Can surgery for a hiatus hernia leave you with breathing difficulties?

Risks specific to this surgery include: * Gas bloat, which causes difficulty burping or vomiting and results in bloating after meals. This occurs in about 40% of cases but gradually improves in most patients. In rare cases, the bloating is long term. * Pain with swallowing (dysphagia) occurs in 5 - 40% of patients, but improves over the first 3 months in almost all patients. * Damage to the stomach or esophagus (rare) * Recurrence of the hiatal hernia *