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GERD - PART IV

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GERD & Acid Reflux
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Posted 5/20/2013 6:49 PM (GMT 0)
Chris, sorry to hear about your brother in law. You can get through this. If anything else, your kids will keep you busy so you won't have time to be depressed. Anxiety & stress does affect our stomachs a great deal. I know that in the begining I used to worry about everything, my weight, my aches and pains, thinking I was dying and I couldn't sleep or eat. We all have to think positive thoughts to get through our illness. How's that carafate working for you?? You're still not able to eat a bit more?
Tums: What test results are you waiting for again? the endoscopy & colonoscopy? 10 days seems like a long time. I got my results the following week. keep calling the office until you get the results!
Right now, I'm going through this weird heartburn phase with chest and back pain. I swear I was ready to go to ER over the weekend, but I knew it wasn't heart related becasue I've experienced this before. If it isn't one thing it's another.
How's everyone else doing?
Posted 5/20/2013 7:04 PM (GMT 0)
Nat,
yes, the results from the colonoscopy / endoscopy! 10 days is a long time!
I just called again. like you, I also am having a bad day today with heartburn, gas,
and generally feeling like S----!.......I also have lower back pain all the time. hard to sleep at night..... Being anxious about these results is making it way worse!

Hopefully later I will have them and be able to relax!
Posted 5/20/2013 7:19 PM (GMT 0)
Nat, Gail, thank you for your kind words.

Let's see, I have been on carafate for 4 days now. I think it's helping with the heartburn. I am trying to eat more but for some reason, my appetite is not great in the morning or afternoon. It's at night that I actually start to crave food, food that I shouldn't have (like a big cheeseburger, with fries and coke.)

I am still going through my acid rebound right now (or at least I think that's what it is) and that's not easy. I have been off aciphex for two weeks now. I am just trying to eat so I won't lose any more weight.

I am also realizing that I might have some blood sugar level issue? I just get this massive energy crash in midafternoon where I get super sleepy but also feeling like I am fading away. It might be worse when I eat a lot of carbs the day before? Not really sure what's going on there? I actually am awaiting some bloodwork result myself to see if we can see any signs of mineral deficiency or abnormal glucose level.
Posted 5/20/2013 7:31 PM (GMT 0)
cheeseburger/fries, my favorite thing!

Chris, I know my sugar levels bounce around, as when I am empty in the am, I will feel a little weird and lite headed, if I eat something like protein, it passes.
I also will get sleepy after I eat, but my system is so messed up, hard to tell??
Posted 5/20/2013 7:41 PM (GMT 0)
Gail, it's normal to get sleepy after eating because the blood moves from the brain to the stomach to help digest food. If it was just sleepiness, I could deal with that. Sometimes, I feel like I am coming down with the flu, just without the temperature. Then after a bit, it will pass but during the time when I do feel terrible, it just scares me to death, like something is wrong and the doctors still haven't figured it out. Nat said so in her post, you get so anxious that every little pain and abnormality is magnified 100X, and you can't eat or sleep.

And all this started happening when my gastritis peaked in the beginning of March. It's been almost three months now and I still have bad stretches, physically and mentally. The funny thing is the stomach feels better (not perfect but better) but I can't shake the feeling of malaise and doom some times.
Posted 5/20/2013 8:50 PM (GMT 0)
chris am with you on those feelings. I get them too.
Posted 5/20/2013 9:03 PM (GMT 0)
 

I just heard from the Dr's office.  Everything is normal , no cancer!!!!

She said they had the report for a couple days and had to wait for the stupid Dr. to sign it off!!

She said he recommended a CT scan, oh goody!!!!!!

Posted 5/21/2013 4:59 AM (GMT 0)
Gail, awesome! Now, a little less to worry about.

Remember, eat good food. Gastritis will not heal without discipline. Believe me. I know.
Posted 5/21/2013 2:31 PM (GMT 0)
Gail, I'm so glad you got some good news. A CT scan at least isn't near the hassle of the endo & colonoscopy. Maybe that will get to the bottom of your pain.

