Spontaneous rash (urticaria), hiatal hernia, libido, and umprompted feelings of anxiety

[Ashoka]

I never thought I would be writing about this today, but recently nothing seems impossible!

I've been dealing with what I believe is a hiatal hernia the past couple months, and the last few days have been quite strange for me. I came back home after a trip to Florida feeling somewhat better (relaxed, more calm, food wasn't aggravating me as much), but after a few days back home things went from pleasant to bizarre.

When I was talking to my friend on the phone last night, I looked down at my arm and noticed it was splotchy all over, red and covered with tiny bumps. I remembered scratching that area briefly, but after observing one arm I looked at my other arm and it was covered in splotches in the exact same area: the back of the forearm. Pretty soon I realized my chest was the same, and I stood in the bathroom observing myself in the mirror, just marveling at this. The way it worked in my head was that the hiatal hernia isn't allowing food to be digested properly, resulting in an widespread allergic reaction. Of course, I don't know for sure what it is, and a rash is terrifying precisely because it's an easily recognized symptom of auto-immune conditions, cancer, and nothing good. More upsetting is I've never experienced this, and at least fits in with the fact that whatever is going on with my digestion is very really negative. And what stunned me the most is that I anticipated this might happen if the hernia wasn't treated quickly, but I didn't think it could happen so soon. The reaction, which mixed with the already chronically stifling presence of the hernia, made me feel like I was choking, and I questioned whether I would need to visit the hospital.

There's been other weird things happening too. It's been said hiatal hernia's stimulate the vagus nerve, cause feelings of doom and anxiety. I also get skipped heartbeats, mostly which happen after eating, and guaranteed if I lay on the left side of my body. This feeling lately has been growing, the only thing strange about this was the feeling was mostly absent during my time in Florida (mostly). It seemed to return with a vengeance when I arrived home.

While I was in Florida, I enjoyed a cup of coffee without issue and felt like it boosted mood. The first and second day home from my trip were fine, and I felt like I was experiencing a new contentment with my surroundings. I had an intense cup of coffee from a great coffee shop in town, and felt the mood boosting properties and energy from it. My girlfriend has also had this coffee and agrees it's incredibly potent. Anyway, this coffee eventually started making me cold and feel unstable. It's funny, but I was reading a book on Yoga, and I've recently started believing that fear is more habituated than many imagine. With some concentration, I felt I was able to focus my energy away from fear and more to a pleasant dimension. Eventually, however, this caught up to me, because the coffee was so incredibly strong. Pretty soon I was home feeling shockwaves of stress through my whole body, an intensely aggravated hernia, and more skipped beats. The skipped beats bother me more than anything. A day later my body still felt shaken by what the coffee and hernia did, completely electrified by stress.

To be sure, I'm aware coffee and chocolate aggravate a hernia, but the symptoms had gone away for a while and I was feeling so many positive things with mood I thought I could try some without risk. I took the risk knowing what the consequences might be.

The feeling of stress I feel, now almost constantly, is like when our fight or flight mechanism is activated. For me, this feeling is constant and sometimes becomes worse with eating. I feel those slight "adrenaline rushes" every couple minutes, like something brewing in my stomach and abdomen. These affect my heart rate.

The final bizarre thing: For years, I've struggled with libido. Recently, due to general stress reduction, outlook, or other unknown causes, it appears to be functioning better. Reading this I don't want you to believe I'm a person who's fraught with stress due to outlook. I attribute those gains to stress reduction, time, sunlight, and changes of perspective. But I even wonder whether the hernia is altering my hormonal profile.

 

[tara]

Did you try anything by way of physical manipulation to try to correct the hiatial hernia? I think such had a do-it-yourself technique he found useful, and there may be an osteopath or similar around with experience in the appropriate adjustments?

post 104042 Of course, I don't know for sure what it is, and a rash is terrifying precisely because it's an easily recognized symptom of auto-immune conditions, cancer, and nothing good.

But also lots or relatively transient things, like exposure to irritating chemicals - eg from plants or cleaning agents, transient viral infections, etc.
Not saying it isn't a symptom to notice and consider whether/how to address, and you could well be right about food not being well-digested being a factor.
If I expected deadly consequences every time my kids threw up a rash, I'd be even more of a wreck than I am. :)

 

[Ashoka]

Thanks tara, always appreciated. I think my title may have scared everyone else off, but not you

I went to a chiropractor for about six sessions and it didn't seem like that was helping in particular. It may have been and it may not have been, but the guy was charging me a lot of money (I think around $80 each time?) and considering I wasn't seeing immediate results that amount just seemed too much. He was a nice doctor, but maybe not the right guy for the job. So I need to find someone else, but knowing what to look for is difficult. Applied kinesiologists are difficult to find (the guy I visited was supposedly one) and osteopaths don't even exist under that name in the States. Maybe looking for massage therapists is a better idea, I don't know. It's a little scary attempting to physically manipulate this on my own without guidance, although I'm sure I need to learn that skill somehow.

