HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Hiatal hernia repair, chiropractor abdominal manipulation, etc. before fundoplication

Support Forums
>
GERD & Acid Reflux
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 6/8/2016 8:34 PM (GMT 0)
Hi all,

I am 27 year old male that has had severe GERD since 20. At age 24, I was recommended the Nissen fundoplication, but I postponed it because I wanted to try and eat perfectly, exercise, quit drinking etc. before going with surgery. Well, I tried all of those things consistently and its just getting worse. Its time for me to go to the next level with this to end my suffering and avoid something more complicated (like cancer). Before taking the plunge with the Nissen, I was considering just getting a hiatal hernia repair (I confirmed have a hiatal hernia with previous GI scopes) or by going to a chiropractor.

I have two major questions:

1) Why don't more people seem to get a hiatal hernia repair done before taking the plunge with the hiatal hernia + fundoplication combination? Is it because the hiatal hernia repair by itself doesn't usually work for very long?

2) Has anyone here gone to a chiropractor to see if they can help with the hiatal hernia or 'loosen the abdomen' or something to improve GERD symptoms? Whether you have or you haven't what are your general thoughts on this?
Posted 6/16/2016 1:38 PM (GMT 0)
Your surgeon won't want you to just have the hernia repaired, especially if it's just a small one, because it probably isn't the main cause of the reflux.

You don't want to get unnecessary major surgery, and hernia repair is major surgery, and then have the poor surgeon have to fight through all the scar tissue to do what really needed to be done in the first place. You were told what you needed years ago. It's time to listen to your doctors!

Chiropractic manipulation might push the stomach back into the abdomen temporarily, but nothing but surgery is going to keep it there. Think about it. How is manipulation going to fix a hole/tear in the diaphragm? Why would you risk injury before getting surgery? Don't be silly. Listen to your doctors.

You did well in stopping eating junk food and alcohol. That's something to keep doing. The only other thing that might help some is to check if you have any food intolerences. It's free and easy, not invasive. Just keep a food journal. Just put those words in the search box at the top of the page.

Eliminating food triggers won't cure a hernia or a leaking stomach valve, but it can lessen reactions to foods that your esophagus and stomach don't like. Surgery won't correct food intolerances, so it's still a good thing to check them out now. After my Nissen I still can't eat the foods that triggered my refluxing (stomach heaving up food immediately after eating). A chemical in the foods I don't tolerate causes other symptoms (tachycardia in my case).
Posted 6/17/2016 12:20 PM (GMT 0)
If it were me, I would be doing exactly what you have been doing...seeking as many ways to alleviate the problem without surgery as possible. After having read about the surgery, it sounds like the results are hit and miss...and because of that, it's usually a last resort. Seems a bit odd that you've already had it recommended after only just a couple of years. Granted, I can't see what your doctor sees in the endoscope, so there's that.

You didn't mention anything in your post about meds...are you taking any PPIs or H2 blockers or have you tried other homeopathic remedies (ACV, etc) to manage the symptoms?

It's obviously completely up to you and I don't know what your level of pain is or level of desperation...but if you read enough about GERD you find out it's an extremely complex disease. Some people are able to manage it, some people are racked with pain and suffering. Some people find help in one remedy, others do not. Some are cured completely with no intervention at all, others seem to only get worse. The bottom line is you have to find what works for you. The surgery is a big step...but it turns out there are lots of steps.

Again, if I were you, I'd also probably try to get a second opinion before I take your doctor's advice as the final solution. I've been to two doctors and both have very different opinions about what to do. That in and of itself is reason for you to shop around a bit for another opinion. No one, it seems, is in consensus about how to deal with it.

As for cancer, as a person who deals with health anxiety on a daily basis, let me just say that stomach/esophageal cancers are relatively rare and acid reflux alone isn't necessarily a cause. Even if you have Barrett's you still have a slim chance of it developing into cancer. If you've had an endoscopy recently and it you have no signs of abnormalities, you're okay for a while at the very least. So don't think you don't have time to make your decision.

Good luck!
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply