I have GERD and a Hiatal Hernia.

Hope this helps someone else. I have dealt with the shortness of breath, deep breathing
issue off and on for a couple of years. The first bout was the worst bout - because I didn't
understand it at all. I didn't know I had GERD, didn't know I had a hiatal hernia. None of my
first doctor visits or ER visit diagnosed any of this - they all got it wrong. Actually my sister
in Florida had a friend with a similar situation and she said you may have a hiatal hernia and
or GERD. I started researching everything I could on both subjects, and made a list of all
books, diets, websites and other resources and I went to battle. By that time my acid reflux
had made my stomach and throat a war zone. I found a new doctor who was both a regular
MD with a ton of experience and also an alternative/holistic doctor as well (a rare find), but
they are out there. He put me on the 40 mg or omeprezone, mastic gum and marshmallow
tea. It took a couple of weeks to get it under a little control and a couple of months to bring
it under full control. Over time I've learned a lot and like all of us, I've had my ups and
downs.
1) I received regular massage therapy and took herbs to relax me from the trauma of the
burning stomach, inability to breath deep breaths and the feeling of not being able to take
the breath I need.
2) The worst of the problem was the hiatal hernia. I found some resources for pulling the
herniated part of the upper stomach back down (that had traveled up through the LES and
into the esophagus). There is more than one method and I tried them all. Some
chiopractors, osteopaths and bodyworkers (Therapeutic Massage Therapist) know how to put
the stomach down. My wife now does it for me. She learned as I learned and with gental
regular practice she was able to learn how to get it down and keep it down via a five minute
process.
3) Once the stomach is down then the LES and stomach liner need to heal up. Marshmallow
Tea is the best thing I found for this. I use DGL too, and mastic gum, but the Marshmallow
Tea has a thick mucus-like property that coats all the traumatized tissue. I drink it though
out the day and parts of the night, first thing in them morning and last thing at night. It is a
miracle herb, and when used with other conservative techniques can heal the problem
completely. It has been used for thousands of years all over the world and has no side
effects, cost very little. I don't mix mine with anything. I keep it in the fridge, warm it just a
little on the stove and sip it down. It is immediately effective.

A) If you are having a bout of acid reflux - and you know it, you can feel the stomach or LES
burning (usually both) then don't mess around - STOP THE BURNING. Use an over the
counter acid reducer to get that under control immediately. If you allow it to go on the
problem will get worst quickly and spiral out of control.
B) Modify your habits: Eat small meals only, NO SUGAR, NO Alcohol, ver low sodium,
absolutely no spices in your food. A very strict diet is absolutely required. Pay attention this
could ruin your health and lead to serious other complications and disease - even cancer.
Eat small meals and at first nothing past 5 PM in the evening. One large meal, of the wrong
food will set a reaction in motion and you're in hell again.
C) Always sleep and rest elevated. Buy a wedge pillow and learn how to do it. If you lay flat
acid will come up into your esophagus, and the digestive process will back up in general.
D) Consult with your doctor on all things. If your doctor tells you "its all in your head, you
may likely want another opinion. Some regular MDs understand that the holistic remedies
can help a lot. Depending on how severe the problem is. My first MD though that anti-
anxiety meds were the answer. The second doc thought only prescription acid blockers were
the answer etc... There is no one answer. It is a complicated dis-order and it takes a concise
strategy to bring it under control.
E) It often takes a few weeks or even a month or two to get in to a GI doctor for an
endoscopy ... to confirm the Hiatal hernia, acid reflux and rule out any other issues.

Understand something. If you have a hiatal hernia, part of your stomach is now living in
your esophagus. This is not normal. That part of the stomach is now allowing these powerful
acids that digest foods into your esophagus. It also makes your main stomach smaller so it
can't handle much food at at time. This "HH" also knocks all your other digestive processes
of balance. So to my thinking, after much research, I knew I had to get the HH thing figured
out. I did. And in the meanwhile I had to protect my stomach and esophagus from more
damage and continuous damage. I did that too, and I still do.

Surgery is not always successful and is risky due to scar tissues, infection etc and if you
don't fix the underlying problems then it will just happen again, and then there will be
another surgery - that is my opinion from much I have read in books and on line. I opted to
not have the surgery, but that is something that has to be determined by you and your own
doctor or doctors. Only you and your medical team can determine if you truly have a hiatal
hernia, how prominent it is etc ...

Last but least. If you can't change your eating and drinking habits then you are in for a very,
very, very long and rough ride. I talked to one guy, who said flat out he is not going to stop
drinking alcohol .... he changed his mind after a couple of trips to the ER.

