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When I got diagnosed with mild gastritis (but no H. Pylori) and esophagitis, I looked all over the internet to find what to do. I did not find many accounts of people who have cured themselves successfully and how they did it. So I thought I would write my story once I am cured. Here it is. If you have cured yourself from gastritis too, please share your experience below as well.
Many people ask how long it takes to be cured. At first I started on dexilant for a month but I did not see any improvement. After a month I kept taking dexilant and I started the low acid diet in parallel. I got much better in 2-3 days. After two months on dexilant and one month on the diet, I felt completely good. Then I stopped the dexilant cold turkey and got a lot of pain and acidity back in my stomach. Now I regret I did not take the dexilant a little longer as my stomach was obviously not healed and not strong enough to go through the rebound effect of stopping dexilant. I regret also that I did not stop dexilant slowly taking it every other day for a week, then every three days for a week, .... I felt anxious about taking a medication that has so many side effects taken long term and I wanted to stop immediately, which was not reasonable.
Anyway there I was back at the beginning with stomach pain and acidity day and night. I felt pain related to the esophagitis as well which really scared me. I hesitated to take dexilant again but I decided to try to cure myself the natural way. Below I describe what I did. I got cured in approximately two months, getting slowly better week by week. After two months of natural cures I had no stomach pain anymore and no excess acid, I was able to sleep again, felt like a new healthy (and lighter -- I lost a few pounds) person. However after those two months, I felt that I needed to follow the diet another month for my stomach to get strong and be able to handle a less strict diet.
THE CURE
Books
Most of what I did is summarized in two books which I found very useful:
The first book is "Dropping acid: the reflux diet cookbook & cure" by Jamie Koufman. This is the book I based my diet on. The only disagreements I have with the author regard dairy products that I stopped taking as they make the stomach produce more acid (very clear for me), and the use of ginger, manukka honey and aloe vera which I find too irritating and/or acidic (and I don't feel that they help). Also she does not talk about salt which is known to be irritating for the stomach lining in excess, I felt an improvement when I lowered my intake in salt. I will explain the diet more in details below.
The other book is "Ulcer free! Nature's safe & effective remedy for ulcers" by G. Halpern. I know you may have gastritis and no ulcers but the two conditions are related and what cures one usually cures the other too. I used some of the natural supplements recommended in this book. In particular slippery elm (this one is actually not mentioned in the book) and DGL licorice for stomach pain (coat the interior of the stomach lining), Zinc-Carnosine (reduce inflammation and protects stomach lining - I felt a great improvement after starting to take it especially with acid production at night), and cabbage juice (finished my recovery with this one, after two days I had no stomach pain anymore at night). I describe the supplements more below.
What did not work for me
Mastic gum hurts my stomach. It is supposedly helpful against H. Pylori which I knew I did not have (I had been tested).
Prelief removes the acid in food and stomach very efficiently but causes constipation.
Tums works well for 45 minutes but then there is a rebound effect with the stomach producing more acid.
Manukka honey hurts my stomach (Too acidic, Ph level 4, but maybe also because of the tea tree essential oil in it). It is supposedly helpful against H. Pylori.
Aloe Vera is too acidic (around Ph level 4), and I don't feel it is doing anything positive.
Ginger is irritating and I don't feel it is doing anything positive.
Probiotics helps with digestion but not really for the stomach.
Zantac works very well at removing the acidity but makes me feel dizzy and incredibly tired.
PPI worked very well at removing the acidity and pain in my stomach while I was taking it while doing the diet, but I had a bad rebound effect when I stopped (one must stop slowly by taking it every other day for a while). Also having too low acid in the stomach because of PPI might cause problems in the long term (problems with Calcium and B12 absorption, bacterial infection more likely).
39 likes, 3077 replies
Shaztaz7010 ines6375
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ines6375 Shaztaz7010
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Shaztaz7010 ines6375
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ines6375 Shaztaz7010
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I do avoid wheat but it is for a different issue (IBS).
Shaztaz7010 ines6375
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my facebook is Sharon Louise Richards. Picture of me and my hubby
carmel83758 Shaztaz7010
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ines6375 carmel83758
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But my stomach tolerates bread very well as well as yeast. I regularly eat spelt bread made with yeast.
