Strangulated hiatal hernia

[Jane2000256]

as of late i have had rather bad chest pains. I have gone to the doctor and so far all they have done is give me pain killers.

I have a hiatal hernia and have spoken to the doctors about that. So far i have gotten nothing from them as far as what to do other than try and reduce my stomach acid.

Yesterday i was fine until about 6 and last night i could hardly laydown to sleep without taking a heavy duty pain killer. Today i have taken 3 of the heavy hitters and still feel sore.

Is there something i should be asking my doctor about or is this normal for a hernia?

I have had this hernia for about 8 years and before a month ago all i took for it was tums.

If this keeps up i might have to change jobs. The pain killers cloud me up and i drive a big truck and am on ladders all day.

[bigkev414]

I know how you feel - at least you don't mention asthma and worst of all errattic heartbeats which I get. I have suffered this for 30 years! (I'm still here, so at least I know it wasn't anything terminal when it first started)
Try this - go to a healthfood store and buy some SLIPPRY ELM powder and start taking a teaspoon in water before meals and bedtime. See what happens - it usually helps me a bit. Also get some ZANTAC EFFERVESCENT tablet and take one when you start to feel real bad and see if it gives you relief straight away.
Mine gets worse and better depending what I do. If I take painkillers it makes it worse by far because they irritate my stomach which is what is sore because of my hernia and so on, and on. and on........... Please give these things a shot - i'm going through a really bad patch at the moment so can relate well. Also avoid chocolate, tomatoes, onions and coffee for a while. Regards BigKev

[Jane2000256]

I knew this stuff already. Thank you for the answer anyway

[CalGal]

A hiatal hernia can not be described as 'strangled.' That term more correctly belongs to abdominal hernias when a portion of the bowel slips through the opening of the abdominal connective tissue and gets strangled.

A hiatal hernia is a ring of muscle between the esophagus and the stomach. In some, the ring of muscle becomes 'looser,' or the opening in the diaphragm enlarges, and a portion of the stomach slips up into the chest cavity. This allows acid to move more easily from the stomach into the esophagus and cause pain.

To 'control' the ravages of the acid reflux, doc's typically prescribe meds - such as the ones you're probably taking - and suggest a person follow a GERD diet. In addition, lifestyle changes should be made - raising the head of the bed; eating at least 4 hours before going to bed; sleeping on the left side; etc.

If you're taking pain killers, the acid problems may not be being controlled successfully. You need to work with your doc to try to control the problem. You may also want to ask for some testing to be done to see exactly how much damage there is that could account for the level of pain you're experiencing.