Chris, I am sorry for your loss....... I'm glad the carafate is working for you....Have you tried a high protein diet to see if that helps. You are most likely correct that the sugar is making you feel down. Have you ever read Potoatoes Not Prozac. It's talks about how sugar/carbs are related to depression.

Nat, isn't it amazing how much pain HB can cause. That shoulder blade pain use to really be unbearable for me, so I feel for you. Hopefully you are having a better day.

I haven't been able to reduce my Zantac again. It would probably help if I quit indulging in the forbidden. Right now I am trying to be strong and not get that second cup of coffee. devil At least I haven't opened the bottle of chocolate wine. smhair I'm starting to wonder if I am still in rebound or not. I'm beginning to think I have reached the point of the issue being more diet than rebound. I'm going to try real hard to start reducing the Zantac and follow a basic GERD diet. yeah
Posted 5/21/2013 6:34 PM (GMT 0)
Hello ladies and Chris,

Chris: so sorry for your loss. It must be so hard on your family. The health anxiety is hard to shake it off, it is constantly on your mind. Are you sleeping OK? The rebound is pretty hard to go through. I hope you feel better soon.

Gail: good news, listen to Chris try to eat good and you feel better soon :-)

Nat, Sew: I don't know what is going on with my menopause but my reflux is better. Maybe because I am a bit more firmly in menopause now confused . The last 2 nights I didn't take Zantac and it wasn't bad. I am still keeping up my low carbs diet.

Sew: Congrats on your 27th anniversary. We are celebrating our 25th this year on a caribbean cruise this July. I am hoping by that time my tummy will co-operate so I can enjoy the cruise food.

Roah: where are you? I am a bit worried about you.
Posted 5/21/2013 8:31 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you ladies for your kind words.

My wife is still down in LA.  She called me last night and was having a hard time.  She and my sisters-in-law were cleaning and organizing my deceased brother-in-law's stuff and I think it was just hard, looking at his stuff, the memories.  I find myself visiting his facebook page, just looking  at his photo albums.

Viv, I am almost three weeks since quitting the aciphex and I think I can do this.  Just gotta be really careful with what I eat.  No sugar, no refined carbs, no oily stuff.  I broke down a few nights ago and had some potato chips and I got heartburn immediately.  I have been eating a lot of chicken breast and vegetables.  The only downside is it is hard to get calories eating healthy, without the sugar and the fat.  Still having some issues with sleep.  Just can never seem to sleep all the way through and wake up refreshed.

Sew, it's funny you mention the high protein diet, because that's pretty much what I am doing.  Well, maybe not high but most of my calories are coming from protein.  I had a protein shake and a hardboiled egg for breakfast.

A chicken breast with some vegetables for lunch and for dinner, I think I might have some black bean soup with a hamburger (96% lean) patty.  I do think it's giving me some energy.  I felt pretty good yesterday and pretty good today so far.  Got my fingers crossed.

 

Posted 5/23/2013 11:23 AM (GMT 0)
I have been up most of the night, with back pain and stomach pains, gas, etc.

It is 4 am here so decided to write you all.  Started yesterday with being constipated, finally took a suppository and went a little.  took prune juice twice during the day, ended up with the runs late afternoon, no appetite, just feeling horrible.  don't know if the suppository can do this or not??  everything I put in my mouth tated gross, so a really wasted day.    I got sad thinking I will never get over this crap.    

I finally took a Gaviscon a couple hours ago, hopefully it will help?

I am supposed to see the Dr. tomorrow, and hope I will feel well enough to drive over there!........I will be curious if he thinks it is Gerd or something else?

I don't have the typical symptoms of Gerd, but who knows?  I am hoping he doesn't suggest a PPI for this.  ??.......Do any of you guys take a probotic daily to help with digestion?   I have Phillips colon health and wondered if that would help this constant pain and lack of appetite?

I am ready to try almost anything at this point.  Its like how did I get this in the first place?    and better yet, when will it go AWAY!........wow, it is scary and dark in the middle of the night isn't it?   I was here alone last night which didn't help either!