SARY ines6375
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carmel83758 Shaztaz7010
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ines6375 SARY
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cata27289 Shaztaz7010
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hebert28695 ines6375
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Please advise if your stomach made you suffer frim anxiety and depression with symtoms like rapid heart beatÂ
BYE
Dawn62001 hebert28695
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hebert28695 Dawn62001
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For how many years did you had this, do you take antisepressantÂ
WHat do you take to calm it down
& how can it becured
Dawn62001 hebert28695
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hebert28695 Dawn62001
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Have you had endoscopy to check if it was bile reflux
carmel83758 hebert28695
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AcidTrees hebert28695
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ines6375 hebert28695
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I wonder if the stress I had this last years contributed to my gastritis. I was in a bad relationship crying a lot. Now thankfully it is over and I am happy except for the stomach problems. At some point the pain in my stomach was preventing me to sleep. I was exhausted and depressed by it. But I did not have my heart racing. Could it be a panic attack you have?Â
hebert28695 ines6375
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Ines my stomach lining is very weak thats why it causes anxiery and sometimes paid in upper left abdomen & rapid pulse
ines6375 hebert28695
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Did you get an endoscopy to check your oesophagus?Â
hebert28695 ines6375
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I did an endoscopy 4 yrs back its was my esophagus inflamed with both bile & acjd
But its the anxity & stress that is worst
Were you using antidepressant also?
ines6375 hebert28695
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I did not take anti-depressants. I was in a bad situation and when I got out of it I recovered. Also when the stomach pain became weak enough that I could sleep full nights, it helped a lot too.
luna3 hebert28695
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Interesting read about how eating when stressed can cause bile reflux which causes gastitis.
I was diagnosed with bile reflux, which probably caused the horrible gastritis. I am having a low week beecause its been 10 weeks and only seems to be getting worse. I find cutting any hard food or carbohydrates like bread, pasta, rice, helped me in the beginning. I actually find soft cooked egg very soothing. DGL licorice tablets really irritated me, or mabey in was the chicken soup i had with it with, but I'm scared to try again.
Has anyone tried l glutamine? Or digestive enzymes? I bought both from the health food store but afraid to try anything that could make it worse. I've also come across the acid/alkaline diet and the paleo diet in my research which people are swearing cured them, but which to try? Â However another interseting article is:Â
http://www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/stomachacid.htm (Replaced)
Also has anyone else become absolutely fed up with doctors? Mine gave me no diet advice told me not to worry about bile reflux even though thats what the endoscopy showed (and research into bile reflux says that it causes gastritis, cannot be managed by lifestle changes and requires medication), and told me to take paracetamol for the pain!Â
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matt85910 ines6375
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Snacking on Chicken Pieces, Raisins and drinking a lot of Decaffeinated Tea of all things and rich tea biscuits.
Im taking probiotics every morning as well. Â Strange is some days are better then others and I can have several days with barely any pain, but then several with.... v strange!
Sometimes I feel a hard lump beneath the centre of my rib cage, not quite sure what that is, or what causes it. Â Â
It is at least bareble right now and I am putting some weight back on of the 2 stone I lost but my diet is still very limited and I am hoping I can be well for xmas dinner.
ines6375 matt85910
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matt85910 ines6375
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Â
ines6375 matt85910
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ines6375 matt85910
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matt85910 ines6375
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matt85910 ines6375
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jayne22513 matt85910
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i also have to strange feeling between my ribs sometimes it feels like a weight or a tightness. No idea what it is either
jayne22513
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donclaudio matt85910
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so many of us seem to experience similar
The following could be helpfult to us guys:
Oats...processed (flakes) or non processed steel cut (seed kernals busted up)?
And was your reaction fast...like an allergic reaction or a tad slow like an intolerance?
Thanks
Claudio
lady14 jayne22513
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I have same feeling, specially a weird pain in the left part of my esternon, no idea where the pain comes from. I feel tightness around that region. I've been a bit better because I'm avoiding foods that produce gases, lactose and gluten. But no doctor has been able to tell me what's the origin of that umcomfortable feeling
lady14 matt85910
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I have problems with oats and bananas as well. I found out that I can only tolerate very very rip bananas, I usually buy them and wait until the skin is kinda dark, if they are a bit green, the pain is horrible. I can't stand any tea as well, lately chamomille has been causing me problems, horrible reflux, my throat gets soared, quite painful. Somehow I think that the problem is not the tea itself but the temperature of the tea. I've tried with different temperatures, very hot tea or any liquid in general cause lots of reflux. I always wait for my tea to cool down almost to room temperature, then I drink very small sips and make long pauses between sips, in this way I can tolerate chamomille or other herbal teas, maybe you could give it a try
norma-USA hebert28695
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I have Gastritis and also suffered from a mild depression. I was reading that one of the causes of gastritis is pernicious anemia which is a form of anemia that occurs when the stomach lacks a naturally occurring substance needed to properly absorb and digest vitamin B12. A deficiency in Vitamin B12 can produce symptoms like feeling weak and tired, but if it stays low for a long time, it can produce symptoms like depression, numbness or tingling in the fingers and toes, a poor sense of balance and even dementia.
