Could a hiatal hernia this small cause these symptoms?

[ThesoundofSunday]

I have been suffering from digestive issues for many many years. I have gone through many tests over these years including 2 colonscopies, a BAM scan, Pill camera endoscopy, 2 gastroscopes and several US scans.

As I age these issues are just getting worse. When I was first diagnosed with IBS at the age of 25 I never experienced any upper gut problems but when I entered perimenopause 8 years ago I started struggling with bloating, acid indigestion, regular nausea and so much belching (I have adjusted my diet accordingly but nothing helps). A gastroscope with biopsies in 2019 found nothing - no H Pylori, no inflammation, no coeliac disease or maligancies. However now at 53 the acid/nausea/bleching etc is just getting worse. A blood test in the summer found I had low IgA so my gastroenterologist organized for me to have another gastroscope with biopsies.

The latest gastroscope was two weeks ago, the results of the biopsies are yet to come back although my gastro doesn't think it will return positive for Coeliac as I have had so many blood tests for it and the previous gastroscope biopsy was negative.

The endoscopist said he couldn't see anything unusual, then mentioned he saw a small hiatal hernia. The report states a 1cm type 1 hiatal hernia. I asked the nurse whilst I was in recovery if this could be causing my issues and he said highly unlikely.

Unless the biopsies come back with anything I am highly unlikely to get an appointment with my gastroenterologist, her appointments are like gold dust so it will just be a letter. I will probably need to make a GP appointment to ask her opinion.

Just wondered if anyone has any experience of HHs and what their symptoms were? Google tells me I would be unlikely to suffer from symptoms with a 1cm HH so back to the drawing board I suppose.

My HH is 2.5cm and I have patches of gastritis, 1 oesophageal one gut . I was told lifestyle changes are my treatment together with omeprozole. My
symptoms were awful , acid, nausea, sharp pains , couldn’t sleep flat , always been woken in the night with stomach pains etc . After 3 months on omeprozole, less fat / sugar in diet and increased walking I read an article about long term use of PPI’s so came off it . I feel better than I have in ages , symptoms are all but gone but I do know if I overindulge they’ll be back . From my experience a 1cm HH shouldn’t cause the problems you have .

My HH is 3cm. It took a good 6 months on Omeprazole to get te awful discomfort feeling better (also had oesophagitis) and had to give up all things nice..wine, chocolate, tomatoes etc. The pain flares up now and again, but I was told they don't do anything under 7cm so I suspect a 1cm won't be the cause of your problem.

I also have a 3cm HH. I had terrible symptoms - food coming up (whole mouthfuls) after swallowing, couldn’t lie flat, constant sinus infections (I also had silent reflux, that’s how symptoms started - coughing after eating, way before any of the obvious symptoms), sore throat, constant feeling of a lump in my throat, hoarse voice every morning, woke up feeling like I had a massive cold. I put some of it down to my allergy, but I now know it’s the reflux. I try to manage it through diet, but it’s difficult as I have so many triggers, so I use Omeprazole “as needed”.

Thanks everyone. Sorry you all have had awful symptoms, I can see from the replies that it would probably be unusual for my symptoms to be stemming from this small hh. I have no idea why I experience such terrible gut issues, all similar to what you have described, they often keep me awake at night too.

I don't want to mask anything with a PPI, I want to know what the root cause is so I can treat it a base level. Back to the drawing board it is then, urgh!

Good luck getting to the bottom of it @ThesoundofSunday - it’s so frustrating suffering and nobody knows what’s wrong!

My advice take the omeprazole short term to give your gut the chance to heal it must be very sore and hypersensitive. My hiatus hernia is six centimetres and it helps. But stick to the diet as well.

Have any of you tried an IQoro device? It’s meant to help with HHs. I’m using one for LPR that the omeprazole just did nothing for. It works by strengthening things internally. I think it’s helping me and my friend with a HH managed to come all her meds and can now eat normally.