I was so bad at the worst point all I could eat was goat yogurt. Goat yogurt saved my life. I
eat it every morning now with a little fresh strawberry blended in. Its a great way to start
the morning off with a gentle food source full of probiotics. I mix in another general probiotic
with that. I don't eat anything for an hour or more after that (once I can see how my
stomach is doing) Then I have some oatmeal with no sugar, maybe a little yogurt, banana or
strawberry ... no sugar ... no sugar ... no sugar. I stayed on a very conservative diet
regiment and prescribed acid blockers, took the mastic gum and marshmallow tea ... for
four months and I healed my stomach up. I continued to do the therapy to massage my
stomach and keep the HH down below the LES and that healed up too. I go over all the
symptoms with no surgery and got off the acid blockers a little at at time by carefully cutting
back on them while drinking marshmallow tea all the while. I was very careful to not eat
after 5 PM ... not anything but occasionally a little yogurt and tea to kill off the hunger pains.
I lost a lot of weight - too much, but I gained some back when I healed up.

Everyone is a bit different. I'm just sharing my "success" journey. I read a book called
"Killing Me Softly from the Inside" and that was a huge eye opener. I read ALL the other
Acid Reflux books and tons of online stuff. I learned from it all ... and I got a grip on what
was happening to ME. I started a daily food and activity log to log my eating, drinking, blood
pressure, blood sugar, exercises, thoughts and more. It helped a lot.

I went for over a year with no breathing problems and no acid reflux problems ... then I
went on a big vacation and at the end I went to Las Vegas. I had a few drinks and within a
week I had the acid reflux and my stomach (HH) was back up again. This time I didn't get
so bent out of shape ... I Knew what to do and had it fully in control within a couple of days.
I have back-slid on special occasions and paid the price. Maybe .. just maybe I am learning I
have a lifelong problem that requires even stricter discipline. I don't drink any alcohol at all
now. I monitor my weight every day first thing in the morning. I see my chiropractor once or
twice a month (because my back gets out of whack an this tightens up my diaphram ...
which tightens my stomach and causes the HH to act up again) and I have a strict diet
because this can cause the acid reflux again.

Funny thing along the way. I found out ... the more I eat or drink a certain thing ... the
more I want that thing. And the less I partake ... the less I want it. My taste changed
completely. Now I look forward to goat yogurt and berries in the morning. I like oatmeal (
just a half cup) with a little banana and a teaspoon of yogurt. I have lost my taste for spicy
foods. I don't like alcoholic beverages ... though I do miss the red wine. I still drink a little
but I spit it out ... I wouldn't drink hard liquor even if you put a gun up to my head or spicy
foods. I make most of my meals myself or by my wife. To many unknowns in eating out
(sugars, salts and spices that are over the top). Every thing is a choice. I got out of it - out
of the pain - out of the danger of more complications. I decided I didn't want to spend the
rest of my life in doc offices, taking medical test and in a lot of pain. My regular MD is very
proud of me .... and says I have taught him things too ... and he is a bit amazed a the
degree of healing and relief from the imbalances I was experiencing. If something is out of
balance, we must bring it back into balance. There are few short cuts.
These are my opinions and my experiences ... as mentioned above ... find a good medical
"team", start a food and activity log and stick with the regiment. Marshmallow tea,
marshmallow tea, marshmallow tea. Bring the HH down, bring the HH Down, marshmallow
tea, marshmallow tea ...

I deal with the same "feeling I need a breath" even though I'm breathing, and difficulty
drawing full deep breaths too. I got rid of it for over a year, but it came back. It seems to be
"brought on" by more than one thing but over all I would say (after many docs weighed in,
reading ten books and many other articles etc ... that it is pressure on the diaphragm ...
from: 1) spinal misalignment issues, tight muscles .. causing a hiatal hernia (stomach up
through the LES within the diaphragm. This causes the stomach to come up and ride tighter
on the top side (and it is smaller, out of balance and hypersensitive because part of it is
living up in the esophagus. The LES is inflamed, the esophagus and HH are inflamed ... the
stomach is inflamed. I used both traditional and holistic medicine techniques to heal it ...
and it was good for over a year. Then I started eating more, and things I shouldn't and
having an occasional cocktail. It kicked back up.

