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The Ask A Doctor message board provided a medium for sufferers of Heartburn and Gerd to ask questions about medical and surgical options for heartburn and receive answers directly from experienced Gastroesophageal surgeons.
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From: Barbara
Date: 02/05/01
Time: 23:29:06
I am a 27 year old female. I have no children. I work in an office as an Admin. Asst. & in October of 2000, after a GI series, I was diagnosed with a "sliding hiatal hernia".
The tests showed that both my esophagus & stomach are normal in contour & densibility. Gastroesophageal is not present, even during periods of nausea. In response to a small bowel series, the bowel is normally distributed & the fold pattern is preserved.
My General Practioner recommended that I have the exams performed after I went to her seriously ill, having been violently vomitted for two days & having lost an excessive amount of weight (55lbs in 7 mos). I admit the weight loss may have stemmed from stress.
As a result of the findings of the exams, my Doctor placed me on a strict diet, allowing me to eat only bland foods such as bread, white rice & pasta, potatoes, crackers, milk & water and she prescribed Zantac....I was not allowed to have any juice, meat, sauces or vegetables. After the same regiment for 2 months I went to a second Doctor, for another opinion. The second Doctor advised to start eating small portions of everything, as other patients diagnosed with a "hiatal hernia" are able to do so.
Unfortunately, while I have managed to work into my diet some bland sauces & some vegetables like lettuce, cucumbers, cooked carrots, & corn I have not been able to digest brocoli or any kind of meat; incidently I am able to digest a small portion of Shrimp & Tilapia (a type of fish).
In addition, I still suffer from sharp pains in the abdomin area. At times the pain is so strong that it takes my breath away & I have trouble breathing.
My questions are: Is it wise/safe to eat any type of food as long as the portions are small?
If so, what could be affecting my digestive ability?
What treatments are available for someone diagnosed with a hiatal hernia? As per my second Doctor, there are none. He says that I must live with the condition & just watch the amount of food I eat in one sitting. That opinion did not make much sense to me, therefore, my question.
My firat doctor suggested that if I continued to lose weight at the rate I was going, that my only option would be surgery. Do you have any information on this procedure?
Lastly, how can a hiatal hernia affect the reprductive system? Will I be able to bare children in the future?
Any information or referals would be much appreciated. Thank you in advance for your time & attention to these matters.
Barbara proxysolution@aol.com or rpi pro@aol.com