You can go a long time without any symptoms but you have to be very disciplined and that needs to start now. The quicker you eliminate gastritis the better your chances are of being able to eat some of the foods that are tricky for gastritis. I mean treating yourself here and there, not having treats every day once you heal. Gastritis can become chronic. The key is to nip it in the bud quickly!! If the cause of it is a bacteria then that needs to be treated after you are tested for that. Like H pylori. It sounds like the anti biotic didnt work but the bacteria issue can be hard to treat. You need to be sure you dont have a bacteria problem. Did the GI test for that? and did you have a scope done to confirm gastritis/ulcer?

You will always be prone to gastritis but you can go a long time without symptoms if you get this healed quickly. I do wonder if the cells in the stomach change after you have had gastritis for a period of time. Once you are symptom free for a good 6 months you can treat yourself carefully but you will possibly never be able to eat the way you have in the past.

This is all about diet most of the time and being disciplined and if you have anxiety or a mental health/stress/trauma issue, it makes this more challenging. if you dont have any mental health issues and you can be very disciplined(which is the hardest part for most) you can heal this but your stomach will be prone to flare ups for the rest of your life probably. I can go 2 years and not have an issue but I am very disciplined with diet but i can never have black pepper again. That does it for me but i can have a lot of other things but not too much chocolate, spicy food etc. You have to be careful with this issue for a long time.

There is hope. You can be symptom free if you stick to all the gastritis rules and then you can treat yourself carefully. Dont expect to drink alcohol and have spicy food, fries, and a chocolate dessert in one day and not get yourself back into a flare up.

If you have a lot of stress and anxiety you need to get help for it. I notice mental health issues seem to be the number one cause of gastritis.

Go to shihonage on this site and read how he recommends healing gastritis.

I would start taking Zantac twice a day if you for sure have gastritis and start reading the threads on a good gastritis diet here. Use a food journal and see if you can figure out what bothers you as well.

Others will respond to this. Keep reading their ideas. It sounds like you are being treated for a bacteria still and or an ulcer maybe but did they confirm you have H pylori etc?? I am not too familiar with these treatments?? Do you have an ulcer? Did they check for that? You may not have that and the treatment doesnt work as a result. You could be dealing with a cause such as eating spicy foods for years and/or having a mental health issue as well. Most of the time this issue is caused by years of diet that is not good for the stomach and/or a mental health issue/stress/trauma.

Have hope. This can get way better but expect it to take at least a year.

Hi, your situation seems somewhat related to mine. My problems started last July when my dad who is also a doctor got me some antibiotics and then some flagyl too because he thought too it may be H. Pylori...after a lot of tests for a lot of things the only thing diagnosed was gastritis and a small Heital hernia. Now a days I do pretty good I can go a few weeks without any major flare ups. This July it will be the year mark and I've seen a lot of improvements. Yes diet is key for this thing... I have not had coffee at all this whole time and also no sodas, pizza, burgers etc.... All that bad junk food is a no go for me.... This can be a blessing in disguise:)

Your mental health can deteriorate while dealing with G because of the strong connection between the brain and the gut so keep an eye on that if you seem more anxiety prone now.

I've been on a strong PPI Dexilant for a few months and I've manage to taper from 60mg to 30mg and now to only 20mg Nexium every other day. Also I've been on amitriptylene 20mg once a day. These drugs seem to help a lot and I expect to be done with them as I improve.

Take advice from people here but follow what works for you not all solutions work but hopefully you will find a way to get better.

