For the last six years, 47-year-old Ramesh Bhadani had been suffering from prolonged severe acidity, for which he popped antacids almost every day. Earlier this year, though, he was in for a rude shock — doctors had diagnosed him with hiatus hernia, a pre-cancerous condition that was resulting in the constant acid reflux.
Mr. Bhadani, a textile merchant from Surat, underwent surgery for the hernia this month, and since then his acidity has been brought under control.
Hiatus hernia is a condition in which a part of the stomach pushes up through the diaphragm muscle and thus pushes stomach acids up. “Every night was a nightmare,” recounted Mr. Bhadani. “As soon as I’d lay down, I got this burning sensation. The food that I ate would start coming back up. Most doctors I saw told me to change my lifestyle and completely stop eating outside food. But the acidity continued even when I ate at home or ate something very light.”
He tried every anti-acidity medicine available at the pharmacist. “My friends and relatives got me antacids from the U.K. and the U.S., too. Nothing worked.” Mr. Bhadani even spent entire nights sitting upright on a chair hoping that it would provide him some relief.
A detailed medical examination two months ago in Surat revealed his condition and the further damage that it has caused. “Due to the constant acid reflux, Mr. Bhadani had developed Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) that causes a condition called Barrett’s oesophagus,” said gastrointestinal surgeon Dr. Roy Patankar from Zen Hospital in Mumbai, adding that 10% of these cases develop into intestinal cancers.
Dr. Patankar conducted a laparoscopic fundoplication procedure that involved reducing the opening of the diaphragm by using a mesh and thus stopping the intestine from pushing the lungs. “This automatically helped in curing Mr. Bhadani’s GERD,” said Dr. Patankar, adding that anyone facing prolonged acid refluxes, difficulty in swallowing, weight loss or black stool should immediately see a doctor. “These are dangerous signs of gastrointestinal cancers,” he said.
Doctors say that there are two groups of people when it comes to acidity problems; one that suffers from intermittent acidity or some random episodes after a long day, a party or eating several spicy meals outside and the other group is of people who complain of food coming out to the mouth, heartburn, etc, constantly even if they eat regular meals at home.
“This second group of people need to see the signs as worrisome and see a doctor,” said Dr. Patankar.
