To the medical/doctor types:  Where can I get info on this type medical problem?  Reason is that I spent about 45 days in the hospital with this diagnosis and surgery to correct the problem.  It took about 2 weeks for the Dr's to get a handle on it and many more days to decide on the final course of treatment and surgery to correct the "hole" in my stomach.  I have tried many web inquiries but the closest I come to it is from a military reference/combat wound.  Doctors all guessed as to the cause and I now have to go back for the repair of an "incisional hernia" because the surgeon belives that the tissue was not fully healed when he sewed me back up.  I would like to understand more before I go back under the knife!  Any help would be appreciated.

fistula is a tunnel basically.
A gastro-pleural fistula is a tunnel between the stomach and pleural space(in which the lung resides). This is obviously bad as gastric acid and contents can move into the chest cavity, causing chemical damage and infection. The pleura is also very pain sensitive as I'm sure you are aware. Not sure what more you want to know...

Cure is surgical.

+1; and recovery is long and usually difficult.

All this I learned since leaving the hospital but, and a big but is what kind of damage would the infection in the chest cavity have caused?  The surgeon mentioned a look around, while he was inside, for leasions on/to the lung but he never mentioned looking or breaking any.  Since I have to go back in I was hoping to learn more about the healing or tissue problems left from the infection.  I trust the guy who will do the final(I hope) surgery and want to make sure that when he goes back in he takes care of whatever is not normal.  The surgeon was a trauma surgeon for 12 years so I believe I was lucky when he opened me up since a trauma surgeon doesn't know what he is up against, gunshot or stab wound etc, until he gets inside.  Thanks for the response. Edfit to add that I posted this before Astro posted.  Thats sort of what I need to know since the surgeon is a speacialist and I only see him if there is a reason.  There is plenty of help on this site for almost any problem and I thank any and all who can give me some insight.  Andy

The surgery to repair the hernia(abdominal wall, correct? Not hiatal hernia???) would not likely involve going into the chest cavity, and no one is going to do so without good reason. If you have no difficulties with pain or trouble breathing forget about it. You may well have some pleural scarring but there is nothing to do about it now. Don't worry unless there is good reason to and it doesn't sound as if there is.
If you are really concerned a CT scan might give you some info but it is not likely that it will tell you anything that you can do anything about.

My advice:
Move forward and take good care of your body. You only get one!

Concur.

Like I said before:  There is alot of good info from this site and thanks for the advise.  I can worry some things to death but will just trust the surgeon to do what has to be done when he fixes the hernia.  I am 62 and since 1998 had plenty to worry about.  Both knees replaced, lost a kidney to cancer, double bypass and then the hole in the stomach.  Everything before the hole I handled pretty good but the stomach really did scare me good!  The more knowledge one has the better to deal with things and the info was important to me.

We're all pulling for you.  Keep the faith.