Hiatal Hernia

March 4, 2011

Hiatal Hernia Pain

As you may already know hiatal hernia pain is the scariest kind of pain you’ll likely ever experience.

It’s a lot easier to avoid hiatal hernia pain than it is to try and stop it once it starts.

You’ll instantly know you’re having a hiatal hernia if suddenly after eating you can’t bend, sit or lay down, breathe or swallow. The undigested food you just swallowed will come up and sit in the bottom of your throat until you vomit it with a kind of weak, painful death shutter.

Normally your stomach can heave up food, but with a hiatal hernia, you’re trapped and so is your food . . . the pain is frightening. It’s a slow motion choking pain that cuts off your ability to swallow or spit up, that’s why it’s so dangerous and painful.

The undigested food is being wrenched up through the Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES), a kind of seal or flap that keeps the contents of your stomach separate from your pain sensitive throat.

Your hiatal hernia pain could very well be the last thing you experience in this world unless you know what to do and that’s still no guarantee either.

The pain isn’t only physical, it’s emotional too. I’ve seen the bulging eyeballs and look of terror in my best friend’s face when he almost died from hiatal hernia attack.

What happens is your stomach isn’t digesting food, usually because of lack of stomach acid and enzyme power. This causes a painful bulging as gases form from the undigested rotting food.

The pain a hiatal hernia causes begins with the pressure forced upon all your organs, including your heart.

Then the diaphragm muscle cramps upward and forces your stomach and contents through a small opening. This is the worse pain as your stomach actually migrates up above this LES seal and bulges in your lower neck . . . the pain of a hiatal hernia is only there to spike your adrenalin so you do something fast before your choke or have a heart attack.

To stop the pain jump up and down, stand on your tip-toes and drop to you heels until your hiatal hernia spasm and pain stop. Then stretch your hands over your head, relax and go see a doctor for a stomach acid test as soon as possible.

You were born to heal,

Todd M. Faass

Health Advocate

Get rid of acid reflux

 

 

 

 

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January 21, 2011

Hiatal Hernia Symptoms

It’s important to know and be able to identify Hiatal Hernia symptoms so that the condition can be properly treated and prevented from escalating to a state of bleeding.

Symptoms of a Hiatal Hernia often closely resemble heartburn. They include a burning sensation in the chest, acid reflux (or stomach acids making their way up into your mouth), burping, hiccups and chest pain. However, this chest pain is different from the chest pain of a heart attack and it’s vital to differentiate between the two.

Hiatal Hernia chest pain is often the result of spasms due to the displaced stomach. The pain can be extreme, but it is often just pain, or pain accompanied by heartburn symptoms. The pain of a heart attack is often accompanied by shortness of breath and pain or numbness in an arm or hand. Knowing and understanding what these different symptoms indicate can be the difference between life and death. If you’re experiencing chest pain associated with shortness of breath, seek medical attention immediately.

Causes

A Hiatal Hernia happens when a portion of the stomach becomes displaced, and is forced through an opening in the diaphragm. Although it can be difficult to point to specific causes, some risk factors that may make you more susceptible to a Hiatal Hernia are smoking, obesity, and aging.

Hiatal Hernias that occur in younger children or infants are often a congenital condition that they were born with.

Solutions

Hiatal Hernias are rarely serious conditions, but shouldn’t be ignored. They can often be somewhat painful, and so should be dealt with promptly. Surgery is seldom necessary, as your body can often heal itself of a Hiatal Hernia. However, there are a number of things you can do to help speed the healing process up.

If you’ve been diagnosed with a Hiatal Hernia, eat smaller meals, but do so more often. That way you’re giving your body the same amount of nutrition, just over a longer period of time, so that it can better digest the food and extract nutrients from it without getting overly stressed. This helps reduce the impact of eating on your already strained digestive tract.

Also, don’t eat right before you lay down. This will help prevent food from gathering in your stomach, and moving back up into your esophagus where it can cause irritation. You really shouldn’t eat less than two hours before bed if you are battling heartburn or a Hiatal Hernia. That way you won’t have any food or acid lying in wait when you do decide to go to bed.

Additionally, quit smoking. Smoking is very detrimental to your health, including your digestive system. Quitting will help your body heal at a more natural rate, and will help prevent a future Hiatal Hernia from occurring.

You can also reduce stress in your life to help your hernia heal. Although stress can’t be directly blamed as a cause for Hiatal Hernias, it can certainly hinder your body’s ability to heal from one. It tends to cause an overproduction of stomach acid, which can irritate your esophagus and stomach, slowing the healing process. So, do things to help yourself relax, like getting a massage or adding regular exercise to your routine. These things will help you tom maintain a healthy mind and body.

For more information on Hiatal Hernia symptoms, visit refluxremedy.com today!

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December 29, 2010

Where Does Hiatal Hernia Pain Occur

A hernia happens when any internal organ pushes into an area that it doesn’t belong. A Hiatal Hernia occurs when a portion of the stomach gets forced through an opening in the diaphragm (the hiatus). To answer the question, where does Hiatal Hernia pain occur, it stays centralized to the chest and stomach areas and can take a few forms.

