Thrown a curved ball! - Hiatus Hernia
Hi all
I hope you’re as well as can be.
I had some heart worries recently so made an appointment with my GP.
I saw a new (ish) GP at our local surgery and I have to say he was superb.
He listened to every word I had to say about all my off symptoms and asked so many questions, more than I’ve ever been asked before to be honest.
He examined my stomach, as one of the symptoms was a flutter or spasm in my abdomen every now and then, especially when being active.
I also had an ECG.
The ECG showed a missed beat every now and then but he said that was perfectly normal and expected in most people.
We sat down and he threw a curved ball at me. “ I think you have a hiatal hernia”
I was a little stunned and have to admit I didn’t know what kind of hernia that was. He explained about the stomach moving up slightly through the diaphragm allowing stomach acid to come back into the oesophagus (apologies if that is spelt incorrectly)
Suddenly many of my weird and wonderful symptoms made more sense!
I asked about the chest pain and he was the first doctor I have ever encountered that mentioned it may be pressing or interfering with the vagus nerve. I’ve read many articles about the vagus nerve and watched countless videos on exercises for it but never heard it mentioned by one of my doctors.
The breathing problems, again could be the vagus nerve or the stomach pressing on the lungs a little.
There was not much info about the exhaustion but that could be a mixture of the PsA and being in pain for so long each day.
Although I was dismayed to hear I have yet another condition to deal with I was also pretty overjoyed that it wasn’t anything more serious.
I’ve been given a months worth of PPI’s to take, to reduce stomach acid, then we see what it’s like after that.
If things are no better then it will be camera down the throat to have a look but he would like to do everything to avoid that if he can - something I wholeheartedly agreed with 😊
He and I hope by just breaking the cycle of acid production, coupled with my already started gluten and lactose free diet, I may get a little relief and begin to feel more human again. I’ve got all my fingers and toes crossed anyway.
It seems the go to treatment in the US is surgery but in the UK it seems to be the last resort.
Over the counter antacids do not touch the pain in my abdomen, chest and throat so hopefully the new PPI’s will help without bringing too many side effects with them.
Has anybody else had similar?
Was the outcome good?
Thanks for reading
Stay safe
Greg.
So sorry, I forgot to add tags before I posted this. 😒
Most people forget to add tags, @Greg, so you are not alone! I added "comorbidities." Just let me know if you would like me to add more. - Lori (Team Member)
Hi @Greg! I hate to call this good news, but considering that many of your symptoms seemed to indicate a heart issue, this is good news! I have not had a hernia, but I did have acid reflux so bad that I scorched my throat and could barely speak for a month. After four days on medication, I was feeling much better. I also made big changes to my diet and address some of the stress in my life. Now, several years later, I no longer need any medication at all. I hope you are able to bring it under control with diet and medication. If you do need the scope, it isn't bad. You sleep through it and there are no negative after effects. Thank you for the update. I have been thinking of you. Sending lots of healthy and healing vibes your way! - Lori (Team Member)
thanks for all your help Lori. I have raised the headboard of the bed about 5 inches but I’ve read it should be up by 8 to 10 inches. Not sure if my old bed will take that, I fear it may snap in the middle. Haha. 😁
I’ll look into replacing it I think.
I’m also trying to constantly remind myself posture, posture, posture. I’ve been working from home since last March and slumped at a laptop the vast majority of the time. I wonder if there are braces or clothing items that keep you in a more upright position. It eases a little when I do position myself correctly.
The pain is back now so I guess this morning’s tablet has worn off. Due to have my next one in a few minutes. The pain is intense at times, in abdomen, back and all the way up to my throat. I hope the meds get on top of it soon as this pain is worse than the PsA 😒
Never mind, onwards and upwards.
Thanks again for your support
Greg.Please keep me posted as to how you are doing, @Greg. From what I remember, it can take up to four days for the medicine to kick in. Fingers crossed for a better day tomorrow! - Lori (Team Member)
Thanks
Seems to be helping a tiny bit, 2 days in. Hopefully it just gets better. 😊
Greg.
Hi
, I hope you're doing as well as possible and keeping safe. I just wanted to check in and see how you are and how you got on with the PPIs? I started getting acid reflux a few months ago, but I seem to have got it mostly under control by following an acid reflux diet. I've been reintroducing foods and the only thing that seems to cause a lot of trouble for me now is tomato. I imagine the hernia makes it more difficult to manage... Really hoping that you're doing a bit better than you were in June. Hugs!! -Catherine, Community Moderator , oh my goodness, what a horrible, stressful situation 🙁 I did wonder whether you'd be asked to go back to work once they lifted the COVID restrictions. I don't think these people have any idea how scary it is to be clinically vulnerable during these times. Whilst I'm really sorry that you had to resort to resigning, I am glad that you stuck up for yourself and protected your health. It's not fair that it had to come to that though, and I'm not surprised the hernia stuff flared up with all of that going on! It's good to hear that it's starting to settle again as the stress has calmed down. Fingers crossed things will keep moving in the right direction over the next couple of months.
When you mentioned the throat sensation you reminded me - I kept getting that tight feeling too. Your symptoms are obviously a lot more severe than mine, but I found having a couple of sips of alkaline water (I just got whatever they had on Ocado) seemed to ease my throat almost immediately. We're all different though, of course!
I hope your PsA hasn't been too bad on top of all of this other stuff. I finally saw my rheumatologist at the end of July... It's definitely a difficult time for NHS staff :/
You take care too, and stay safe! Oh and please don't apologise for long replies - it's really good to hear from you 😀 -Catherine, Community Moderatorabsolutely agree Cathy. To many people covid has been an inconvenience or a nuisance but to some of us it’s been a life changing event. I’m not saying “woah is me” but you’re right, many really don’t understand how much we have had to adapt to the situation.
It was an extremely upsetting time, I’m glad I’m through it and I still feel I made the right decision. It’s just a little bitter in that leaving a job after that long should have been a joyous occasion with a party and hugs all round. Oh well, the life lessons never stop coming I suppose.
The symptoms I had with the hiatus hernia were things I would never have thought to associate with a hernia. The heart issues, breathing issues and upset stomachs was not what I instantly think of with a hernia. I found a forum post on the Patient website where people were comparing their symptoms and I ticked nearly all the boxes. Made me feel much better as I thought I was starting to lose my mind! 😊
The tight throat issue is common I believe. As is a globus sensation.
My PsA did flare a little at the same time, which was interesting 😊 but I just kept up my Enbrel injections and it seems to be settling now too. I know the stress will have been a big trigger for both so hopefully things will continue to settle down as time goes on.
Great to hear from you and I’ll update as time goes on. 😊
Thank you
Greg.
