Eating After Hiatal Hernia Surgery: Liquids, Soft Foods and the Return to Normal Meals

The bowl of chicken broth is still steaming, and across the table someone is cutting into a roast. Two days home from surgery, you are hungry for the first time in a week, and the gap between what you want and what you have been told to swallow feels enormous. Is the soup really it? For how long? And what happens if you cheat with a piece of bread?

Nearly everyone recovering from a hiatal hernia repair asks some version of those questions, often with a spoon in hand. The honest answer is that the diet after hiatal hernia surgery is not a punishment or a weight-loss plan. It is a way of protecting a freshly stitched, deliberately narrowed passage while it heals.

What follows explains why the stages exist, what each one looks like on a plate, how long people are typically asked to stay in them, and which signs mean the plan needs a phone call rather than patience.

What actually happens to your esophagus during hiatal hernia repair

A hiatal hernia is a condition in which part of the stomach pushes up through the hiatus, the natural opening in the diaphragm that the esophagus (the food pipe) passes through on its way down from the throat. That misplaced portion of stomach weakens the valve where the esophagus meets the stomach, which is why heartburn and regurgitation so often travel with it.

Surgery reverses the geography. Working through several small incisions with a camera, an approach called laparoscopic or keyhole surgery, the surgeon draws the stomach back down below the diaphragm and narrows the enlarged opening with stitches. In most repairs, the top of the stomach is then wrapped partly or fully around the lower esophagus and secured. That wrap, known as a fundoplication, acts as a reinforced collar, tightening the valve so acid has a harder time climbing upward, as described by Mayo Clinic.

Here is the part that matters for your plate. A collar that keeps acid down also slows food going the other way. Add the swelling any tissue develops after being handled and stitched, and the junction between esophagus and stomach becomes, for a while, a narrower and less forgiving corridor than it was before. A mouthful of steak that would have dropped through unnoticed last month may now stall, stretch the wrap, and set off retching.

The staged diet is simply an accommodation to that new anatomy. Liquids pass through a swollen collar with ease. Soft, moist foods follow once the swelling begins to recede. Firmer textures return as the tissue settles into its final shape. Nothing about the sequence is arbitrary; each step is matched to what the repair can comfortably handle at that point.

Why the diet after hiatal hernia surgery starts with liquids

Three things are true in the first days after a repair, and each one argues for liquids.

The first is swelling. Edema, the medical word for fluid gathering in tissue after injury or handling, peaks in the days immediately after surgery. The wrap that will feel comfortable in a month can feel uncomfortably snug in week one. Thin liquids slip through; a lump of bread may not.

The second is strain on the stitches. The sutures holding the stomach in place and closing the hiatus need time to be reinforced by the body’s own healing. Forceful retching or vomiting raises pressure in the abdomen sharply, and repeated episodes in the early days are among the things surgeons most want to avoid. Foods that stick are the commonest trigger for that retching, so keeping them off the menu protects the repair.

The third is a sluggish gut. General anesthesia and the pain medicines that follow it slow the stomach and intestines for a time. Small volumes of liquid are tolerated; a full plate often is not.

Discharge guidance published on MedlinePlus describes exactly this pattern: clear liquids at first, then a progression to thicker liquids and soft foods as the surgical team advises. The starting point is rarely controversial. What varies between people is how long each stage lasts, and that is a judgment the team makes based on the size of the hernia, the type of wrap, how the operation went, and how swallowing feels once you are home.

Think of the liquid stage less as deprivation and more as a test drive of the new anatomy under gentle conditions.

Who follows the staged diet, and who is usually asked to wait longer

Everyone who has had a hiatal hernia repaired follows some version of the liquid-to-soft-to-normal sequence. The differences lie in pace, and several factors tend to push a team toward a slower, more cautious plan.

Large hernias sit at the top of that list. When a substantial part of the stomach, sometimes with other organs, has been living in the chest for years, the repair involves more dissection and more swelling afterward. Repeat operations, where a previous wrap has slipped or loosened and is being redone, involve scar tissue and are often handled more conservatively. Repairs that use a reinforcing mesh at the hiatus may also come with longer soft-food advice.

Pre-existing swallowing difficulty matters too. People whose esophagus already moved food weakly before surgery, a problem surgeons assess with pressure testing beforehand, frequently receive a looser partial wrap and closer dietary follow-up. Diabetes that has slowed stomach emptying, advanced age, and any episode of vomiting in the first days can each prompt the team to hold a stage longer.