Some good advice here in the other replies. You will have to see what works for you - learn from others in this support group.
My story is complicated. For almost 3 years I suffered from lower left ab pain and constant nausea and weight loss. After many tests (at least 8 imaging, plus blood tests) and 4 gastroenterologists I was diagnosed with a bad gallbladder, bad pancreas, IBS, you name it. They were just guessing. I cancelled my gallbladder removal op at the last minute after realizing I did not have any of the classic symtoms of gallbladder disease. The doctors said it had a 50% chance of reliving my symptoms. I did not like those odds. Finally when I went to my GI doc they looked at the images from one of the Endoscope tests and saw that my stomach and duodenum were extremly red. Buried in one of the reports were the words "uncomplicated gastritis".
None of the gastro docs picked up on that fact. BTW: I was tested for H. Pylori and the biopsy results were negative. I even went on antibiotics (flagyl and cipro) as a precaution, with no improvement.
So after reading many of the stories here on the Daily Strength I realized that my symtoms were from the gastritis. I began self-treatment. Remember too, this was after over 2 years of dealing with these symtoms!
My self-treatment has just about cured me. But I still need to be careful, bec over 2 years of damage is not going to heal overnight.
My current routine goes like this . . .
* I cut out drinking coffee and OJ in the morning. I replaced the coffee with herbal teas (like Yogi brand "Stomach Ease"). Also cut back on other acidic foods like tomato sauces, wines, etc.
* I take 1 Zinc Carnosine Complex after each meal. It is available online and in health food/ vitamin stores. I buy it from Vitacost.com - Doctors Best Brand. This compound helps heal the stomach lining. It is used extensively in Japan where it was discovered, and where it is sold as a prescription drug. It works for me. Please read the online reviews.
* Before dinner I take 1 Nexium 40mg and 1 Probiotic 15-35 (from Vitacost.com).
* I drink alcohol, but in very limited amounts. Unfortunately I love red wine, which is the worst offender for gastritis. So be careful!

I have been on this routine for 5 months, and I see a 90% improvement in my health. The constant nausea and cramping pain is gone.

FYI: I am 145lbs. Very active (tennis player), & I don't smoke. I am very health conscious. I believe this gastritis started from taking Ibprofin for a few months when I had siatica in my back. That is my guess.

Good luck and keep reading and learning from others here. We all know what you are going through!

Hi thanks for your replies.

It's been about three weeks since I've started treatment and I don't think I've improved much. My doctor was surprised that the Cebe-S pills he prescribed didn't help and said that it usually solves the problem for patients where we live. I have been tested for H Pylori, as well as a wealth of other ailments like 'bugs', parasites, gastric obstructions, even cancer, and all the tests came out negative. I'm so saddened by this. If it was H Pylori or a parasite at least there would be an effective way of treating it via antibiotics or what have you rather than this constant lingering pain and bloated sensation that don't go.

My appetite has dropped dramatically in the last three weeks. I don't eat much anymore, and this is coming from someone that had a very healthy appetite before this ailment. My stomach is so sensitive that even a glass of water bloats it up. It's crazy. As I type this up I'm bloated despite having eaten ages ago and my stomach makes occasional gurgling noises. It's so uncomfortable. I'm also somebody that loves to work out but now I can't really gym effectively anymore both because of the stomach pain and because I can't eat properly afterwards. Usually when I worked out at the gym afterwards my appetite would be booming and I'd eat like crazy but now I've got no appetite even after lifting so I can't make gains. I've lost 5kg in the last few months since this started.

My doctor said that I'm to finish this 4-8 week course of Cebe-S (Colloidal Bismuth Subcitrate). I'm also supposed to start taking two pills of Zantac before sleeping every night. My mom has also suggested doing some homeopathic treatment so I'm taking some pills there, too. I've also taken some pills for flogging out stomach parasites just in case, even though the stool tests came out negative. If I don't show any improvement in the next two weeks they're going to put me on some form of steroids, only with my consent. I was hoping it wouldn't come to that, and apparently steroids have loads of bad side effects but I don't think I have a choice. I don't want to be stuck with this for years, no way.

I don't know what brought this on but it's probably a number of factors. I was eating ibuprofen quite regularly over a couple of months for a wrist injury. I had no idea of course that this could result! I was also heavily and constantly stressed over the last few months because of an important exam I had to take in June. I also ate some bad food at some point and I got this horrible pain in my stomach. I think that's what brought this on in the first place. It's the combination of these events that have ruined my stomach and I'm so scared that I'll be like this forever. I've had gastritis now for four months. :(

Sorry for whining like this; I know you're all going through the same thing but I feel so horribly depressed about it. Feels like there's no end in sight.

