Gastritis is taking over my life!?

Im an active high school girl. In November, I began taking 6-8 advil a day for my really terrible headaches. I was also partying and consuming a good amount of alcohol and smoking weed. I have always had bad sensitivity with alcohol (could feel it burning in my stomach).

Three weeks ago, I began feeling a bloated feeling in my stomach. I had lost my appetite. These symptoms kept getting worse.

A week ago, i saw my pediatrician and he said i had gastritis. I am taking 2 Nexium (20mg) tablets per day and 4-6 tums. I haven't been eating anything SUPER acidic... I cut dairy out of my diet except chocolate lol. I also eat a lot of carbs and chicken.

My doctor told me i would feel better within a week. My gastritis has only gotten mildly better.

I do not get much heartburn with gastritis (only a little bit of chest pain here and there). My biggest issue with gastritis is the bloated feeling I get (expecially when I stand up). My gut literally feels like it's about to pop out of my skin.

It's also really hard for me to talk. I get real bad shortness of breath and slight mucus buildup when I talk for more than five minutes. My chest also starts to hurt.

This gastritis is starting to take over my life. I have no energy to do anything. I also have anxiety so these symptoms make me worry A LOT (this rebounds and makes my gastritis symptoms worse). All I want to do is lay in bed. I haven't hung out with any friends because it's so difficult for me to talk to them because I get out of breath. I never cry but the stress from this makes me cry. As a growing teenager, I want to eat what I want, I dont want to rely on a medicine, and I want to feel energized.

Shed some light, please? I'm just having a really bad downhill in my life rn.

I'm sorry you are feeling so poorly. First, you need to make some lifestyle changes. The amount of Advil you are taking is way too much, you need to cut out the alcohol and the weed. Is your doctor aware of the amount of Advil that you take daily? The Advil alone could cause gastritis. You should try and adjust your diet, no chocolate, caffeine, spicy foods, citrus, acidic foods and eat multiple smaller meals throughout the day. Avoid refined foods, such as white breads, pastas, and sugar. Try to reduce or eliminate trans fatty acids, found in baked goods such as cookies, crackers, cakes, french fries, onion rings, donuts, processed foods, and margarine. As far as the anxiety, call you doctor and see if he has any suggestions for you.

Good Luck, Sharon