Hiatal hernia? / stomach fullness

[Cort]

One of the first thing I noticed when I got ill (and quite skinny) was a feeling of often immediate fullness in the stomach area when I ate. I was sure - I was so sure - that I had a hiatal hernia but tests were done and nothing was found.

I still get that sensation. I've assumed that it's just more pain sensitivity akin to the sensitivity that that people with interstitial cystitis, I think it is feel, when their bladder or whatever organ it is is distended. Healthy people don't feel anything at all but they feel pain.

I seem to feel fullness when fullness is not there.

Does anyone else experience this or have had a hiatal hernia?

 

[weyland]

Does anyone else experience this or have had a hiatal hernia?

Yes and yes.

The main symptom I get with the hiatal hernia is trouble swallowing where it feels like the food will get stuck and it causes painful spasms. I've had this before ME and didn't have any of the immediate fullness symptoms from it.

The immediate fullness sounds more like functional dyspepsia which I've had since ME onset.

 

[Who Me?]

I have a fullness. I eat and it feels like it just sits around my diaphragm. I think it has to do with my IBS and slow motility. Or no motility.

I'm not sure but I think with hiatal hernia there is pain or burning which I don't have.

Thare tests you can take to determine transit but I don't know if there is anything you can do.

 

[Gijs]

Yes Cort, unfortunately i know the feeling too ( i also have this feeling in my gut).

 

[Lissa]

Yep, me too. I can feel full and hungry at the same time. It drives me batty.

No hernia that I know of. Just lots of bloating high up in the belly. I swear it's like there is some bug in the stomach causing symptoms as soon as I eat anything.

It was really bad recently and my husband said, "what's the matter honey? Did you eat food again?!" Haaaa - I'm so glad he gets it!

 

[Cort]

I'm definitely not alone. I don't appear to have hiatal hernia - just this weird full feeling...

 

[Cort]

Yep, me too. I can feel full and hungry at the same time. It drives me batty.

No hernia that I know of. Just lots of bloating high up in the belly. I swear it's like there is some bug in the stomach causing symptoms as soon as I eat anything.

It was really bad recently and my husband said, "what's the matter honey? Did you eat food again?!" Haaaa - I'm so glad he gets it!

 

[Stephanie 'Stevie' Stultz]

I do have a small hiatal hernia which they discovered during an endoscopy 4 years ago. It's been causing more and more problems the last year. I have to sleep with 3 down pillows to keep elevated and often when I eat, my food starts to gurgle and move upward. I've had ME/CFS for 14 years and in the beginning I had trouble digesting food and various enzymes helped. Then, as time moved on I have still have trouble digesting food along with slow motility and any enzymes just seemed to make it worse. I also had one of the tests where they make you fast, then give you radioactive laced eggs, then you have to lay on a table for hours while they figure out how long it takes to digest. My digestion was 3 times longer than it should be. The only option the Gastroenterologist gave me was medication that she said might make my neurological issues worse, so I declined to take it. And, I don't want to take any of the meds like Nexium or Prilosec because they impair getting nutrients into you body. Not many alternatives.....The longer many foods are in my stomach the more it seems to 'ferment' making me feel full and uncomfortable. I've had to cut way down on grains of any kind and have to eat them no later than early afternoon. Oddly, meat and veggies/fruits seem to digest easier and cause less trouble, even things like steak. Now, what seems to help is plain old Tums Smoothies antacids.

 

[Seeksassy]

One of the first thing I noticed when I got ill (and quite skinny) was a feeling of often immediate fullness in the stomach area when I ate. I was sure - I was so sure - that I had a hiatal hernia but tests were done and nothing was found.

I still get that sensation. I've assumed that it's just more pain sensitivity akin to the sensitivity that that people with interstitial cystitis, I think it is feel, when their bladder or whatever organ it is is distended. Healthy people don't feel anything at all but they feel pain.

I seem to feel fullness when fullness is not there.

Does anyone else experience this or have had a hiatal hernia?

I had this, and they found gallstones. I had no pain but felt full up to my throat all the time. After gallbladder removal the sense of fullness moved lower, but I have never really regained my appetite.

 

[Seeksassy]

Struggle to gain weight ever since then, as I rarely feel hungry, along with IBS symptoms...

 

[Mary Hamilton]

One of the first thing I noticed when I got ill (and quite skinny) was a feeling of often immediate fullness in the stomach area when I ate. I was sure - I was so sure - that I had a hiatal hernia but tests were done and nothing was found.

I still get that sensation. I've assumed that it's just more pain sensitivity akin to the sensitivity that that people with interstitial cystitis, I think it is feel, when their bladder or whatever organ it is is distended. Healthy people don't feel anything at all but they feel pain.

I seem to feel fullness when fullness is not there.

Does anyone else experience this or have had a hiatal hernia?

I have this full feeling and if I don't stop eating the moment I feel it I get esophageal spasms that last six or more hours. It's extremely painful. My doc just put me on something that works. I do have a hiatal hernia.