At the other end, someone with a small hernia, a straightforward operation and comfortable swallowing from the first sips may be moved through the stages more briskly. Cleveland Clinic notes that most repairs are done laparoscopically and that hospital stays are typically short, so much of the diet progression happens at home, guided by written instructions and follow-up calls.

The practical point: the timeline in your discharge papers is written for you, not copied from a chart. If a friend who had the same operation was eating pasta in week two and you are still on purées, that is not a sign something went wrong. It is far more likely a sign that your team saw reasons to be careful.

Stage one: clear and full liquids in the first days

Clear liquids are anything you can see through: water, clear broth, diluted fruit juice without pulp, weak tea, gelatin desserts and ice pops. They ask almost nothing of the healing junction and let the team confirm that swallowing is working. Most people start these in the hospital, often the same day as surgery or the morning after, according to the discharge instructions on MedlinePlus.

Full liquids come next and are far more satisfying. Milk and plant milks, smooth yogurt without fruit pieces, strained cream soups, thin oatmeal or cream of wheat, smooth protein shakes, and puddings all count. The rule of thumb is that anything pourable at room temperature belongs here.

How you drink matters as much as what you drink:

• Sip, do not gulp. A large swallow can arrive at the wrap faster than it can pass.
• Skip straws. Sucking through a straw pulls air down with the liquid, and swallowed air is much harder to release after a fundoplication.
• Leave carbonation alone. Bubbles expand in a stomach that can no longer burp easily and can cause sharp, frightening bloating.
• Aim for small amounts often rather than three drinks a day. Many people find half a cup every hour or so comfortable.

Appetite is usually low at this point, and that is fine. The goal of stage one is hydration and a gentle rehearsal of swallowing, not calories. Shoulder-tip pain from the gas used to inflate the abdomen during keyhole surgery is common in these days and is unrelated to what you swallow; walking helps it disperse.

The clear-liquid phase is often brief, sometimes a day or two, while the full-liquid phase may extend for several more days depending on your team’s plan.

Stage two: the soft food diet after hiatal hernia surgery

The soft stage is where most of the recovery diet actually happens, and it usually opens with purées before moving to foods that simply mash easily. MedlinePlus discharge guidance describes a soft-food period that can run roughly two to eight weeks, a wide range that reflects how much surgeons tailor it.

The fork test is the simplest guide. If you can press a food flat with the back of a fork without effort, it is probably soft enough. Scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes, well-cooked flaked fish, cottage cheese, ricotta, soft tofu, applesauce, ripe banana, canned peaches, thick oatmeal, well-cooked pasta with plenty of sauce, and finely ground meat moistened with gravy all pass. Blended lentil or bean soups, run through a strainer if gas is a problem, give protein without chewing.

Moisture is the quiet hero of this stage. Dry scrambled eggs stick; eggs with a little milk or cheese do not. Plain ground turkey clumps; the same turkey in a moist sauce slides. When in doubt, add broth, gravy, yogurt or a soft cheese.

Introduce one new texture at a time and give it a day. If a food feels as if it lingers behind the breastbone, stop, wait, and return to the previous texture for a few more days rather than trying to wash it down. Forcing a stuck mouthful with a big gulp of water is exactly the pressure the repair does not need.

People are often surprised by how normal this stage can feel with a little planning. Shepherd’s pie without the crunchy top, fish pie, risotto, soft polenta, chili made with finely ground meat and blended beans: these are dinners, not hospital trays. The limitation is texture, not flavor.

What to eat after hiatal hernia repair: the staged plate at a glance

Written instructions from surgical teams vary in wording, but they tend to describe the same broad ladder. The table below summarizes it. The timings are typical ranges drawn from the discharge guidance on MedlinePlus, and your own team’s dates take precedence over anything printed here.

