Hi Everyone,

Two months ago gastritis hit me again after 4 months of extreme stress from a dental crown and nerve injury and two rounds of antibiotics and nsaids.  I had gastritis 7 years ago and it was quite severe, I lost 40 lbs and it lasted for one year and then as mysteriously as it started it went away without reason.  I tried everything including ppis which turned my stools green and made me worse, all over the counter acid reducers, digestive enzymes, bland diet and the drug xanax for extreme stress and sleep which was a huge mistake!  I had so many tests and all that was found was mild, chronic gastritis, slightly slow digestion time and significant reflux.  I've never experienced traditional heartburn with the burning and tums never did anything for me, neither did any gas medications.  I have IBS C but it was completely fine before this hit again.  This time after a day and a half on the last antibiotic, my colon kicked everything out and it felt like the sides of my stomach pushed inward and I immediately felt this weird sensation in my head.  

In between these bouts I had a good life.  I gained all my weight back after the first time (ice cream at night) and was heavier than I'd ever been and ended up losing most of it and was committed to my stationary bike, weights and some rowing.  I was in the best shape of my life, eating clean and in a bikini after 50.

Now I'm in this horror with symptoms from head to toe.  I've lost 7 lbs, don't have it to lose this time.  Feels like pressure on the top of my head sometimes and like I can't clear my head, constant pain/discomfort in my mid abdomen, started out with pain under the ribs, the fullness feeling, zero appetite, reflux, spasms depending on how full my stomach is, weird gurgling, taste food from the night before, gas from fermenting food, malabsoption, dehydration, weakness, some muscle spasms, heart palps and fast pulse sometimes, feeling cold or hot (menopause too), pain/pressure in back  even from just a mug of herbal tea and feels like my colon is inflamed too.  My stools are all lighter colored, undigested stuff (sorry for this description).  My stomach is now sensitive to things that would be like nothing to eat when I'm well.  Sometimes I also have weird vision stuff and can't seem to get enough fluids because I fill up too much.  The only thing flagged on blood tests was hematocrit (dehydration).  A Naturopathic Doctor said a few others could be better but nothing else was flagged.

With all of this my anxiety and sadness is at an all time high.  I don't go out now unless I have to and I only drive my car with my husband present because I feel so ill and my feet don't feel the same.  

I had all of this the first time too and more and it did eventually go away but it was a long, dark journey.

This time I was hoping to lessen the timeframe.  I tried adding acid/enzymes and had to stop, wasn't working.  I had a vitamin/saline IV yesterday that sort of made me feel worse.  My stomach just feels so tight.  My body doesn't make sense, seems to kick everything out and I never found a definitive answer.  The last thing I want to do is repeat the mistakes from the past like going to the ER, all the drugs, etc.  After that I lost faith in the medical community, no one seemed to believe me.

Has anyone experienced something similar and any advice to battle the inflammation would be so appreciated.  I hope you are all on the road to recovery and wish you well.  Can stress really cause something so bad?