I noticed my memory was beginning to get worse and worse (over the last 4-5 years). I attributed it to just getting older. But now that I've been diagnosed with gastritis, I'm hoping once I begin a regimen of B12 shots, my memory will improve significantly.  I hope B12 shots can also improve your anxiety and depression, Herbert. It couldn't hurt.Â
I've spoken to a few friends who also get the shots and they say you get them in the fatty tissues of your gluteus maximus (your behind) and you can feel a difference in your mood within 5 minutes.
Good Luck to you, Norma
ines6375 norma-USA
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I had problems focusing with I had gastritis as well but I blame the lack of sleep most of all.
acakes norma-USA
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ines6375 acakes
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gaynor61068 ines6375
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Just wondering how you are doing now? Are you still completely good? I seem to be getting worse! I can now only tolerate veg, milet, bananas and rice cakes. Everything else hurts. I'm feeling really low
gaynor61068 ines6375
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What did you do for your evening meals when at your worst? I prey you tell me that your feeling so much better now and able to eat more foods??! x
ines6375 gaynor61068
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I am so sorry to hear you are not feeling well.
What hurts? Is it your stomach just below your ribs, or more in your bowel area close to your pelvis? Are you haveing excess acid?
I was feeling good for a while, still being careful with what I ate though. And then I got pregnant. At first my stomach was fine, I just had the morning sickness (nausea) but after 2-3 months, I started having light acid reflux at night. Now I try to do long walks regularly, eat a lot for lunch than have a light dinner at 5 pm, drink a lot of evamor water between meals, and sleep on my left side and then I sleep well. I think this problem is due to a mix of my sensitivity and the pregnancy.
I would like to tell you that I can eat what I want but unfortunately it is not the case. A month ago I went to the restaurant 3-4 times in a row for my birthday, I had spices, garlic, onion, pizza, hot chocolate, ... and I got some pain back for a week or two then it went away. Now I am fine again beside light acid reflux that I think is due to the pregnancy.
I do eat more things than I used to though. Sometimes I eat foods from the red list and once in a while it is fine, I have no consequence from it. I made a tomato sauce with yellow tomatoes for example (yellow tomatoes, a pinch of sugar, grated carrot, olive oil, salt, and fresh basil to finish), I have dairy every now and then, a little bite of smoked duck with garlic from the farmer's market, I add one yellow tomato to my salad every now and then, I regularly have pears now, I especially love asian pears, I had a mango and a few pieces of pineapple but it felt a bit acidic so I stopped, apples still feel too acidic so I don't have more than one bite... I try one thing at the time to identify what works and what does not and I keep the quantities raisonable. If something feels too acidic on my tongue like apples, I stop eating it immediately. Most of my diet is still according to the bland low-acid diet though, I add to it a lot of fresh herbs to make it tasty, and I don't mesure fat anymore.
To be honest with you I don't remember very well what I ate when I was at my worst. I think mostly mashed potatoes (use a little bit of the cooking water to make it smooth), white rice (a friend suggested I cook it with excess water and eat it like a soup), steamed vegetables or in soup (you can make all sorts of soup with a base of potato to make it creamy), roasted chicken or white fish with just a little bit of salt, fresh juice with carrots-romaine-celery for the vitamins. bananas and raw organic pure coconut water are very soothing too. For breakfast oatmael and banana with chamomille tea.
gaynor61068 ines6375
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Did you try any other PPI? I'm currently back on Omeprezole, I was on Lanzoprazole and then Pantoprazole. Did you find Dexilant was better? x
gaynor61068 ines6375
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Do you think the cabbage juice worked?
Did you have a problem with calcium? Were/are you able to tolerate almond or coconut milk?
Sorry for so many questions. I'm feeling so lost. xx
emma666 gaynor61068
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I am in the same boat. I have recently been and had some allergy tests done and they were also able to tell me other problems I am suffering from.Â
She thinks a lot of my problems are made worse by my state of mind.