Stage	Typical timing	Examples that usually fit	Textures usually held back
Clear liquids	Day of surgery to the first day or two	Water, clear broth, pulp-free diluted juice, gelatin, ice pops	Anything opaque, anything carbonated
Full liquids	The remaining first week, as advised	Milk, smooth yogurt, strained soups, thin cereals, protein shakes, pudding	Lumps, seeds, fruit pieces
Puréed and soft	Roughly two to eight weeks in total	Mashed potato, scrambled eggs, flaked fish, cottage cheese, applesauce, soft pasta with sauce	Bread, rice, tough or dry meat, raw vegetables, nuts
Return to normal	Gradual, once soft foods are comfortable	Tender cooked meats, cooked vegetables, then bread and rice last	Only what still sticks; usually nothing permanently

Two features of the ladder deserve emphasis. First, the stages overlap rather than switch like a light. Most people eat mostly soft foods while trialling one firmer item at a time, then find the balance shifting week by week. Second, the last column shrinks toward nothing. A hiatal hernia repair is not designed to leave a lifelong restricted diet; it is designed to return normal eating without the reflux that came before.

Bread and rice earn their place at the very end because both swell and clump when they meet saliva, forming a doughy plug that even an unswollen wrap can find awkward. Many people describe a slice of soft bread as the true graduation meal.

Foods to avoid after hiatal hernia surgery, and why each one is on the list

Avoid lists are more useful when they come with reasons, because the reasons tell you how strictly to apply them and when they stop applying.

Foods that form a plug lead the list: fresh bread, bagels, rice, doughy pastries, and dry cake. Saliva turns them into a sticky mass that can lodge above the wrap. Tough or dry proteins behave the same way, so steak, pork chops, chicken breast cooked without sauce, and jerky wait until textures have fully normalized.

Fibrous raw vegetables and fruit skins come next: celery, raw carrot, salad leaves, apple skin, corn. The fibers do not break down with chewing and travel as long strands. Nuts, seeds and popcorn are small but hard, and popcorn hulls are notorious for catching.

Gas is the second theme. MedlinePlus specifically advises avoiding carbonated drinks and gas-producing foods after anti-reflux surgery. Fizzy drinks release gas directly into a stomach that struggles to vent upward. Beans, lentils with their skins, cabbage, broccoli, onions and cauliflower ferment in the gut and add gas from below. Chewing gum and drinking through straws both increase swallowed air. Eating quickly does the same.

Irritants form a third, softer category. Very spicy dishes, highly acidic foods such as citrus and tomato sauce, coffee and alcohol can all make a healing esophagus feel raw, and alcohol interacts poorly with many post-operative pain medicines. Most people reintroduce these gradually once the soft stage is done and swallowing is comfortable.

None of these exclusions is meant to be permanent. Gas-forming vegetables, in particular, are healthy foods that most people return to in time, often noticing that portion size and thorough cooking make the difference between comfort and bloating.

Hiatal hernia surgery recovery diet: what the first six weeks usually look like

Recovery rarely runs to a neat schedule, but a general shape emerges from the guidance published by the NHS, MedlinePlus and Mayo Clinic.

In the first two or three days, most people are in the hospital or newly home, sipping clear then full liquids. Appetite is minimal. Shoulder and upper-abdominal soreness from the surgical gas is often more bothersome than the incisions, and a sense of fullness after a few sips is normal.

Through the rest of week one and into week two, thicker liquids and purées take over. Swallowing typically feels tight, and many people describe food seeming to pause behind the breastbone before moving on. Bloating and an inability to burp are common. Energy is low and short walks several times a day tend to help both the gas and the mood.

Weeks two to four are the heart of the soft-food stage. Scrambled eggs, mashed vegetables, flaked fish and soft pasta become the daily fare. Swelling is receding, so the tight feeling gradually eases, though a hurried bite or a dry food still reminds you it is there. Weight often drifts down by a few pounds because portions are small.

From roughly week four onward, depending on the team’s plan, firmer textures return one at a time: tender cooked meats first, then cooked vegetables, and finally bread and rice. The NHS notes that swallowing difficulty and bloating after this kind of surgery usually improve over a period of weeks to months as the tissue settles.

By six to eight weeks, many people are eating close to their previous variety, more slowly and in slightly smaller portions. Anyone still restricted to purées at that point should be discussing it with their surgeon rather than waiting it out alone.

Swallowing feels different: dysphagia, gas-bloat and why you may not be able to burp

Two sensations dominate the early weeks, and understanding them takes much of the fear out of eating.

