I have been crying a lot and have been burping. Will this worsen my hiatus hernia?

Question

Hi doctor,

Can crying a lot make a hiatal hernia bigger? I have been crying a lot, and I feel like it is irritable or something. I am burping a lot and feel nauseous. Kindly give your opinion.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

In general, crying does not worsen it or have very little effect. However, it depends on how hard one is crying. If one is crying very hard, which involves abdominal straining or coughing, then it can worsen hiatal hernia. So basically, anything involving a rise in intra-abdominal or intra-thoracic pressure like coughing or straining, crying out loud can cause worsening of hiatal hernia. Otherwise, simple crying unlikely to affect it. However, crying due to psychological effects can increase acid production or reflux, leading to worsening of the symptoms. So try to control it as much as possible. You can take antacids like Pantoprazole with Domperidone combination (or other) whenever needed if you are not having one. I hope this was helpful. Please get back if you have further doubts.

Answer 2

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

Unlikely to be affected by crying. Because crying even hard is not a strong aggravating factor and unlikely to have a significant effect on small hiatus hernia, the effect might have been pronounced in severe hiatal hernia. But probably not significant in mild hiatal hernia. So do not worry about it and focus on reducing the episodes of crying and making mental health better. For that, try to stay busy as much as possible in the activities of your choice. Do some physical activities like walking, etc., which also reduces stress. I hope this was helpful.