You do need to stop taking tums as they cause an acid rebound.

I assume they took a test to see if you test positive for H Pylori?

What meds, if any, are you on?

Is there an alternative to Tums to help with my bad acid reflux? I think I was tested for H. Pylori and it came back negative. I'm not sure, I have a follow-up with my GI doctor next Wednesday. I take DGL Licorice and have been for about three months now, I think they are working. I chew on black licorice made with real licorice root extract (Panda brand). I take multivitamins, Vitamin B12, a vegan Probiotic, a digestive enzyme after every meal, and a couple days ago I started taking one Pepzin GI before bed.

Those digestive enzymes might be making it worst, especially if they have protease or made with papaya.

You seem to only want to do natural stuff, have you considered any PPI medication or even pepcid? I just think you are just spinning your wheels with the all natural stuff. 3 months on a supplement is good amount of time to tell whether it is helping or not and it sounds like you have just gotten worse.

Also, if you're using Pepzin, you need to be using more than one pill a day like 4 at minimum.

I know everyone is against pills these days but you should really take a PPI. like nexium or something. they really help.

zantac is an alternative to tums. but not sure if thats good to take but it worked for me. a PPI though is the best.

I can only eat boiled chicken, and i don't even eat that. I eat eggs twice a day and i only eat boiled eggs, well, i microwave them, but its the same thing really. fried eggs make me sick.

heres what i eat, these are the only things i have found that are
okay for me to eat:

(6 small meals)

730am-2 eggs microwaved,NO FLAVORS NO SALTS
and 5 unsalted crackers. (i cook the egg whites and only heat the yolks for 12 seconds and then crumble crackers into the uncooked yolks, mmm mmm!

10:00am-same thing

12:30pm-handful of quick oats, microwaved in hot water with one tablespoon of natural bee honey from a farmer. (ive only started adding honey now since my stomach has gotten somewhat better)

300pm- handful of quick oats microwaved, no honey this time

530pm-1 banana and 19 unsalted crackers. (half a pack is 19)

800pm-same as 530.

I also ordered pepzin gi. i really hope it works, ive been sick for 18 months..ugh. I couldn't find it here in Canada so i ordered off ebay, i hope it doesn't get held up at the border or something.


Speaking of eggs..I'm near my incubator and 3 eggs hatched this morning, i can hear them peeping haha, peep peep!

Well, it's certainly not within my energy reserves to keep retyping large chunks of information just because you misread or ignored them.

As result, my advice will always be overridden in quantity by hit-and-miss stuff by people like "johngreen" above, who believe that PPIs are a good thing, while in fact PPIs are a plague upon humanity.

PPIs remove too much stomach acid, exposing the lining to opportunistic infection and generation of new food allergies. They create more severe absorption issues which result over the years in hair thinning and loss of bone density.

Doctors are now trained to immediately put you on PPI, but that's because they get financial incentive from the drug companies. PPI should be a LAST RESORT, after H2 blockers have proven to not work.

Just because grocery stores cynically hang Nexium pills on ice-cream freezers, doesn't mean it's harmless "take it and forget it" solution. Nothing about the stomach is easy like this, and PPIs are the worst of it.

_______________


Now, some constructive notes, possibly for the last time:

1) Taking digestive enzymes AFTER you eat doesn't do anything. They're to be taken seconds before you START eating. Different enzyme brands can be harmful to the stomach, which is why I stopped at Source Naturals brand.

2) The dosage on the box is already very conservative. Your intake of PepZin GI is microscopic. It will take forever to see results.

3) If you figured out that your problem IS excess acid (because Tums help a little), and are looking to actually try a real acid suppression protocol, instead of Tums, which are UNSUITABLE for long-term consumption, you should run to Walgreens to buy Pepcid 20mg (or Famotidine 20mg), which is available OTC.

It is the SAFEST stomach acid reduction drug, with LEAST rebound effects (though they all have them), it has no interactions with any liver enzymes - unlike Zantac - and it can be taken indefinitely if needed.