Heartburn

Heartburn is a common symptom of a Hiatal Hernia. Its pain generally starts in the upper chest area and radiates through the neck. Heartburn produces a burning sensation unlike any other pain. It’s caused when acid in the stomach irritates the esophagus, which can easily happen if part of the stomach is above the diaphragm and already encroaching on the esophagus’s space. People who have a Hiatal Hernia tend to suffer from heartburn pain often (more than twice a week), and the pain is severe. It’s often worse when the sufferer lies down, or goes to bed, as gravity is no longer their ally and acid can move freely between the stomach and esophagus. Heartburn that results from a Hiatal Hernia is often not settled by taking antacids or other heartburn remedies.

Chest Pain

Chest pain can also accompany a Hiatal Hernia. This pain is different from heartburn pain, in that it’s more typical pain. Stomach and chest spasms caused by the displacement of the stomach can worsen this pain. Chest pain due to a Hiatal Hernia is often mistaken for a heart attack, and vice versa. However, Hiatal Hernia pain shouldn’t be associated with shortness of breath. If you’re experiencing chest pain and shortness of breath, or any other additional symptoms seek medical attention immediately, as you may be having a heart attack.

Strangulated Hiatal Hernia

A strangulated Hiatal Hernia happens when the blood supply is cut off to the herniated portion of the stomach. This results in extreme pain and illness. While this condition is pretty rare, it is a medical emergency, and should be dealt with promptly.

GERD and Hiatal Hernia pain

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease and Hiatal Hernias often go hand in hand, although it’s difficult to say which comes first. GERD is the result of a weakened lower esophageal sphincter, which is supposed to only allow food into the stomach and keep acids out of the esophagus. However, when it becomes damaged or weakened, foods and stomach acids have free reign over the digestive system and can often irritate the esophagus. Additionally, a Hiatal Hernia is thought to weaken the lower esophageal sphincter which leads to GERD.

Manage your Hiatal Hernia pain

If you suffer from a Hiatal Hernia, there are a few things you can do to help with the pain. Avoid spicy foods, or other foods that are difficult to digest like fatty and fried foods. Eat smaller meals more often, and chew your food completely to avoid bombarding your stomach with difficult to digest substances. Also, stop eating at least 2 hours before bed, to help keep food and stomach acids where they belong when you lie down.

Hopefully this information has answered your question, where does Hiatal Hernia pain occur, but if it didn’t and you want more information, visit refluxremedy.com today. There you can find additional information as well as treatment options and tips for avoiding Hiatal Hernias in the future.

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December 22, 2010

Vomiting With Hiatal Hernia

Vomiting with Hiatal Hernia isn’t a terribly typical symptom. More often vomiting causes a Hiatal Hernia, as a result of the pressure that is placed on the abdomen while retching.

To be clear, a hernia can occur in any part of the body, but when it happens to the stomach, it’s called a Hiatal Hernia. Specifically, it happens when the upper portion of the stomach gets pushed through the opening of the diaphragm and into the chest.

Symptoms

As stated before, vomiting is not a typical symptom of a Hiatal Hernia; however that doesn’t mean it won’t happen to you. As a matter of fact, some people don’t experience any symptoms at all of a Hiatal Hernia. However, if you do have symptoms, you might experience a sudden onset of frequent heartburn, including indigestion, acid reflux, burping and hiccupping.

Chest pain can also be associated with a Hiatal Hernia; however it shouldn’t be confused with a heart attack. Chest pain from a Hiatal Hernia will not be associated with anything other than heartburn. If you experience shortness of breath or numbness in one of your arms, seek medical attention immediately. The most important thing here is to be in tune with the signals your body is sending you and understand what they indicate.

Treatments

Generally a Hiatal Hernia just needs time to heal, and doesn’t require surgery. A few simple things you can do at home will help this process along.

  • Eat smaller meals. Eating a ton of food at once bombards your stomach with more than it can deal with, creating more pressure on an already sensitive area. By eating less more often you spread the same amount of food over a longer period, allowing your stomach time to handle it all without putting too much stress on your injured digestive system. Additionally, once your hernia is healed, you should maintain this practice, so that the condition doesn’t recur.
  • Stop smoking. Smoking is thought to cause, and worsen a variety of health problems, including a whole host of digestive problems. Plus, smoking slows the body’s ability to heal, meaning it will take you significantly longer to get over your hernia. So, just quit! Your body will thank you for it.
  • Don’t eat right before you go to bed. This causes food and stomach acid to get trapped in the esophagus, with no natural help from gravity to make its way down into the stomach. Eat at least 2 hours before you lie down, and that way food will have had a chance to start digesting and won’t put unnecessary strain on your stomach and esophagus.
  • If you do breech that 2 hour window, prop yourself up when you go to bed. Placing an extra pillow under your head can help give your body the upper hand and keep food moving through your digestive tract.

If none of these methods are productive, your doctor may prescribe medications to help the healing process along. Only in severe cases is surgery necessary. More often than not though, simple lifestyle changes can make a big difference.

Vomiting with Hiatal Hernia isn’t common, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. For more information on Hiatal Hernias and what you can do about them, visit refluxremedy.com.

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