Acidity?? Just take antacids, right? NO. Sometimes it can be serious. Best Gastroenterologist in Baner, Pune. Dr Akshay Kulkarni

This story involves Mr. VK, a professional who was always too busy to take care of his acidity. Taking some tablets on the advice of the pharmacist, he avoided visiting a doctor until he started noticing a difficulty in swallowing food. Scared, he reached out to a gastroenterologist, and an endoscopy was done. It revealed a peptic stricture : the acid had damaged the food pipe. It was a hiatus hernia: the junction of the stomach & food pipe (the lower esophageal sphincter) was pretty loose and was allowing the acid to damage his delicate food pipe and throat. The poor fellow had to undergo a small dilatation (a scar-less surgery to open up the blocked food pipe).

He thought he was cured, but the disease had other plans.

After 6 months of a happy recovery and medicine-free period, the swallowing problem started again. He started having heartburn, burping, bloating & vomiting. Swallowing progressively became more difficult. He blamed the doctor for not providing complete relief.

Little did he know that the treatment for hiatus hernia was not complete. He visited another gastroenterologist. Wiser this time, the doctor performed endoscopy and a quick dilatation, providing him good relief, and referred him to a senior surgeon. A small, laparoscopic surgery, and his symptoms vanished. He was not only able to swallow, he forgot what acidity felt like. He was good as new.

Hiatus hernia is a known cause of gastro-esophageal reflux (GERD). When people experience heartburn, they take medicines from a shopkeeper, who behaves like a consultant and gives antacids. This is a temporary solution. You should visit a doctor if you need frequent antacids, have trouble swallowing, or have night-time reflux. A simple endoscopy finds the answer. Antacids are not the permanent solution : surgery is.

Lifestyle changes are a must. You should avoid oily & spicy foods. No junk foods are allowed, especially at night. No cold drinks or processed foods. Fruits, salads and fresh home foods are your friends. An early dinner with about good 3-hour gap between sleep and dinner gives a good protection.

A recurring problem of acidity should not be ignored. You may have an underlying disease. Consult your gastroenterologist.