Bloatedpain........I read your posts and I'd like to share a bit, because I believe I can help. My name is Jason, I'm 23 and I've had gastritis for almost 5 years now.....don't let that scare you, it shouldn't have taken that long. First you need to understand what gastritis actually is and WHY it hurts. Gastritis is simply inflammation of the stomach lining....the reason it hurts is because our stomachs produce acid in order to break down the foods we eat, so imagine having a major rug burn and then having acid on it.... that's your stomach right now. I'd put money on the fact that you only mild gastritis (the fact that it's just a dull pain is awesome) , and that it was caused by your frequent use of ibuprofen (NSAIDs are known to be a common cause of gastritis, ask your parents about it ; ).....Anyway....let me say I am NOT a doctor, the advice I'm about to give has simply come from my personal experience battling this annoying thing for the last few years. So I'll keep this short and sweet, if you'd like to ask me any questions about what I share or about my own personal experience and journey to learning what works for me, feel free to ask, I will check this page over the next week to see if you've posted anything in response (I understand that many times random posts don't seem to "credible" so questions will actually help me prove to you I know what I'm talking about : )

1) You have to stop hurting your stomach. Obviously, no more ibuprofen, advil, etc. for the time being. And probably most important you have to find foods you can eat that do NOT exacerbate your stomach. My case was a bit extreme were nearly everything hurt except Potatoes, Quinoa (great source of protein), and apples. don't even think about eating unhealthy foods, unless you just want to prolong your pain further. So once you're on a diet that doesn't exacerbate your stomach you can then begin to repair the damage and get on with your life!!

2) In order to start to really heal the inflammation you have to find a way to reduce the acid in the stomach. (Doctors know this best, which is why the standard for gastritis is usually an antiacid and a coating agent,like the bismuth you have been taking..........The problem is not all antiacids work for every person, so you have to try different ones to see which one works for you. Metaphorically speaking, by reducing the stomach acid, you're putting out the fire in your stomach. I'm assuming your doctor has prescribed an anti-acid to you, and if not ask for one (Nexium, Prilosec, etc.) If one doesn't do it, try a different one. For most people with gastritis, one of the anti acids combined with taking a coating agent prescribed by the doc, heals the gastritis in a month or two (when you're symptom free, do NOT stop your regimen, you should get an endoscopy to be 100% sure all inflammation is gone before you go crazy and eat like a normal human again)... If the bismuth doesn't work for you, ask for Carafate (it's another common one that doctors prescribe). For a very small unfortunate few these medications don't work like they should..... that's the case of many people on this site, and thus why we have had to take matters into our hands a bit and dive into the world of natural supplements and herbs. Most of the common things you should try if need be: aloe vera gel, mastic gum (this has been my miracle/the one made by Jarrow Formulas--> in the world of natural supplements the brand is super important because they aren't regulated by the FDA), Licorice, Ginger, Coconut water, Marshmallow root, Slippery Elm, and on and on...... Try the doctor first b/c like i said most ppl's case of gastritis responds to the basic prescriptions by the doc. If however, neither coating agent works for you, I'd highly recommend Mastic Gum made by Jarrows Formulas. For coating agents, you take it just like your doctor prescribed and make sure you take it before bed. When you wake up, if the thing works for you, you should be able to tell a NOTICEABLE difference. THATS IT!! Thats all it takes to fix it, it's really a simple solution, because all it is is a little inflammation in the wrong spot. IF you run into any trouble with antacids not relieving the acid (which you should definitely feel a reduction in pain once it kicks in) please respond to me, because I can let you know more..... To be honest yours is actually not bad at all, but if you turn out to be like me where nothing the doctor gives you (after trying all the different kinds) is doing anything, lemme know, cause I still fixed it using natural herbs and other things basically giving me the effect that the doc's drugs should have given me... Don't worry too much, once you find what works for you, it's like a 2 week process to symptom free and then a 1-3 month time frame to completely healthy. I've done it twice now, so I would know. Hope you feel better soon...

Jason



2. You need to find

Hi Jason thank you so much for your response.

My doc didn't give me an Antacid... I don't even know what that is :(

They think my gastritis is something related to 'eosinophils' and they think it might be eosinophilic gastritis because of biopsies I've had done ages ago.

The doctor put me on Ranitidine (Zantac) last week and I'm supposed to take two before sleeping. Because I wasn't making much progress with the Bismuth my dad told me to stop it... but now my stomach is feeling shitty again. I thought the Zantac was working at first but my stomach is feeling so shitty today, I'm bloated as hell right now. I only stopped the Bismuth for about three days... I think I'm gonna get back on it tomorrow. I really don't know if it helped but goddamn it definitely made me kinda constipated.

