Gastritis Support Group
Gastritis is a medical term for inflammation of the lining of the stomach. It means that white blood cells move into the wall of the stomach as a response to some type of injury. Gastritis has many underlying causes, from infection with the bacterium H. pylori, bile reflux, or excessive consumption of alcohol or certain foods or drugs like aspirin.
I'm new here and have been browsing through this board - thanks up front for all the very good advice.
This all started for me very suddenly, almost 1 month ago, right before I went away on vacation. I had just finished two rounds of antibiotics for bronchitis, but only occasionally use NSAIDs and almost never drink.
Needless to say it was not a pleasant vacation. Thanks to an awesome doctor in NOLA I got a script for Nexium and have been on 40 mg of that for 2 weeks now, plus 300 mg of Zantac. I tried dropping down to 20 mg of Nexium with disastrous results.
I still can't eat much (only a bit of sweet potato and baked salmon, plus bananas) and have lost close to 15 pounds. I wasn't overweight to begin with (5'10" 160 pounds) but have maybe a 25 pound "cushion" to work with. Had to go to the ER yesterday to try and get the pain under control - they gave me a large dose of Pantaloc and morphine. The morphine took the edge off the pain, but the pantaloc was more helpful in settling my stomach enough to eat a banana last night. Having to go to the ER was a big set-back mentally - I feel like things aren't under control and that I'll never get over this.
Is there any hope that this will ever heal?
How do you get essential nutrients from fruit and vegetables if you can't eat either of them?
How do you counter side-effects from PPIs? The most problematic ones for me have been extreme muscle weakness, depression, insomnia, and brain fog (not helpful when trying to work full-time).
Thanks for any advice.
This all started for me very suddenly, almost 1 month ago, right before I went away on vacation. I had just finished two rounds of antibiotics for bronchitis, but only occasionally use NSAIDs and almost never drink.
Needless to say it was not a pleasant vacation. Thanks to an awesome doctor in NOLA I got a script for Nexium and have been on 40 mg of that for 2 weeks now, plus 300 mg of Zantac. I tried dropping down to 20 mg of Nexium with disastrous results.
I still can't eat much (only a bit of sweet potato and baked salmon, plus bananas) and have lost close to 15 pounds. I wasn't overweight to begin with (5'10" 160 pounds) but have maybe a 25 pound "cushion" to work with. Had to go to the ER yesterday to try and get the pain under control - they gave me a large dose of Pantaloc and morphine. The morphine took the edge off the pain, but the pantaloc was more helpful in settling my stomach enough to eat a banana last night. Having to go to the ER was a big set-back mentally - I feel like things aren't under control and that I'll never get over this.
Is there any hope that this will ever heal?
How do you get essential nutrients from fruit and vegetables if you can't eat either of them?
How do you counter side-effects from PPIs? The most problematic ones for me have been extreme muscle weakness, depression, insomnia, and brain fog (not helpful when trying to work full-time).
Thanks for any advice.
I am in Ontario. You can get a scope done pretty quickly if your gastro is affiliated with one of the digestive health clinics. There are a number of them in Ontario.
I hope you start to feel better soon!
I am wondering if a colonoscopy is a smart idea too?
You must be feeling so uptight about this.
It is possible Nexxium is not the right PPI for your stomach. Dexilant is the strongest one. See what the GI says. You may be really sensitive to PPIs. Many people are. I hope you get something that works for you! It can be a trial and error process. It could also be that it is too soon for it to work well or when you went off it, you had a rebound issue that you are still dealing with. Also it may not be the PPI that is making you feel worse. The symptoms of gastritis are horrendous!
Shihonage is the pro on this issue. Stay in touch with him. Follow what he says to do. He used Zantac and gastromend etc... You may need a PPI to get you over the first terrible period but maybe not. The key with this issue is to nip it in the bud as quickly as you can.
The really good thing is you are acting on it very quickly.
Is it the Richmond Hill clinic or Mississauga? They are really quick there. Just be pushy about getting the tests done ASAP if the GI seems too laid back about it.
You dont want to spend another month worrying about this!
I had regular heartburn a few years ago and I was pushy about getting the scope done in the doctors office. Then my GP made sure I got in fast at the richmond hill one.
hang in there! I know you must be so stressed about this. Ask them about a colonoscopy just in case. You are in the worst stage of gastritis. It will get a lot better.
lesley
I am definitely going to follow all of the advice on here, down to the letter. I am very anxious to see the gastro doc tomorrow and see what he/she says. I would just like to get this under semi-control - enough to eat small amounts, at least.
I'm booked at a clinic in Ottawa - it seems pretty large and specializes only in GI stuff. I will do my best to persuade them to conduct the tests quickly; I am hoping I don't burst into tears on the spot though.
Thanks so much for your helpful words! It is hard to imagine that this will ever get better, but I am hoping and praying that it does.
Your stress is understandable, Pyrrha, but also the worst thing in the world for gastritis. Stress raises blood gastrin levels which increase gastric acid output! Ouch, ouch, ouch!
Do whatever you can to nurture yourself mentally, physically & emotionally at this time. Sleep as much as possible. Hot baths. Listen to music. Meditate. Read. Watch movies. Anything to give you some temporary distraction.
Stressing & ruminating will make this much worse.
You will improve soon. I promise. We all do.
You just have to do the hard work NOW and be extremely careful with your diet and take whatever you have to, to eliminate the acid issue as quickly as possible. That is the way to heal this problem in the best possible way and have the best outcome.
We all understand the stress and worry. The symptoms can be so scary!
let us know how you make out.
lesley
I'm still feeling really miserable today, with lots of reflux symptoms last night and this morning, particularly sore throat and heartburn. It's making it really difficult to function, not to mention that I am increasingly weak from not eating.
I don't know what to do from here. Is it worth seeing the doctor again? I have my endoscopy/colonoscopy booked at the end of next week. Guess I'll just try to survive until then.
I would go back to the doctor and find out what they think about the issue you may or may not have with the PPIs. Dont wait until Thursday. I am not sure about the idea of not being able to absorb the PPIs. I have not come across that before. That would be a good question to ask shihonage or smilelikeyoumean it in the meantime. They both know a lot.
You may need Dexilant but i am not sure. It could be bread is an issue for you. it is for many with gastritis. This is a complex issue to figure out.
I am a pro on heartburn and reflux not as much with gastritis. You need to prop yourself up at night to stop the refluxing overnight. Refluxing and heartburn overnight can make acid issues ten times worse. Overnight reflux is the number one thing you need to avoid. So go to Shoppers home health and get a sleep wedge.
Lesley
How does overnight reflux make acid issues worse, out of curiosity?
So you need to lie at about 45 degrees. That is a 12 inch wedge. If you just lie on 2 pillows the acid keeps coming up all night. Dont lie down for about 5 hours after eating, even something small.