If everything is very upset and inflamed with stomach pain etc etc etc ... like mine was ... I
was advised to take the prescription drug to cut the acid off and use marshMALLOW root,
mastic gum and DGL to heal it up. I did as advised ... and had my HH manipulated back
down with follow ups ... it took a few months but I got there .. then I slowly weined off the
prescription med ... and just used the DGL and Marshmallow root tea. Had I stayed on the
marshmallow tea ... always each week I probably would have never gotten it again ... lesson
learned .. back on the marshmallow and DGL ... and stomach tea .. and its working as long
as I modify my sleep position and eat as I should with NO ALCOHOL OR SUGAR at alllllllll.
This time it is not taking long to tame/heal it and no meds.
and ... of course ... ALL my original doctors (ER, MD etc...) all diagnosed it as anxiety ... and
as others have commented ... of course when there are bloating with difficulty breathing
there will be anxiety. I have learned to control mine and use herbal teas to calm and relax
the muscles ... which makes things better rather than worst. I take warm baths ... stretch ...
eat only goat yogurt strawberries, a little oatmeal with no sweetening at all. I eat the goat
yogurt with strawberries in the morning ... blended in my bullet, just a two or three ozs to
get something in my stomach and see how I do ... later in the day I mix the goat yogurt
with slightly cooked spinach and blend it in the bullet. The idea is to NOT IRRITATE THE LES
and stomach. All those super sensitive liners need to heal ... and of course if there is a HH
(and there usually is in GERD cases I understand) then find someone who knows how to
manipulate it down and do the follow ups to keep it down. Its a process but very do-able I
have found ... with discipline. It only takes a little back sliding to get it all going to hell in a
hand basket again. It takes a few months to a year to get the stomach and all connected
tissues ... back in shape .... Try to beat it and it will likely beat you and quite quickly ... is
my findings. I surrendered ... glad I did ... I get to live and don't have a ton of doc visits,
test and medical bills. I did get an endoscopy early on (too over a month to get into a GI)
and they confirmed a small hiatal hernia ... but could do nothing to get rid of it... just gave
me pills. But at least I confirmed it and and I knew what I was dealing with .... and what I
wasn't dealing with. Its a process. If you let it go and try to live, eat ... drink normally it
puts many in the hospital ER and quite quickly .... some more than once ... as you will read
above. I am fortunate ...I kept looking for a better doctor and I found one. He is both an MD
...tons of ER experience and a Holistic doctor too. Made all the difference in the world
because he "didn't tell me it was just anxiety and all in my head" ... he knew what it was
and how to deal with it. I trusted this doc ... and it made all the difference. BUT ... had I not
done my own research to gain the knowledge I needed ... I don't think I would have gotten
well nearly as quickly.

Great information: REMEMBER .. NO ONE ... NO ONE ... NO ONE REALLY KNOWS WHAT YOU
ARE EXPERIENCING UNLESS IT HAS HAPPENED TO THEM. No one will understand FULLY ...
possibly including you the extent you are suffering, the seriousness of it all or the level of
drastic dietary and lifestyle changes required to overcome it. Popping a few over the over
the counter pills isn't going to fix it in the majority of cases I've heard of ... and my own
experience. You have to go to war with this thing ... it is serious business. As you'll read
above most doctors either don't get it or don't want to deal with the realities.

I would like to add. Nothing more disturbing than the tightness of breathing and inability to
draw a deep breath as normal ... just seems to "stop" just before the full breath comes left
lung only. This is same as many describe. It goes away ... the calmer we are and the less we
eat the faster it goes away. It doesn't happen often anymore, but when it did ... I would
take a very warm shower, take a prescribed muscle relaxer or herbal like black coash and do
some like stretches. The diaphragm is tight at that point so I also do gentle stomach
massage. I stay upright ... elevated and I empty my stomach. Then I eat next to nothing ..
mostly goat yogurt and berries as mentioned above. In other-words address the deep
breathing and acid reflux at same time and take if very, very, very seriously. It causes the
nerves to get rattled so we have to calm that down to get the diaphragm and LES to relax.
Once this is all in gear ... then start addressing the short term, mid term and long term
management strategies. Therapy, self-directed or med professional ... all goes in stages.
Stage One is the most critical and the most limiting as far as diet .. that will last about a
month ... then stage two where you can introduce a few foods very carefully. Try reading
KILLING ME SOFTLY FROM THE INSIDE ... lots of good info there and there are several other
good books on GERD ... nothing much on the breathing.

I had to go through a hand full of docs to get one who pretty much understood what was
going on. The ER said ... "Its just anxiety" ... I know now this is common (see other's
comments of same above in this forum). My anxiety came from the hard breathing not the
other way around.