I am very stressed and depressed like you at the moment and it is having a big impact on my health. She has recommended I try yoga and other relaxing exercises. She has also recommended some books for me to read to help me be more positive and to try and take my mind off my illness.
It sounds like you are in the same boat and that is why you are not impoving. Â Take care, Emma x
gaynor61068 emma666
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I totally agree that my state of mind is not helping. I live on my own with very little family support. I've been single for 10 years (I caught the herpes virus 6 years ago and can't face trying to form a relationship) on top of that in also having problems with bunions (also arthritis in the toe joints now) and finding shoes is difficult. I wake up every morning trying to find a reason to get up. It was a cigarette but even that's had to go. I feel like in just existing and I don't know how to change it. I'm 34 yrs old and feel trapped. I can't even have a bar of chocolate to cheery self up. Sorry... Things are just really hard. I have joined a dating website though.... Just perhaps I may find some happiness. My life as a mess before this, it's 10x worse now.
Has the allergy test helped at all? X
emma666 gaynor61068
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The allergy test was useful. I have a big problem with trying to digest anything at the moment. She did tell me that I am low on digestive enyzymes and hydrochloric acid. I have started on the digestive enzymes which help a little but am too scared to take the acid because I know it might trigger burning in my stomach.Â
We are going on a weeks break soon and it always makes me feel so much better so I know that stress is a big factor in my health problems.
I tried to take an antidepressent recently and even that started my stomach burning.Â
Do you work? I had to give up but the trouble is it gives you more time to sit and dwell on your problems. x
gaynor61068 emma666
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I too have trouble digesting my food. I'm assuming that's because of the PPI's stopping the acid?
Are you able to tolerate almond or coconut milks? X
acakes gaynor61068
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gaynor61068 acakes
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Yeah I'm on Omeprazole 60mg per day and peptac throughout the day! My GI doc suspects crohns but I don't have any bowel probs I.e blood or pain. I've got my MRI scan on Tuesday. I'm expecting it all to come back clear and be told it's IBS.
How are you know? Are you still good? X
acakes gaynor61068
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I am doing better on the PPI but it makes me feel aweful, anxiety and tight chest, tense muscles. I hope I can come off of it in a few weeks and be ok without them.
ines6375 gaynor61068
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I did not try any other PPI than dexilant. I did a lot of research online and it seemed like the best PPI (less people complaining of side effects, more people reporting it works). So when my doctor said I could try Nexium as well I decided not to.
By oatmeal I mean rolled oats cooked with water and half a pinch of salt. Cooked oat release some sort of gel, and it is very soft, I find it soothing.
The cabbage juice helps for the stomach but the side effects on the thyroid are really not worth it. You can always try if you feel desperate but I would advice against it if your thyroid is sluggish, you feel tired, cold, ...
I don't think I have a problem with Calcium but I am not sure how to know that. From that article in the New York Times I talk about in a previous post in which they report on different scientific studies, people who are drinking milk have more problems of bones fractures, so it looks like it is more healthy to eat dairy free. Now I am pregnant so I take a calcium supplement from NewChapter called "Bone health" just in case, it is the only one I tolerate. Give it a try if you are worried about your calcium intake. The calcium in it comes from seaweeds. You can also eat the seaweeds directly as a side dish. Supposedly seaweeds are the reason why Japanese people don't have calcium defficiencies.
I don't really tolerate well almond or coconut milk. Sometimes I have it when there is nothing else around but it is not something I really feel good with.
It is normal you don't feel good with red meat, I don't either. I very rarely have beef even now. I keep it for special occasions. And I never had it when I was in pain.
gaynor61068 acakes
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I'm sure I'll get answers one day. Maybe my state of mind is making things worse. x
ines6375 gaynor61068
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If you are looking for a milk substitute, I recommend rice milk. This is what worked best for me (I tried them all).
Also if you can find some shoes that fit, walking 1-2 hours per day might help you greatly. You can start with 15 minutes as fast as you can, than 30 minutes, than increase. I keep reading an incredible number of studies that show that exercise help with so many things, and I find it that it helps with stomach problems as well, it is relaxing, it improves sleeps, oxygenation. There was a girl on this forum Vicky who said that after she started walking everyday her symptoms of acid reflux went away. Personnally I can't sleep a full night these days if I don't walk during the day. Give it a try.
ines6375
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emma666 gaynor61068
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The allergy lady recommended I steam cabbage and drink the water it has been steamed in. Then after im a bit better, start putting the cooked cabbage into my smoothies, eventually trying to add some raw cabbage.Â
I am not able to tolerate any alternative milks. My diet consists of banana, eggs, vegetables, chicken, turkey, lentils, brown rice, and sweet potatoes. I was having salmon every day but it has come up as a high irritation food for me so I need to stop having it for a bit.