I really hope you're right that my gastritis is mild :(. I'm sorry to ask this man, but you say this isn't a big deal, yet you've been suffering for five years. That's horrible and I'm so sorry to hear that. I'm wondering though... if you've been unwell for so long how are you so sure that this is fixable? Are you still suffering or have you cured yourself?

Thanks again for your post, wish you the best.

Lots of good advice here. If things don't get better soon, get a second opinion at a research hospital. Before going on steroids try Xanax at night. I took it for a very short time and only at night so did not get addicted. Don't give up and be patient. Don't follow your dads advice about having this for years. My husbands problems popped up at about your age and he devolved esophageal cancer at age 51. You have got to figure out how to relax and make sure you get lots of exercise. Good luck, you have to keep telling yourself you will improve. It just takes time.

Hi there, I am still battling. So frustrating as I can go for days and days and feel nothing. I don't ever eat processed food and never have. I make soups and smoothies to get my five a day in. I was put on PPI after endoscopy but not taken any - don't want to start that route if I can help it. What I have found really helps in Zantac am and pm and Mastic Gum is fantastic for me. Raise your bed head definitely helps too. I avoid spice and garlic/onions, citrus - don't do fried foods anyway so no problem there. I had gastritis 6 years ago quite badly and got rid of it until just recently when I believe a "natural" oil based toothpaste/mouthwash I bought off the net started hurting my esophagus a week after using it and I believe that the almond and spearmint oil in it irritated everything. So you can get rid of it and keep it away for years......................G.

As i said above stick to all the GERD rules. Reduce stress completely. Dont take a steroid! This is the first time I have come across this idea for gastritis. Go to shihonage site and follow what he says to do. This can get way better. You have classic gastritis symptoms. Just stick to the disciplined diet and take the Zantac but also check shihonage. Start walking for exercise until you get better. This can go away totally. It takes discipline and a lot of it!

Jason your response and others was very helpful. Like yourself, I have been suffering from Gastritis for over 4 years. Advil was the culprit. According to my doctor I have probably had Gastritis long before 4 years ago. I am finding the disipline of eating plainly very difficult. Coffee and Pesto are the killers for me. When my Gastritis flares up, I know I caused the flare up by being in a rush and eating something that I know kills my stomach. 1 day of eating crappy causes 3-4 days of bloating and that nagging pain and TMI diarrhea. The problem I have is that I am told just eat plain foods. Easy for someone to say not suffering from Gastritis. What exactly defines plain foods. Is there some list out there people like me can follow. I am a recipe junkie and need something to follow. I am glad I found this support group today. I can certainly relate to all of your stories! I completely understand peoples anger and frustration also. Please keep the helpful information coming, especially the eating/health store remedies. Anything that has worked for you, please share. I find Zantac helps ease some of the pain for me.

BloatedPain:
Good Question! haha :) The reason I'm so sure it goes away and SHOULD go away is that my first year having it I nearly fixed it by going on a very strict diet (i.e. I stopped hurting it) and then used mastic gum (Jarrows) morning and night. Long story short the reason I relapsed was because I was I didn't understand that just because my symptoms were gone (I didn't have any pain, in fact I wasn't even sure I had any inflammation left) that i still had to keep going on the healing process. So I went back to school and started eating the same junk and found myself with the pain again. I first developed symptoms in October of my Freshman year of College. I relapsed right after coming back to school in the Spring. Shortly thereafter, I read somewhere how upping vitamin C is great for fighting illnesses, in hindsight this was literally the dumbest thing I could do........I should have just gone back into my diet and healing process and stick with it to the end--> then get an endoscopy to be sure it was gone. I basically started taking huge quantities of vitamin C, I'm talking like a full bottle a day that you'd get at rite aid or any grocery store. I didn't realize what I was doing but, Vitamin C in its synthetic form comes in what's called "absorbic acid." So for a solid 3-4 week period I was dumping acid into my stomach--> I burned my stomach so bad and turned my gastritis from mild to medium to severe and thus it's taken me 3 years to recover from that one decision. I'm now finally at the point where I have no more symptoms..... I am planning on getting an endoscopy by the end of this month (August) to be sure the inflammation is 100% cleared up, then I'll slowly start incorporating more foods. I don't know if you can relate to this but, for me, the biggest struggle has been in my mind. The worse my gastritis got, the more negative,pessimistic, and outright depressed i Felt. Your stomach (and your whole GI tract for that matter) is loaded with neurons, just like your brain. When your GI system is inflamed and unhealthy, your attitude tends to get more negative. Based on reading your first post, you seemed like you hadn't slipped into this more pessimistic view yet, which is great! There are herbs/natural supplements that will work for you--> You just have to take matters into your hands and not accept being sick. Don't let people discourage you, gastritis is simply inflammation (assuming you don't have h. pylori), and inflammation goes away overtime. Don't complicate it