Another doc prescribed "the purple pill" but did not tell me the ups and downs and especially
that if you start on them and stop your stomach acid will go nuts in over activity. Many
people take them for a few days or a couple of weeks and just stop those pills cold turkey ...
this causes the acid producing processes to go into overtime and dump loads of acid into the
stomach. So here is what I did that worked and it worked again, and then again. I'm ok now
but I have a process for staying ok (mostly) and getting back on track quickly if it happens
again. Reasoning: Once the digestive system is knocked off balance this way ... everything
in the GI track is hyper/super - sensitive. And the LES is sore and staying open. On top of
that she "may" now have a small hiatal hernia. No need to freak out about all that. It
happens and the main thing is to REMAIN CALM.

1) I took something to calm the nerves and muscles. I use Black Cohosh as do a lot of
people. Its a herb that has been used for thousands of years. Docs can prescribe something
as well. I found it very helpful to get any anxiety over the problem under control as quickly
as possible. Warm soothing baths and showers helped too.

2) I backed off the eating. Skipped at least one meal to give the stomach a rest and very,
very, very small meals the next two.
3) I prepared to loose a little weight .... but didn't want to loose weight too fast so keep
track of it. The first time this happened I lost a lot of weight and too fast. Its important to
try to eat … but only small amounts letting it digest and moving on. I started a daily food
intake and activity log. What food, what drink, what pills etc ... do this asap.
4) I limited foods I ate: because foods that didn't used to upset my stomach ... now did and
in a big way. (I started with organic goat yogurt full of natural probiotics) to sooth the
stomach and get protein and other nutrients into the body. (only about three ozs) This is my
main and staple food. I would say of full day or two on mostly this staple food. It has very
little taste so I mix in a strawberry at first because I know strawberries work for me, but
tried it without the fruit at first) No additives at all, until I knew it would work. It did. Most
stores don't carry it so I have to get it from one of the healthy oriented groceries. I called
around and found it at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. It is popular because they are often
out of low on stock.
5) From there I tested each new food from there one food at a time. I started with oatmeal
(two ozs) eaten over fifteen mins. It worked but the stomach still swelled up (reaction) and I
too a semethicone right way. That worked so I started taking them about fifty to thirty mins
after my two main meals each day. Next I tried boiled egg white. That worked. Next I tried a
sliver of avacado (the next day) and that worked. Next I blended the egg white with the
avacado. That worked. So now I had some foods I could eat to stay healthy and not loose
too much weight too fast as I worked on healing the digestive system. I continued this
process. Some foods worked. Most didn't. I had to cut out all spices … even salt and pepper.
I cut out all caffeine. I cut out all alchohol period … even my small amounts of red wine. I
read a book called Killing Me Softly from the Inside and it really woke me up … helped me a
lot, but even that good book did not have all the answers I eventually uncovered. But I did
learn there about STAGES OF HEALING THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM. I learned I couldn't eat
many foods in stage one. But stage two was better and stage three was just fine.

6) I met a guy who had had this for years. He refused to change his eating, sleeping or
drinking. Now he has a bunch of other health problems. I'm glad I made the changes.

7) Other supplemental healing aids I used: Probiotics (double dose) DGL, mastic gum,
marshmallow root made into a tea, slippery elm made into a tea, stomach tea from health
food store.

I take these every day even now that I don't have the crisis to further heal the digestive
system

8) I didn't lie down very much, even when sleeping, I wedged up my pillows and put other
pillows around the wedge so I could be reasonably comfortable. It was difficult at first, but I
got used to it. I found out my LES was open and malfunctioning so very powerful stomach
acid is traveling from the stomach to the esophagus. I found that I needed to do everything
I could to help heal the LES.

9) I found a very good massage therapist and chiropractor who had experience with acid
reflex, hiatal hernia etc .. because my diaphragm was tight and my whole body had
tightened up from the trauma and difficulty breathing. I took warm baths and showers and
did light stretching to ease things up.

10) I got in to see a GI doctor (specialist) and the hiatal hernia was confirmed. My regular
doc had already put me on prescription acid blockers and he confirmed I should take them
until things heal up. I took their advice and then when things healed up I weaned (very
slowly) off the prescription meds. The next time it happened about a year later I didn't have
to take the prescription meds to get things under control and back to normal … just over the
counter stuff for a couple of weeks as needed. My colonoscopy also showed I had a couple of
pre-cancerous polyps in my colon … and those were removed. They were not the cause of all
this in but they weren't helping and could turn to cancer.

11) I found someone who was skilled at "pulling my stomach down" and this was a key to
much quicker and complete healing. I found a chiropractor to realign my spine to loosen up
my diaphragm was another key factor. I went through three of four to find one who was
tuned-in to my situation and had enough experience to deal with it. I read up on Hiatal
Hernias and suspected that was what I had. It turned out to be true for me so I knew that
as one of the main issues I had to deal with. A KEY issue. I did and it really, really helped.