Dysphagia is the medical term for difficulty swallowing, and after a fundoplication it is expected rather than alarming. The new collar around the lower esophagus is swollen and firm, so each mouthful has to wait for the muscle above it to push it through. The result is a pause, a feeling of pressure or a mild ache behind the breastbone, then relief as the food drops. Cold liquids sometimes worsen the sensation; warm ones can ease it. According to the NHS, this difficulty is a recognized side effect of the operation and usually improves as healing progresses.

Gas-bloat is the second visitor. Before surgery, a weak valve let air escape upward as easily as acid did. The reinforced wrap works in both directions: it holds acid down and holds air down too. Swallowed air that once left as a burp now has to travel the length of the gut, producing a distended, tight abdomen, rumbling, and more flatulence than you may be used to. Vomiting is often difficult or impossible for the same reason, which is why persistent nausea should be reported rather than endured.

Both problems tend to shrink together. As swelling resolves over the weeks the wrap softens slightly, swallowing becomes fluid, and many people find they regain a limited ability to burp, as Cleveland Clinic describes among the expected after-effects of repair.

What you can do is reduce the air you swallow: eat slowly, skip straws, gum and carbonation, and avoid talking with a full mouth. When dysphagia does not improve on the expected timeline, or worsens, surgeons have options to assess and treat it, including a procedure to gently stretch the narrowed area. That decision belongs to your team, and it is made far more often than people expect.

How to eat, not just what: portions, chewing, posture and protein

The stage ladder gets most of the attention, but eating technique often decides whether a given food is comfortable or miserable.

Portion size comes first. A stomach that has just been repositioned and partly wrapped around the esophagus has less room to expand. Five or six small meals spread across the day sit far better than three large ones, and stopping at the first hint of fullness prevents the pressure that leads to retching. Many people find a small side plate a helpful visual limit for the first month.

Chewing comes second. Every mouthful should be chewed until it is close to a paste before swallowing, because the wrap will not forgive a half-chewed piece of chicken. Putting the fork down between bites, a habit that sounds twee until you try it, slows the pace naturally and reduces swallowed air.

Posture matters too. Sitting upright while eating and remaining upright afterward lets gravity help food through the tight junction. The NHS advises people with reflux symptoms not to eat within three to four hours of bedtime, and the same spacing suits the early recovery period.

Protein deserves deliberate planning because the softest foods are often the least protein-rich. Eggs, Greek-style yogurt, cottage cheese, soft fish, tofu, blended lentils and milk-based shakes all deliver protein in textures the wrap tolerates. Healing tissue needs it.

Hydration rounds it out. Sipping through the day is easier on the repair than drinking a large glass with meals, which can fill the reduced space and push food back up. A modest weight loss in the first weeks is common and usually recovers; steady, ongoing loss once soft foods are established is something to raise with your team.

Medicines and the diet after hiatal hernia surgery: what changes and what does not

Most people arrive at surgery already taking an acid-suppressing medicine, and one of the first questions after the operation is whether it can stop. The answer sits with the prescribing clinician, but the mechanism helps explain why the conversation happens at all.

Proton pump inhibitors and histamine-2 blockers are two classes of medicine that reduce the amount of acid the stomach produces. They treat the symptoms of reflux without changing the anatomy that causes it. A fundoplication addresses the anatomy directly, which is why Mayo Clinic describes surgery as an option for people whose reflux is not controlled by medicine or who prefer not to take it long term. Some teams continue acid suppression for a period after surgery to protect healing tissue; others taper it. Stopping or changing it on your own, even because you feel better, is not advised.

Pain medicines shape the early diet more than people expect. Opioid-type painkillers slow the gut, which adds constipation and nausea to a stomach already coping with bloating. Adequate fluids, gentle walking and a gradual return to fiber once soft foods are established all help, and the team may suggest a stool softener while stronger pain relief is needed. Certain anti-inflammatory painkillers can irritate the stomach lining and are sometimes limited early on.

Tablet size becomes a real consideration when swallowing is tight. Large tablets can lodge above the wrap just as bread does. If any of your medicines are difficult to swallow, ask the pharmacist or prescriber whether a different form exists. Never crush, split or dissolve a tablet without that advice, because some medicines are designed to release slowly and behave differently when altered.

Timelines for coming off any medicine after surgery vary between individuals and between teams. What the evidence supports is a planned review rather than a cliff edge.

What people often get wrong about eating after hiatal hernia surgery

Recovery forums and well-meaning relatives generate a steady supply of half-truths. A few deserve correction.

