Hernia Support Group
There are several kinds of hernias, but the all happen when pressure pushes an organ (often the intestine) through a weak spot in a muscle face or wall. Treatment for hernias can be no treatment, to medicines to surgery. Modern surgical methods to treat hernias are much improved over older techniques and recovery times are much shorter.
I feel like just let me die already. This has been the most depressing year of my life. I have no life. It is very hard to try to keep track of these horrible symptoms. My HH was discovered when I finally got the doctor to listen to me. He was more interested in me getting a colonoscopy, mammogram and a bunch of other crap that you are supposed to get done at my age. Not implying that those tests are not important. I have had a few what I called episodes because they usually lasted for 10 days. It would start off with starting to feel a bit run down and the coffee and pop were intolerable. Plus I would realize that I am very constipated. Then for the next few days were ridiculous amounts of sleep like 18 to 20 hours. Still constipated. Then I was awake, miserable and full of acid for the days to come. Slowly by the 10th day, I was back to normal. No explanation and by the time I decided to go to the Drs, make the appointment it was gone. This happened a few times over the last few years. Coming up on one year now an episode began. Well by that 10th day it was not gone. It took me another two weeks to make an appointment because I thought I could wait it out. My symptoms started to mimic h.pylori that I dealt with the year before. Retook that test and it came back negative. I was given my ppi's and sent on my way with no advice no explanation just drugs. The ppi's didn't work. Then I was given different drugs and sent to get an endo and a colonoscopy. I was told about the HH and that was that. No direction no advice, nothing. I went back to my dr he looked at the results and agreed with the HH. plus I have esophagitis. The new meds not only didn't work but made me so nauseous. So I have been prescribed a med that got rid of the nauseous feeling. Then they decided to do the Bravo test. I had horrific acid that weekend so bad it burned my eyes. I cried because of my misery. The Bravo test came back normal. WHAT?? I remembered when the nurse gave me the monitor he banged on it and said this thing is acting up but I just put new batteries in it so it will be fine. What a waste !! It was not fine because if it were fine and worked it would have come back not fine! I mean how do you explain the esophagitis? My Dr of 15 years basically abandoned me after I was sent in to get an ultrasound on my other organs and the results were all good. Desperate for anything he was out of answers and couldn't help me anymore and that was that. Meanwhile, I am sick with acid and nausea have mental fog and chronic fatigue I get out of breath (not always) gas, belch, feel dizzy at least 4 days out of 7 and I am always constipated. But I have no pain, none what so ever. I just cannot function. Working at this point is not even an option. I do have a new Dr now but I'm not sure he wants to listen either. I was told by him IBS. All the meds he gives me are not working either. No matter what I eat I get acid reflux. The bed raising never worked for me either. I did convince him that I needed more test. I go to see a different gi Dr this week. I have been really depressed lately because of the quality of life. I got a new car for Christmas and drove it twice. I can't wear a bra or anything that has the least amount of constriction. I think I have been in my pajamas for 90% of the time. Also before all this, I was not depressed nor did I have anxiety. I hate not having control of my life. I pray for better days soon. If it is not the HH I just don't know. If it is the HH. I want the surgery.
YOu sound like you have gastritis as well. Reflux can turn into gastritis as well. Gastritis can make you feel really lousy. More than reflux does but the 2 together can make you have all kind of weird symptoms. Did you have your stomach checked too? It may be something else other than the HH causing all these symptoms. If you have a small sliding HH, you can have reflux and then get gastrits as well. gastritis is tricky and hard to heal. It alone gives you a lot of bad symptoms. Go on to that site and see if it sounds familiar to you. It can also take months for the esophagus to heal. The strict diet is key and you have to stay that way forever usually with an HH. You have to stay on the wedge forever usually for most of the night if your HH is not considered pretty small. It takes a ton of hard work and mental health impacts reflux and gastritis and the HH.
This is a challenging issue for sure. I went to a chiro and an osteopath and the chiro in particular made a huge difference but you have to stay disciplined. it took me 2 years to get really good at this.
As soon as you said I can’t wear a bra I felt your pain