Would probably be best to ask your doctor about taking the natural remedies with meds, as I would guess every med is different.

I just take acidophilus which I either get at Puritan's Pride (great paper catalog, too) or Wal-Mart. One thing my GI doc warned me about was not to take too many probiotics a day. He said he does have some patients who overdo it; not sure how many they're taking, though.

I make slippery elm tea during the day to sip on, using the capsules from Puritan's Pride.

Will have to give the Redbush tea a try. Where do you buy it? Thanks.

When I asked my doc if I could take certain supplements with my bp meds, she said and I quote "I haven't a clue" !!!! Soo I googled all that I wanted to take and they do give you precise details of what will bounce off what. For instance, I started taking Ginko Biloba for my Tinnitus as it is said to ease it, but I felt that I was feeling flushed so googled it and you are not supposed to take it with bp meds as they fight against each other. But when I told my doctor she said oh well there you go. You have to laugh really. But maybe where you are you have a doc who is interested in nutrician, that would be great.

The pains still bad. I havent seen the Redbush tea work yet. I got it at tescos and it tastes quite nice. I have decided to give up eating the walnuts Ive been having as things seem to have got worse since eating them. I read somewhere that almonds are good for reflux though so might try a couple a day. The Silicol is also called Silicea gel,I think its the same thing. You can buy it at Bioforce,it may be cheaper. I have a book that says its good and you can get that and other herbal stuff from bioforce online.

Hang in there. The pain will come and go, or stay pretty consistent all the way through the healing process. It does get easier to handle in time, but until then take deep breaths and just try your best everyday. You will make it through this.

Oooh, leave off the walnuts they kill me even if my tum is ok.

Thanks Ravenfish and Gweny. Im going mad with the gastritis this week. My stomach feels so sore and Im so tired as not been sleeping well with it. I havent tried the Silicol gel yet or Slippery elm or anything. Will natural remedies work straightaway? Do you find symptoms get worse when you are on your period? I do. Another thing is I seem to have a craving for fruit,apples,pears and bananas.

Hi-

Not sure about the first question, since I didn't go the natural remedy route. As for the second, yes. It has to due with inflammation. You can call a doctor if it will help put your mind at ease but as far as I know, everyone across the board has commented on it at one time or another. Lastly, if you are craving fruits, check into having your nutritional levels checked. With gastritis you lose a lot of nutrients, so the craving may just be partially because you used to eat those foods a lot or it could be a vitamin thing. Bananas you may be okay with. Apples can be acidic (pureed or applesauce first) and pears canned in water can be difficult to digest, so try to hold off and try them on a day when you feel like things are a little more under control. Small doses, one food at a time and consider baby food when all else fails. (Just read the back. The more basic the better). Good luck and best wishes always!

Hi, if your body is craving it is very likely you are deficient - it is usually a sign. Apples are out as are pears, bananas (soft) are ok. Do you keep a food diary ? Why don't you write down here on the site what you injest each day, I'm sure you will be able to pin-point what you should not be having by way of the others on this forum who will recognise a certain thing and say "whoa there don't eat that, it would kill my tum". It's surprising what you think is ok to eat, perhaps because it has never bothered you before, but with old Gast. things get a little different,. My favourite tipple is Asti Martini wine and I have drunk it for years, but no way now, although it is not a strong wine, the bubbles give me hell for days afterwards. Even when my tum is fine and I chance it. And get that Silicolgel please - just had my daily morning spoonful x You could possibly do with some Complan food supplement whilst you are trying to find relief in order to get those nutrients down you. Also have you tried juicing. I bought a large juicer and is it so good. I can't tolerate raw carrots they hurt, but juiced they are totally different and it is soothing and sweet with loads of beta carotene and vitamins. Just a thought x

