GERD - PART IV

Thanks Gail for starting the new thread.

Natitc, I am sorry to hear about your setback. But that's how it goes. about three weeks ago, my stomach was feeling pretty good, so I kind of upped my portions and also got a little bit careless. For two days straight, I had battered (Fried) fish tacos. Even drank strawberry lemondade. Then I made a dish that is a personal favorite of mine: korean rice cake (it's basically white rice pasta) sauteed in lots of sugar and lots of red chili pepper sauce. Really spicy and sweet. Hey, I was feeling kind of good. I ate it for dinner and then I took the rest for lunch the next day. That night, I started to get some serious heartburn (which I usually don't), had really bad bm and my gastritis flared up and I couldn't really eat that much for about 3-4 days. So I ended losing more weight. We can't get carried away, I've learned.

My friend told me that he just took prilosec during that time. The initial endoscopy confirmed the gastritis but the follow-up endoscopy, a year later, still showed some stomach inflammation, he remembers. That's how long gastritis can take to heal. So you gotta give it chance to heal. Bad food is like picking scabs before the wound is healed. He did say that once it healed, he went back to pretty much eating everything again. For him, gastritis caused him to vomit constantly and it didn't completely go away for two years. I wondered how he survived. He was in college so perhaps he just had better healing power than us.

Finally, the ativan. It doesn't make me drowsy although it's different from person to person. I find that a quarter of a pill actually does the trick for me. I can feel the difference when I take none vs. taking a quarter. My doctor did tell me that it can be addictive and the less you take, the better you can do without when it's time to quit so that's why I am taking it in quarters. I take it at night right before I go to sleep mostly but once in a while, I will wake up and feel off, then I will take it in the morning too.

Post Edited (Chris K.) : 5/8/2013 3:12:33 PM (GMT-6)

Chris, your gastritis flare up sounds just like what I go through when I over indulge. I can't resist Mexican food and I'll always risk it just so I can have some. Sometimes it affects me and sometimes it doesn't. Strange.

Gail: I was told that anti-depressants aren't addictive like the benzos (Xanax, Ativan). I was also told that benzos aren't to be taken daily. For a person having anxiety attacks daily, they recommend you go on anti-depressents. This is all new to me so I'm trying to get as much info as I can.

Hello all,
Nat: I am not on HRT. My symptoms still so far are: anxiety, acid reflux. Last night was the first time I started to feel hot and this afternoon I was getting a hot flash (my first time). It has been two months since my last period and it doesn't feel like I am getting it again! My throat is better and I still take Zantac at night. The sour taste is better as well. For me it must be the oatmeal and banana that I was having everyday. I never thought banana would do that to me.

Chris: I can relate to you as I think I should cut down on my jasmine rice and yet I can't, I love eating it. I am feeling better in my throat. It isn't 100% but I am happy with the way it's going. If I remember correctly from the book, once you eat something bad it takes 24 hours to clear it down your system. Why do you have to cut out so many things at once? I thought it is better to eliminate one at a time: dairy, carbohydrate, etc. Believe me, I have been working on this since June 2011 from my diet to exercise, it is a very slow process.

Gail: I hate drinking the stuff for the colonoscopy as well. At the time I had gastritis and for the last cup I gave up, couldn't drink anymore. Try not to think too much about it. When is your appointment?

Roah: Hope you feel better today.

Sew, Will: Hope you two are doing well.

I signed up for a "Detoxify" course tonight. I went there all gear up to learn and the instructor didn't show up, not happy at all. I wonder if any of you ever taken this course?

Kitt,

You are more than welcome!  ;)

I have been on the anxiety thread as well getting support for upcoming

colonoscopy tomorrow UCK!

I'm doing good. The first few days of the week always have their moments. Sunday is my day for reducing meds, but by Wednesday I was feeling less symptoms. If I can have a couple of more good days, I will reduce again Sunday. I'm being a chicken and only reducing an 1/8th of a pill at a time. It seems to be working though.

Roah, sorry you have had such a crappy week. I'm glad you are going to see a specialist. I hope he gives you the answer. You didn't mention when the appt was.

Gail, Today is the day you will hopefully get some answers. How are you feeling? Did you have any trouble with the prep? Keep us posted.

