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.
Guys-
Im going to create a blog about my experience, but for now I wanted to get something posted here so others who suffer as I have will know that theres hope. If theres anything I can impart, its that you MUSNT SUFFER NEEDLESSLY! If a doctor has told you theres nothing wrong with you and youre not a candidate for Nissen and/or surgical HH repair otherwise, go elsewhere! Doctors offer only opinions, and their opinions arent facts, theyre just opinions. That being said, heres my story.
In the summer of 1999, I was 26 years old and in phenomenal physical condition: 5 10 155 pounds, ~ 9% BF. I ran, played soccer, lifted weights, and ate well. Despite my outwardly healthy appearance, one day I began to experience bloating and shortness of breath for seemingly no reason. I never had classic heartburn (vomit-burps), yet suddenly I felt as if there was a constant lump in my throat, and rarely could I ever fill my lungs with enough air to be comfortable. I was constantly horse, and breathing became part of my consciousness as I had to manipulate my posture, yawn, and do other odd rituals throughout the day just to get full breaths.
I went to a doctor, and he immediately diagnosed me with acid reflux, yet the Prevacid he prescribed didnt do a thing to manage my symptoms. Through the next 13 years, my symptoms waxed and waned, and I went to no fewer than 8 different doctors, prescribing 4 upper endoscopies, 8 upper-GIs (barium swallow), multiple asthma tests, chest x-rays, 2 abdominal ultra sounds, and every PPI and H2 blocker youve ever heard of. The tests showed a small hiatal hernia, no esophageal erosion (i.e. no GERD), so the docs were content to send me on my way. Theres nothing wrong with you. Right For what its worth, 60mg Dexliant did work somewhat, but not completely.
At the beginning of this year my condition took a frightening turn for the worse. My symptoms went from bloating and constant shortness of breath to outright agony, with sharp stabbing pains behind my breastbone bringing me to my knees, literally. I visited the ER 3 times in 5 months, sure that I must have a serious heart condition. The pain was unreal 9/10 type stuff; debilitating. It was so severe that I would shake and sweat and get dizzy. All I could do was lay on the couch on my left side and not move. Thus began another battery of tests and after literally a dozen different medications and lifestyle changes (diets like gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, and every mix in between), my internist finally offered me narcotic pain meds until we could come to a solution. The Lortab he prescribed alleviated my pain, but I wasnt satisfied. I wanted to be cured.
I finally decided I would no longer accept this existence as it were, and made it my only goal in life to find out what was wrong with me and either get cured or kill myself. Morbid? Yes, but this pain was torture and I wasnt going to accept it. Online I found an ENT, Doctor Walter Schroder here in Las Vegas, and went to him as an alternative approach, since the internists and gastros seemed stumped. Dr. Schroeder correctly diagnosed me with LPR reflux (aka Silent Reflux), and I immediately sought out the best Gastro in town, one experienced with LPR and its treatment. I found Dr. Brent Burnette, gastroenterologist, and he too immediately confirmed LPR as well as a hiatal hernia after another upper endoscopy and esophageal motility study. How did the other docs miss this?!?!?! I have no idea. In any case, he put me in touch with bariatric surgeon Dr. Berni Hanna, and he went over what he thought the best approach to fixing me was: laparoscopic surgery to repair my hiatal hernia and fix my LES (Nissen Fundoplication).
My surgery was about a month and a half ago, and I literally feel like a different person in a different life. I am cured. I didnt realize that not only were the noxious acid vapors making it hard to breath, but I could barely smell or taste, either! I now have what I can HD smelling and teste now. LOL. Further I forgot to mention this I can once again exercise since my asthma-like symptoms are no more now that Im not aspirating on my own bile.
The take away here is to not accept one or several opinions if you know deep down something isnt right. I still cant understand how so many docs failed me, but they did. Im just blessed that today Im cured thanks to a few doctors who really listened and wouldnt accept that I was healthy just because I seemed so.
Surgery isnt for everyone, but when youre at the end of the line and youve tried everything else, dont be afraid of it. It just may change your life.
Best wishes.
-K
Im going to create a blog about my experience, but for now I wanted to get something posted here so others who suffer as I have will know that theres hope. If theres anything I can impart, its that you MUSNT SUFFER NEEDLESSLY! If a doctor has told you theres nothing wrong with you and youre not a candidate for Nissen and/or surgical HH repair otherwise, go elsewhere! Doctors offer only opinions, and their opinions arent facts, theyre just opinions. That being said, heres my story.
