Posted By: Dell1064 Wondering out loud ~ please brainstorm with me - 05-24-2012 12:17 AM
I have been digging into hiatal hernia's as they relate to digestive cancers, including oral and I am wondering if everyone who has had esophageal cancer has had a hiatal hernia? If this is the case, why aren't the hiatal hernia's being fixed instead of band-aided with Nexium. I am in misery with a constant feeling of pressure, like I swallowed a golf ball. Dr's have been giving me the poo poo platter since fall '11. Coincidentally or not, my dad had SCC buccal muccosa 2x and he had/has hiatal hernia, and he had oral lichens planus prior to scc. Does anyone else see a connection?

My history is...
Oral Lichens Planus '08 - present taking Dapsone to control tongue symptoms (enlarged, removed 4 teeth to accommodate tongue swelling and scraping teeth)
Right ear pain since '08 when OLP developed
Appendectomy spring '09
Umbilical hernia found during appendectomy, deemed congenital
Gallbladder removed winter '11 (passed all function tests but was full of bile and distended due to polyps)
Hiatal Hernia found fall '11 (suspected congenital)
Barrett's short segment found fall '11
On Nexium since '93
Nexium reportedly causes digestive system polyps.

Hi... Okay I going to tackle this one because I used to be a nurse and have a fairly solid knowledge of anatomy - I'm a never say never type of person - but I'm not sure I see any correlation, though something like a hernia puts stress on the body which may play a factor in the potential development of cancer, but then almost any disease can depending on the length of illness and extent of trauma to your body. Acid reflux which I believe is a symptom of a hernia, could potentially relate to scc - in that i do believe chronic irritation can cause cell change and ultimately cancer. However location, location, location... In the esophagus it might make sense but oral cavity.. Not so much.

Any other takers?
I had a hiatal hernia for at least 40 years, which most of the time never caused me any grief. When I was having lots of GERD problems after my cancer treatments I decided to get a fundoplication to stop the stomach acid from splashing up into my esophagus all the time. While they were in there for that, they repaired the hernia at the same time. The laparoscopic surgery is a no big deal event. If this is really bothering you, I would deal with it in that manner. I still take some meds for reflux issues, and occasionally I go on proton pump inhibitors like Prilosec. Most of the time I can deal with it with other anti acids.

It used to be thought that the acid effects on the esophageal lining which eventually convert it to Barrett's, was a for sure precursor to developing an adenoma in the esophagus. Recent science has questioned that inevitability. As to oral cancers there is no connection in the literature. If you get chronic sore throats, (sometimes an oral cancer symptom), in your case it will most likely be laryngeal inflammation from the acid gases.
Thanks for your input Brian, I appreciate what you have been through. I have been begging for the surgery since Oct. '11 due to the pressure from inside, very high between the breast bone. The radioactive oatmeal got all clogged up in the upper esophagus. My stomach, liver, and spleen are inflamed and tender. I have "labor breathing" all the time. As soon as I get the fundoplication done and recovered well, I will do the BarrX ablation treatment for the Barrett's. Hopefully, I am not more than two weeks away from surgery.
Hi Cheryl,
Thank you for your brainstorming with me.
My thought is, we get bad breath from what is in our stomach, so the gastric fluids are present in the mouth thereby burning the inside of my mouth at base of tongue, floor, and cheeks, eventually lichens planus, dysplasia, and scc. My mouth was telling me four years ago something was up. Dr.s thought I had seen too much with my dad and was a worry wart. Come to find out I have this hernia in my esophagus that has intestinal cells in which is Barrett's. If we can have intestinal cells in our esophagus, I don't doubt we can have bad cells from hernia problem in our mouth. The studies I have read show that nexium type ppi meds cause polyp growth in the intestinal track. It just seems from what I've been experiencing and witnessing in my dad that the possibiity exists.
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