 

Posted 5/23/2013 5:01 PM (GMT 0)
Gail, I am so sorry to hear that you are struggling. I had the same symptoms as you (except for the back pain) in late February/early March when I joined this forum. I hadn't had my endoscopy yet so I was even convinced that I had stomach cancer. Turned out to be gastritis just like you. Let's see it's almost been 3 months and I am better but nowhere near 100%. But I have to say I am better than where I was 3 months ago. Back then, I couldn't even function.

I think you can get better too. But you can't just rely on medication only. Gastritis happened because of our habits and diet. So without any changes to those two things, it won't get better.
What are you eating these days? I take probiotics too but i don't think it'll be a magic formula. You just need to keep taking it and 6 months later, you might say I am better than 6 months ago but there won't be any instant result.

My wife came back for a day from LA but she is going to go back down tomorrow and will probably stay there until at least middle of next week. Just thinking about going through this long weekend without her makes me anxious (I was looking forward to resting together and maybe even taking a family trip). Now, I am going to have to take care of two kids by myself when I am prone to getting tired quickly. But I have to get through this. Gail, like I said, I will be here, ok?
Posted 5/23/2013 5:17 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Chris,

Sorry you will be left with the kids again, especially when you are not up to par.

When I talked to the Dr. via telephone the other night, he suggested a bland diet, which is funny because that is all I can tolerate right now.

After yesterday, I won't be using a suppository again!.....I have taken the Gaviscon this am twice.  Also had another episode of the runs?   guess better than being plugged up?   Trying to get the energy to drive to the market for some stuff I can tolerate.  pain in my stomach feels like hunger pangs and just plain soreness.

I talked with my girl friend today that swears by Diatomaceous earth(food grade of course).......I did some research on it, and they claim it helps with all digestive issues.....I will ask him about it tomorrow when I see him.  it appears safe enough, but worried about trying to introduce something different right now.  are you still taking DHL?    my friend knows me well and is convinced that this is due to stress.

She could be right.   I do wonder if the Dr. will tell me to start taking the zanax again?  I also know I am sitting way too much and need to get out and walk

instead of sitting here feeling sorry for myself.  glad you are here to bounce things off of, I am so grateful for meeting you and the others here. 

 

Posted 5/23/2013 5:33 PM (GMT 0)
Gail, I would just establish a baseline diet of bland foods that you do well with, then introduce new stuff.
Make sure you are taking your liquid calcium/magnesium supplements too.

Hunger pangs and soreness. Yep, that's gastritis. I still get them, Gail, especially if I don't eat. But if I do eat, I get heartburn after 2 hours of eating. darned if you do, darned if you don't. Remember I stopped taking my PPI's about 3 weeks ago? So I am having the very same issue of acid rebound that Roah (the creator of our little support group) had (heartburn popping up after discontinuation of PPIs).

Do you mean DGL as in DGL licorice? Yes, I still do but I also take Gaviscon and Carafate.
I do think that stress and anxiety play a big role in all this. BUT, it does not explain everything. There are so many people out there with a lot of stress who are doing fine. If anything, you and I probably also had less than perfect digestive system and were prone to this kind of thing when stress did come into play. So we need to improve the digestive system as well as dealing with our stress, which isn't easy.

Finally, please look into cabbage juice. It's cheap to make (water, chopped cabbage, blender) and I am reading all kinds of great things about cabbage juice and gastritis/ulcers. While my wife was gone, I decided to try new things with all the free time and I made a batch of cabbage juice and started taking it yesterday.
Posted 5/23/2013 6:57 PM (GMT 0)
I just took my 3rd Gaviscon, before having some chicken soup.

How much water in the cabbage?? - I picked up some applesauce, peaches,

some Kefur, jello like someone with the flu.  I really miss salad and normal stuff, but just can't have it yet.

I also picked up some diet ginger ale, I know it is bubbly, but thought it might settle things down abit, if I sip it very slow.  I need to vacuum so badly (I have 2 cats) but don't have the energy at least right now.  glad you are close today ;)

oh, how often do you take gaviscon?