Nat, the gastritis will heal. We just have to baby our stomachs. I don't know exactly how long it took my stomach to heal, but it was under 2 years, and my pcp said it was the worst case he had ever seen. (He got the pictures). Hang in there.

Hi Chris.

Gail: hug to you.

I am doing better too on the Fast Track Diet. My throat is improving everyday.

Hope all of you are doing better: Sew, Roah, Chris, Will and Nat.

Gail: big hugs!!!!! I hope you get postive answers.

Sew: Its one week from now (MAY 21), I probably have to go to dentist as well, because I am starting to get white lesions alone the insides of my cheeks and tounge I know LPR causes oral Leukoplakia(can turn cancerous) but mine is starting to early, I am going to bring all this up to my doctor!

Thanks everyone!

Roah: are you taking anything for the lesions? They must hurt. Try to take it easy until your appointment. ((Hugs))

Sew: Which med are you reducing again? Sorry I got all mixed up now. I am trying to reduce the Zantac? Good to hear you have more good days.

Chris: are you quitting cold turkey? You sound better. I am a bit hungry on this diet. I am going to buy some nuts so I can eat them as snack.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Chris, I actually don't know how long it took to heal. I didn't even recognize it had healed until the endoscopy showed it all clear. The second endoscopy was 21 months after the first one, so sometime before that I had healed. I had just not put it to the test. I'm going to wait a little while longer before trying spicey foods.

Viv, I am reducing the Zantac. I am at 5/8 of a 300 mg tablet twice a day. I'm eating pretty cleanly. I just have to make sure I don't overeat, and for me overeating is a relative term. At least I'm not losing weight!

Nat, I do not get gastritis flare ups, but I'm also not doing anything to bring on a flare up. My idea of living dangerously is having a cup of coffee......that usually just brings on HB. I was drinking alcohol until I stopped the prevacid. I've been afraid to even try alcohol during the worst of the rebound. Soon though, because I think my ppi rebound is quite diminished. Honestly the rebound was really not that bad; definitely not as bad as where I started. This weekend I will be 4 weeks ppi free!

As I think about this, if my gastritis is healed, I don't think it would just flare up; that one mis-step would bring the gastritis back. Does that make sense? When I was diagnosed with gastritis I use to take carafate in the middle of the night if I woke up, so the stomach could get the most out of the carafate while it was resting....and healing.

Roah, have mercy child, I do hope and pray you get answers and help soon!

Hi Everyone!    I am back home from the colonoscopy and the Endo,

 God!  I few scary moments prior to getting the drugs, but after that I do not remember a thing, not even getting dressed!.......I only had to wait a few minutes before they took me in.   I got through it without any Xanax also.

They saw quite a few things, I polup on the colon, I also had one inside my stomach.  They are doing biopies of both.  My stomach lining is completely inflamed, and the paper said I have IBS........so they have prescribed prescription Zantac.

I hope it helps because the OTC zantac didn't help that much.????

I can reassure you all that that prep is the worst part!  miserable all day yesterday and half the night.  

I am taking a nap now, I ate my favorite grilled cheese and it tasted so good!

I cannot begin to tell you all how relieved this is all over. ;)

 

Chris: keep us posted on your progress with the PPI rebound and let me know how those natural remedies are working for you. I'd like to give them a try if they've been effective for you.

Sew: how long were on ppi? Are you taking Zantac now? How many mg per day? I'm taking Pepcid, but I think it's not working for me anymore. Would like to try Zantac.

Chris: I was going to ask you, how did you find out you had food sensitivities/intolerances/allergies? I am going to see a hollstic doctor around my area after the dentist/ent visits?? Did they do elimination test or skin tests? I heard that people who had gastritis once our gut heals it's not the same as it used to be so I think reason why I am having GERD/LPR due to the malfunctioning of my LES/UES (plus traumatic injury from that carnival ride), and sometimes our muscles in those areas malfunction because we can have food sensitive so if our gut is not willing to digest it or is sensitive to it, open the muscle goes which makes a lot sense to me why we reflux, because I was like it all started with gastritis and now I am here with two more intertwined illnesses, its amazing how everything plays together the nerves, the digestive tract, upper respiratory, the human anatomy is truly fascinating LOL.

Post Edited (inpinkagony) : 5/10/2013 5:02:44 PM (GMT-6)