As for quantity of it, you should start with 20mg every 12 hours, make sure you don't take it within 1 hour period of eating (from either side). If you start feeling the burning come back way before the next pill, then shift to 20mg every 8 hours.

If that's still not enough, 40mg every 12 hours should definitely cover it, and it's still a safe dose.

The Kirkland brand of it on Amazon is much cheaper than Pepcid brand.

I hope you get better before this issue compounds and starts beating you into listening more carefully. Good luck.

I'm sorry sweety but I feel like you are getting inappropriate advice. I have Gastritis, Gerd, and Barrett's Esophagus. As far as the carbs go which are all gluten, I wouldn't take yourself off of all gluten unless you are tested with a problem with it. My doctor gave me a very special diet which was not easy to follow but I did it and my Barrett's Esophagus went into remission. Barretts comes just before Esophageal Cancer. I stayed away from all sugar, except for fruit, any type I liked, I could have, all veggies, Salmon once or twice a week and chicken maybe once a week without the skin. No peanut butter, no fatty foods or boxed foods. Egg whites only with Rye Bread with no butter. I would dunk the toast in my coffee. If you have to use any oils use them sparingly and stick to Olive Oil and a small amount, or Coconut Oil. Stay away from fried foods and Mexican and Hot foods. It's a very hard life change in eating but I did it for 2 years. I also lost a great deal of weight. If you need any help with this, please feel free to pmessage me and I am more than happy to help you with this. I know how hard it is. And peanuts are out but Almonds are okay. Hugs GB

Hi, Shihonage! I was contemplating Pepcid but I don't know if I really need it. I only take Tums occasionally. Also, the one Pepzin GI that I take makes me feel worse the next day. I take it before bed, and then the next day I feel worse. I don't get it.

Hi, Gramybear!
Do you think Sunflower Seed Butter is good? I've been using that instead of peanut butter or almond butter and it seems to sit well with me. Also, how about papaya? I'm vegan, so I don't meat or eggs, and I'm lactose intolerant. I don't usually use a lot of oils, so no fear there. I eat whatever veggies seem to sit well with me (carrots, I think mushrooms, spinach, kale). I wish I could have broccoli, but I hear it's gassy. I eat potatoes and rice. Baby bananas are good. I can even bake, which is one of my favorite things to do! I can bake sugar cookies and make pancakes and they don't seem too bad for me. I guess sugar isn't a problem. That is great!

Thank you!
Caleigh :)

I know apparently I'm giving "bad advice" but if you want your stomach to heal you need to stop the stomach acid. PPI's DO work. I tried every natural and healthy remedy out there and saw no results and kept getting worse and worse. If i had just taken REAL medicine in the first place I would not have had to suffer half as much. Literally a week after I was on nexium I felt results. I have been healing VERY VERY slowly but i stopped getting worse when i started that medication and started to heal.

I know we live in a time where it is all the rave to go natural and organic but the reality is that taking some medicine made by a hippie in the forest is not going to heal anything.

The medicines the doctors give you are made by scientists, in a lab, and are well tested. Something like ginger root for example (which i tried for months on end with no result) is just basically an urban myth. It has no scientific research to back it up.

I'm not saying all natural remedies are bogus or anything like that, I'm just saying, take real medicine if you want to get better. Natural remedies are really the sort of thing you take to cure ailments that aren't too terrible. Even if PPI's do some damage..sometimes you need to bring in the big artillery.

CaleighMiller-
Gluten is related directly to Celiac disease- it is an allergy to gluten. Wheat can be good, but not matter what- especially with the diverticulitis, you may still need some form of fiber. A lot of people go gluten free and try it, but in truth, there are contradicting reports on this subject. Check with the GI on that if you are unsure.

Inflammation in general is a huge part of both lower GI and gastritis management. One factor that effects both is stress. This I would personally consider even more important than diet, though the trifecta for gastritis treatments is stress management, diet management and finding a treatment that works for you personally. I add the personally because my gastritis healed, but I did use PPI's. It was several years ago now, but it is the truth all the same. Others on this board have had luck over the years by going the NP route. Most of us who do heal tend to stop by once in awhile still.

