Gastritis flare ups

Hi Digestgirl,

Welcome to Healing Well!  I'm someone who suffers from gastritis quite often, so I understand how you're suffering.  If you're not responding to PPIs and anti-reflux medication, I suspect you've got an overabundance of bile leaking into your stomach. Have you discussed this with your surgeon or GI doc?

I know for a fact that Carafate is the drug of choice for bile-related issues.  The very best option for you would be Carafate Suspension, rather than the pill type.  It will coat your esophagus so that refluxed biled won't burn it, and coats your stomach to help it feel better.

If you have good prescription insurance, be sure to get your doc to prescribe the suspension form, because it's far superior.  However, since it's super expensive, if you need to use the pill form, you can dissolve it in a little medicine cup to create a slurry...stir it with a toothpick.  Then throw it back like a shot, and you'll get some coating action in your esophagus on the way to the stomach.

I don't know much about bile, as my problem has been more with acid.  I think if bile reflux is an issue then the Nissen fundoplication surgery is the only real more permanent fix, but the Carafate will go a long way in helping your stomach lining heal and stay protected.

If you're having big problems like the ones you're describing, be sure to talk to your GI doc about it.  I think excess bile is a common side effect of the gallbladder surgery.

I hope things settle down for you very soon.

Best wishes!

Denise

Thanks Ive thought about it being that many times. When I had an endoscopy and they took biopsies they didn't show the cause. Ive had ph monitoring and have to wait to see my gastro. Ive never been told that I have bile reflux so I don't know. Im fed up of taking medicines. I was on Carafate a long while ago when I had oesophaghitis. I don't think I had the gastritis then. I stopped taking Carafate for some reason,I can't remember. A while later I was put on the tablet form of it and I only took one,imediately I was sick and my stomach was cramping. I don't know now if the Carafate liquid would help. Ive just been put on two Pantoprazole a day. I will ask my gastro anyway about Carafate. Its called Sucralfate here in the UK and not easy to get it in liquid form. I managed to get my local supermarket to order it last time though so I will see.

Digestgirl,

I think you would find Carafate suspension is far superior to the tablet form.  When I discussed the possibility of bile reflux with my GI doc, I told him I was taking Carafate suspension, and he said that is what he would put me on should I have it. 

I take Carafate suspension because I tend to get gastritis easily, and since my wrap is created out of my very reactive stomach, it gets irritated easily if I eat something challenging.  I find it very helpful.  At one point I was having a lot of trouble with my stomach and wrap due to gastritis and was taking liquid antacids to try to coat my stomach.  Suddenly I remembered the Carafate, and took it with immediate relief.  I wouldn't be without it.

You do need to take note of the fact that you need to take it two hours before or after taking medication, and an hour before or two hours after eating.  That's the tough part.

The thing is that it coats your stomach and esophagus and that coating lasts up to 6 hours.  It provides protection from either acid or bile, and helps healing.  It was actually developed for healing ulcers.

Check with your GI doc and see what he/she says.

Good luck!

Denise

Hi Digestgirl,

I know what you mean about the Carafate/meds schedule.  A way I've been able to get in some extra doses is that I take my night meds before dinner, the in 2 hours I can take Carafate.  If I wake up in the middle of the night I take it then, too.  I just take note of the time, so I can space it from breakfast and any morning meds I might take.

If you get ANY Carafate suspension doses in it will do some good.  If you have to take the tablet form for the time being, you can put it in a shot glass or medicine cup, add a little water, stir with a toothpick, and throw it back like a shot.

If most of the pain is at the top of your stomach, the Carafate suspension would really help.

I haven't been diagnosed with bile reflux, but discussed the possibility with my GI doc.  I had the Nissen for acid reflux that was very badly affecting my lungs/asthma.  It has made a big difference.

Gavascon is an antacid with coating ability.  Carafate is not an antacid, but the benefit is that the coating lasts MUCH longer--for up to six hours.

I know the suspension form is more expensive, but it works much better for me.  I agree that it's worth a try.

Best wishes!  Hope things get feeling better soon.

Denise

PS--I understand your frustration.  Reactive stomachs and gastritis take a long time to calm down.  It's a rough road, I know.  Hang in there!

Hi Denise and everyone else,
Once again you are telling me what I need to hear. I have been adhering to all my meds except the Carafate which I usually only get in once a day. I am definitely going to try to get it in at least three times each day...The nausea I experienced for months is better and I believe that is due to the Erythromycin for slow stomach motility. However, I still have pain in my upper left abdomen on many days and in my left ribs under shoulder blade and arm almost all the time but to varying degrees...Does this sound like gastritis pain? I am always a bit confused...My new gastro doctor thinks I have bile reflux because of the gastroparesis which makes the stomach empty slowly causing the pyloric valve to let bile flow back into the abdomen causing the inflammation. He has me on 40 mg. of Protonix, the Carafate, 150 mg. of zantac and the liquid EES(erythromycin...I am better and have gained 8 pounds because I am able to eat more...he did alot of new blood work to test for different conditions such as diabetes, lupus, other autoimmune diseases, myeloma, etc. but all were negative...Then he did another CT scan because the last one was five months ago and he said he just wanted to make sure nothing had developed---all negative---I am just frustrated because he doesn't really say what he thinks is causing all this and doesn't want to see me again for three months... I haven't written in awhile because I was trying to just use positive affirmations...I am definitely better and have much less nausea and normal bowel movements for a month, but know something is wrong because of the pain----could the chronic gastritis caused by bile be the reason for the pain?