Ive been meaning to write this for a while. I hope what I write might be helpful for anyone on here or in the future who has been going through this.

Quick recap:

I live in London, UK, male 42. Persistent nausea started in November 2013, coinciding with major work-related stress. Nothing else (no pain etc.). Diagnosed with moderate gastritis and H Pylori positive after endoscopy.

Not eating much, major weight loss: approx. 20% in 6 weeks. Given triple therapy, which proved H Pylori negative after breath testing a few weeks later.

After some improvement, I fell back into the heavy nausea again. To and fro doctors and specialists, tried every PPI under the sun, with motilium and cyclizine to control the nausea (tried ordanestron too, but gave me major constipation).

Had every test under the sun including brain MRI, gastric emptying test, thyroid, bloods, abdominal ultrasound, etc. all normal.

Major work stress continued, and eventually I felt so ill I had to take time off work. Specialists were OK but grew bored of me, and were hard to communicate with. Always had to go via their grumpy secretaries. (where do they find these people??)

Still feeling very ill and generally depressed that I would be ill for ever. No appetite. Going to the supermarket was hell: full of happy people, buying food, the idea of which made me feel sick. I had some hypnotherapy, which helped a bit.

Luckily in May a dear doctor friend of mine recommended me a new GI doctor, called Dr Clive Onnie, who was wonderful. He was my age (42) , and very approachable and understanding we even exchanged emails about my condition thats how it should be.

He said I had to have another endoscopy to find out what was going on. He did that, and said my gastritis had totally cleared up, and also swabbed to double-check my H Pylori had really gone, which it had.

He said that my nausea didnt have a physical cause, and was almost certainly a result of stress and anxiety. He referred me to an excellent psychiatrist , who was also very kind and understanding. I was already on mirtazapine (an antidepressant) but he prescribed Pregabalin (Lyrica) on top.

Pregabalin is a newish medicine originally designed for epilepsy, but is also a very good painkiller and an effective anti-anxiety pill. And unlike older anti-anxiety meds (valium etc.), it is safe to take for ages.

The combination of being told my stomach was fine (I had major health anxiety), and being told officially that I wasnt dying, and the pregabalin, made me start feeling better almost immediately.

It was like a miracle. My GI doc encouraged me to start eating normally (I had previously been on a strict gastritis diet: nothing adventurous, no booze, no tomatoes, no thing).

A month on now, and I feel I have my life back. My appetite has come right back, the nausea has mostly disappeared and when it comes back I just say ah that anxiety, ignore it, and it usually goes away. I have recovered a bit of weight, but happily I weigh less than I was still, and intent to keep it that way. Have gone onto a proper exercise regime, joined the gym etc.

Funnily enough, as a result of my illness physically Im much better. All the healthy food, and giving up alcohol, has helped a lot. My cholesterol has come right down, I weigh a lot less, and my blood pressure measured 105/75 the other day, which is about as good as it gets at 42, Im told.

I learnt a lot during my illness, one of which was to never take good health for granted. I have pledged to look after myself better, and not eat junk food and the rest. And I really love and appreciate life again, which is wonderful to feel.

So, what have I learned, and what could be useful advice for others?

1. Gastritis is a very common diagnosis after endoscopy, as is finding H Pylori. Many people have both and never notice symptoms.

2. Gastritis may have never caused my nausea in the first place.

3. The follow-up endoscopy was vital, if only to put my mind at rest. By the way, never be scared of having an endoscopy they are easy and quick, and are really the only way to discover whats going on down there. (They also checked out my pancreas, which was fine.)

4. I never had pain, which is I think the central gastritis symptom. This may mean I never really had gastritis, and it was stress and anxiety all along.

5. If your only symptom is nausea (and inevitable weight loss), think about the level of stress, anxiety and worry in your life. Could this be factor? If so, bring it up with your GI sooner rather than later, and get him to refer you to a psychiatrist.

6. If you have persistent nausea and nothing else, try pregabalin.

7. Since pregabalin is also a very effective painkiller, it might be useful for people with pain from gastritis too.

8. If youre not getting anywhere with your existing GI, find another one. If you have friends who are doctors or know people who know them, get their advice. A good friend will always help you.

By the way, I am absolutely not trying to belittle the horrid illness that is gastritis. I spent months on this board, and have read all the stories.

You are a great group of people, and the excellent posts from Ravenfish, Jim and others really kept me going when I was really dark, and I know they do for many others.

What I am saying is that, stepping back a bit, my symptoms may have never been caused by gastritis.

But if you are flailing around, not getting anywhere (like I was), please consider some of the above, and if necessary, talk to your doctor about it. (I was lucky to have health insurance so I was able to make stuff happen quickly, and I feel sorry for people who have to wait in NHS queues, not getting anywhere.)

Thanks for listening.

WT