“Liquids means no calories.” Clear liquids are low in energy, but the full-liquid stage can and should carry protein and calories: milk, yogurt, strained soups, shakes. Starving through week one slows healing and saps energy for walking, which is the best remedy for surgical gas.

“If it hurts to swallow, the wrap has failed.” Early dysphagia is expected and is listed as a common after-effect by the NHS. Failure of the repair is far less common and usually announces itself with returning reflux or sudden new symptoms, not with the familiar tight feeling that improves week by week.

“Sparkling water is fine because it has no sugar.” Sugar is not the problem; gas is. Any carbonated drink releases bubbles into a stomach that cannot easily vent them.

“Once I feel good, I can go straight to a normal meal.” Feeling good is the moment people get into trouble. Swelling resolves gradually, and the wrap that let a bowl of pasta through may still stop a bite of steak. Firm textures return one at a time for a reason.

“I will be on a bland diet forever.” The staged diet is a healing tool, not a lifestyle. Most people return to their previous variety, including spicy food, cooked vegetables and bread, with the reflux that used to accompany them substantially reduced. Slower eating and smaller portions tend to persist as habits because they feel better, not because they are required.

“Weight loss is a bonus.” A few pounds in the first weeks is ordinary. Continued loss after the soft stage suggests you are not getting enough in, and it is worth telling your team.

Questions to ask your care team about your recovery diet

Discharge conversations happen quickly, often while you are sore and slightly foggy from anesthesia. Writing questions down beforehand, and bringing someone who can listen with you, changes what you take home. These are the ones that tend to matter most for eating.

• Which type of wrap did I have, and does that change how quickly I should expect swallowing to ease?
• How long do you want me on liquids, then on soft foods, and what would make you extend or shorten those stages?
• What specific signs should make me go back a stage rather than push forward?
• Is there a dietitian I can speak to if I am struggling to get enough protein or fluid?
• Are any of my current medicines large tablets that could be a problem while swallowing is tight, and are alternative forms available?
• Should I continue my acid-suppressing medicine, and when will we review it?
• How much swallowed-food discomfort is expected, and at what point does it become something you want to assess?
• If I cannot burp or vomit and feel severely bloated, what do you want me to do, and whom do I call after hours?
• How much weight loss would you consider normal in the first month?
• When is my follow-up, and will swallowing be checked at that visit?

A good answer to most of these will include the word “depends,” and that is reassuring rather than evasive. Johns Hopkins Medicine describes surgical treatment of hiatal hernia as tailored to the type of hernia and the person’s symptoms, and the diet that follows is tailored in the same way. Your written instructions and your team’s judgment outrank any general guide, including this one.

When to call your doctor: red-flag signs after hiatal hernia surgery

Most of what you will feel in the first weeks is expected: tightness on swallowing, bloating, shoulder-tip ache, small appetite, a few pounds lost. Some signs are different in kind and should not wait for the next appointment.

Seek urgent medical attention if you cannot swallow liquids or your own saliva, if a piece of food has been stuck for more than a few hours and will not pass, or if you are retching or vomiting repeatedly, especially with blood or material that looks like coffee grounds. Severe or worsening chest pain, sudden shortness of breath, or a rapid heartbeat need emergency assessment, since they can signal complications inside the chest rather than ordinary gas pain. Black or tarry stools, a rigid or intensely painful abdomen, and a fever with chills all belong on the same list, as do calf pain or swelling in one leg, which can indicate a blood clot after any operation. MedlinePlus discharge guidance lists fever, worsening pain, persistent nausea or vomiting and inability to eat or drink among the reasons to contact your surgeon promptly.

Less dramatic signs still warrant a call during office hours: redness, warmth or drainage at an incision; swallowing that is getting worse rather than better after the first two weeks; returning heartburn or regurgitation; inability to progress off purées when your plan said you should have; or steady weight loss beyond the first month.

Trust the pattern. Expected symptoms improve, even if slowly and unevenly. Symptoms that are new, escalating or accompanied by feeling generally unwell are the ones your team wants to hear about the same day. Nobody on a surgical team minds a call that turns out to be nothing; they mind the call that came too late.

Frequently asked questions

How long is the soft food diet after hiatal hernia surgery?

