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 to this website. My name is Caleigh and I am a 17 year old female. About three months ago I caught a virus that was going around my school district and it lead to these horrible stomach problems. I have been constantly having nausea, upper stomach pain going to my chest, bad acid reflux, bloating, gas, bad indigestion, and a severe loss of appetite and severe weight loss. I have lost 30 pounds in three months and I was already skinny before all this! I have tried so much from white rice to squash to oatmeal. Nothing seems to be settling on my stomach and doesn't cause indigestion and/or nausea and/or acid reflux. I am vegan and I am allergic to dairy. I have been eating gingerbread pancakes for breakfast which doesn't seem too bad if I don't eat too much at once, which I never can. For lunch and dinner I have been eating brown rice with broccoli, kale, spinach, cabbage, and a little tofu and pumpkin seeds and some saltines. Whatever I eat I can only eat a couple bites before I get horrible indigestion/nausea/bloating/acid reflux. It's really hard for me to eat and drink a lot in a day, which is why I lost so much weight. A friend of mine who is a nurse said it sounds like I have gastritis and the GI doctor that I went to said it too, so I'm having an endoscopy done on January 12. Until then, I would like some advice on what would be good to eat and drink that would be settling on my stomach and also help me get the proper nutrients I need. I take 2 gummy multivitamins day (Women's Alive! with 26 vitamins), a vitamin B-12 gummy, a fiber gummy, a vegan probiotic supplement, Omeprazole one hour before I eat dinner, one DGL Licorice 20 minutes before lunch and one 20 minutes before dinner (the bottle says to take two but I'm afraid two plus the Omeprazole would cause a bad reaction), Tums throughout the day, 1 tsp of liquid minerals that my nurse friend gave me, and today I bought marshmallow root extract drops and took 12 drops in 2 oz of water, and I bought slippery elm lozenges and herbal Reflux Relief tablets that have aloe and marshmallow root. I am very holistic, homeopathic, herbal, all natural. Can anyone please help me??
:)
http://youtu.be/4G7mwJdkG6E
Take care, hun.
http://ayurindus.com/wp/ayurvedic-treatment-for-gastritis
Caleigh.. I have worked with teens from very troubled families. I also feel the dysfunction in your family is probably causing your issues.
You need to reach out to someone who can give you some good counselling. Your situation is abusive. It will be very difficult for you to get better until you resolve the family situation.
Find out about support services through your school or get yourself to a social services/mental health resource for teens.
The pro on this site for gastrits is shihonage.. He can help you with what he has done to heal his stomach but you need emotional help now.
Tell a teacher you trust about what you are going through at home. I am in Toronto but I know New York also has pretty good services for teens.
You can call the U.S hotline for helping teens 1 800-662-4357. They will point you toward resources in your town in New York.
It is usually all free.
Hang in there!
Thank you! I will definitely check these out! You take care!
Caleigh :)
I know my home environment is abusive. A couple days ago he deliberately sprayed this horrible scented cologne right near where I was sitting and it made me so nauseous, dizzy, and gave me such a headache! Then, yesterday he went insane (literally!) because he thought someone stole that cologne! He almost called the cops about it to say that my mom and I were stealing from him, when we had no idea where his cologne was! He is almost always like this. Some times are worse than others. I have a good friend that lives down the road that has a degree in Psychology and Nursing. Do you think someone like her would be helpful?
Thank you!
Caleigh :)
It sounds like your Dad may have a mental health issue. Is he your natural father? That is all very hard for a young person like you and your brother. It breaks my heart. Children should never be exposed to this type of thing. You must feel a lot of anxiety and stress at home. Do you also feel you have to protect your brother? You are not to blame for your fathers behaviour in any way.
Your friend down the road is a good place to start. Does she work as a nurse or in the helping profession? That would be even better. She can point you to a service that could help you more.. Just even a teen group, where you can talk about what you are dealing with that is lead by a counsellor is a good idea. There are lots of kids out there going through the same thing. You are not alone.
Anxiety and stress are the number one cause of gastritis.
You are so young to have it but kids in the same situation often get it as well.
You are doing well with your determination to follow holistic approaches and you have a good attitude. You are strong but this has to be very hard to deal with.
How long until you turn 18?
Try to avoid being around your Dad as much as possible to reduce your anxiety. That will help.
You can message me if you want to.
I have a 17 year old at home and he hasnt been exposed to what you have been through and life is complicated for him just because of the age you are both at!
I feel for you and your brother and I understand what you are going through all too well!
Hugs,
Lesley
I'll message you. :)