got test results today…
Question:
went to the doctors today and he told me the results of my endoscopy that I had done 2 weeks ago. He says I have a hital hernia and possible stones in my pancreas ….so now they up’d my daily dosage of prilosec to 40mg a day and I will have a ultrasound done next week to rule out the stones……does anyone know about this hital hernia stuff?
Response:
>does anyone know about this hital hernia stuff?<
Go to www.heartburn-help.com and click on ‘Heartburn Web Sites’ then scroll down to: (All about Hialtal Hernia, Heartburn and Gerd.) Hiatal Hernia is caused by an opening in the diaphragm, a flat muscle that separates the lungs from the abdomen. When this occurs, the top of the stomach slips through the enlarged hiatal hernia or opening in the diaphragm and allows the stomach to bulge into the chest cavity. A lot people have this condition to some degree or another. Many suffer no symptoms at all. Heartburn and Gastro Esophageal Reflux web page: http://www.heartburn-help.com
Response:
can you tell me what they do for a hital hernia? do they just treat it with prilosec or what? also I have heard some people talk about changing eating habits and elevating the head when sleeping….I have done all these things….but my problem is not what I eat it is when I don;t eat anything at all……I get heartburn really bad when I don;t eat anything at all or I go to long in between meals with nothing to eat. anyone have any idea;s about this? Lisa
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> One thing I learned years ago is to ask for a copy of the written > report from any medical test. The first time I did it I felt funny > (as if the doctor might think I didn’t trust him), but after that it > is like 2nd nature to me. > I’m amazed at how much more I learn from the written material than > from what the doctor tells me. > I’ve never been asked by the doctor or the assistants why I want the > copies, but if asked, I would just say I keep copies of everything as > a complete medical history. > Good luck. > Jer >went to the doctors today and he told me the results of my endoscopy that I >had done 2 weeks ago. He says I have a hital hernia and possible stones in >my pancreas ….so now they up’d my daily dosage of prilosec to 40mg a day >and I will have a ultrasound done next week to rule out the stones……does >anyone know about this hital hernia stuff?
Response:
> can you tell me what they do for a hital hernia? do they just treat it with > prilosec or what? also I have heard some people talk about changing eating > habits and elevating the head when sleeping….I have done all these > things….but my problem is not what I eat it is when I don;t eat anything > at all……I get heartburn really bad when I don;t eat anything at all or I > go to long in between meals with nothing to eat. anyone have any idea;s > about this?
Lisa, First wanted to say Hi. I’ve been checking here periodically and was beginning to wonder what happened to you. I’m really glad to see your posts. Was really glad to hear that nothing "serious" was found from your tests. I know that is easy for me to say. But considering all of the possible things they could have found, I think you got pretty good news. As several people have already pointed out, a hiatal hernia is a condition where a small portion of the stomach can work its way up through the diaphragm. In doing so, the sphincter muscle that normally keeps acid from refluxing can sometimes be stretched open, causing continued heartburn. I went to the web site that Hawk has been promoting and there is a pretty good and thorough explanation of the condition there. The good news is, this is generally a benign condition, in terms of any harm being done to your body. Of course, the downside of that is, if the heartburn continues over a long time period because of it, problems secondary to the acid can develop over time. However no need to worry over that at this time. As for treatment, I am not an expert on hiatal hernias, but I can give you a few generalities. A lot of what happens with such a condition will depend on the exact reason for the hernia and also on the degree that the stomach protrudes through the diaphragm. Sometimes, this condition corrects itself. Other times, it will very in severity as the stomach will change position. So you could find that over time, things will just return to a more normal state, with some occasional flare ups. In the mean time, it is very wise to minimize as much stomach acid production (and reflux) as possible. Raising the dosage of Prilosec will reduce the amount of acid so you definitely should follow through on that. I also still stand by my previous recommendations of some OTC Gaviscon. It has a component called Alginic Acid which helps form a "barrier" between the stomach and esophagus. It can further reduce acidity of the stomach as well as help prevent more reflux. It is a good, and very safe antacid, and Can be taken with Prilosec. You will need to discuss this with your doctor but there are also a few medications that will increase the LES (Lower Esophageal Sphincter) pressure. In other words, there are medications that can help "force" the sphincter muscle to close more forcefully. Obviously by doing this, there is less chance of acid refluxing upwards. Finally, there are also medications which can help increase the motility of the stomach. By taking these medications, it causes the stomach to empty more quickly which causes less internal pressure and just leaves less materials and acid in the stomach to "back up". There have been many advances in this area of pharmacology recently. Not having a hiatal hernia myself, I haven’t been following these drug developments too closely. I’m sorry but I don’t know the names of any of these particular drugs. You’ll have to ask your doctor about them. – Keeping the head of the bed up is good, if you can stand it. (I was always sliding down off the bed or something. :->). Also, you might want to simply watch the position you normally sleep in. Because of normal anatomical issues, it is known that the esophagus is more "open" when laying on the left side. That is why, they had you on your left side when you had your endo. That wasn’t by chance. Try lying on your right side. See if that makes things different in the AM and during the day. - Depending on who you talk to, some folks will recommend surgery for this. However, I believe that is usually left as a last ditch effort. Sometimes it is necessary but I wouldn’t worry about that just yet. There are a lot of other techniques to be tried first. Make sure you discuss ALL the options with your doctor and don’t let yourself be pushed into something complex unless he/she can give you a VERY solid reason for it. As for the heartburn between meals. I’ve had it. There is no one, simple good answer for it. If you do get on higher doses of Prilosec and some of the other medications for a while you may very well find this will settle down as well. The Gaviscon will help too. Eating smaller meals, more often is the other simple solution. Of course, small snacks can help as well. (The only down side to that is potential weight gain.) Also, you still may want to watch what you eat to some extent. High fat foods, carbonated and caffeinated beverages, and spicy foods are still serious culprits. Even if they don’t seem to bother you right after eating, they still could cause some of the between meal reflux. So, do keep an eye on that. See if you find any patterns. Finally, hang in there until they finish evaluating the pancreas stuff. If you have some type of irritation or inflammation going on, that could be feeding into your symptoms too. I’m not really sure how they figured that out via an endoscopy but let them do the remainder of the tests, then have a long, assertive chat with your doctor and ask about all your options. I know most all of this is "old news". I hope it helps a little. Have patience a little longer and try the Gaviscon and other eating tricks until you see the doctor again. In the mean time, please don’t worry and please continue to keep us posted. As I’ve said before, my e-mail box is always open. I hope you’ll keep in touch. Take care. John 
