Is this hiatal hernia pain or what?

  For the past two months, I have had pain in my upper stomach area where my diaphram meets my stomach.  This is a strange pain....sometimes it's better when i eat food.  I can usually feel it throbbing like something is inflamed.  I've had the barium swallow test and it revealed a small hiatal hernia.  My doctor tells me that there are usually no symptoms associated with small hiatal hernias.  Sometimes the area across my upper stomach and diaphram is sore.  I am taking prilosec to control the stomach acid.  Could this pain that gets better when i eat be associated with a hiatal hernia?  Could the area inside where the hernia is be inflammed?  If it is inflammed, what could i do to reduce the inflammation and feel better?  My appetite hasn't been affected.  Your help would be appreciated.
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Dear Darlene,
Although the popular literature equates the presence of a hiatal hernia with esophageal reflux, in fact your doctor is correct.  Hiatal hernias are usually not the cause of symptoms.  If you have esophageal reflux and inflammation, the initial treatment is acid suppression with an H2 receptor antagnist e.g. tagamet or a proton pump inhibitor like the prilosec.  If your symptoms persist despite a 4-6 week course if Prilosec, you should ask your doctor to refer you to a gastroenterologist for upper endoscopy.  The endoscopy will determine if you have a nonesophageal cause for the pain or if you have an unusual sequella of reflux e.g. Barrett's esophagus.
This information is presented for educational purposes.  Always consult your personal physician for specific medical questions.
HFHSM.D.-rf
*keywords: esophageal reflux, hiatal hernia
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