Gastritus

Hello All,

I'm new to the site. I have a question I 'd like to bounce off of ya.

Last year I was diagnosed through endoscopy with erosive esoph and mild gastritus and reflux. I was put on a double dose of aciphex   and in 8 weeks I was back to normal and reduced my aciphex back to 20 mg a day for the reflux. That worked great for 7 months until I decided to try to wean myself off aciphex and at the same time begin anew my daily regiment of niacin. I was also taking some NSAIDs to relieve some neck pain. Needless to say, gastritus came back with vengeance. I started taking double aciphex again and the burning is gone all I'm dealing with now are the mild hunger pangs that wake me and stay with me through the morning up till I eat lunch after which they usually subside.

My question is this. How long has it taken some of you to get over gastritus? Also, once one shows a suceptibilty to gastritus is it recommended to remain on a PPI even if one is feeling better?

Post Edited (Jim78) : 2/29/2012 6:32:29 AM (GMT-7)

Your doctor could prescribe something, maybe carafate, to help your stomach heal more quickly.  Pepto Bismol is an OTC product that coats the stomach and acts as an antacid, that might help.

Tinlou, I am taking 40mg of aciphex while I deal with the gastritus. I take one 20mg in the am and one pm. Based on what I'm hearing from others my case is mild compared to most. The worse Ive had is burning and hungerpangs. I ve never had nausea or the other severe symptoms. After starting the 40mg two weeks ago the burning is gone. I have some days where I deal with mild hunger pangs an hour after eating but even that isn't too bad. It appears that I will always be one that must watch what I eat.

Tinlou, I have stopped taking all forms of meds. No aspirin or nsaids at all.

I have some minor side effects when taking the 40 mg but not with the 20mg. I can tell my stomach swells some when I take the 40mg. This is, according to my a doc, an unfortunate side effect of both the gastritus and of removing too much acid from your system. Low acid can mimick some of the same symptoms that too much stomach acid can. Other than that I have no side effects. I cant take Prilosec I get throat swelling and throat sores with it.

 

Yes, Ive changed my diet. I can eat almost anything I want with the exception of those hard to digest foods. It's the beverages that seem to bother me the most. Coffee and tea are no no's for me. Like I said I think my case is mild compared to many. I feel sure that Nsaids and niacin were the primary contributing factors in mine coming back. How long have you had gastritus?

According to my doctors the hunger pangs are related to the irritation in the stomach.  Stomach acid will irritate the inflamed areas and this is one of the sensations that it can create along with the constant burning. Something I've also heard is that low stomach acid can create this same sensation. My hunger pangs were very strong at first but are more mild now. I don't have them every day but when i do get them they are usually in the mornning. I have a friend who has also been diagnosed with gastritus and his hunger pangs were so bad that he would get up in the middle of the night and eat a sandwhich. I ve found that eating a big breakfast helps me with them.  

I am just taking otc zegerid everyday and it has been working fairly well. Once in a while I have breakthrough and will get nauseated but it seems better No real side effects from the zegerid though.

Gastritis is a bit of a mystery, it will go away for quite a while and then will come back again. You are lucky that you didn't get the nausea with your gastritis, that is the absolute worst but the burning is pretty bad too. How long have you had gastritis and do you know when/how it began?

You are using an antacid rather than a PPI. Have you tried any PPI's? You may find that using one might give you complete relief. My doc and others have said that even using a standard 15 to 20 mg PPI daily doesn't stop your stomach from producing acid completely. I have no side effects at all on 20mg a day of aciphex. It's not until I get to 40mg a day that I start having side effects.

Wow,they didn't even diagnose you with gastritus or any type of irritation of the stomach. Considering the severity of your side symptoms thats suprising. You must have a cast iron stomach

Hello this is my first post here. I have been suffering from what appears Gastritis for nearly 6 months straight. I have cough that starts after i get up in the morning and seems like Phlem but is always clear. Then through the day it can come on again depending on what i eat. I am off chocolate anything with citrus, and coffee,alcohol. Since this started my stools have been soft and yellowish too, with rumbling stomach and intestines. My doctor had me do all sorts of blood tests and all came back negative. He had me on Nexium then Pariet for a while then back to Nexium. I have had xrays of my chest which all came back clear. In the end he sent me to specialist for a Gastroscopy last week and report came back as moderate Gastritis and irritation in throat, no cancer or ulcers. My follow up appointment is next week to get the full report from specialist. I wanted to mention that i have found Manuka Honey from NZ seems to work well it is expensive $45 for 250gram jar but my chest pain has gone and my sore throat is feeling better. Might be worth checking out work on GERD etc.

Tinlou said...
Definitely not..lol! The ER doctor diagnosed gastritis and my regular doctor diagnosed silent gerd because I don't get the typical heartburn, gagging, reflux. I guess it is a good thing nothing showed up but then again it is sort of irritating at the same time. I just do my best to stay active, eat right and stay stress free as much as I can. Hard to do but not impossible. In a way this forced me to start working out and eating better so it isn't all negative. I guess our bodies will let us know when we aren't treating it right. What were your original symptoms? 

My symptoms started as painful bloating in the chest area and of course acid indigestion. The burning and hunger sensations started late and was the final straw in sending me to the doc to have a look.

I have always been an active individual. Running and staying fit, but this has definitely changed the way I eat.

I dont think this is posting right with the quote so sorry if it looks strange.

Hi Jim,

Welcome to Healing Well!  As a fellow sensitive stomach/gastritis sufferer, I feel your pain.

I can share my own experiences...

First, I have found that for some reason my stomach is very sensitive.  My GI doc described it as "reactive". 

One big trigger I've found is antibiotics.  I really can't take anything but amoxicillin or maybe z-pac without getting myself into a full-blown gastritis episode.

I've stopped taking all pain meds.  I used to take NSAIDS for back issues (I've had a herniated disk), but now I don't take anthing even for a headache.  I'm an ice fan, and use it for various and sundry pains.

When my stomach starts acting up, yes, I go back to taking double dose PPIs to protect it from acid.  I also use Carafate suspension, and find it extremely helpful.  It's expensive, but if you have good prescription coverage you should consider asking for it.  If your script coverage is poor on non existance you could get a script for regular Carafate, which is generic/pill form.  You an put the pill into a medicine cup and stir it in with a little water.  Then throw it back like a shot.  It'll coat your esophagus a little on the way down. 

The pill will coat your stomach, so if your stomach is the only problem the pill would work fine.  If you've gotten some esophagitis or irritation there, the suspension is the best.  Just take note of the dosing directions if you start Carafate, as you have to keep it away from meals and medications.

As far as how long it takes to heal...I have had the Nissen surgery because my reflux caused issues with my lungs.  Before I had that done, whenever my gastritis would flare it would lead to esophagitis, and it was very difficult to heal.  I wouldn't be able to eat more than tiny amounts without pain, and I'd always lose about 20 pounds.  It would always take 2-3 months to heal. 

When you have a gastritis/esophagitis issue, you'll want to eat smooth foods.  Rough foods will scratch and irritate your tissue, both in the esophagus and in the stomach (the stomach mashes food as it digests, and if there are rough things in there they'll cause additional pain and irritation.)  The same thing with the types of food...no spicy or acidic things and stay away from alcohol.

My GI doc told me that when my stomach felt perfect for 2 weeks, then I could try introducing nire challenging foods.

Good luck!

Glad you've joined us.

Denise

 

Post Edited (dencha) : 3/5/2012 9:08:06 AM (GMT-7)

Dencha, Ive just heard about Carafate. I would like to try it on my next go round with gastritus:).