Everything you need to know about a HIATUS HERNIA | Causes, symptoms, diagnosis & treatment

In this video Doctor O'Donovan explains what a Hiatus Hernia is, including causes, types (sliding and rolling), symptoms, treatment options and complications (e.g. oesophagitis, Barrett's Oesophagus and more).

A hiatus hernia is when part of your stomach moves up into your chest. It's very common if you're over 50. It does not normally need treatment if it's not causing you problems.

It is common to have no symptoms, but if you do have symptoms they can including heart-burn caused by acid reflux (GERD/GORD), belching, and feeling sick amongst others.

See a doctor if:

- your symptoms do not go away after 3 weeks
- your symptoms are very bad or getting worse
- medicines from the pharmacy do not help

In the video we cover:

00:00 - Introduction
00:26 - What is a Hiatus Hernia?
00:52 - Sliding vs. Rolling Hiatus Hernia
02:09 - Causes of Hiatus Hernia
03:21 - Possible symptoms of Hiatus Hernia
04:13 - Diagnosis methods
04:35 - Treatment options for Hiatus Hernia
07:01 - Complications

Treatment for a hiatus hernia can include:

1. Change your eating habits, for example, eat smaller, more frequent meals and do other things to help with the symptoms of GORD/GERD.
2. If you smoke, try to give up, as it can irritate your digestive system and make your symptoms worse.
3. Buy medicines from the pharmacy (ask the pharmacist what you should take to help with the symptoms of GORD).
4. If medicines from the pharmacy and changing your eating habits do not help, see a doctor, who can prescribe stronger medicines.
5. If stronger medicines do not work, a doctor can send you for further tests to find out if your symptoms are caused by a hiatus hernia. They might also prescribe medicines for long-term GORD.
6. A doctor might refer you to a specialist to check if you need surgery. This usually only happens if other treatments have not worked and you keep having very bad symptoms.

Further information:

#doctor #hiatushernia #hernia #gerd #health #medical #reflux #esophagus #gastroenterology
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[snodelove]

Nobody ever mentions the heart palpatations, elevated heart rate, & severe anxiety.🤦‍♀️

[robertmarking]

HOW TO FIX A H. HERNIA!
1) drink 16 - 20 ounces of water on empty stomach.
2) get on an elevated surface, for an example go up two steps on a stairway.
3) jump from the second step on the stairway, to the floor at the base of the stairway, skipping the first step of the stairway.
4) when you land, land with straight legs, WITHOUT bending your knees to absorb the landing.
5) on the landing, the weight of the water in your stomach, will pull your stomach downward, correcting your hiatal hernia.
After suffering from I had a hernia for over a year, and have my chiropractor manually correct the hernia, I found another Chiropractor who gave me this tip and it works EVERY time. This eliminated my hiatal hernia problem.

[lindacassidy]

I have a large Hiatus Hernia and have shortness of breath when walking or doing simple tasks. I find that sitting in a reclined position makes breathing easier and is more comfortable. I often feel like there is a tightening around my diaphragm, like a belt is pulled to tight. I learned more from your video than I did from my doctor who took 51 x-rays and told me nothing that was going on. I really appreciate your help.
Thank You.

[susanterry]

Don’t worry guys about taking PPI, s. I never knew I had a Hiatus Hernia until I developed Helicobacter Pylora (Now that can lead to an increased risk of developing Stomach Cancer and has not been mentioned here). I have been on PPI, s for 28 YEARS every day since. My symptoms are typical as mentioned. Heartburn - acid taste in my mouth - pain between my shoulder blades even leading down my left arm when really bad - belching- nausea - stuffed up feeling in my chest at nights sometimes leading to palpitations and stuffed up feeling in my chest sometimes after eating. Coughing at nights. The main culprit for me is eating too much fats mostly any cheese. So don’t worry guys about taking too many PPI, s - life is about living not worrying.. I am now 68 years old..

[Eaglehunter]

I was diagnosed with 8.5cm hiatus hernia 3 years ago...was told i needed major surgery as its classed as a giant hernia...i had all the pre op tests 5 months ago and was informed it would be done in a matter of weeks. Visits to the drs with all the issues described here from other people on this video and im just constantly being told your on the waiting list...im a 49 year old uk male and tbh i feel like an 80 year old pensioner...my quality of life sucks ....hopefully we can all get our lives back on track at some point

[JaneDoe-ms]

I went for an endoscopy, and it was a hiatus hernia. I am now taking Lanoprazole a two months prescription, and it is settling down nicely. I was also told to cut down on my smoking or stop, also cut down on caffeine, i hope this helps some people, and the medical team, may God bless, and heal you all amen.

