Hiatus Hernia with Esophageal Stenosis

Oh, my! You have it really BAD! I feel so sorry for you because of all you have been and must go through. Man!!! My problem is not nearly as bad. Apparently, I do have GERD although that wasn't mentioned anywhere. I have scarring of my esophagus which has caused the stenosis which has caused the hernia but was told I would simply have to have the dilation "as needed" every one to five years, possibly longer than five years but more than likely not. I'll try to remember that hyoscyamine/levobid but I haven't had issues with stomach cramps so it's unlikely that anyone will try to put me on it. The doctor who did this endoscopy didn't even mention over-the-counter antacids! I'm going to make an appointment to see my GP and talk to him about this. (I'm going to write down that medication, just in case my GP tries to put me on it. Thanks for the heads-up about it!)

Hiatal hernia and hiatus hernia are the same thing. I learned that when I looked it up. I looked it up because I always thought "hiatus" was something completely different. Now that I think more about it, I guess it does make sense, though. Your stomach is taking a "hiatus" from it's normal place. Okay, weird, I know. They both mean that part of the stomach is poking through the diaphragm. I have no idea why this is known by two different words. I've always heard "hiatal", too but it says "hiatus" on the report. It's funny but this doctor didn't mention anything to me about controlling the stomach acid so my problem wouldn't get worse. It would make sense to me, though. I'm going to see my GP and talk to him about this. If I need to be on another medication, that's okay with me since I already take them for other reasons. I hate having to take any, like you, but I really do need what I'm taking. Honestly, I'd rather take pills every day for life than go through that stretching again. With most people, it doesn't hurt at all but the stuff they spray in your throat to avoid gagging didn't work for me. It was horrible! Well, for me it was horrible. I know others who have had this done with no problem at all. Figures I'd be the one who it (the numbing spray) didn't work on. Still, if it keeps food from getting stuck for up to a year, I guess it will have been worth it. It is awful when that happens, isn't it? It won't go down and there's only one place it CAN go. YUCK!!! What meds are you on for this?

I love it when doctors tell us to "avoid stress". Sure, doc. What was I thinking by allowing stress into my life??? I avoid eating whenever I feel stressed because food never settles well. Some people eat more when they're stressed but I've always been the opposite. Guess that's a good thing now. I think I'll try that Prevacid. I haven't really been able to pinpoint any particular food except for "meat" in general. Whenever food gets stuck, there's always some kind of meat in it. I can't give up my meat! I once said, "I'd become a vegetarian if it weren't for the fact that I love meat so much." A co-worker (editor) who heard me fell on the floor laughing and asked if he could use that line. I said sure, not thinking I should have told him he could use it as long as he gave me credit for it. LOL I'm not a big meat-eater but I do like it. I eat way more veggies and fruits than I do meats so that's a good thing. I have been cutting it up in smaller pieces and making sure to chew longer than I used to. The trouble is, sometimes I forget to think about it when I'm eating. Hopefully, one day, it will become second nature to chew especially carefully. I read about that surgery and saw that it can be done via laparoscopy. That not only cuts down on the cost but also the recovery time from a few weeks to a few days. If the doctor ever tells me I need that surgery, I'll opt for the laparoscopic type. But, I also read that sometimes that surgery needs to be repeated. Sometimes, managing the symptoms is much better than "fixing" the problem. Ah, life.

So far I've been able to control it with OTC meds. I started out with Tums 3 times a day & then Pepcid AC. After that I used Zertec 150. Then I went to Prilosec 150. Those I had to take 1 capsule 3 times a day. I was happy when Prevacid came out. I only have to take 1 capsule a day!!! I will warn you that Zeragrid does NOT work for me!!! Right now I'm doing the 1 Prevacid a day & on the occasional evening I feel the acid rising, I do 1 Tums & that seems to stop the evening problem. I make sure to cut my meat into small pieces & I do my best to stay away from chocolate, cornbread, & caffeine as those 3 things seems to set it off real bad!!! I learned that I had to pay closer attention to the things that caused it to act up & limit that in my diet. I also bought one of those exercise balls & I put it under my back near my shoulder blades & move around on it for as long as my legs will hold me up. That stretches the chest muscles & in thinking about what they're doing to you, it may also stretch the esophagus some naturally!!! I also raised the head of my bed about an inch. That stops some of the nighttime acid reflux thereby not irritating the esophagus as much while i sleep. I have gone from having attacks every day to sometimes as seldom as every 6 months. I hear they have a way to put a band around the top of the stomach so the stomach can't rise up through the diaphragm. My guess is that it's a rather pricey procedure & I can't afford that right now; so I'm still doing my self medication with the occasional visit to see my doctor. Oh yes, I almost forgot...I found that being stressed near a meal seemed to make it worse;so, I avoid any stressful situation as much as possible before I sit down to eat!!!

Ok thanks but do not forget Warm Hugs to you and please take it easy there

Actually, there are times when things seem to get stuck, but they finally unstick, but it is a painful few moments to minutes. Mostly it is food, but I've had a few drinks only make it part way down, they do go, finally, but still... I had a barium swallow that didn't show anything, but Maggie had an upper GI scope and they discovered a cartilaginous ring just above the opening of her stomach (like what holds the windpipe open) and that's why she had some bad reflux. I suspect that I might have one, a bit further up that things get stuck behind.... hurts

I hear ya!

