Hypochlorhydria post Nissen?? Too little acid now??

Very interesting! I often wonder if i have too little stomach acid instead of too much because ppis make me worse! Also, when i have had various blood tests done the things i am low on are usually things hat indicate low acid.

Could your resOlution becas simple as going to the health food stotr and getting some HCL?

I'm waiting to get additional labs done to see what I'm low in. I've been low in B12 and protein in the past but not sure about minerals and other nutrients yet. I know adrenals can be affected as well so I know that also has to be checked. Hopefully it's something a diet change and/or supplements can fix! PPI's don't seem to help me at all either. It doesn't make me worse it just doesn't seem to do anything. Apparently hypochlorhydria causes your stomach to not able to break down the foods properly which leaves them basically fermenting in your stomach (gross right?) which leads to indigestion and other symptoms such as reflux (even though it's not really reflux). I hear that digestive enzymes can help with that. This is definitely a learning curve for me because I never thought I'd be on the "low" end! Guess we'll have to wait and see!

Yes, your symptoms do sound very similar. I'll occasionally have bad stomach pain (from indigestion apparently), my appetite will be off at times or I'll get full easily, nausea recently, severe bloating (regardless of how much or how little I eat), burping after meals, fatigue (probably from lack of nutrients/protein absorption), lots of stomach gurgling, I did have what felt like really bad heartburn a few times, and other times reflux-like symptoms without the heartburn as you described. What is VSL 3? I'm not familiar with it. I can't get in to see my Dr for another 2 weeks unfortunately so here I sit and wait. :-/

Oh ok. Yea I have a feeling probiotics and digestive enzymes will end up being part of my new routine. My appointment is on Aug 17 so I have a good couple weeks to wait unfortunately but yes very anxious to see what he's going to say. I want to start feeling better! I'll definitely keep you posted!

Hi everyone, I figured it's time for an update. Symptoms are about the same still except for the addition of some diarrhea now...yippie. Apparently that's from there not being enough acid to kill off bacteria in my stomach. Great. Also, I found out constipation is a common symptom as well since there's not enough acid to break down the food which I guess stops ya up. Well after about a dozen Dr's appointments it is confirmed that I do in fact have hypochlorhydria after the preliminary tests. Apparently as a result of the Nissen, the way the wrap is done can sometimes create damage to the nerves that help produce HCL (stomach acid). I obviously missed that part of the conversation when I went it for my Nissen 2 years ago! Not that I regret my decision as I am still MUCH better off than I was before the surgery don't get me wrong! And yes! PPI's do make hypochlorhydria worse or can even cause it!! Anywho, the next step is just a couple more tests (gastric emptying study...yet again, and a colonoscopy...oh joy, and bloodwork to check for any deficiencies). Geez it's been a hurry up and wait kind ordeal with my Dr's and tests I tell ya!

My GI Dr says from his experience HCL supplements don't work that great so I'm not sure what the treatment will be at this point. Just gotta go thru the steps of the additional tests first to make sure nothing else is going on and then I can start treatment...whatever that will be.

Just thought I'd pass along the knowledge I gained from my appointment the other day since it sounds like I'm not alone with a million questions :). Never in a million years would I have thought my Nissen could have caused this. At least that's one huge question that's now solved :). Once I get my treatment plan I'll keep you updated!

Carrie48: I've thought about trying apple cider vinegar but I haven't been thrilled about the idea of drinking a vinegar/water concoction lol. Bleh..

I just got the results of my gastric emptying study back today and I definitely have very slow digestion (which was apparent when they had to give me an injection of Reglan towards the end of the test to get the food to digest quicker). I'm starting on digestive enzymes first and then I'll move on to HCL supplements in a few days. Still have bloodwork and colonoscopy to tackle before I get a full picture of the problem. I've heard good things about HCL supplements on other posts so I'm anxious to try them. Sounds like it should really help the insane nonstop bloating and heaviness I have in my stomach and help boost my energy, or at least I hope! I have also heard that being on HCL will help to retrain my stomach to produce the proper amount of acid and in the long run HCL supplements will either be minimal or not even needed. Again, all speculation based off of other people's experiences with it. I just hope they're right! :)

In addition, I also learned that low stomach acid can slow down your metabolism! If you have poor digestion, nutrients aren't being absorbed properly and those nutrients are needed to maintain a healthy metabolism. So even though I might get full quick (due to the residual food left in my stomach from my last meal) and I'm eating less, I've actually gained a few pounds! Ugh... Oh Joy lol. Well, on to the next round of tests and trial and error with the supplements. I'll keep you posted!