One thing I've come to believe is that stress and aggravating this hernia through improper eating makes things dependably worse. I listened to the Generative Energy podcast and the part that resonated most with me was the necessity of removing yourself from stressful situations, developing a sense of agency and freedom. Maybe more than anything, this is the most important health lesson (although part of developing that agency is knowing how to approach your health issues). Surely it's higher up there than I ever could have imagined or given credit for, but that's what experience teaches.

But also lots or relatively transient things, like exposure to irritating chemicals - eg from plants or cleaning agents, transient viral infections, etc.

The reason I didn't think it was any of those things was because the rash covered my entire body. It ended up spreading to my legs, back, head, everywhere. I've had rashes from physical contact before and they were always localized. The whole episode was also accompanied by really bad chest pressure and difficulty breathing. The problem with hiatal hernia is it perfectly mimics anxiety attacks, heart issues - and would also worsen those conditions if they exist.

 

[Vita3]

Hi,

It (rash) happend only once?

 

[Parsifal]

Hmm that's interesting. How do you know that you have a hiatal hernia if it has not been properly diagnosed? I've always had a hernia since a child and didn't know that it could cause so many symptoms that I indeed have...

 

[Ashoka]

post 104446 It (rash) happend only once?

It's only happened once so far, yes. It also seems to be going away a bit.

post 104456 Hmm that's interesting. How do you know that you have a hiatal hernia if it has not been properly diagnosed?

That's right, I definitely do have to get it properly diagnosed. I went to the ER yesterday thinking I was wrong about this and it was a heart attack, but I was cleared. I guess what makes it characteristic is: I can't take breaths from my abdomen; I feel like there's a knot under my breastplate; I have reflux, shortness of breath, chest pressure/tightness; the pressure is worse with movement, bending, or eating; I get pains in my shoulder, chest, and back (hernia mimics cardiac symptoms). There's probably other things but I can't remember right now. Basically by elimination it seems most likely, and even if other things are at issue. I'm pretty sure I have a physical issue in the area of the diaphragm. My entire body has also been really fraught with tension in my back, shoulders, and abdomen.

The only question is how to get rid of it. Surgery seems hard to achieve and the hernia can recur. Other answers seem unclear.

Here is Peat's answer:

"Have you had blood tests for hormones? The whole complex of symptoms including hiatal hernia is usually caused by a general weakness of digestive and hormonal processes, and it’s especaily imortant to check thyroid function carefully, with a blood test and recording waking and midday temperature and pulse rate, and average caloric requirement."

 

[Parsifal]

post 104446 It (rash) happend only once?

It's only happened once so far, yes. It also seems to be going away a bit.

post 104456 Hmm that's interesting. How do you know that you have a hiatal hernia if it has not been properly diagnosed?

That's right, I definitely do have to get it properly diagnosed. I went to the ER yesterday thinking I was wrong about this and it was a heart attack, but I was cleared. I guess what makes it characteristic is: I can't take breaths from my abdomen; I feel like there's a knot under my breastplate; I have reflux, shortness of breath, chest pressure/tightness; the pressure is worse with movement, bending, or eating; I get pains in my shoulder, chest, and back (hernia mimics cardiac symptoms). There's probably other things but I can't remember right now. Basically by elimination it seems most likely, and even if other things are at issue. I'm pretty sure I have a physical issue in the area of the diaphragm. My entire body has also been really fraught with tension in my back, shoulders, and abdomen.

The only question is how to get rid of it. Surgery seems hard to achieve and the hernia can recur. Other answers seem unclear.

Here is Peat's answer:

"Have you had blood tests for hormones? The whole complex of symptoms including hiatal hernia is usually caused by a general weakness of digestive and hormonal processes, and it’s especaily imortant to check thyroid function carefully, with a blood test and recording waking and midday temperature and pulse rate, and average caloric requirement."

Interesting, I have all the symptoms that you are mentioning. if you get other Peat's answers please post it here. I noticed that overeating made the symptoms worse, eating slowly feels better. Puting my infrared light on my abdomen and in regions where there is knot and tightness helps to relieve it.

 

[Ashoka]

post 104588 Interesting, I have all the symptoms that you are mentioning.

Parsifal, are you saying you still have these symptoms? Because in my other thread you mentioned you were able to get it to settle with better diet and metabolism. I'm guessing by that you meant you saw some improvement of your initial symptoms?

post 104588 if you get other Peat's answers please post it here.

It's been a while and I don't think he's going to get back to me. I went into more detail about my personal history and blood tests and he didn't respond, probably because my blood tests aren't all that relevant anymore or up to date. I know my hormones are screwed up anyway from past medications.

If you end up researching this as well, try to compile some of the material on this site. The resources are scattered elsewhere and there's no clear path to treat this properly, even though it's obvious there are many ways to go about it. What I learned from Peat is how to organize and approach a lot of health problems, but I think imagination is clearly lacking on this topic.