Today has finally come. As a continuation of my long battle with severe bloating, I was so nervous walking into the hospital. My mind kept wandering with all the worst-case scenarios about what could be causing these persistent stomach issues.
Wednesday, July 29th, 2026, I finally went to the referral hospital. This time, I used BPJS, the government healthcare service. So, I had to follow the usual procedure: starting with getting a referral from the primary care facility through a general practitioner. After that, the GP refers you to a specialist. Then, if further examination is needed, the specialist will refer you again to a sub-specialist.
I was referred to an internal medicine specialist, or an internist.
Arrived about an hour before clinic hours started to take care of all the administration, get my blood pressure checked, and go through the other procedures. Luckily, the doctor arrived right on time, which I think is a rare treat since BPJS doctors usually come late.
Well, after waiting in a long line that took half an hour, it was finally my turn.
In the consultation room, I told him everything from the very beginning. I explained how my stomach often gets bloated, how the pain in the left side of my abdomen radiates all the way to my lower back, and how I had been trying to find answers everywhere, even doing private consultations with a gastroenterologist.
The very first response I got was completely unexpected.
He asked, “How are things between you and your husband?”
A Question I Completely Didn’t Expect
I went silent for a moment just to make sure I hadn’t misheard him. Then he repeated his question and asked if there were any problems between my husband and me.
I thought about it for a second. As far as I was concerned, we didn’t have any issues. So I answered no, there weren’t any.
He then asked again, “Are you sure?”
He was really trying to double-check my answer. After giving it another quick thought, I stuck to my answer that everything was fine.
Then he went straight to the point, “How is your sex life?”
I answered honestly that I hadn’t had sexual intercourse in almost two years.
For context, I’ve been married for five years, from 2021 to 2026. Hearing my answer, he looked quite surprised and asked why.
I told him it was because I didn’t want to get pregnant again.
He then suggested that I use contraception, particularly an IUD. According to him, an IUD wouldn’t mess with my hormones or cause weight gain.
In reality, my reasons went way deeper than just that.
However, I felt like that was way too much information to share with someone I was meeting for the very first time. He was an internist, not a psychologist or a counselor. So I chose to give the simplest answer: that I was afraid of getting pregnant again.
A Brief Physical Examination
After that conversation, he asked me to lie down on the examination bed.
He pressed various parts of my abdomen, from the top all the way down, to check for any lumps or tender spots.
He kept asking, “Does this hurt?” or “How about here?”
My answer was always the same.
“No.”
Then I was asked to sit up so he could examine my lower back by pressing on it as well.
The outcome was identical. I felt no pain at all during the exam.
Once the physical checkup was over, he brought up the topic of intimacy between husband and wife again. In his view, sexual relations aren’t just about desire, but they also offer health benefits for reproductive organs and overall physical well-being. He also advised me not to bottle up things that cause prolonged stress.
His conclusion was that my symptoms were most likely driven by stress.
I wanted to be sure, so I asked him again.
“So, what is actually wrong with me? Is it my stomach or my intestines?”
He explained that it was a stomach issue.
According to him, stomach problems can stem from many causes, ranging from food to stress. When I asked why my intestinal area felt painful too, he explained that it could also be a domino effect from the stomach issue or stress itself.
To be honest, I didn’t feel very satisfied with this visit.
On the other hand, I really didn’t know where else to go. Paying out of pocket for private doctor consultations was still manageable for me. The real obstacle was that if I ended up needing further diagnostic tests (like the ones my gastroenterologist had previously suggested), the cost would definitely be no small amount.
In the end, he simply advised me not to hold in prolonged stress and prescribed two types of medication: Lansoprazole and a liquid suspension syrup called Sucralfate, just like the one in the photo.
Finding Out the Root Cause
Over the past two weeks, I had been experiencing severe bloating after drinking coffee for three consecutive days. For context, I usually drink black coffee with a little sugar (sometimes with milk, too!), and honestly, it had never been an issue for me before. But since it made me feel so bad, I decided to take the initiative and cut off caffeine completely. Surprisingly, things started to get better.
So during the visit, I brought this up and asked if coffee could be one of the main causes.
His answer left me confused once again.
He didn’t give me a clear yes or no. Instead, he just explained that there are different types of coffee, like Arabica and Robusta, and suggested that if I still wanted to drink coffee, I should opt for low-acid varieties.
That was it.
My question wasn’t really answered.
I simply wanted to know whether coffee was actually a trigger for my symptoms or not. Or better yet, I was hoping he could explain in detail what the actual root causes of my stomach issues might be.
Throughout the session, he kept telling me over and over not to bottle things up. For real, I’m still not even sure what he meant by that.
Leaving with More Questions Than Answers
I went to a hospital that I personally believed had a good reputation. My hope was naturally to get an explanation that was informative enough for a layperson like me to understand.
Unfortunately, I felt like I still didn’t get the answers I truly needed.
Initially, I had pictured myself undergoing diagnostic procedures, such as an endoscopy, an X-ray, or another scan, so that the underlying cause could be identified more clearly.
Turns out, none of that happened.
It was just a very brief consultation. After a quick physical exam, I was given a prescription, and that was the end of it.
When I handed my documents back to the administration desk, even the staff asked if I had been scheduled for an ultrasound or a follow-up appointment.
The answer was no.
No further tests.
No follow-up schedule.
That was the exact moment I felt like everything was still left hanging in the air.
I walked out of the hospital with far more questions than answers.
How I’m Feeling Today
As of right now, I’m still taking the prescribed medications. However, I decided to stop taking one of them because I felt I didn’t really need it at the moment. I only continued with the liquid suspension syrup because, after reading up on it, I found out it’s used to treat stomach ulcers.
After taking it, my condition has indeed improved. (I mean, it was actually feeling okay already when I went to see him).
My stomach isn’t as bloated as it was before.
To be completely honest, though, I still feel a dull pain in the lower left side of my abdomen today.
It’s located right in that specific spot on the lower left.
I still have no idea whether that pain is coming from my intestines, my reproductive organs, or something else entirely.
The pain isn’t constant, but it still flares up every now and then.
Because of this, I’m still trying to figure out what’s actually going on.
As of now, I still haven’t dared to drink coffee again or eat spicy food like I used to.
For the time being, I think the wisest decision is to try living a healthier lifestyle. I’ve started paying closer attention to what I eat, like cutting back on dairy, fried food, and instant meals. And I’m making an effort to keep exercising, even if it’s just for about twenty minutes a day.
My Journey Isn’t Over Yet
If this pain ever gets worse or just refuses to go away, I will go back to see that same doctor. Like it or not, I have to go through him first in order to get a referral to a sub-specialist if further, more detailed testing is needed.
If any of you have ever gone through something similar, did you ever end up finding out the root cause?
I would be so grateful if you could share your experiences with me, and I would deeply appreciate any advice or suggestions you can leave in the comments section below.
Thank you so much for reading.
Talk to you soon,
Pika🌼