It might be worth looking into having some food allergy tests done.
She also told me my spine isnt straight (i do get back ache) and that one of my wisdom teeth is affecting me. She has also started me on b12 which I am managing to take. It was a very useful test.
Â
gaynor61068 ines6375
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Yes I'm on the rice milk. I tried the one with added calcium and stomach didn't like it.
I dunno, I do wonder if my depression is making things worse? What do you think?
Yes I do walk as much as possible. I love walking, but dont dare do too much as I've lost too much weight already. x
emma666
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ines6375 gaynor61068
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About walking, what is your BMI? If it is below 20, or worse close to 17, you are right to be careful not to exercise too much. If it is above 20, don't be afraid to exercise too much, I am sure the benefits outweights the inconvenients.
gaynor61068 emma666
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I may try lentils. How do you cook and eat them? x
emma666 gaynor61068
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I buy the green and red split lentils that dont need soaking and just boil them for 20 mins with brown rice. Its quite a nice snack.Â
I will message you the digestive enzymes.
gaynor61068 ines6375
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gaynor61068
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emma666
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Solgar vegan digestive enzymes.
gaynor61068 emma666
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Yes I am stressed and depressed. I guess it's because I just really don't want any of this to be happening and fighting it. Well nothing stays the same forever I guess! x
gaynor61068 ines6375
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How did you know to stop the ppi's?
Just wondering what gluten free bread you have found to be best please Ines? X
acakes ines6375
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ines6375 gaynor61068
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I took the maple syrup when I felt better. When I was feeling bad and had a sweet tooth, I made cooked bananas or had watermelon, melon or raw coconut water.
I took dexilant 60 mg until I felt good, than I took it one more month to be sure, than I decreased the dose slowly over two months.
In the US, I like the millet bread from food for life (it needs to be toasted to taste good), the english muffins from food for life (they are rolls really, I put them in the over at 350F for 20 minutes), and there is a small bakery that makes good bread (the one with proteins) too, it is called "Everybody eats". You can find it online, they ship. For crackers I buy "le pain des fleurs" from the restaurant "pain quotidien". It is made of 100% buckwheat flour.
ines6375
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gaynor61068 ines6375
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Buckwheat.... Isn't that wheat? x
gaynor61068
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ines6375 gaynor61068
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ines6375 gaynor61068
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I don't remember exactly what I ate when I was feeling really bad but I do remember that potatoes, rice and all cereals cooked in water are easier on the stomach than gluten-free bread. One of the reason might be that most gluten-free bread is sold frozen, so it must be toasted, which makes it more irritating mechanically. If you can find soft white gluten-free bread, it should be ok.
I stayed away of enzymes personnally as I read on some forums that some people got their stomach irritated with them but it sounds like Emma found a good brand worth trying.
emma666 gaynor61068
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gaynor61068 ines6375
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You sound like you're a really strong, patient person. I bet that really helped you get better?
My blood tests came back today and I'm low on iron, so the Dr has given me a prescription. Great, more tablets!
I've had stomach ache all day 😔 x
gaynor61068 emma666
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So where abouts are you? x
emma666 gaynor61068
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I live in Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire (Shakespeares Stratford).
Where are you? x
gaynor61068 emma666
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Snacks, I snack on rice cakes, carrots, seeds... Still struggle to find anything else so far.
I'm in Plymouth.
Do you really think Emma it's our mental state making us worse? We seem to be the only ones not getting anywhere?! I'm always on verge of tears. All I need is someone being nice to me and that's it.... woosh! x
emma666 gaynor61068
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I'm off to Norfolk on Saturday so am hoping that will calm me down and start things improving.
emma666 gaynor61068
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gaynor61068 emma666
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The snacks I have are the only things I can tolerate and trying to get the calories. At least until I see the dietitian.
Well we definitely have to try and pull ourselves together. I know what you mean about trying to find food we can eat. If we can manage that then it should help us get better both physically and mentally. Maybe your trip should help? xx
Guest gaynor61068
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emma666 Guest
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emma666 gaynor61068
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The test I had done last week with the allergy lady came back with inflammation around my gallbladder and appendix as well. If you dont have any luck with the endoscopy, it might be worth looking into having one of these muscle tests done. Do you have local heath store that do them? x
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