[tumbleweed]

I have a hiatus hernia. I bought a book by a gastroenterologist and he advised not eating 3 hours before bedtime. When I follow this advice I have no symptoms.

[ittybittykittymama]

WOW! I have never heard that coughing can cause a rolling hiatus hernia! That makes perfect sense and also might explain a LOT!

As a child, I was very sickly because of what we now know was Still's Disease. Among many other awful symptoms, Still's severely weakened my lungs and ravaged my immune system.

Every winter, I had severe bronchitis and double pneumonia or both. I was home schooled every winter, as I coughed literally all the time and that disturbed other students!

Coughing extremely hard was painfully common for me, as it was for my mother and her father, both of whom also had hiatus hernias, come to think of it!

I COUGHED LIKE THAT FOR YEARS!

Even as an adult, my very painful coughing has proved to be very problematic. I've had to leave work and even church because of coughing from a cold or bronchitis!

I now wonder if that's what caused the terrible hernia! I'm going to talk with my doctor, a very smart lady, at my next appointment!

Of course, surgery won't be the answer for me. Apparently, I have developed a lethal allergy to the drugs used in general anesthesia. In 2008, I experienced a "near death experience" because of a nearly blocked aorta, a problem caused by Still's Disease. (I was not near dead, I was really, truly dead for ten minutes!)

During the emergency cardiac surgery to mitigate the aortic problem, my heart stopped for forty five minutes!

I've lived with the effects of this hiatus hernia since I was in my late twenties, without a diagnosis, just myriad problems and doctors who had no idea what was wrong. The Still's was not recognized or properly diagnosed until early 2012! It explained my lifelong fight for survival!

My "mud filled" gallbladder was removed in my late thirties after two years of suffering. Internal bleeding from an injury which occurred during that procedure had to be repaired surgically. I never knew exactly what was bleeding.

A subsequent endoscopy with a barium swallow discovered the hiatus hernia, which was described by the doctor as "huge."

Shortly afterwards, I began having severe esophageal spasms which left me screaming in pain. I was treated with a prescription liquid that anesthetized my esophagus! After a couple of years, the spasms just stopped but horrible GERD began!

Leaning over to tie my shoes resulted in the contents of my stomach coming up! If I burped, the same thing would happen! I even threw up in my sleep every night, waking to hot stomach acid burning my mouth and throat. This constant acid bath literally destroyed my teeth, leaving me with full dentures.

Powerful prescription drugs were used by my gastroenerologist to calm the GERD's symptoms, which stabilized at last. The near constant regurgitation eased, and I learned to only eat or drink small amounts, just in case.

I literally cannot walk and talk at the same time! Since the 2023 cardiac revision of the first bypass surgery, I get so out of breath with any exertion that I have to sit down and restuntil I can breathe freely again.

Oftentimes, it feels as if I am choking or if there is a great weight in my chest. It is very frightening, but tests reveal no reason for this phenomenon. I just "have to live with it" or someone attributes it to Still's.

Last year, I began taking Turmeric, just as a supplement, and have realized only recently that the GERD symptoms are completely gone!

I wonder if the frequent bouts of hiccups I've endured all my life might be because of the hernia or perhaps just my labored breathing.

I have never done illicit drugs (I take plenty of prescriptions!) and I don't drink at all. I've got enough trouble now!

My health status was recently downgraded from "poor" to "medically fragile, " and I am no longer allowed to travel or do much of anything physically taxing, but I'm still kicking at 68 years old! Thank GOD!

[bettyvillegas]

Hit that on the button doctor!! Please please treat this right away if you have symptoms before it's too late like me I can't eat I had no idea I had this hurnia it was silent and I was mis diagnosed for year's. Take it serious and find a good gi specialist that really cares cuz some don't care.

