The month of Ramadan will soon arrive and of course the Muslims are preparing to welcome it. Ramadan is where all Muslims in the world perform fasting Ramadan.
Ramadan fasting is obligatory and different from sunnah fasting (read all kinds of sunnah fasting) like fasting on Monday and Thursday (virtuue of fasting on Monday and Thursday), Arafah fasting (read the virtue of Arafah fasting), Daud fasting (read the virtue Daud fasting) and Rajab fasting ( read the virtue of Rajab fasting) in terms of law and time of execution.
It is compulsory for all of Islamic ummah to obey the law to perform fasting except those who have excuses or obstacles that are allowed not to fasting like sick person and traveler as the word of God in the letter of Al Baqarah verse 184 as follows :
فَمَنْ كَانَ مِنْكُمْ مَرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَى سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ وَعَلَى الَّذِينَ يُطِيقُونَهُ فِدْيَةٌ طَعَامُ مِسْكِينٍ فَمَنْ تَطَوَّعَ خَيْرًا فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَهُ وَأَنْ تَصُومُوا خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
“(Fasting for) a limited number of days. So whoever among you is ill or on a journey [during them] – then an equal number of days [are to be made up]. And upon those who are able [to fast, but with hardship] – a ransom [as subtitute] of feeding a poor person [each day]. And whoever volunteers excess – it is better for him. But to fast is best for you, if you only know”
But even if sick person are allowed not to fasting, people who have ulcer disease often wonder whether they can fasting or they still obliged to do Ramadan fasting.
Actually people with ulcer disease have no reason to abandon fasting because based on research, fasting does not cause bad impact on people with ulcer disease, otherwise it can be very useful to prevent gastritis and reduce inflammation in the stomach.
Definition of Ulcer Disease
Ulcer disease is disease that attack stomach or in medical language is called by gastritis or stomach inflammation.
Gastritis or stomach ulcers can be caused by many factors including the factors of food, stress, smoking, consumption of drugs and bacterial infections.
Unhealthy foods and bacteria that enter the digestive system can stimulate the production of excess stomach acid and when the stomach is empty then this stomach acid can injure the stomach wall and cause ulcer disease.
Most of the bacteria that attack the stomach are the bacteria Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and these bacteria can live well in the human digestive tract.
Theh here Tips Ramadhan Fasting for Patient with Ulcer, as follows:
[AdSense-B]
1. Do not miss Sahur
As the hadith of Rasullulah mentions that the fasting of Muslims is different from the fasting of other religious people and one of the differenciation is sahur.
Eating sahur is very important before performing fasting because it can keep the intake of energy needed during the day, especially for patients with ulcers should never ignore sahur.
Eat enough nutritious foods which have enough carbohydrates, protein and fiber and you can also drink warm milk because milk can reduce discomfort in the stomach except for patients with lactose intolerance. Read more about Virtues of Feeding the Fasting Person
2. Avoid sleeping after dawn
Most Muslims will usually sleep again after eating the meal in Sahur time. Actually this can be dangerous for patients with gastritis because sleeping after meals can trigger the production of stomach acid and make the stomach feel uncomfortable.
[AdSense-A] It is better to eat at the end of the Sahur time and wait for the morning to come with shubuh prayer, sunnah prayer, reading alqur’an and do dhikr.
Sleeping after the meal will also make you feel lazy to get up and start working. Read more about Tips Ramadhan Fasting for Pregnant Women
3. Eat sufficiently during fast-breaking
Patients with ulcers are advised to fast-breaking with enough food and avoid excessive consumption of food. Do not make fast-breaking moments as a moment of revenge because overeating during fast-breaking can cause the excessive production of stomach acid.
Do fast-breaking with eating a little takjil such as dates or a little sweet tea and then eat in enough portions after do Maghrib prayer. Read more about Dua for The Last Day of Ramadhan
4. Eat three or four hours before bedtime
In order to make the digestive system work optimally then it is better to stop eating three or four hours before bed. This can reduce the burden of the gastrointestinal tract and give the body an opportunity to repair stomach damage during your sleep. Read more about Rules for Eating in Islam
5. Reduce spicy, sour and oily foods
Spicy, sour and oily foods can cause irritation to the stomach and it is better if you suffer ulcer disease to avoid these types of food and also avoid acid fruits such as lemons, oranges, grapes and tomatoes.
6. Avoid caffeine consumption
Caffeine is usually contained in coffee and can trigger the body to release more fluids. This can cause dehydration when fasting. Avoid to consume caffeine at dawn or at night after fast-breaking. Coffee is also acidic and can trigger irritation in your stomach.
7. Increase the consumption of water
The body loses a lot of fluids during fasting and to replace body fluids that are lost during fasting then you should drink a lot of water at least 8 glasses after fast-breaking and at sahur time.
Water can also neutralize stomach acid in the stomach and reduce the risk of recurrence of ulcer disease. However, remember to avoid acidic drinks and contain caffeine such as fruit juice, syrup, soda or other drinks that can trigger pain in the stomach.
8. Provide ulcer pain medication
If you regularly consume drugs for ulcer disease so please drink the medicine routinely after fast-breaking or as suggested by the doctor.
9. Consult a doctor
If you are a chronic ulcer patient and have been running treatment for a long time then it is better before fasting you consult first with a doctor. Consult to doctor when doctor offer different advice and treatment during the fasting month.
10. Notice the symptoms that arise
Although fasting is safe for ulcer patients, but if chronic ulcer patients get some symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, weight loss drastically or get sick painfully then it is allowed to fast-breaking.
Islam is flexible to its people and does not force its people to perform worship outside the body’s capabilities.
11. Avoid overly sweet foods and instant foods
Foods that are too sweet and excessive consumption of sweet foods will make the body quickly feel limp and hungry.
It can also be harmful for ulcer sufferers because sweet foods will quickly be emptied in the stomach. Similarly, instant foods containing food additives and if digested, those food are acidic for the stomach.
12. Avoid smoking
Smoking is a bad habit that can prevent the ulcer disease and trigger a recurrence of stomach pain. Fasting is a good time to reduce smoking and even toquit smoking.
Thus tips for fasting for ulcer patients. Hopefully these tips useful and you can still run fasting. (Read fasting tips for pregnant women)
Read also : Benefits of Honey in Islam