Posted 3/15/2018 2:46 PM (GMT 0)
Backstory: I got diagnosed in July 2014 with Gastritis. I started off with Pantoprazole 40mg that August and seemed to do OK. It took about a year to really start feeling 'normal' and when Pantoprazole stopped working in January 2016 (intense stomach pain on the right side of my stomach and horrible tightness in my shoulders and neck), I started Dexilant. After 3 months on Dexilant, I went from feeling good 4 days out of the week, when Pantoprazole was working, to feeling good 7 days out of the week, I practically had my life back. Then I started getting bad reflux symptoms from Dexilant about 6 months in (constant burning that could not be put out with Carafate or Galviscon, tightness in neck and shoulders) my doctor suggested switching to a low dose of Pantoprazole and my symptoms went away in about 2-3 months and I was normal.
CURRENT: The past few months I just let my guard down and stopped eating safe 50-60% of the time and pretty much ate/drank what I want. Over a month ago, I had a second cup of coffee on Sunday and started getting severe stomach pains which I had not had in a while. I didn't want to accept it but realized it must be the Gastritis so I started Dexilant 60 mg and carafate suspension that Friday. It's been almost 4 weeks since that and I have felt some minor improvement but not much, seems everyday is difference and I am on a safe, boring, low acid diet.
I finished a 2 week prescription of Amoxicillin due to a sinus infection so that probably exacerbated my symptoms.
My concern is the symptoms I have are do not really remind me of gastritis. The main problems I had when I first got Gastritis was the stomach pain/tenderness, bloating, burning, and nausea. Really the pain of the stomach more than anything.
My main symptoms (currently) are chest pain, not heartburn, that strikes right after eating. it reminds me of angina, and pressure behind the plate, they have been getting slowly better. The other symptoms that are classic pain between the shoulders and neck (along with some jaw pain) although that has gotten slowly better with the jaw pain mostly gone, stomach tenderness but no pain (I guess I can thank the Dexilant for that), I do occasionally get pain on the right side of my stomach and not the left although that has gotten better which I only got once which was one Pantoprazole stopped working so that scares me into thinking Dexilant is not working as well, and nausea. I am now getting rib cage pain as well and this weird itching around and below my belly button.
My GI Doc thinks it's a combo of Gastritis and GERD and that I caught it early before it could get even worse (if there's such a thing). He said to give Dexilant 2-3 months and if I don't see more improvement then to touch base and decide on another form of treatment.
I guess I am fearful that a lot of the symptoms I have are more GERD related than Gastritis and if Dexilant isn't working to get this under control I am really up the creek.