hiatus hernia.

Mm27121992 wrote: »

Hi there,

Just looking for some advice re severe acid reflux.

I’m a 27 year old female. I’ve been having very bad acid reflux for just over a year and it’s really starting to take over my life as nothing seems to help it.
It started out that I had H Pylori and I was put on a weeks treatment last March for that and it got rid of my symptoms for about 6 months. However around September last year these symptoms came back and seemed to be worse so my doctor put me on two weeks H Pylori treatment as it may not have been eradicated the first time. This worked for a few months but I am now getting reflux worse than ever. It’s lasting 24hours a day everyday. I’m currently on 20mg of pariet twice a day as well as maxolon. I’m awaiting a scope but I feel hopeless as I don’t know when I will get one due to the current pandemic and it’s really starting to effect my mental health and also my relationship and I am constantly miserable lately. I’m in the middle of buying a house and I’m not even excited for it due to this problem. I’ve tried nephramel, zomel and now pariet, which seemed to work at the start but not anymore. I’m assuming it’s a hiatus hernia but I have to wait for the scope for confirmation. Does anyone have any idea how much the Nissen fundlopication procedure costs to go private in Ireland?

Did you get triple therapy for h pylori?

Have you looked at your diet already? is there anything that makes it worse? Coffee, chocolate, fried stuff, alcohol, tomatoes, bread, cakes, sweet things in general, many fruits etc. can be triggers for some people. I'm assuming you tried the usual recommendations, like smaller meals, have your dinner at least 3 hours before you bed, no bending over/working out after eating and so on? If the above meds aren't working anymore there's also pantoprazole, esomeprazole and other PPIs that you could try to see if it helps. Gaviscon Advance is very good, you can by it OTC.

I'd try all of the above before thinking about a fundoplication.

Mm27121992 wrote: »

Yes both times I was treated for H Pylori it was triple therapy, the reflux would go for a few months and then come back. Yeah I’ve tried all recommendations advised above and I still have it from the moment I get up in the morning until I go to bed, I also sleep upright to stop acid coming back up. I’ve had to cut coffee out of my diet and reduce chocolate to nearly nothing as these make it worse. I could deal with it if only certain foods caused it, however I constantly have it, after eating bananas, porridge etc the things that are supposed to help it. My doctor has mentioned it could be a hiatus hernia but I’m awaiting a endoscope to confirm this. Some days I’m really bad and I’ll have pins and needles in one of my hands all day. My throat feels like it’s scalded, this cannot be good for a person. I have gaviscon and I’ve tried baking soda in water, both of these only help it for a few minutes. I do not want to be taking PPI’s for the rest of my life, especially ones that don’t even fully stop the symptoms.

Ok it looks like you're doing what you can, this sucks (I know from experience). I was in a bad stated for about 6 months myself, that was years ago. After that it gradually improved to manageable levels. Maybe try a different medication for a while. I don't want to take medication either, but it makes life bearable. Stress makes it worse for me, I went through a 2 month period recently when I could barely eat and lost 2 stone. Regarding the hernia: I don't have a hiatus hernia, so it might not always be the reason for reflux. I was scoped twice and they didn't see a hernia, but I think they don't always show up in scopes, so who knows...

Does anyone know of a case where someone has a HH and reflux etc but the meds worked, they came off them a man they’re now grand?

I’d love some good news stories.

gerrybbadd wrote: »

I've been living with them for the past 9 years Liz, and have found nothing that works.

Did you try baking soda in water, tastes rank but effective

99farlo wrote: »

Does anyone know of a case where someone has a HH and reflux etc but the meds worked, they came off them a man they’re now grand?

I’d love some good news stories.

If you look online you'll find lots of success stories - people cutting out all kinds of stuff from their diets, gluten, yeast, sugar, dairy, alcohol, meat, fruit, processed foods, or all of the above, you name it... it's trial and error and depends on the person and how strict you can be with regard to your diet. I assume it won't work for everyone though.

Meeoow wrote: »

Has anyone come off PPI cold turkey? I was on lansaprazole for 20 years, hiatus hernia, Gerd etc. I got tinnitus from anti depressants. Stopped them. Tinnitus didn't go. Looked up PPI, and they can cause tinnitus. So I went off them. But I am suffering terrible rebound reflux. I completely overhauled my diet, but its not helping. Still have tinnitus too. Lucky me.
I read that rebound reflux can last months.

I’m sure people have but after 20 years a gradual withdrawal, coupled with dietary change and weight loss if needed, is more likely to be successful in managing the rebound reflux.

I've a hiatus hernia for 20yrs and bad reflux most my life I'm now 50.

I learned to cope by avoiding yeast!

Yeast is in alcohol, soft breads and lots of processed foods (yeast extract).

I never had mine operated on because doctors said mine was very tricky and too close to my heart.

99farlo wrote: »

I’m in for the 24 hour manometry testing when there’s a next available appointment. Don’t necessarily want surgery at all but it’s getting ridiculous now. Everything I eat or drink comes back up to my throat. Does anyone know what ppi causes the least side effect? Tinnitus, dementia or oesteoperosis are not things I’m mad about having when I’m older.

