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Acid Reflux/Gastritis

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t92012
t92012

I’ve been suffering from stomach problems for almost two years now, brought on by a very stressful time in my life and I imagine my poor diet was also to blame. I’m at a loss with how to get better at this point if I’m honest.

I originally went to the doctor with stomach pain and vomiting and without looking further into it they put me on 20mg of omeprazole and sent me on my way. It eased the symptoms for a while so I thought all was fine. Gradually though they started to come back and I was put on 40mg. Ironically before I was put on this medication I had no acid reflux at all and just sickness every now and then, now I get acid reflux and bad rebound so the medication has actually made me worse! Not only that I have a pretty severe b12 deficiency which I now need injections for and a list of other problems. I started to realise that it was masking the problem also rather than “curing” it so I went back and they eventually hesitatantly ordered an endoscopy, however I wasn’t given any instructions on how to come off the tablets in preparation for the test other than needing to be 7 days clean from them so I stopped them cold turkey and then had an awful rebound affect that left me in the hospital twice in one week. Then I had to go back on it because the symptoms I was having were so severe.

I had my endoscopy which came back normal, although as I was back on the tablets it’s hard to know for sure if it was accurate. I would guess not considering I’m still having so many problems. I’m now weaning myself off them by myself so that I can have a test done for H. Pylori and I’m down to 20mg again but with great difficulty. The burning sensation has come back in my stomach pretty badly and acid reflux in my throat is so bad I can’t sleep at night and I can’t lay down without pain. I’ve changed my diet and cut out a lot of stuff but nothing seems to work. 

Has anyone else been in this situation that could advise me on how to fix this or ease my symptoms at least? I’m really struggling.

0 likes, 31 replies

31 Replies

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  • JesseS
    JesseS t92012

    Posted

    They should have tested you for H pylori two years ago, that's awful. Some non antibiotics that kill H pylori are DGL [Licorice Root], Flavone [a Flavonoid], and Bismuth Subcitrate which works better than Bismuth Subsalicylate [Pepto Bismol].  My Nurse Practitioner said that some people have eradicated the bacteria with just large doses of Pepto Bismol.  Oddly, Melatonin is supposed to be good for reflux but I'm not sure how much to take.  I take it for sleep but if I use more than 500mcg it makes me groggy the next morning for a while.

    • t92012
      t92012 JesseS

      Posted

      I feel awful that they didn’t check all that time, it’s terrible to leave someone in the state I was in and still am in. I’ve never heard of pepto bismol as a remedy for this, but I can give it a go. Do you know how often it should be taken? I’m going to try DGL too, as I’ve heard that works at eliminating symptoms. I was also going to try taking some probiotics, but I’m not sure how safe the supplements for that are. I tried manuka honey after hearing that can kill H. Pylori and it seemed to ease things a little while I had it but it’s so expensive. Thank you for the advice.
    • pippa58442
      pippa58442 JesseS

      Posted

      With Pepto Bismol,  make sure tou don’t take it for too long because it may cause constipation.  Pepto is designed to stop diarrhoea too, so it can bung you up.  It tells you this on the dosage instructions on the bottle.
    • t92012
      t92012 pippa58442

      Posted

      Duly noted. Being on the PPIs cause that for me anyway so I’ll have to use in moderation. Thanks for letting me know smile
    • JesseS
      JesseS t92012

      Posted

      It's better if you can find Bismuth Subcitrate than Pepto, but I'm not sure how much or how often.  Like Pippa said it could be constipating and it will probably turn your stool dark just so you know not to think your bleeding.

  • stephanie73189
    stephanie73189 t92012

    Posted

    for the burning drink cranberry juice as that will help and if you are having proplems with reflux then you need to go to your gp and tell them to put you on omeprazole as im on them and that dose help and try having peppermint flavour tea and ginger flavour tea and that will help you alot  
    • t92012
      t92012 stephanie73189

      Posted

      Those are the tablets I’m on that have made me a lot worse along with many other problems. I tried peppermint and had mixed results, and I hear from other sources too that mint tends to relax the LES and make acid reflux worse. Perhaps it depends on the person, I don’t know.
    • pippa58442
      pippa58442 t92012

      Posted

      This is the trouble; everyone is different.  Ginger, peppermint and cranberry juice made from fresh cranberries, give me heartburn.  The peppermint tastes nice at the time but by the next morning I have terrible reflux.  Ginger burns my stomach straight away. The things that help my reflux the most are milk and Gaviscon.
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