Any advice would be great, please respond

[Tomfri]

I have just come back from the srgery, and had a endoscopy, the doctors told me that there is slight inflammation to my stomach, and I have a small hiatus hernia. I am 24, around 12 and half stone, go to the gym 3-5 times a week, and the doctor has basically told me to stop drinking, smoking and eating currys, before the test i was on double dosage of lanoprazole, I think thats how you spelt it, be being only 24 and social, I really dont want to stop drinking altogether, also I enjoy eating indian food, is there anything I can do at all, as when I was on acid reflux tablets they didnt do very much, please email me if you have any answers or advice please, thankyou
Tom Pinto


This discussion is related to Hiatus Hernia.

[ggreg]

You asked if inflammation is what's hurting, but what it is, alcohol is corrosive to the digestive tract, it eats into the lining of the stomach, and that's going to hurt if you already have inflammation there. Same thing with hottish foods, curry, peppers, only to a lesser degree.  See, you could wind up with an ulcer, that's a hole in the tummy, big pain in the neck to wind up with that.  

Most people say milk actually doesn't help the stomach, but if you'll drink milk and rehydrate really well the next day after a night of social drinking, eat lots of bread and noodles, it may ease the pain.  But I agree with Mammo, you need to probably lay off the things the doc said, give your stomach a chance to heal over, but don't be surprised if after a month of "rest," and you go and drink, and it hurts even worse and you throw up, well, could be you won't be able to drink anymore, and you'll have to find something else you like to do with your friends.

Have a nice trip to Egypt, and use it as a time not to drink or eat hot foods!

[Tomfri]

Well to be honest, the doctor said I have a little hernia, if I eat indian food, my stomach aches a little next day, nothing massive, and if I drink alcohol, it really hurts and is painful for two days, but it is all in my stomach area, my GP told me that then hernia is only small, I only get heartburn on odd occasions, so maybe its just the imflammation that is hurting a lot, do you agree?? he also told me many people have hiatus hernias and dont realise, I am going to egypt tomorrow, where I plan to drink lots of water and swim a mile a day in the pool,  hopefully might do me some favours!

[ggreg]

Son, could you clarify your original post a little, and tell us what were the symptoms that led you to get the endoscopy, and we might be able to better comment on what your doc advised.  If you have a hernia, you've strained a muscle and it's going to hurt right in that location, and it can either be sewed up surgically or allowed to get well by itself, it's up to a doctor, and since you go to the gym, probably just straining to lift weights will cause a hernia.  Since you have a little hernia, lay off the gym for a few weeks, do some easy walking instead for a while, to let it heal over.  Or if your stomach has been hurting and you know it's your tummy, and even the antacid you take hasn't helped, the doc saw some inflammation in there, so he was listing off the stuff that can cause too much acid in there, so he told you to quit those.  

If you drink beer with your friends, don't drink common draft, switch over to purer Guiness or Heineken kinds, and be sure to eat before or during your outings, but if you drink mixed drinks, uh-oh, get some bubbly or creamy in those, nothing straight, and once in a while do something ELSE you like on weekends so it won't be so much of a habit.  Smoking tends to make a person feel nausea more than pain.  But if you've been eating Indian foods all this time, it's just too hot, and some people just don't handle that very well.  I might add that if you drink off-brand sodas, those can really do a number on your stomach, might as well drink acid, and it's the same thing with off-brand chips and crackers.  Also, you should drink extra water daily and also eat at least twice a day to help ease stomach acid.

[Tomfri]

well yea I know this, but i arent a serious drinker, I just mean the odd friday, saturday out with my friends, I dont want be completely tee total, as with smoking I hardly smoke, not even 5 a day, which I am quitting smoking anyway, having the odd drink shouldnt harm me should it????

[mammo]

You have to decide which is more important to you, the drinking, smoking and foods you eat, or your health.  You will pay someday for the smoking and drinking, and are paying now for the foods you eat.  You can continue as you are, and enjoy a short life, or get serious, take your doctor's advice and live a long healthy life.  It's about choices and priorities, you need to decide what these are.  I've seen people die at a young age from drinking, and my husband is very ill from smoking which he stopped 25 years ago.
You have a choice to live your life and have no regrets for abusing your body later on, or continue on this path of self-destruction....your call.