In the summer of 1999, I was 26 years old and in phenomenal physical condition: 5 10 155 pounds, ~ 9% BF. I ran, played soccer, lifted weights, and ate well. Despite my outwardly healthy appearance, one day I began to experience bloating and shortness of breath for seemingly no reason. I never had classic heartburn (vomit-burps), yet suddenly I felt as if there was a constant lump in my throat, and rarely could I ever fill my lungs with enough air to be comfortable. I was constantly horse, and breathing became part of my consciousness as I had to manipulate my posture, yawn, and do other odd rituals throughout the day just to get full breaths.
I went to a doctor, and he immediately diagnosed me with acid reflux, yet the Prevacid he prescribed didnt do a thing to manage my symptoms. Through the next 13 years, my symptoms waxed and waned, and I went to no fewer than 8 different doctors, prescribing 4 upper endoscopies, 8 upper-GIs (barium swallow), multiple asthma tests, chest x-rays, 2 abdominal ultra sounds, and every PPI and H2 blocker youve ever heard of. The tests showed a small hiatal hernia, no esophageal erosion (i.e. no GERD), so the docs were content to send me on my way. Theres nothing wrong with you. Right For what its worth, 60mg Dexliant did work somewhat, but not completely.
At the beginning of this year my condition took a frightening turn for the worse. My symptoms went from bloating and constant shortness of breath to outright agony, with sharp stabbing pains behind my breastbone bringing me to my knees, literally. I visited the ER 3 times in 5 months, sure that I must have a serious heart condition. The pain was unreal 9/10 type stuff; debilitating. It was so severe that I would shake and sweat and get dizzy. All I could do was lay on the couch on my left side and not move. Thus began another battery of tests and after literally a dozen different medications and lifestyle changes (diets like gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, and every mix in between), my internist finally offered me narcotic pain meds until we could come to a solution. The Lortab he prescribed alleviated my pain, but I wasnt satisfied. I wanted to be cured.
I finally decided I would no longer accept this existence as it were, and made it my only goal in life to find out what was wrong with me and either get cured or kill myself. Morbid? Yes, but this pain was torture and I wasnt going to accept it. Online I found an ENT, Doctor Walter Schroder here in Las Vegas, and went to him as an alternative approach, since the internists and gastros seemed stumped. Dr. Schroeder correctly diagnosed me with LPR reflux (aka Silent Reflux), and I immediately sought out the best Gastro in town, one experienced with LPR and its treatment. I found Dr. Brent Burnette, gastroenterologist, and he too immediately confirmed LPR as well as a hiatal hernia after another upper endoscopy and esophageal motility study. How did the other docs miss this?!?!?! I have no idea. In any case, he put me in touch with bariatric surgeon Dr. Berni Hanna, and he went over what he thought the best approach to fixing me was: laparoscopic surgery to repair my hiatal hernia and fix my LES (Nissen Fundoplication).
My surgery was about a month and a half ago, and I literally feel like a different person in a different life. I am cured. I didnt realize that not only were the noxious acid vapors making it hard to breath, but I could barely smell or taste, either! I now have what I can HD smelling and teste now. LOL. Further I forgot to mention this I can once again exercise since my asthma-like symptoms are no more now that Im not aspirating on my own bile.
The take away here is to not accept one or several opinions if you know deep down something isnt right. I still cant understand how so many docs failed me, but they did. Im just blessed that today Im cured thanks to a few doctors who really listened and wouldnt accept that I was healthy just because I seemed so.
Surgery isnt for everyone, but when youre at the end of the line and youve tried everything else, dont be afraid of it. It just may change your life.
Best wishes.
-K
Like you, Dexilant has been the only thing that helps, not cured. No sense of smell, little of taste. I rarely aspirate, so the asthma like symptoms are very mild.
But my hernia seems to grown quite large recently, and be sliding, so I am going to consult with a surgeon. He is one that I had before, and I do not know if he does endoscopic surgeries, but I would appreciate his advice.
But it is as you said, My choice. And my choice is awful tired of GERD.
I have suffered from silent reflux fro years (did not know it for a long time) all the vomiting episodes and misery. Am now on nexium and just had another endoscopy. Doctor said my LES is not necessarily herniated, looks like to him as it is just relaxed and never closes. It stands open at all times. I now have a picture of it.
I can not believe his attitude, "You will just have to take your Nexium for the rest of your life"
Aaargh, it does not help 100%. Sure, it keeps the vomiting episodes at bay if I mind how much and what I eat. But the minor things like hoarseness, minor asthma and having to constantly be aware and take care not to over due and bring on an acid spill is making my life less enjoyable. I sleep in an elevated bed the only exercise I do has to be upright. There are so many things.....
After reading your story I will talk to my MD about quality of life and request she send me to another Gastro.
Thanks for sharing your story!