The soft-food stage commonly lasts several weeks, with discharge guidance on MedlinePlus describing a range of roughly two to eight weeks. Where you fall in that range depends on the size of the hernia, the type of wrap, whether mesh or a repeat repair was involved, and how comfortably you swallow once home. Your surgical team’s written plan, and their assessment at follow-up, decide when firmer textures return.

What can I eat two weeks after hiatal hernia surgery?

By two weeks most people are eating puréed and soft foods: scrambled eggs, mashed potato, flaked fish, cottage cheese, applesauce, thick oatmeal and well-sauced soft pasta. Foods that pass the fork test, mashing flat without effort, generally fit. Bread, rice, tough meat, raw vegetables and nuts are usually still held back. Introduce one new texture at a time and step back a stage if anything lingers behind the breastbone.

What foods should I avoid after hiatal hernia surgery?

The main groups are foods that form a plug (fresh bread, rice, doughy pastries, dry or tough meat), fibrous raw produce and hard items (celery, salad, apple skin, nuts, popcorn), and anything that adds gas (carbonated drinks, chewing gum, straws, beans, cabbage, onions). MedlinePlus specifically advises avoiding carbonated and gas-producing items after anti-reflux surgery. Spicy, acidic and alcoholic items are often reintroduced last once swallowing is comfortable.

Why can't I burp after hiatal hernia surgery?

The wrap of stomach placed around the lower esophagus during fundoplication strengthens the valve in both directions, holding down acid but also swallowed air. Air that once escaped as a burp now travels through the gut, causing bloating and flatulence, a pattern called gas-bloat. Cleveland Clinic and the NHS list this among expected after-effects. It usually eases as swelling settles, and many people regain some ability to burp over time.

Is it normal for food to feel stuck after hiatal hernia repair?

A pause or pressure behind the breastbone as food passes the swollen wrap is expected in the early weeks and is the sensation surgeons call dysphagia. It typically improves gradually. Food that remains stuck for hours, inability to swallow liquids or saliva, or swallowing that worsens rather than improves after the first couple of weeks are different and should prompt a call to your surgical team the same day.

When can I eat bread again after hiatal hernia surgery?

Bread is usually one of the last foods reintroduced because it swells into a sticky mass with saliva and can lodge above the wrap. Most teams suggest trying it only after soft foods and tender cooked meats have been comfortable for a while, often toward the end of the soft-food stage or beyond. Start with a small piece of soft bread, chewed thoroughly, and follow your team’s timeline rather than a fixed date.

How much weight loss is normal on a hiatal hernia surgery recovery diet?

A few pounds in the first weeks is common because portions are small and appetite is low, and it usually recovers as textures widen. Ongoing loss once soft foods are established suggests you are not taking in enough protein and energy. Ask your team what range they consider expected for you, and request a dietitian’s input if shakes, dairy, eggs and blended legumes are not covering your needs.

Can I drink coffee or alcohol after hiatal hernia surgery?

Both are usually held back in the early recovery period. Coffee and alcohol can irritate a healing esophagus and provoke reflux-like discomfort, and alcohol interacts poorly with many post-operative pain medicines. Carbonated alcoholic drinks add gas as well. Most people reintroduce them gradually once the soft-food stage is complete and swallowing is comfortable. Your team can advise on timing based on your medicines and progress.

Do I still need reflux medicine after hiatal hernia surgery?

That decision rests with the prescribing clinician. Acid-suppressing medicines reduce how much acid the stomach makes; surgery changes the anatomy that lets acid escape upward. Some teams continue acid suppression for a period to protect healing tissue, others plan a taper. Mayo Clinic describes surgery as an option for people whose reflux is not controlled by medicine, but stopping medicine without a planned review is not advised.

Will I have to eat a restricted diet forever after hiatal hernia repair?

No. The staged diet is a healing tool for the weeks while swelling around the wrap resolves. Most people return to a normal range of foods, including bread, cooked vegetables and spicier dishes, with less reflux than before. Habits that tend to persist by choice are smaller portions, slower eating and avoiding carbonated drinks, because they remain more comfortable. Anyone still restricted after the expected period should discuss it with their surgeon.

References

• MedlinePlus: Anti-reflux surgery – discharge
• MedlinePlus: Hiatal hernia
• NHS: Hiatus hernia
• Cleveland Clinic: Hiatal Hernia

This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a qualified doctor about your individual situation.