12) I went through four docs until I found one who helped guide me through this using both
traditional medicine and natural healing. They call that "integrative medicine" these days.

13) I learned that lots of people get really ill from this and some even die. I took it very
serious and put all my energies into understanding it and beating it. Millions of people never
get off powerful acid blockers too, because they don't do the deeper healing and lifestyle
changes required to address the problems a the root causes.

Above are the basics that I used… I went online to Amazon books and elsewhere and typed
in GERD and ACID REFLUX BOOKS … I got three or four books and read them. I went online
to places like this forum. I learned all I could and keep the activity log and figured it out. I
also found a very useful article by Chris Kressler on the subject and incorporated much of his
suggestions, which pretty much aligned with my docs stuff.
My "new" integrative medicine doc worked with and for me and we beat the illness. I was
fortunate to find a fine doctor who did not think I was crazy and just put me on meds and
that was it. Each of us has to find our own choice of medical professionals to find a way to
"healing" and balance again.

How did you find the right doctor? I am also interested in an open-minded integrative
doctor.
I got lucky my wife found this one, but I found another one who is very good too on my
own, maybe even better. They are out there. You just have to check on line under doctors in
your area and then call and ask questions ... then go meet and greet and ask more
questions. It won't take long before you know what kind of doctor you have. I did a lot of
reading about how doctors get trained and groomed for their trade. They get a lot of their
training from institutions and pharmaceutical companies besides the med schools so there is
a LOT of bias. They must keep up their continuous education as well, and there is more
"choice" of paths therein. Just like everyone else in every trade. From what I have read it is
hard for them to buck the system and integrate with natural healing practitioners, but more
and more of them are finding ways to do just that. Insurance companies and pharmaceutical
companies, hospitals, surgeons etc ... are all applying their bias and mindset upon the
doctors .... It takes a very strong minded and ethical doctor/person to forge this new path of
integrated medicine. But it is coming on strong across the country now and there are quite a
few hospitals who are now incorporating integrated medicine as well. Some sincerely others
in mostly in name as a marketing ploy .. (my opinion thus far). Each person just has to do
research in their area and find that doctor who is right for them ... and then create a
respectful relationship/dialog over time. Its like any other relationship - trust is everything. I
look for trustworthiness and competence and an integrated medicine approach - and I found
it. I can communicate what is happening to my doc online through a specialized portal ...
rather than a phone call or doc visit .. it saves him time and me as well - and money. And
the communication is much better when we meet up because we are staying in touch. No
one has it "al figured out" and "all right" or "all wrong" in my opinion. We are all learning. I
learn from my doctor and my doctor learns a few things from me to, my research ... my
processes - though feedback of what is working and what is not - and then we make
adjustments. Hope that helps. It takes a little time to find the right doc ... but it is worth the
effort. I stay away from those who start talking about "surgery" and heavy meds and more
meds right way ... and lean towards those who believe in physical therapy, massage
therapy, herbs, chiropractic ... and pharmaceuticals – etc. ... only when required. Surgery as
a very last resort. These are of course my opinions ... we each have to choose our own
paths. Some people want to do everything wrong, make a lot of wrong choices, maintain a
lot of poor eating and other health habits and go to a doctor and get pills to fix it all. That is
to me a ludicrous notion. The human body does not work that way. There is a "natural
balance". When that balance is off kilter for whatever reason ... we should seek to restore
the natural balance. For example: week muscles in the lower back put too much pressure on
the disc, so they compress and don't operate as they should. If it goes to far ... pain from
pinched nerves. Some give pills and then later suggest surgery. I, instead, sought to reverse
the "compression" to relieve the pressure on the pinched nerves and then restore strength,
range of motion to the muscles. This took pressure off the disc relieving the pain. But, for a
very short term of a week I took some safe pharmaceutical muscle relaxers to get things
going in the right direction: Integrated, with an emphasis on the responsibility of rehab
squarely fixed as my responsibility not the doctor's. I took the same approach with my
GERD, hiatal hernia, acid reflux and difficult deep breathing issue ... and it worked. It wasn't
just one thing wrong ... and it took an integrated approach and lot of proactivity on my part.
But now I take no pills and I didn't need a surgery and I"m very functional. I don't take
antacids and I changed my diet radically ... and follow the rules of the process. It takes time
to heal completely. It is a process - no real short cuts. The right doctor can make all the
difference in helping guide one through the process, but don'e expect the doctor to have all
the answers. They don't live in your body.