Hiatal hernia - HELP!

Is it normal with a hiatal hernia to feel as though food is stuck in your esophagus? Also when I play with it, since I can feel it under my right peck I get like a heartburn feeling. I can push it back in though.

My Father had exactly those symptoms for several years, possibly as long as a decade, and simply took antacids for them. Then, one night, while eating steak, the hernia fully blocked his esophagus and he had to be rushed to the emergency room, choking. I would advise erring on the side of caution and seeing a gastrointerologist.

I should add, here, that his trip to the emergency room resulted in emergency surgery.

[edit on 7/4/08 by Hefficide]

I've had this for like 4 years now......

Wow four years! I could only keep mine for like 2 months (But then again, the hernia I had was on my groin).

You should probably go see a surgeon and get that thing fixed.

You can feel it bulging out? How can you feel it through your ribcage? I guess you mean a few inches below your right peck. I would think anytime a hernia has stuff bulging out of it, there is a concern about blood flow, or maybe something rupturing.

If you have insurance you probably will wanna get it checked out. Though if this has been going on for a while and it hasn't killed you yet, its probably not an emergency.

And yes it is apparently quite common for it to give you heartburn and such, and that alone is not a huge deal according the article below.

alternative-medicine-and-health.com...

Don't bend, stoop, or lie down right after eating. Many people love to eat a big meal and then collapse on the sofa or in a lounge chair. Some people go to bed right after eating. The problem with this is that your stomach is fighting gravity. You're much more likely to have acid flushing back into your esophagus when you're lying down.

The article does not mention your innards bulging out of the hernia, but gravity probably effects that too. I have heard guys have pushed intestines and other stuff back in for years, I am sure there is some risk but it does not appear to be a leading cause of demise.


[edit on 7-7-2008 by Sonya610]