Im awaiting the test aswell.

To be honest, I don't think I'll get the surgery even if the test says I would be suitable. Like everyone I'm not fond of going under the knife, but I don't think the benefits are really there. It's only effective for some people, and many people still need daily tablets. I've found managing my diet and eating patterns has minimises any reflux, bloat and burping. Smaller meals, eating slower, drinking smaller quantities but more frequently.

Solli wrote: »

Real Sourdough bread is a lifesaver and I’m perfect now. It must be full of probiotics. Find a very good one through a health food shop (not the rubbish sold in supermarkets called sourdough), or a spelt bread also is good.
I’m convinced the “flour improvers” in most breads are lethal for digestive health. I ate brown bread all my life yet was creased with pain for years.
I’m signing up with a course on gut health, so hope this will help too.

Where you buying it from ?

Tig98 wrote: »

Have people had much success after the nissen fundiplication? I got my appointment for the 24hr manometry/impedance pH testing. Im not too anxious about the test, but I would be anxious about the corrective surgery.

I raised concerns with the consultant that I heard of a few people who had the surgery and had no improvements, or still required daily tablets which I would then see the surgery as pointless. He reassured me that the manometry testing will determine if im a suitable candidate for surgery or not as a lot of people incorrectly get the surgery so it wouldn't be of any benefit to them. Id still be fairly uncomfortable about going under the knife though.

I had the surgery last May (2019)

It was the best decision ever !!

Ask me any question you want

Tig98 wrote: »

Well, hearing someone recommend it is reassuring enough to be honest! At the moment Ive serious belching all day long, and often acid reflux after meals so id be glad to see the back of it.

One thing I'm concerned about is the inability to vomit afterwards, or some people even lose the ability to burp altogether. Online also says that people can have issues swallowing, but I figure thats probably short term? Id love to just hear your general experiences with it

I'm finished work at 7pm , I'll PM you everything I read and my actual experiences to date and during recovery .

Tig98 wrote: »

One thing I'm concerned about is the inability to vomit afterwards, or some people even lose the ability to burp altogether. Online also says that people can have issues swallowing, but I figure thats probably short term? Id love to just hear your general experiences with it

I had the Nissen Fundoplication 17 years ago and it's been a lifesaver. There have been some minor side-effects but in comparison to the pain and discomfort beforehand it was well worth it.

I didn't have any issues with actual swallowing but if I did eat large amounts of anything stodgy (like bread or chips) I could almost feel it stopping at the entrance to my stomach and sitting there for a while - very uncomfortable. Once I learned to slow down and chew my food properly (and not stuff myself full of chips) it stopped happening. :D

I also lost the ability to vomit for quite a number of years. Can be a bit rough if you're sick and just dying for the relief of vomiting, but how often does that really happen? At one point about 7-10 years in I had a really atrocious hangover and managed to vomit, and since then I have thrown up a few times but not often. Not sure if the "collar" has loosened over time, but I haven't had any recurrence of the reflux so I think it's still effective.

wally1990 wrote: »

Where you buying it from ?

Can’t get it anymore, bakery changed their recipe and I’m in trouble again. Maybe it was a temporary solution. Now using Pepcid tabs which I find very good and less damaging for long term use than omeprazole. Whoever mentioned mustard here on this forum, thanks! It works!

Had my review appointment after the 24hr testing.

The tests showed that I essentially have no muscular function of the oesophagus, "absent peristalsis". Good luck finding stuff online about it because there isnt much! He showed me a coloured chart demonstrating the pressure exerted at the different stages of swallowing - the mouth exerted intense pressure and was represented by red on a scale of intensity, the rest... nothing. It looked like a blob as opposed to the forward slash it should have looked like as pressure gradually decreased until the food reached the stomach. The doctor emphatically warned me that I am not and would never be a candidate for a nissen fundoplication, no matter what any other doctor might advise, because I've no active transport of food it would create a huge bottleneck upon entering my stomach. Apparently this is the real root of my issues and the hiatus hernia is only secondary. Since my oesophagus can't "push down" the reflux he said that is why I burp so much, my body is subconsciously trying to clear the oesophagus.

This visit was very insightful and Im glad that I wont need surgery, but I hope that there is still some form of effective treatment. Im now on 30mg Lansoprazole under the tongue every morning to reduce the amount of acid in my stomach, and he has referred me to a Biofeedback therapist to see if my oesophagus can be encouraged to work. Thought this diagnosis might interest some of ye

Hi Guys

Suffering with Chest pains. bloating, burping, etc and all the usual stuff on these threads and was diagnosed with HH

I had to give up sports as they seem to make the problems worse except if i do an easy walk :(

Am on PPI Meds etc but doesn't seem to make any difference so I think at this stage I would like to try and get the operation as life si a misery currently

I am due to go back to the consultant this year but just looking for recommendations on good consultants in Dublin as like a 2nd opinion

thanks