Chronic gastritis

Hello Lotus & welcome to the chronic pain forum. First off, kudos to you for leaving the alcohol alone. You may find this is something you will have to forgo permanently. Alcohol as you know can cause gastritis.

It took some time for you to get into this shape & I am sure it will take time for you to heal from this too. Time & patience will be your friend.

I would imagine your dr has you on various medications to help. It is real important to take the medications exactly as the dr prescribed them.

Diet can also help, a very bland diet. Stay away from anything spicy or irritating to the stomach.

You posted in the GERD forum & a member over there has responded & gave you some excellent information. You may want to go check out that post. Keep in mind none of us here are drs, we just speak from our own personal experiences.

I hope you get to feeling better soon.

If you have just started n your medications it will probably be a couple of weeks before you feel some real relief. I have had this several times in the past, once hospitalized for a week it was so bad. Stress can also be a trigger. Find ways to help keep yourself calm.

If you feel the depression is not getting any better, get an appt with your primary care dr & see what can be done. I was never given pain medication for gastritis, in fact some medications including pain medication can make it worse.

In the meantime, avoid everything you possibly can to keep from aggravating the gut. Stick with the bland non-irritating diet & before long you will be back eating normal. When reintroducing foods you normally eat do so gradually, in other words keep the spicy foods to a little at a time.

Hang in there you will get past this.

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your newfound sobriety. I've been a 'friend of Bill's' for many years. I also have chronic pain issues which require me to take medication. It is a slippery slope but can be managed if one is diligent and honest.

As for tummy troubles, ginger tea is known to help, turmeric is as well. Some others are Aloe Vera (you can buy it bottled for dietary consumption), chamomile, licorice and green tea. Always check with your pharmacist before taking 'herbal' remedies as some can cause problems with other medications.

The B.R.A.T.T. diet is always a good idea. Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Tea & Toast. Plain rice, dry toast. When I was little, this is what my mom always gave me, along with flat ginger ale. It has never failed to help me.

Alcoholics can't break down alcohol. We only metabolize it to a certain point. That point is where it then has the chemical make up of acetone...nail polish remover! No wonder so many of us have stomach issues!

If you go to meetings, bring your own beverage and forego the coffee and cookies, at least for now. Some of that coffee is so harsh, my son could clean engine parts with it! lol

Hi Everyone and thank you for the warm welcome and replies! I have been in much pain since my birthday dinner on Sept. 7th. I also have been in very stressful situations with 2 of my loved ones. Ever since the dinner and arguing my stomach went into another flare up. The chest pain/stomach tightening, burning, bloating, rumbling is through the roof! I don't even know if that's an appropriate term to use because I feel the pain all the time, feels like 24/7, but all I know is it got much worse. I am hoping to get a any relief soon. I was doing better when I was home more and scheduling my meals. I can't believe I have to work my life around food and get nervous to leave the house due to how painful this gets. It's been a month since I started a bland diet and no alcohol, although I think I can be doing even better and more disciplined on a stricter diet. What I think is bland and boring is probably even too much for my stomach to handle right now. I feel like all I can handle is liquids, if that!

Straydog, I went to a therapy group last night that focuses on anxety/depression and got some advice for coping skills/techniques to lower anxiety. I believe I am going to have to go back on antidepressants soon. I was on a low dosage of valium for awhile, but I ran out and can't get to the doctor. I had asked doctors about pain meds and they said there are none for gastritis and they can irritate it worse, like you mentioned. I also want to switch to something less addictive and find the right psychiatrist which seems to be a job in and of itself.Right now I have no car and I am hoping to have one by the end of the week or beginning of next. It is so hard to get around where I live without a car and I don't have anyone to drive me to doctor appointments, so that is adding to my stress.

Rocckyd, I was put on carafate which I feel was the only thing that helped. I called my doctor to ask if I am taking my meds the right way and his receptionist called me back to tell me to stop the carafate, which I don't want to do. I have to get to the office to talk with him. I am so confused!

pitmom, I would mostly drink on an empty stomach to enhance the effect and I know that was bad news. Once, I poured whiskey in a paper cup and saw how it ate through it, yet I still drank. I used to think to myself, "If it's eating through a paper cup, imagine what it's doing to your insides" but that didn't stop me because I never resolved my underlying issues that caused me to become alcoholic. I am working on that now but it's very difficult! I have been lucky to meet someone who has taken me to a few meetings and when I feel decent, I can walk to one that is very close by. I don't like to leave the house for too long in case the pain worsens, which limits me. I think I might benefit from the B.R.A.T.T. diet. My primary doctor told me about that once. I am going to try it. As if getting sober isn't enough without all this pain on top of it all! Ugh. I see all the tempting cake and cookies at meetings which makes it harder. I think they should have atleast a fruit platter or something healthy but hey I'm not there for the treats although I wish I could have one. I want to try something herbal but don't want to mix too many different meds/remedies.

nvrthesame98, thank you for sharing your personal story with me. I am sorry for your losses. Stories like that help me realize how deadly and painful this addiction is. I need to keep that up front. I also had no idea in the past how much a role stress and anxiety plays in gut damage. I need to keep that up front also. The not knowing for years what I had going on in my stomach out of fear of the endoscopy and diagnoses did a number on me too. I am very grateful to have found this site. What you said here is so true..."We are constantly on the lookout for anything we can find or do to bring about any amount of relief." Also, as you said I do need to be patient with this and that is not one of my virtues! Love your quote btw Vickie.

A speaker at my AA meeting the other night was touching on this and it is UNBELIEVABLE true for me and I know many other people.

Gonna hang in there...