Thanks Gweny last night was so bad it was so painful that I could not sleep. I do eat the wrong things I know. Yesterday I had a bar of chocolate and I like coffee. If I eat out anywhere they always have caffeine tea. Yesterday I had an egg custard and a tea in a supermarket restaurant. At home I only had veg and chicken so my problem is when Im out. How do you find chewing gum? Ive got a problem. Before I had the stomach trouble I had rib pain and the painkillers did the stomach in. I think the rib pain is coming back as it hurts at the top of ribs. Inflamation is in my body. I need that gel will have to get it,also has anyone tried Omega3? Sometimes Im ok with fruit but dont have citrus. I do worry about nutrients. I try to have potatoes or rice every day and will eat lamb but not beef or pork. I have yogurts everyday and cereal. What do you think of goats milk? Sometimes I have that.

I loved wine but cant drink it now. What do you all eat? Do you think your gastritis will go soon? Does it get you down? it does me. What did you mostly have Ravenfish?

Healing can take a very long time. Try to stop focusing on the when and start to look more at the how can I make this situation better. It will not only help your nerves, but you will notice time flies a little faster too. As we say often, take it one day at a time. It helps.

Everyone goes through a mourning period in regards to losing their favorite foodsI think. The diet restrictions are difficult. If you are worried about nutrients, you can try to look into a vitamin drink or a multi-vitamin as well. (Gummy ones can work well.) As for everything you ate yesterday, the soup is about the only thing I would have even considered. I did a lot of broths (homemade or pre-made if you can handle them. Diluting them can help too!). Low-fat, low-salt crackers, white bread, tuna packed in water, low-fat cream cheese (small amounts), low-fat yogurt, baked chicken or fish (skinless- no dark meat, no oils) with light herb seasoning or a little salt, mashed potatoes made with rice milk, rice crispies with almond milk and cooked, skinless carrots or a small amount of cooked water-packed peas.Fruit wise- canned water-packed peaches were okay as were bananas in small amounts. I could also eat applesauce unseasoned, but that was later down the line. White rice came in much later as well. I drank pretty much water, G2 watered down for electrolytes (no tea (because I had allergies to chamomile). (You can actually see my original list if you search the gastritis board for the post titled DIETARY ASSISTANCE).

Basically, what you want is nothing with more than 8g fat per serving. Nothing over-processed (i.e. peas should read peas, water, salt maximum). No chocolate. No caffeine. Herbal tea if your okay. Bottled water. No soda. No alcohol. Nothing spicy. Nothing citrus. And bland, bland, bland. Additionally, with meats, if it is a higher fat meat or dark, use caution or avoid all together.

I know it sounds strict, boring and bland. In many ways, it is. Yet at the same time, diet makes a BIG difference when it comes to gastritis. Once you cut out the things that bother you and add in some foods that sooth, you really will notice just how much better you feel. It does take commitment and there is a learning curve. There will be days you say screw it and other days that it hurts no matter what you eat. With the right foods in your stomach though, it will help your body rebound sooner. Additionally, know you can always vent here or come for support- good days or bad, as we have all been there. You are already on the right path by asking these questions, now you just need to take it the rest of the way. Best wishes always.

There you go, Doc Raven is spoken x

Thanks Ravenfish I do find the diet thing hard. Some days I can eat better than others. I feel really bad some days and just get whatever is in the cupboard out that I think I can eat. Ive not been able to give up tea or coffee I need to work on it. One thing I tried today was Omega 3 in the form of a cod liver oil tablet. Im wondering if a lot of pain Im getting is from the acid reflux. I also get inflamation in my ribs and they hurt again so I cant win. The stomach felt a bit better today but I felt tired and dizzy. I try to stick to low fat and bland foods some days,no citrus or alcohol. I hope it will go one day soon. The day when I have a normal stomach back cant come quick enough. We cope with it because we have to I supose.

Even on the best days, it can still be rough- no matter how far along in the healing process you are. It gets easier in time. For now though, just continue to try to take it as it comes and do work on cutting the drinks as soon as you can. That will help quite a bit too.