[CO-PE-]

I have hiatus hernia and was prescribed PPI medication. This only helped short-term. I am not sure why doctors prescribed this long-term. What I found is that that these drugs neutralize acid in your stomach and cause you to digest more slowly. That is exactly the opposite of what you want. Digesting food slowly means your stomach will still be full when you go to bed. Instead, I have used Betain HCL with my evening meal to speed up digestion so my stomach is more empty when I go to bed. You can't use this if you have ulcers.

Unfortunately, anything you eat or drink before bed can be trapped in the herniated portion of your stomach and sit there when you go to bed. I found that medications I take before bed does not go into my stomach on its own. So I eat a little soft, non-spicy food after taking medication and wash it down with plenty of water to get the pills in my stomach. I also found another side effect from PPI medication is that it slows the absorption of other medication. This made my BPH medication useless to me because it wasn't getting into my system. The result was waking up every two hours to go to the bathroom despite taking medication for that condition.

I do not know why doctors like to prescribe PPIs because they really only make things worse. However, apparently, they go by recommended treatments and apparently the people recommending this medication don't have GERD themselves, or they would know it doesn't work long-term, and may also be dangerous to take beyond 2 weeks.

[faysalkus]

About 3 years ago I was diagnosed with a hiatus hernia while a gastroenterologist did an endoscopy. Apparently it is a rolling type. I never had gerds but after laying down at night I had pain in my left side around my ribs. The pain goes away within 20 minutes of standing. I know I need to lose about 20 pounds which I hope will help. Thanks for sharing this video.

[susie]

I have all these symptoms plus chest tightness and heart palpitations. My doctors are clueless, thank you for this video, I now feel informed!

[_winston_smith_]

PPI is great. I took it daily for 15 years before I came to the realization that it slightly depresses my mood. If I found myself singing in the car on the way home from work and then sitting down on the sofa with a big grin on my face thinking life is great then about an hour later the acid reflux would start -- because I forgot to take a pill that morning. No one told me this was a concern. So if you are taking PPI then keep this in mind. Don't take 15 years to figure it out like I did!

[sharonallen]

I have a hiatal hernia. Had it for years.
I suffer from regular acid reflux, bloating, belching (which you cannot control and is embarrassing) and sometimes after a meal my stomach would feel like a washing machine and I would vomit. Doctor prescribed Omeprazole but not had to stop taking it as this used to make me vomit uncontrollably. I now take Rabeprazole, which does not make me sick.
The doctor said that surgery is not an option (lack of NHS funding for minor ops), so I try and control it with diet.
I have recently cut out certain foods such as fried, spicy, tomatoes, which was a trigger for me as too acidic. I have started having Greek yogurt, granola and fresh fruit for breakfast, a small lunch and I try to eat my last meal before 7pm. This seems to be helping. I am also actively making a point to lose weight as I am sure this will also be beneficial. I am so fed up with being in pain so I am praying these measures will help my symptoms. I do not want to take medication long term and I only take the Rabeprazole when I have an acid attack. I don’t think it’s good for you long term due to cancer risks

[mazza]

I have hiatus hernia secondary to gastric lap band . I have had to do things like raising bed head, meditation, and reducing meals size and food types such as bread to stop bloating.

[PankajPatel-vmyv]

Explained in details very nicely that my own doctor did not explain even when asked .
Thank you so much.

[taffy]

I have a sliding hiatus hernia I was put on medication but I worried about the long term effects I also suffer from bloating from certain foods which makes it worse, I have found if I don’t eat later than 6pm that makes a difference I also found if I sit around all day that makes it worse, I take Gaviscon advance when I do suffer with acid reflux sometimes I take it 3 times in a week and other times I don’t take it for months, diet seems to be the key and a good walk after a meal definitely helps, I also use two pillows at night, also started doing some stretching exercises occasionally, think that may help

[ladymuck]

I’ve been on Lansoprazole for a couple of years. I had a Gastroscopy yesterday and several biopsies taken. The immediate diagnosis is Hiatus Hernia. Previously been diagnosed with Atrophic Gastritis.

Your video was helpful, thank you

[Serenityafterall]

I dont suffer from acid reflux or gerd and never did .❤ Suffering for 4 years, just diagnosed !!!

[jacquelinerodenbush]

Thank you for this video. I've had many of these symptoms for years, had a barium swallow today, and got the diagnosis this afternoon. I'm glad to finally have a name to go with this misery.