Esophagitis

Hi Mmun,

So sorry to hear what you are going through. I can relate to most of what you are writing. I was diagnosed with chronic gastritis and erosive esophagitis back in 2011 and was able to get better the first time around. Then I was struck again by both gastritis and esophagitis again a couple years later and that's when I decided I needed to really find out what the root cause of my issues were.

First and foremost, I learned that gastroenterologists that are NOT homeopaths are going to recommend you take acid-suppressant drugs such as H2 blockers and/or PPIs (Proton Pump Inhibitiors like Nexium, Dexilant, Prevacid, Protonix, etc.) and they'll tell you to watch what you eat, but they really aren't going to give you really specific, nutritional guidance that you're going to need to beat this thing.

Be careful with things like ginger tea, manuka honey, and aloe vera jice because there's a small chance that they might not be helping you. For now, I would stay away from the aloe vera juice and the manuka honey for now. If you're going to drink ginger tea make it straight from the ginger root and start off with one cup a day and see how your body reacts to it. While I'm a strong advocate for ginger tea, it affects people differently.

I cannot emphasize this enough: it is critical that you keep a food journal to keep track of which foods and beverages cause you problems. Our memories play tricks on us and it is important to document what you are eating, in what quantities, and what time of the day for at least 2 weeks (30 days is better).

Next, make sure that you are eliminating the known causes and irritants such as alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, fried foods, spicy foods, etc. Stay away from all processed foods for at least 90 days, though you may need to go longer depending on well your esophagus is healing. For example, no fast food, no deli meats, no hotdogs, no frozen foods (frozen vegetables should be okay though).

Stay away from all dairy products and gluten for 90 days, then slowly reintroduce them into your diet at one per week (i.e. week 1 after 90 days try some cheese and see how your body feels, week 2 try some whole wheat bread and see how your body reacts, week 3 try a little bit of kefir, etc.).

Pick up a copy of Dr. Koufman's book called DROPPING ACID, as it will give you ideas on what to eat.

I had an extreme problem with my erosive esophagitis where it was so painful for nearly 2 months that I missed a lot of work and could barely function. For several weeks all I ate were pieces of peeled apple slices, homemade applesauce (do NOT buy the stuff from the store as it has acid in it), and banana slices. I then added organic baby food, but found it much, much better to make my own at home.

The swelling that you are feeling could be caused by any number of things. It could be a food allergy of some kind, a reaction to some kind of unknown chemical, an autoimmune response, or something else. I think the key here is to keep your diet very simple over the next 3 months (or longer, depending on your symptoms).

I'm going through this right now.

about 2 weeks ago my stomach and esophagus were feeling fantastic, so I decided to drink some red wine. I ended up drinking about 5 glasses after dinner over a period of about 5 hours. I felt fine when I went to bed. But the following morning I woke up in lots of pain an realized I just set myself back months.

So now I'm back on my strict diet again and this time I am not going to stop until an endoscopy confirms that I have healed 100%.

I'm currently in phase one of my diet which is eating homemade applesauce, banana slices, and boiled vegetables (potatoes, carrots, zucchini are my favorites). I just starting baking sweet potatoes in the oven and my stomach loves them. Around week 3 or 4 I'm going to add sushi (no ginger, no wasabi) 1 to 2x a week as well as home made chicken vegetable soup. I'll be eating that and nothing but that for about another month or so.

Around week 8,9, or 10, depending on how I feel, I am going to use my Vitamix blender and will begin juicing vegetables and fruits. I find that it soothes my stomach when I drink some about an hour after dinner and 2-3 hours before I go to bed.

By the way, organic bone broth is very, very good for you and if your stomach can tolerate it will then by all means, keep on having some.

Yes, it is horrible living this way. I'm smacking myself in the head for thinking it was okay to drink that much red wine. I have sworn it off for good and won't drink any until I have completely healed this time.

For at least the next year, I will be eating mostly home made chicken vegetable soup (all organic), fish (about 1-2x a week, wild caught only), vegetable smoothies, home made applesauce, boiled vegetables, and may splurge on In-N-Out once in awhile when I'm feeling a lot better (probably 2-3 months from today). I used to take a probiotic supplement once a day, but I got better results by eating organic sauerkraut and taking about 1-2 teaspoons of the juice once or twice a day.

One last thing regarding diet, be very careful on what you drink as well. I keep it simple, I only drink filtered water, alkaline water, coconut water, organic ginger tea (once a day), and organic chamomille tea (1-2x a day). I don't drink any soda, no gatorade, and no drinks with sugar or fructose in it.

The esophagus is a very tricky thing to heal and it can take a long time to heal. Diet plays a huge role in how it heals. The drugs can help speed up the healing process, but in my case, I didn't like the side effects, so I stopped taking them. I did it gradually because the first time I tried to go cold turkey, the rebound acid reflux sent me to the emergency room.

I hope you find relief soon.