I WISH I would feel less restriction and I'm 9+ months out!!! I don't get what my problem is- Last night I ate small slices of steak, and after about 3 maybe 4 ounces I thought I was going to possibly rupture my esophagus-the pain was horrible and my mouth filled up with saliva like right before one is about to vomit. I was really shaken by the experience which lasted about 15 minutes then, thank God, subsided. Today, I could hardly eat even soft warm cereal (had to throw out half of it) Later I had a teaspoon of tuna, followed by 2 tortilla chips, chewed well and then a Greek blueberry yogurt. Three quarters of the way through the yogurt I felt like my esophagus would explode and I stood up in pain. How much longer can I take this? I'm 10 lbs away from goal (135)-at this rate I'll keep losing weight!!! I'm so freaked out about this already. By now I would figure I'd be able to at LEAST feel comfortable eating small portions but instead even the small stuff is giving me pain. WHEN DOES It get BETTER? My bougie is a 40 for goodness sake!

Hey Lis. I hope you are able to get some answers about this soon. I totally empathize with you because I too had a hiatal hernia repair and it has added a level of pain/discomfort that I didn't expect post op. It often hurts in my esophagus to drink and after a few bites, I stop so that the food doesn't start hurting like the liquids. I am so scared of it getting stuck in there and hurting. The Water already feels like a hot poker! I've never had the pain last more than a few seconds, so I can't imagine how awful it must be for it to go on for 10 minutes.

Since I'm so soon after surgery, I'm not going to sound the alarm bells right now, but your post is giving me something to think about for a few months down the line if the pain and excessive restriction hasn't resolved. Good luck and keep us updated on what you find out.

Hey Lis. I hope you are able to get some answers about this soon. I totally empathize with you because I too had a hiatal hernia repair and it has added a level of pain/discomfort that I didn't expect post op. It often hurts in my esophagus to drink and after a few bites, I stop so that the food doesn't start hurting like the liquids. I am so scared of it getting stuck in there and hurting. The Water already feels like a hot poker! I've never had the pain last more than a few seconds, so I can't imagine how awful it must be for it to go on for 10 minutes.

Since I'm so soon after surgery, I'm not going to sound the alarm bells right now, but your post is giving me something to think about for a few months down the line if the pain and excessive restriction hasn't resolved. Good luck and keep us updated on what you find out.

Hey Mary, Thank you for your post. I do think that there is more to a hiatal hernia and its repair than any doctors I've consulted with including my surgeon, have realized. So I am really hoping that I am able to formulate some intelligible questions to ask the gastroenterologist, Dr. Singh, prior to the upper endo, coming up soon.

I want you to know that it is not every single day that I have this discomfort. I am quite restricted BUT, I do have days where the foods go down with only a trace of discomfort, (like, "OK I've had enough)....but not the kind of esophageal pain I encounter other times. I really do think that STRESS, the kind that is more like distress, has alot to do with the times that I suffer with eating. It seems that things tighten up when I'm under emotional stress. I'm not too happy about that. I also notice that if I raise my voice as one might when upset, my throat becomes easily irritated. All in all the tissue in my esophagus and throat must be ultra sensitive. So in order to feel alright I've got to avoid stressful situations and if necessary take a 0.5 dose of Klonopin...that reduces anxiety and helps me to relax. We can compare notes as time passes. Hopefully these sensitivities will subside. Please don't worry, I think it's all par for the course, after all we did go to extreme measures by having this surgery.