Oct 15-21: why do I have abdominal distress?

Missed last week , but here we are.

Watching almost ALL the new kdramas, like it's my job. Dropped a couple that are just not good, but still plenty of fun ones.

Tomorrow I have a doctor's appointment. On the one hand, I have lost about 10 lbs, slowly, with the paleo diet I adopted as a way to try to rule out food allergies. I cut out added sugar, gluten, alcohol, dairy, and most starches (rice, almost no corn or potatoes) in favor of fruits, vegetables, and animal proteins. I feel more clear, no longer as bloated, less sluggish, more in connection with my real appetite. I'm hoping to rule out any underlying food allergies by re-introducing foods one at a time to see what happens.
But a few days ago I had a recurrence of a very bad bout of acid reflux/esophogeal spasms, and that little pain in the upper left quadrant of my abdomen that I've been noticing after a meal. It's very localized and now it is also actually painful to the touch. Doing a little research, it seems that I could have a little hiatal hernia, which would explain many of the problems I've been having for years.

I will ask for imaging. I don't just want to take antacids.

The good news: the diet change has had some positive effects. Not being on other medications means that the symptoms aren't being masked any more as their side effects. I'm losing weight as I have planned. I'm eating better.
The not-good news: I may have a hiatal hernia, probably from that bad period during my eighth month of pregnancy when I had such bad diaphragm pain. I may need to take some kind of antacid, or I might even need surgery if it is bad enough. But there are things I can do to relieve the pain and discomfort, if that is what it turns out to be. I will hold off on bringing back foods until I'm able to clearly distinguish these symptoms from what might happen from a food allergy. Right now, it seems it would be impossible to distinguish between the two.

UPDATE: lower intestinal distress of unknown nature, but not esophageal, not a hernia, not an ulcer. Informed that if I am not feverish, bleeding, or completely unable to poop or pee, I just have to shrug my shoulders and live with it, and no effort will be made to diagnose or help me learn what it is. I was so frustrated. I think I need a different doctor. I'm tired of her Kaiser battlefield triage.