OMG, you woke up during?! Wow! How scary!! They should've stopped and given you something to knock you out! When I was born, my mother had me at dry birth and when I came down the birth canal, it was so dry that I had a hard time coming down and because of that, the cartilage in my nose broke loose. I finally decided to get it fixed so I could breathe properly and I woke up during the surgery while they were putting these plastic supports in my nose and sewing it in there. I screamed "I can feel it! I can feel it!" Because it hurt like hell! They kept telling me to go back to sleep and I just couldn't till finally I just fell out and don't remember anything after that till I woke up. I hope to never go through another surgery but I have this feeling that I'm going to need a hip replacement and soon because it hurts all the darned time. Oh la la. Life is great!

Hi Cats! I hope things have settled down your way. You've really been through the wringer lately, huh? Is your mouth all healed yet? Anyway, they gave me a mixture of demerol, lortab and something else to, as they put it, "make you sleepy". It knocked me right out! Well, unfortunately, I did wake up when they were trying to get that tube down my throat. They were pushing, I was gagging. They said I must have a very sensitive gag reflex. Well, that's news to me! My husband gags all the time (yeah, he should see a doctor about that but he won't... head of rock, he has!) but I almost never gag. Still, they kept telling me to "swallow this" and I kept trying but kept gagging. I guess I eventually passed out again because I don't remember them saying anything about it being down my throat. I'm just glad it's over and hope I don't wake up while they're putting that thing down my throat the next time they have to have this done.

waking up.. that is my like ultimate fear with surgery

Yeah, I thought the same thing the first time I saw it. That's how it's written in the report they gave me after the procedure. Then, I figured it out; it's when the stomach takes a vacation from it's normal position in the belly. Actually, hiatal hernia and hiatus hernia are exactly the same thing. I looked it up as soon as I saw it because I had always heard of this as a 'hiatal hernia'. Why both of these terms are used to describe the exact same thing is a mystery to me. I guess it depends on the doctor. Whichever term is used, it still sucks. I'm now afraid to do anything that might put a strain on my stomach/diaphragm. There is a procedure that can "fix" the problem and keep the stomach back down below the diaghragm but I can only assume that mine is not that severe. Either that or the doctor who did the endoscopy is an idiot and I'd hate to think that's the case! It's been an entire week since I had this done now and I can almost... ALMOST... swallow without any pain now! It's been hurting quite a lot but only in the spot directly under the scar from my surgery last September. I'm thinking that, maybe, there is scar tissue in there from the surgery which made it harder to get the endoscope through that spot. The report did say that there was some bleeding during the procedure and I'm thinking it came from right in this area where it hurts so much now. Well, it's hurting less and less every day. I'm thinking that in another week there should be no more pain when I swallow.

Well, just get better. That's all that matters. I guess the one one that's had a "vacation" out of this, is the hubby? If you can't talk............. cdrxo

At the moment, I'm just glad the procedure is behind me, at least THIS one. I'm going to do everything I can to put off another procedure for as long as possible. I need to talk to my GP about reducing my acid reflux so this problem doesn't get any worse than it already is. Apparently, at the moment, my hernia isn't bad enough to warrant surgery so I'm very thankful for that. It shouldn't get worse as long as the stenosis doesn't get worse and I assume the only way to ensure that would be to control the acid. I'll have to see what my doctor says. In the meantime, I'll see what I can find out about research into these full body transplants. I've seen enough sci-fi movies where these are done and a lot of sci-fi stuff has already become reality so there's hope!

Hi pergy! So far (knock on wood) this winter has been very nice with the exception of some below-normal temperatures. Well, just recently we got about 10 inches of snow with an additional inch the next day but that has been the most snow we've had so far. With this last snowfall and what we've had previously this season, I'd say it (snowfall total) is pretty normal. I'll take colder temps over more snow than normal any day! You don't have to shovel 'cold'. Oh, I'd take a new body in a heartbeat... one that doesn't break down every couple of years. It doesn't have to be "perfect", not even close to it, as far as looks go. I don't care about that. I would simply like a body that didn't have to have surgery or get medicated so often. I'm trying to hold on to positive thoughts about my health. Problems tend to come in three's and this is the third in the latest series so, maybe, this is it for my physical problems, at least for awhile.

I read somewhere that some doctors prescribe muscle relaxants but that's something I wouldn't want even if it fixed the problem completely. I don't want to spend the rest of my life as a zombie. I have enough problems with my energy level as it is. So, stretching is probably the only answer for me. The worst part about it was waking up to them trying to shove what seemed to be a storm drain-sized tube down my throat. Okay, it wasn't that big but it sure felt like it! I also had a colonoscopy at the same time because the doctor said I was really overdue (and I was) so I thought, why not? I forgot all about the "prep" the day before. Luckily, I slept right through that part. I wish I had remained asleep through the whole thing, though. Maybe next time.

OH, I see...

I wish I had that kind of body at 21. No, I've always been short and, until I was 41, I was skinny as a rail. Then I started taking medication for panic disorder and that put too much weight on me. I went from way too skinny to overweight in what seemed like super speed. So, yeah, if I could ever have a whole-body transplant, I'd want to be at least 5'8" tall with 4 foot long legs.

Thank you, Paula. I just realized that this is the third "problem" I've had recently with my health and, since things usually come in three's, maybe this is it for awhile. I hope so! You're right about the stretching procedure. My throat is still sore from it, especially when I swallow, but it's getting better every day. At least I don't have to worry about food getting stuck for awhile. That is most assuredly NOT fun!

After reading the comment above yours, I feel VERY fortunate! I've often said there's always someone who has it worse but I've rarely actually MET that person. But it looks like I have met her today (the comment above yours). I feel VERY fortunate now. Man!