 

Posted 5/23/2013 7:01 PM (GMT 0)
Gail, sorry to hear you're feeling so terrible. I agree that you should go out and get take walks and clear your head. I do that when I'm at work and I can't focus because all I can think about is my stomach problems. I use my lunch break and just take long walks. I never used to to that before, just eat lunch at my desk. Fresh air & walking really does help. I agree with Chris that diet does play an important role. When I'm having "good" days I just eat what I want then I pay for it later. For example this past weekend I felt great, we were rearranging my son's room and I was moving furniture around and eating normal foods. for awhile there I forgot I was sick. Tuesday, the stomach pain hits. Heartburn is the worse. I get it real bad with stomach pain, back & chest pains. Gladly that has subsided, but now I have a new symptom...nausea. Just mild nausea after I eat. I'm not on any PPI right now, just Pepcid but I'm begining to wonder if taking a PPI for several months like the doc recommended is the way to heal the stomach. I've only been on PPIs 2 weeks max, 1 week here and there somethimes. I've read other stories online where people have healed their gastritis taking PPI for several months and watching their diet. My doc recommends that I should be on PPI for 4-6 months with carafate. What do you think about this??
Posted 5/23/2013 7:22 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, it has been hard the past few days.  I intend on talking to the Dr. tomorrow

again about PPI to maybe arrest this crap!......After last night, I feel I need something to get halfway to normal.  He wanted me to take it for 30 days at the beginning, but I refused. now I wonder too...??

I am also trying to quit smoking which is hard too, I have been using a E cigarette which is a life saver without the chemicals, etc. You definitely cannot smoke and expect my stomach to get better......

I know the H2 blockers do nothing for me.  I am starting a little walk routine, but not today, I am exhausted from last night and the trip to the market this am.

plan on a nap soon.  

Here it is a holiday weekend and I feel like crap......I so wanted a BBQ' burger.

Posted 5/23/2013 10:18 PM (GMT 0)
Gail, the ratio is 1 cup of chopped cabbage with 1 cup of water. In a blender, the water will go in between the cabbage bits so the cabbage bits will not rise. Blend on low to get a green mixture but you should still see tiny bits of cabbage. And then you gotta let it sit for 2-3 days to let the mixture ferment. What I did was just kept making 1 cup of mix at a time and poured it all into a half gallon of milk jug (about five cups worth of mix).
Then capped it and stored in a cool place like a garage. After three days, the mix is going to kind of stink.
Then I used a strainer to separate the juice from all the cabbage pieces and stored the juice in another milk jug and put it in the fridge. I am drinking about half a cup in the morning and half a cup at night. It actually smells worse than it tastes. Just drink it like it is bitter medicine. Cabbage juice is supposed to be wonderful for gastritis.
Posted 5/23/2013 10:28 PM (GMT 0)
wow, is there not a place to buy cabbage juice already done?
like a natural food store??
Posted 5/23/2013 11:34 PM (GMT 0)
Hello all,
Nat: Were you diagnosed with gastritis? Sorry I don't remember exactly, if yes then in my opinion you should try PPIs for couple of months and when things settle then try to wean yourself off. I believe it took couple of weeks for the pills to kick in. I did that at the beginning and then I go down to Zantac. Actually I was feeling good for a couple of days and bang today I bought a cold sandwich for lunch and that gave me some more gas than usual sad

Gail, Chris: I did read about cabbage juice. I believe Erica on this forum also mentioned about the cabbage pills in one of the threads. For me I chop the cabbage and steam them and eat them with jasmine rice. Gail, may I say whatever you try you should keep that up for a bit to see whether it is working for you. I am taking probiotic everyday and I have been on this close to a year. These supplements take a long time for you to feel the difference.

Sew, Will: Hope you are doing good and Roah: please drop us a line. Love to hear from you.
Posted 5/25/2013 1:55 PM (GMT 0)
Saturday and no one has posted for a few??

Where is everyone?

Chris,

Went to Dr. yesterday.  He confirmed he thinks I have IBS.  For now I am going to try a small piece of Xanax during the day to see if it will help calm down the stomach muscles a bit, if not he will give a anti-cramping drug to help.

