Hello Leili87,
Welcome to the forum.
I'm with Andy, I wouldn't be too concerned about
Barrett's at this point. I feel like I can help because I have chronic gastritis and erosive esophagitis. This is my 2nd time that I've had to deal with this and I was able to beat it the first time. This time around I am armed with a lot more information.
When it comes to both gastritis and esophagitis, remember that it may take a long time for your body to heal. It is extremely important to make sure you are on a strict, nutrient-dense diet to:
a. Give your body enough time to heal
b. Give your body the nutrients it needs to heal
c. Stay away from foods that may trigger or worsen your condition.
Please read my posts in this thread because I go into more detail here:
https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=45&m=3484813
Firstly, make sure you are sleeping properly at night, which means having the head of your bed elevated at least 7 to 9 inches. You can place blocks of wood or invest in adjustable bed risers and put them under the two legs of your bed where your head lies. This is important because the entire bed needs to be elevated. Using pillows doesn't work and it actually puts more pressure on your stomach.
Secondly, stay away from all known trigger foods such as spicy foods, fatty / greasy foods, chocolate, mint, peppermint, caffeine, alcohol, etc.
Thirdly, stay away from all food additives such as MSG, aspartame......my basic guideline to eating food is if it has something on the label that you cannot pronounce or it's not natural, then don't eat it.
Fourthly, stay away from all dairy and gluten for 90 days, then reintroduce one item each at the rate of one per week. Dairy and gluten causes inflammation in some people, and dairy (especially milk) encourages acid production.
Fifthly, keep a food journal. It is important to write down what you eat, when you eat, and how much you eat and then write down how you feel afterwards. This way you can keep track of what foods and beverages may irritate you.
Sixthly, invest in the book by Dr. Jamie Koufman, DROPPING ACID, as it has been proven in double-blind studies to be effective in lowering your symptoms.
Seventhly, stay away from most spices for at least the first 30 days or so. Whatever you do do NOT eat pepper. Some sea salt is okay, but as always, pay close attention to how your body reacts to food.
Eighthly, eat several small meals per day. Also make sure you chew your food until it is of almost near-liquid consistency. This will help the food to go down easily and have less chances of irritating your esophagus and the extra saliva will help to continue digesting your food.
Whatever you do, do NOT over eat. I've made that mistake twice already since my trip to the ER in June I have paid a heavy price for it.
When I'm having a really bad day, I will either run to the store and buy some organic baby food or I'll make my own (plenty of recipes can be found on the web). I have also noticed that eating sushi (tuna, salmon, halibut, albacore, yellowtail, etc.) plain without the ginger and wasabi has helped calm my stomach down.
It takes a long time to heal sometimes, my last bout took about
6 months before it got better, so I anticipate it'll take me at least that long to heal up. Though I suspect it may take much longer because I feel like I've done more damage to my esophagus this time around.
Good luck to you,