You should know also, that no matter what you eat, right now you will have pain. It is a part of both conditions and I know that is probably not what you want to hear. My GP compared it to a bomb going off in your GI tract-- there is a lot of healing to do with that much inflammation but it can get better. (For soothing, you may want to consider juicing. My mother gave me a recipe that contained 1/3 carrot juice, 1/3 celery juice and 1/3 lightly sprinkled flour. It helped to coat and sooth but it is a temporary relief. The other suggestion would be try to a stomach coater, which is more likely to help. I believe their are NP options and MD options also).

Good luck to you and warmest wishes.

johngreen- There is no such thing as "bad advice" here. This is a support website and a forum that I hope has remained supportive as it has helped many people over the years. All you can do is try to treat your body as best as you are able and make the best choices you can, with the information you have at that time.

More than anything though, no one knows your body better than you. Not even your doctors. And discussing your concerns or what's helped/hasn't is a part of how everyone learns.

You might be struggling with protein because the stomach produces more acid to digest protein meals compared to carbs/veg/sweets.

Find what's comfortable for you & not what you've been told. I felt horrendous cutting out wheat & dairy.

I also agree with johngreen - ppi's are not the work of the devil. I used to think they were & I spent hundreds of pounds on herbs & supplements, but in the end only ppi helped me progress my healing. Also it infuriates me that people assume because some remedies are herbal or natural it automatically means they are safe. This is not true.

Perhaps in a few years I'll be riddled with stomach cancer or osteoporosis or heart disease or whatever caused by the ppi, but what the heck am I supposed to do??? Without a ppi I would probably have a perforated ulcer anyway by now, so I'm sticking with the ppi. I'll take my chances.

Hi, ravenfish!
I saw my GI doctor today and she said that the gastritis inflammation is mild (thank God!) and she's having me get other tests. A fructose intolerance test and something else. She also said I do not have Celiac Disease (thank God!). I can eat wheat! I don't know what she meant by mild. You're cured? This is curable? I may go back to normal? What exactly did you do to get cured?

Thank you!
Caleigh :)

Good news is always a welcoming sight here! Congratulations and thank you for sharing.

Mild means it is going to hurt and be a pain, but the inflammation isn't as bad as it could be. (Yes, this really is good news). That does mean though you still should be cautious.

As for the protein, heads up on that too.... one of the lingering conditions I had and didn't know about was soy intolerance. It was a major issue for me (I couldn't drink most protein drinks because of it and lost 50-70 lbs. when I was sick.... not just gastritis, it was another GI condition too).

Chicken also may have to do with the prep. I can get the part about not being vegan- protein is important. I had to give up being a vegitarian myself because of the gastritis. Try it cooked, with boiled carrots and a little bit of celery if you can handle it. That was the best meal plan any doctor ever gave me and in the end it worked. There is also an adjustment time too, with all "new" foods. Try to be patient. And check in to the possibility of trying a multi-vitamin or gettin a blood test to check for deficiencies if you still aren't feeling you are getting enough of something. A good medical professional can help take you far with simple tests like that.

Just take it slow and know you have a lot of support.

Hi, Ravenfish!

I was supposed to have blood work today to test my nutrient levels but I can't go because of snow. I find that tofu does sit better with me. I eat a little bit each day. I also heard plantains are good for digestion and they are anti-inflammatory. Have you tried them? I want to try different anti-inflammatory foods to see if they help the inflammation. I've been drinking lots of coconut water and organic licorice root tea and Smart Water. I've been eating snacks I've baked (which aren't that bad, yay!), gluten free, vegan pizza, sweet potatoes, kale, tofu, sunflower seed butter, dried apples, and bananas. Sometimes my stomach hurts more than others. I know that it hurts pretty bad at night, between 4 and 8. It's annoying because I eat dinner around 5 and I'm so nauseous it's hard. What do you suggest? Also, how often should I eat? I usually eat 3-4 times a day, because that's all I'm hungry for. I feel like it takes my belly a long time to digest food, unless I just think it does. I know yoga and meditation helps!

Thank you!
Caleigh :)