Hiatal hernia?

Member_of_the_Club

Extremely mild chest discomfort when I lean over. I have had gastritis before and it feels like that, only higher up. No coughing or shortness of breath. this is not bone pain. It seems digestive and i was googling the symptoms and came across hiatal hernia. One risk factor is repeated vomiting, something I did for a year when i had my other stomach issue.

Anyway, just wondering if anyone has had this and what it feels like. I am having some anxiety about this but it just doesn't seem like mets. I suspect that if I wasn't a cancer survivor I wouldn't even notice it.

EachDay

I haven't had one myself, but both my mother and mother-in-law have suffered with this. There is vomitting when the stomach is full and the "back up" begins. It usually happens when they have over-eaten, or eaten food that is something they are not to have. My mother used to live on tums and gaviscon until she was diagnosed. Something like zantac has worked wonders for both of them. My mother-in-law is now in her 90s and has just started pariet because the zantac wasn't doing it for her anymore.

From what I understand it is most uncomfortable, there is a burning sensation, gas, burping, belching, etc. and the worst is the vomitting.

It's natural that we go to something worse first and notice things that we might not have had we never gone through breast cancer. Call your doctor, discuss and get something for relief and you'll feel so much better!!

Bugs

I have had it. For me there was no vomiting, but alot of the burning and indigestion. My chiro has worked on mine and done miracles. I rarely have an issue with it anymore.

Hope you feel better,
Bugs

Member_of_the_Club

I'm now thinking GERD. The sensation is so much like the gastritis I once had, just higher up, and when i think about how much I threw up for a year, i can imagine the irritation that caused. Plus this started after a week in which I drank more than usual because I was on vacation.

No alcohol for a week and no overeating and we'll see how it goes.

Oh, and i hate what cancer has done to me in moments like these. Nothing feels innocent anymore. I so hate this disease.

LizM

I have a very small hiatal hernia. Only found out about it by accident from a CT scan. My symptoms are not really the norm. I don't have heartburn per say but have kind of a weezy feeling when I take a deep breath. It happens after I eat certain foods. I also have trouble burping and have some mild chest discomfort. I had all of this before I was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Blundin2005

Hi MOC,

I've had one for years now. Before the BC dx I had an endoscopy for heartburn. It was so heavy sometimes that I thought I had a heart problem....cardiac checked out OK. It is concerning until it's all sorted out the cause.

The docs recommended to elevate the bed 8 inches (under the feet not just the pillow)...I take riopan specific for this...watch the diet.

It is the stomach that protrudes through the diaphragm. Sometimes mine "pops out" when I put too much pressure on the stomach muscles ... or bend over in the wrong way. I've actually needed to push it back in! I know gross thought...but...

There is little to do about unless the symptoms become a grand problem...the surgery is just not the best solution if you can avoid it.

Wishes for you to feel better soon ...

patjeffmarlise

It is true, a hiatal hernia is when part of the upper portion of the stomach pushes up through the diaphragm. This causes a pocket where food become trapped, especially when you eat a large meal. The natural function of the stomach is to break down food. This is done by secreting acid into the stomach cavity. Muscular movements of the stomach mix the acid with the food to assist in breaking it down. You don't get this action in the area of the hernia. Some things that will help: eat smaller meals, chew your food well (especially meat), sit up for at least 1 hour after you eat, elevate the head of the bed (this is to stop the food in the lower portion of your stomach from flowing up into the hernia), avoid foods that you know cause the burning sensation and follow your gastroenterologist recomendations. The problem can worsen through the erosion of the tissue in the lower esophageal spincter, which is the circular muscle that closes to stop your food from going back up your esophagus from your stomach. Don't wait to take care of it. If it's burning, treat it now. Marilyn is right, surgery may not be the best treatment. Your gastroenterologist can put you on medication to decrease the burning.

Hope your burning subsides,

Pat