How long does it take to treat digestive disorders?

There is really no unified standard answer to this question. I have been in the gastroenterology clinic for almost ten years. I have seen young people who suffered from acute disorders caused by eating a bad stomach and were fine after three days of adjustment. I have also seen old patients who suffered from chronic disorders for five or six years and slowly recovered after one or two years of adjustment.

Last month, I met a high school student who had just finished his exam. He spent three days in a night market making ice skewers and drinking cold beer. After vomiting and diarrhea, he always felt bloated and panicked after just two mouthfuls. He had a gastroscopy and colonoscopy and found no organic problems. It was an acute digestive disorder. I told him not to touch raw, cold and spicy food, and only eat 70% full meals at each meal. I also gave him some digestive enzymes and probiotics. The child was obedient and ate soft porridge, steamed eggs and soft boiled noodles for a whole week. When he came for a follow-up visit on the 9th day, he said that he could eat home-cooked meals normally without feeling any discomfort at all.

But there are also slow ones. Last year, there was a girl who worked as an e-commerce operator. She ate takeaways that were heavy in oil and salt every day for four consecutive years. It was common to stay up until two or three o'clock when rushing for big sales. She suffered from stomach pain, acid reflux, and bloating for almost two years. She had been treated for gastritis before, and her symptoms were good and bad after taking stomach medicine. After a checkup, she was diagnosed with functional indigestion, which is a chronic digestive disorder. This kind of thing cannot be solved by taking medicine for two weeks. She had to change her work schedule, adjust her diet, and even learn to relieve work pressure. She stopped eating spicy food and stayed up late several times during the period, and the symptoms kept recurring. It took almost eight months of adjustment before she finally no longer had to carry stomach medicine with her, and she would not feel uncomfortable for several days even if she occasionally ate mildly spicy hot pot.

Now the industry actually has different views on this issue. Some studies believe that as long as organic lesions such as ulcers and tumors are excluded, symptomatic medication and basic dietary adjustments can be significantly relieved in 2 to 4 weeks.； Many doctors who have been working as outpatients for a long time believe that digestive disorders themselves are deeply bound to living habits and emotional states. As long as patients stay up late, are anxious, and eat too much, they may relapse at any time, and it is impossible to give an exact recovery period. In fact, there is nothing wrong with both of these statements. After all, everyone's triggers of illness are different, their compliance with medical instructions is also very different, and their recovery speeds naturally vary greatly.

It's quite interesting to say that the digestive function is actually very similar to the pot of pothos you keep on your desk. Occasionally you forget to water it and it wilts in the sun. Just pour some water and move it to a cool place, and it will be able to stand up in a day or two.； If it is left in the air vent of the air conditioner all year round, and you pour half a cup of milk tea when you think about it. If the leaves turn yellow and you only think about saving it, then you must take it slowly, and there is no point in rushing. Don’t panic if you are really diagnosed with a digestive disorder, and don’t keep asking how long it will take to get better. Put down the ice milk tea in your hand first, eat on time and don’t stay up late, it’s better than anything else.