Question:
Have any of you had hiatal hernia?

From my pre-op testing, they found what they think is a hiatal hernia. I am having surgery April 30th and I have several concerns with this new found information. First of all, I've heard that some doctors automatically remove any hernias they find while doing surgery. I'm not sure if I want it to be removed if it will qualify as a medical necessity for insurance to cover a tummy tuck in the future. Does insurance cover a tummy tuck regardless of where the hernia is located? Second of all, I heard that it is not worth having a hiatal hernia removed because it is EXTREMELY painful. Have any of you found this to be true? Should I tell my surgeon not to remove it and just wait till I lose down to goal or is it something serious that needs to be removed immediately?    — Kelly M. (posted on March 22, 2002)

March 21, 2002
A hiatal hernia is a hernia in your esophagus (basically your stomach is getting pushed up into your throat). I had a very big hiatal hernia and it is one of the comorbidities of being overweight although overweight people who are not overweight sometimes get them also. They are the main cause of GERD, or reflux disorder. I had constant heartburn and could hardly sleep at night because stomach acid would creep up into my throat and nose. Anyway, you will want it to be fixed during your surgery and it is quite routine and painless for them to do so. There is no reason to wait because it won't be of any help getting a tummy tuck approved as it is not an abdominal hernia. Prolonged exposure of stomach acid in the esophagus leads to a condition called Barret's esophagus where the esophagus begins to grow stomach lining cells to protect itself from acid. This in time can lead to esophageal cancer and is a very good reason to have it fixed while the doctor is in there. It was not at all painful and is a huge quality of life improvement for me because I had such horroble heartburn. You'll be glad that it is getting fixed in the long run.
   — blank first name B.

March 21, 2002
It also depends on the extent of the hiatal hernia. Mine was so that they could just pull it back down through, with the RNY surgery, they really didn't need to do much else to correct the defect. I haven't had a problem since and had an easy recovery. The new smaller stomach pouch doesn't get shoved up in there like the other did. And, since my stomach is transected, no more acid problems for me. All of the other problems that were associated with my acid reflux (sinus issues, acid burns, lack of good sleep) have since cleared up completely. Good luck. Meredith
   — Meredith P.

March 24, 2002
I had a hiatial hernia (guess I still do) and I took medication for it daily but since surgery on 11-12-01 I have had NO problems with it bothering me at all. No more medicine, no more reflux :)
   — Lynda T.