water. I then swallowed it (an hour before or 2-3 hours after a meal). I just thought of that...it might help you.

The GI team just put me on Protonix 40mg morning and night (I had been on 40mg Nexium morning and night), and said that it was just a waiting game, and that my stomach would heal in time. When I went home I was still eating only a little egg custard--for months.

As hard as it is to believe, this too will pass. You will get better. Just baby, baby, baby your stomach.
Don't be afraid to call your GI doc and talk to their nurse practitioner or PA. You might get some help there.
Good luck!
Denise
Posted 5/12/2009 2:18 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Daisey,

 I was diagnosed with severe Gerd. Had 3 strictures,gastritis,Non working LES,asthma, sour taste 24/7 and backwash.I had no signs ever of heartburn just a ssmall bout of costcochondritis that knocked the wind out of me. I had surgery on May 7.The nissan fundoplication and it was a success. This was my only option as I was on every PPI known to man/woman. They were only bandaidsfor a temporary fix. Now, I am hoping this is long term becuz for once in 3 years I feel great.Although the recovery is very slow, and takes some getting used too, I am loving the fact that I have no burning throat,24 hour backwash and can actually sleep and breath hurray for me.Hope whatever is wrong with you turns good.

take care

b

Posted 5/20/2009 1:42 AM (GMT 0)
Hi guys,

I finally went to the Dr.s and went over the endoscopy he did. My diagnoses is Reflux esophagitis, Moderately large hiatus hernia, Gastritis, and Duodenitis with mild edema Since I had been waiting so long for this appointment my condition has got worse. I have spasms in my chest and upper abdomen. I am now on protonix 2 to 3 times a day 40mg. He is giving this 2 weeks to work, if I am still having spasms I have to have a tube up my nose for 24 hours, down my throat....this will monitor my esophagus, as of this moment he said its working as it should be. He also told me this is an unpleasant procedure. Has anyone had this done?

I am still waking up every morning, now with bad spasms. I am eating about 5 times a day, all small meals. Lots of water.

On a good note, I am still losing weight and walking with friends every morning. I have now lost 24lbs!

How is everyone else feeling these days??

Beareilly I am glad your feeling so much better......I hope to join you in feeling better someday soon!!! : )

Thanks for listening

Daisey
Posted 5/20/2009 2:10 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Daisey,

 I believe that test is the manometry or the ph monitoring test. I didnt have the manometry but i had the bravo ph test. I hear it is very very uncomfortable. good luck

b

Posted 5/20/2009 9:05 AM (GMT 0)
Daisey, If you have not already had surgery for your hernia go and do have that. You will feel so much better and you will be able to eat whatever you want and not have it come back 2 to 3 times worse at the other end. OMG! I put off having my 3 hernias repaird for about 6-7 years. Then I met a neighbor who had her hernia repaired and I said I have to do it I'm tired of being sick all the time and to have anything I eat come out the other end worse.

Hara - doing the happy dance now that she's had her Insitional Hernias repaired. And she's not nauseas anymore. YEA!!

Posted 5/24/2009 4:37 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Everyone,

Protonix has not kicked in yet, Monday will be a week. I have one more week to see if it will. Spasms are worse and I have been nauseas a lot. Its not the Protonix ... I was slightly nauseas before starting it. I am afraid to vomit if I have to ....don't want to make things worse.

Hara I am told I have to have the PH monitoring test first, did you have to do this first?? Would like to join you in the happy dance some day!!!!lol

I would love nothing better than to feel wonderful again!
Posted 5/24/2009 4:46 PM (GMT 0)
I just looked up the Bravo PH test, now why wouldnt my Dr. do this instead of a tube. I am going to talk to him about this. This seems to be a more up to date procedure.

Thanks beareilly for bringing this to my attention, this is why I love the site. All of you have been most helpful.

Thanks to all of you
Daisey
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