One thing that I want to clarify is that even though I've had the surgery and am very glad I did, my gastro didn't force it on me in any way, and initially he was very quick to again suggest lifestyle modification and meds. I had to ask for the surgery. After all my research and suffering I was willing to accept whatever risk there may be; in my eyes things couldn't get much worse.
So if you do find a doc that offers to send you to a surgeon, make sure you fully research the procedure. There are some seriously nasty side effects, although thankfully most are quite rare.
Good luck.
-K
Again I'm not necessarily advocating surgery for everyone, but if your pain is as bad as mine was and if it's followed you along all manners of fitness and diet and meds, I'd look into it.
As she is not a candidate for the laparoscopy surgery. Because the HH is too big. The only options would be to cut her open from chest to belly button to fix it. They want to hold Off because of her age and health concerns. I told the surgeon last night I will not accept that. I will try the liquid diet and pure foods but if choking, nausea, fainting continues that surgery with have to be an option!!! Told him to put himself in my shoes and would he give up on his mom and watch her suffer.. He said he understood where I was coming from. He said if with in a month it got worse and she stop Eatting she would have to have major surgery. I am her to research and educate myself on this HH for her since I am her medical directive. I also thing that mom is bleeding internally and not sure if related to the HH. I think it could be something in the intestines so I will request the colonoscopy. Don't wait until the HH get larger like mom's demand answers and if it is that bad denand the laparoscopic surgery. I understand that the major surgery is not that bad as someone shared a story of her 70 year old mom had it and in two weeks she was feeling fabulous. There are risk involved and infections. Ps. I was told with HH after you eat don't lay down for two hours very bad food won't digest and cause you mor pain or choking. Good luck to you all..
My mother in law had a huge HH, and they told her they could not operate due to the size. They told her if they took it out, there would be a big gaping hole that they could not fill back up. She lived with it for years, and then she went out to shovel snow. IT became strangulated, and she had a heart attack and died. Now my sister in law, her daughter has a huge one. They are refusing to operate on her. I am just beside myself with all these health problems, and cannot handle all of it anymore. Somebody told me maybe its a Ulcer with all the stress I have been under, but I just know its the Hernia. Glad for all the support from everyone.
Thank You
I'm glad to hear your surgery worked for you. I'm 25 and having the nissen and my hh fixed in about a month. I've had the same symptoms as you and it took about 3 years for a doctor to even mention the words "hiatal hernia". Like you, I was an athlete and have had to completely stop working out because of the pain in my chest. In addition, it seems as if the doctors I've talked to have not heard of anybody else that has had symptoms set off by running--you're the first person I've come across!
I've been worried that after going through this surgery, nothing will change in terms of my ability to run/play sports. Hearing your story makes me feel a lot better about the whole thing!
-B
According to the results of 2 upper endoscopies I had this year, the size of my HH was "relatively small" and there was no erosion in my esophagus. So I didn't have GERD.
So my dilemma was finding a doctor that acknowledged 2 things:
1) That my "small" hiatal hernia could produce the kind of pain I was having.
and
2) That I was a victim of "silent reflux" AKA LPR reflux, and that the Nissen surgery would provide relief.
I have had so many doctors tell me I was not a candidate for surgery. It was when I had to turn to narcotics, this year, to relieve the pain, that the docs started listening. "Maybe he's not crazy"... Also if you feel like your gastro isn't listening to you because you don't have esophageal erosion, ask him about LPR reflux. Silent reflux. It often doesn't show any erosion at all, and the only fool-proof diagnostic tool is the Bravo 24-hour ph-probe study. I literally had one gastro tell me that I had nothing wrong with me at all. I should forward this post on to him...haha.
Every situation is different, but for me it took years and years of failing to get any relief from lifestyle changes and meds before anyone would consider me as a candidate for surgery. If you have clotting or any other condition that makes surgery a risk, I would of course discuss that with your doctor. Surgery isn't the answer for everyone, but it was for me.
@bucky2: I'm running again, slowly getting back into the groove. There is hope.
Thank you.
I was diagnosed with a hh and stomach ulcers (due to stress) 5 months ago and since then my life has been hell. I have very very bad reflux 24/7, I tried every single antacid none of them have helped, modified my diet, control my stress,chiropractor,etc,etc
I read on the internet that an osteopathic can adjust the hh and cure the cause. I just called one here in California and sounded nice and concern, the only bad thing is that is very expensive ($375,the first visit and 200 for several weeks, which is not covered by my insurance)I am desperate and due to my insurance condition(I have a lot of copayment) I have to decide between going to another gastro for second opinion or try the osteopathic. Any advice?
Gracias