 

[Merida]

Yes, I have the fullness and a hiatal hernia, which I had years before being ill. The trouble swallowing began immediately after the neck injury. Plus, terrible reflux - could feel the food coming right back up. All neurological. All reported by Chiari people. This really is a nightmare illness. Hugs, everyone.

 

[Mary Hamilton]

Yes, I have the fullness and a hiatal hernia, which I had years before being ill. The trouble swallowing began immediately after the neck injury. Plus, terrible reflux - could feel the food coming right back up. All neurological. All reported by Chiari people. This really is a nightmare illness. Hugs, everyone.[/QUOTE
Meat seems to be my main problem. I eat very little if it. Is that your problem too, Meridia?

 

[ShyestofFlies]

I have a small hiatal hernia also discovered during endoscopy. I was told never to lay down after eating, or it could get bad enough as to require surgery. Nasty business.

I sometimes get the fullness feeling but no earlier than I should. When stressed I involentarily vomit in my mouth, possibly rumination syndrome, though uncommon, may be caused by my connective tissue disease.

 

[Catherine T. Roach]

Hey. I had it after my delivery. I had few symptoms like vomiting and constipation. I had to undergo hiatal hernia surgery. Even after that surgery, I have bulges near my tummy area. There is no sensation or pain in that area. A friend of mine recommended a tummy tuck procedure in Toronto to get rid of the excess fat near the tummy region. But is this procedure recommended after hiatal hernia surgery?

 

[Merida]

@Catherine T. Roach

I was always thin until the onset of this illness - yes, I accumulate fat in the abdominal area. I think this may be adrenal-related. But also, it may be important to know if you have a long, redundant, tortuous colon. I do. These are mostly asymptomatic, but because the colon can be very long and twisty it is possible to have constipation, pain, and other bowel issues due to this structural issue. That is, the colon and/or the small intestine can twist closed to varying degrees. Any kind of abdominal surgery can aggravate this.

A dear friend in support group got a partially twisted colon after her hysterectomy many years earlier. She more recently had to have emergency surgery as her colon had twisted all the way shut.

These types of colon/small intestine issues come under " malrotation and malattachment of the colon."

I wonder if hiatal hernias are a secondary issue to these bigger issue of the gut?

 

[tearydawn]

A hiatal hernia can also be a sliding one in which it comes and goes and may not be found with a scope. I have one. My first one was not a sliding one and I had the surgery to help it. I now have a sliding one. I too get the heavy, bloated sensations, esophageal spasms, and other symptoms. I feel everything. Very hypersensitive.

 

[Stephanie 'Stevie' Stultz]

I wanted to check back in and report that I've had a small improvement in my digestion, GERD and acid reflux since I added a few new supplements. I've been chewing tablets 2 Swanson Superior Herbs - DGL Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice Root Extract before each meal and in the evening I've been taking 1 Jarrow d-Limonine Softgel 1000 mg. before dinner. It does seem to be helping. I read an article about d-Limonene on the ProHealth.com site and it seemed worth a try. I also tried the 250 mg. D-Limonene Swanson brand, taking up to 4 capsules at a time but it doesn't work as well as the Jarrow brand @ 1000 Mg. per capsule. D-Limonene is made from Natural Orange Peel Oil and I wouldn't have thought it would be that effective, but I'm pleasantly surprised.

 

[Abrin]

Just lots of bloating high up in the belly. I swear it's like there is some bug in the stomach causing symptoms as soon as I eat anything.

I am the exact same way too!

I always find it so strange that the bloating happens higher up then my stomach.

The lymph nodes in my neck have a tendency to swell as well when I eat anything between that and the bloating I wish I didn't ever have to eat anything but I am always starving all the time.

 

[Farmgirl]

Jumping in here late..... I always feel "full" and yes, hungry sometimes at the same time. I really cannot eat an entire meal without bothering my "stomach"(my whole digestive system)...one or two bites and I already feel full, so I tend to eat smaller meals.

Over the last 7 years, I took a lot of "offending" foods out of my diet, which was really difficult for me, and so now it is a bit better, but I think it might be gastroparesis? I am curious about John Chia's findings of enterovirus being found in the digestive system since I am pos for EBV/HHV6/CYTO/COX.

This is a bit old, but here is Dr. Chia's article on enteroviruses within the stomach; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17872383

Also, I have been responding quite well to HIGH DOSE B vitamin therapy, hence, not only do I feel fullness, but probably have some malabsorption issues as well. My thumbnails started falling off! There is evidence that high dose Biotin is helping some patients with MS.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5098693/

I have heard of some teens with HPV vaccine damage who have such bad cases of gastroparesis that they need feeding tubes. I have had two serious vaccine reactions (ages 5 and 17). I have always had tummy troubles since I can remember.

For me, it could be a number of things! Good we have each other to bounce things off of! :-D