hcastaldo: Thanks! I've tried nearly everything I've ever read about foods that help gastritis: coconut water, cabbage juice, siberian nut oil, mastic gum, licorice, DGL, Marshmallow herb, Slippery Elm , Black walnut herb, raw garlic, cayenne pepper, raw aloe vera,etc. (I'd try some of these and see which ones work for you--> the more natural and less processed you can find each one the better.)
Everyone is different and what works for me may not work for you, but something will work for you for sure. For me, Jarrow's mastic gum at before going to bed has been great. There is a noticable increase in healing when i take it. i also take Slippery elm that I get from vitamin shoppe, which i take in the morning and maybe once early afternoon--> it doesn't really "heal" it, but it coats my stomach and i don't know how to describe it, but because it coats my stomach I feel more positive and mentally sharp rather than lethargic and negative (my guess is that it's coating all the raw nerves in my stomach and protecting them from being irritated from the acid, but I'm not a doctor). Then the formula that has literally been a miracle for me is the liquid formula from Renew Life's Paragone. It's a parasite cleanse but i take the liquid formula because the herbal formula does wonders for my stomach and I can literally feel it lower the inflammation instantly every time i take it. i've tried taking each ingredient separately to winnow out the one thats responsible for the healing, but i get nothing. Thats why its so important to try different brands if one brand doesn't work because in the world of herbs/natural supplements each brand is NOT created equal. In terms of food and diet, I agree with you, this is where things become quite difficult bc it takes quite a bit of discipline in order to stick to it. Plain foods refer to things that are "easy to digest" and don't tax your system. Because of our weakened gi system, we need to give it foods that don't burden it too much. Plain foods that I have tried and read others have: Bananas, toast, apple sauce, soups, rice, oatmeal, potatoes, quinoa (great source of protein), couscous, fruits, cooked and thus softened veggies, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc. For me personally, my stomach is SUPER SENSITIVE so you probably won't have to be so disciplined in your eating as I have had to be....good news for you! The foods that don't hurt me AT ALL (many of the foods I can eat but they hurt me just a little bit, enough that it inhibits the healing process) are apples, bananas, potatoes, quinoa (has been the food that actually fills me up), and peaches. Ridiculous I know but again, from reading other ppls posts about their diet, I am super sensitive when it comes to food. You'll probably be able to eat lots more foods than me. You gotta take it one at a time, though. Also make sure, you're starting with the most organic/natural version of each food and if it doesn't hurt you try a more "commercialized" brand and see how it goes. For me, there is two things I have to watch for in food: 1) Is it soft enough to put into my stomach? 2) Is it easy enough to digest for my weakened digestive system? (For example, foods like raw veggies or a tbone steak would be way to hard on my stomach)
Just try to find a group of foods that you can eat consistently that allow you to get a decent amount of calories/protein and vitamins/minerals that do NOT hurt your stomach in any way shape or form. Once you get that down, you can work on getting a system of medicine that speeds the healing process. Then it's just a matter of sticking to it!
In regards to your comments about having a hard time eating just plain foods and not veering from your diet--> this is the hardest part I agree, but you have to do it if you want to be free of this thing and get on with your life
Something I have found, all of us have habits that we do everyday: good and bad. In trying to get change your diet, your having to replace your current habit of eating whatever you like with the habit of eating only what you SHOULD be eating for healing to take place. As with any habit, the first 2-3 days is the hardest part!!! After the 3rd, 4th day it becomes routine and becomes easier and takes less discipline because your cravings for other foods like ice cream, meat, or salty foods go away. I am telling you, if you stay tough through the first couple days, every day that goes by where you stick to it, it gets easier and easier, until you realize it's been a month where you cheated. I try to go for a month with stict diet and then have a day where I cheat with foods that are for the most part soft.
Anyway, I hope something in there will help you. It's not as hard as you think. You may not realize it, but you are closer to being free of this than you think. A few weeks of eating right with the right medicine and you can be symptom free. God bless