He did not insist on a CT, just said if it will give me peace of mind to go ahead and get one.  So, I will think about it.  my older kitty has been sick and I am very concerned about her.  Holiday weekend and of course no vets around here.

She has been with me for 16 years now and is like a child to me.  ;(

Of course this is making the stress worse!    hope you are doing well with the kids.

 

Posted 5/25/2013 4:22 PM (GMT 0)
To All of the wonderful members in this GERD Forum - keep on sharing and supporting each other. 

A word of advice, when you do not get your test results right away that often means all is pretty OK.

When I had my abdominal CT last August I was sent directly from the Hospital to the Clinic so my Dr. could break the news to me that I had Colon Cancer.  confused

I am wishing each of you a pleasant holiday week-end.

Gentle Hugs,

Kitt

Posted 5/25/2013 9:48 PM (GMT 0)
^ sorry to hear.

Hello there, I'm new here. A little background of myself and condition:

44yr old male, 139lbs., 5ft-4inches in height. I don't smoke, rarely drink. I used to drink two cups of coffee/day, have cut back to half a cup. use to eat lots of spicy food.

4yrs ago (2009) I thought I was having a heart attack at night and went to the ER. X-ray, blood work, ECG (Electrocardiography), stress test. Everything check out ok. People were saying it was acid reflex. Didn't think anything of it.

Everything was normal, no attacks until early 2012. Had a hard time swallowing, couldn't breath and chest pains/discomfort. Went to the ER again. X-ray, blood work and ECG, ultrasound of the heart and stomach, all normal.

This time I notice that I had an annoying stomach pain, actually, more like something was stuck. Did some reading regarding acid reflex and when to my family doctor. He prescribe Pantoprazole. Took it for couple of months and then stop. The annoying pain went away but return from time to time.

Late 2012-2013, the stomach pain came back but this time with more frequent chest pain/discomfort. Took Tums like candies and drank apple cider vinegar from time to time. Started Pantoprazole again but this time around it didn't seem to work, so I stop.

For the pass few months my condition was now more frequent. My family doctor suggested to have a gastroscopy. Finally had one in Feb. but my follow up with the GI doctor wasn't till May. During this time I ask my family doctor for Nexium. Big mistake, had so much side affects had to stop after 4wks. I was 145lbs but lost 6lbs while on Nexium.

Went back to the family doctor and ask for Prevacid. Prevacid, isn't as hard as Nexium but stronger than Pantoprazole. On it for 11days before my follow up. GI doctor explain everything is normal with the gastroscopy test. No signs of damage, no h-pylori, no ulcer nor cancerous cells. He mention that stress, nervousness can cause acid reflex. He suggest to keep using Prevacid and also prescribe Zantac for nights. He told me to give it at least 2wks. Been using it for one night. But the next day (today), I believe I had a strong heartburn after eating lunch. Had to take Tums, apple cider vinegar, Gaviscon. After 2hrs, it subside. But still have this slight chest pain/discomfort.

Also, as a cautious mesure, he suggest a Holter monitor for 24hrs since I told him about my frequent chest pain/discomfort. I'm now waiting for an appointment to have this done.

As a side note, I've notice while I'm on proton pump inhibitors (Nexium, Prevacid), I get heavier chest pain/discomfort and more frequently as well. I might stop Prevacid in 2wks, by then I'll be on it for 4wks.

Sorry for the long read.
Ed

Post Edited (ed@mtl) : 5/25/2013 5:44:47 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 5/25/2013 11:50 PM (GMT 0)
Ed,

You are not alone here that's for sure!

My Dr. prescribed the same PPI  Protronics for me several months ago, I did not get it filled, knowing how many others have had so much trouble getting off the PPI's and the side affects too.

Zantac did not help me either, just like a rock in my stomach.  I have had the colonoscopy, the endo, blood I have eaten Tums too, taken DHL, tried so many different things.  just yesterday, my Dr. said I have IBS.  So more research on that now.......  I am sure the others who have been on and off PPI's will post to you with suggestions.   I am on a search now for something natural to stop the darn cramping in my stomach besides taking these medications with all the side effects.

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