Hiatus Hernia?!

[anna]

I am not sure how to do the poll thing, so can I just ask how many of you guys have a clinical diagnosis of Hiatus Hernia and also have ANS dysfunction of one form or another. Thank you.

[rach73]

Hiya Anna,

I had a hiatus hernia diagnosed by endscopy in 2002. The problem I have is reflux I have no pain from the hernia itself, in 2002 it was measured at 4cm.

The reflux is getting worse as I wake up at night choking on a mouthful of vomit. Part of that is my fault as I never take lanzoprozole regularly I only take it when I have reflux. So I know I am naughty!

Rach

[anna]

I have been wondering of late if there may be a link with Hiatus hernia and Pots symptoms, I wandered if we have large enough hernia could it push on our hearts and or lungs intermittently to cause some of our POTS symptoms!

I have read: Acid leaking from the lower esophagus stimulates the vagus nerves, which run through the gastrointestinal tract. These stimulated nerves cause the nearby airways in the lung to constrict, producing asthma symptoms.

http://www.umm.edu/patiented/articles/how_serious_gastroesophageal_reflux_disease_000085_5.htm#ixzz23FNlLFfg

So does that mean that by this process the vagus nerve can cause HR issues and other stuff?!

[Katybug]

I have a hiatal hernia. My mom also had one that caused her to have asthma and she had to have surgery to correct t hers. They found that 2/3 of her stomach had penetrated through the hole in her diaphragm. But it did not affect her heart rate.

[anna]

Wow that must have felt horrid, ok no heart related issues but Asthma.

Katybug do you get acid reflux? is it worse when your POTS is worse? Sorry for all the questions!

[s-pot]

Very interesting Anna!

I have a hiatus hernia diagnosed 2004, Asthma for years but never knew there was a link....when my hiatus hernia was at its worst reflux and painwise so was my Asthma. Needed nebulizers 3 times a day at one stage and it was very debilitating (im only 26 now). Practically bed bound at the time.

POTs was diagnosed nearly 2 years ago but my biggest Pre-syncope/POTS symptom is reflex dry wretching (no nausea...something happens with the vagus nerve I think, its definately a reflex!) My own theory on it is that when my Heart starts to get very Tachy ?somehow? the vagus nerve gets stimulated engaging my gag reflex which causes the wretching and slows down my HR.

I dunno if that makes any sense physiologically!

Thanks for that nugget of info.....never knew that about the Hiatus Hernia/Asthma/Vagus Nerve....I have all of this going on I just don't know how it all links up yet!!

[Katybug]

I had severe acid reflux that was not being controlled by any of the normal meds you would take for that, along with all the other typical POTS GI issues. So, we chalked it all up to my POTS/autonomic dysfunction. But, last Oct. when I started taking Depakote for my migraines, all of my GI ysmptoms went away completely. My neuro says that I must be the rare adult that actually has abdominal migraines. I think it is accurate because the only GI symptoms I've had since then has been this summer when my migraines got out of control again and we had to up my dose of the Depakote. My reflux seems to wax and wane with the migraines. However, my neuro says there is definitely a link with dysautonomia and migraines...they just don't know what it is yet. And, to mix things up a little more, they are pretty sure I have some form of EDS but I don't see the geneticist to get that sorted until Feb 2013. That of course is another syndrome that seems to keep coming up in our conversations here on the forum. And I have inflamatory issues that we are trying to nail down with a dx. I do think it is all interconnected, I just don't know how. The hernia developed about 2 years into my symptoms and I also was told I was starting to develop a mild scoliosis around the same time. ????Ugh???

[micheller]

I also have a hiatal hernia. I've had 3 nissens for my reflux which didn't help. My hiatal hernia was discovered after my second nissen. It was repaired during the third but it's back, confirmed by egd. My reflux actually lead me to my pots diagnosis.

[anna]

It seems that many folk out there on the net have such issues I found this study interesting; http://www.francescobiondo.it/approfondimenti/MRGE/Area%20Medici/Cardiopatia%20aritmica.pdf

[anna]

Oh my it is amazing what you can find on the net!

Ok how many of you have sleep apnea?!

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/13671.php

[diamondcut]

I dont have a one, but after 3 endoscopies i have been told mine is a bit "floppy" as you all probably know, anyway alot of people with EDS have Hiatis Hernias becuase if the stretchyness of the muscle that can not tighten enough and allows the reflux back up the esophagus.

[NancyGER]

Hey guys,

Although this is an old thread, I thought I anyways gonna give my 2 cents

I got POTS after Covid and 2 weeks ago they also saw that I got a small HH which I must have gotten recently since my prior endoscopy didn't show a HH. 

My theory is that since the vagus nerve is going through the same hiatus as our hernias, it gets squeezed and irritated which at least can exacerbate the symptoms.

If the hernia is large enough it probably can also directly affect the lungs and heart causing breathing difficulties and palpitations.

I am on beta blocker so my HR is pretty much under control when I stand up, but I swear to god: I did some heal dips for the first time today in order to get the stomach in the right place and my HR afterwards has never been that low while standing. 

Granted, that could all be just a big coincidence, but it is food for thought

Cheers!

[Chris74]

Nancy:

I don't think you are off course at all. In fact, I think you have made an observation which extremely astute and has gone missed/overlooked constantly. It took me the better part of 30 years to put together piece by piece what is wrong with me. I gave up long ago on trying to figure out what was causing all my health issues as I decided to live with it. I have a whole pile evidence that all points to the fact that I have dysotonaumia (POTS etc) and it is likely caused by a hiatal hernia. You are correct that the vagus nerve goes through exactly where a hiatal hernia is located. It is true about the acid reflux/vagus nerve interaction (which is often discussed)... however.. what is not often discussed... if at all... is the fact that having a hiatal hernia crowds that area and can literally irritate the vagus nerve directly (by crowding it, pressing on it). I came up with this theory in my own situation a few years ago and I ran it by a GI specialist MD. He told me that what I posited was very very possible but that he wasn't sure what anybody could do about it. I have been so depressed and dejected about my health for so long that I haven't picked the subject back up yet. I am however gaining mental motivation to do something about the entire situation. (POTS etc...) and I stumbled on your post here..... you are the first person who I have come across who has also guessed that this connection exists. 

 

If you are interested I can run you through my bits of evidence and why I believe it is happening to me and it is the source of my issues. 

Chris

 

[SamanthaHartford]

Dear all in this old threat: You are getting the causation wrong. As somebody who had access to academic medical databases when trying to figure out what was wrong with me (=POTS), the point I've understood about POTS is that it is linked to hypermobility of joints & cartilage weakness. That is, hiatus hernia is a symptom of the underlying disorder that can cause POTS, which is seen in the weakness of the constrictive function of blood vessels (causing the inability to keep up blood pressure and the need for the heart to beat faster) as well as other symptoms of POTS like incontinence and constipation/gastroparesis. Obviously vomiting related to POTS can also increase the chances of getting a hiatus hernia. But it's not hiatus hernia causing POTS, because POTS would then go away with surgery of the hiatus hernia.