Gastritis Symptoms

Hi -

I have UC but also suffer from gastritis.  In the past, I have used Nexium or Prevacid to keep my Gastritis in check.  I had to stop taking Nexium, though, when I became pregnant, so I have not used it in the past 7 and 1/2 months.  It's starting to get a little rough for me in the Gastritis department (noticing more and more burning stomach and heartburn), although I believe my UC is still in remission.  I know there are several of you on this board who also suffer from Gastritis and am hoping that you can help answer this question for me...

Is it possible for Gastritis to cause diarrhea?  I am experiencing a few bouts of diarrhea every now and then.  It doesn't feel like a UC flare - no blood, no mucus, no urgency, no pain, and it's not consistent.  I will wake up in the morning and have a normal bowel movement, not go all day, then at night, I will have an instance or two of watery diarrhea.  It's not every night... just one or two nights per week.  It's been happening for the last 2 or 3 weeks.  It starts with a lot of gurgling in my stomach (not my bowels) and heartburn and ends in diarrhea. 

For those of you who have been pregnant, do you think this could just be pregnancy-related?  I am now in my 31 week.  (Only 8 more weeks to go before my scheduled c-section!  I can hardly believe it.)

It really doesn't feel like a UC flare to me at all.  I guess I could be wrong, though, so I will take any advice anyone has to offer.  You are all so great, I wanted to get your input before calling my doctor.

Thank you so much for your help!

Cindy

Thank you for your response... I think you are right! I did some quick research this morning, and it sounds like random diarrhea in the third trimester is rather common. It has to do with the hormonal changes that go on during this time - I guess the hormones surge again later in pregnancy. I have the other symptoms of hormone surges, too - breathlessness, fatigue, etc.

It's just so hard to know when you have UC. I don't usually get bad D with flares, but not every flare is the same, so I immediately assume that it could be a flare or my gastritis which is going untreated right now. I'm going to keep an eye on it, and if it continues or gets worse, I'll call the doc.