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complex gastrointestinal problem thats not getting better..

Posted , 14 users are following.

Smitzl
Smitzl

Hello,

Im a 31 year old male, who was very active and healthy up until around October 2010, I noticed i was getting slight heart burn issues and intestinal discomfort like the sensation of excess/trapped wind. I also noticed when i was consuming certain foods and more significantly, any alcoholic beverage, my heart rate would increase and beat more forcefully which would in turn, trigger anxious feelings. I tried to ignore it until the heart burn issue became such a problem it was affecting my daily life.

I was diagnosed with having Helicobacter and given the triple therapy in the hopes of eradication. This was an unpleasant two weeks which included a trip up to the hospital as a result of the side effects. The treatment didnt make the heartburn subside, if anything, it made things worse and i also developed gastritis.

I masked/controlled these symptoms with daily doses of 40-60mg of omeprazole and Gaviscon Advance so I could continue my daily routines but knew if i ever stopped taking either of these the results would be very painful. I eventually started to develop more pain and bloating in my lower left abdomen area which seemed to be exacerbated after eating as did my palpitations and again any alcoholic drinks, even just a small intake, would cause heavy palpitations and anxiety, which has scared me off drinking.

recently I had an upper endoscopy which revealed nothing more than gastritis and i was pescribed De-Noltab which did a wonderful job at decreasing the inflammation in my stomach. I also took the use of this medication as an opportunity to wean off omeprazole as i dont like the idea of short circuiting my digestive system for the rest of my life the way PPI's do. I was also told i was helicobacter free after the endoscopy and a further breath test at my doctors confirmed that. Im also not a celiac which they tested for too.

I now control my heartburn issues with ranitidine and gaviscon advance but the symptoms arent as pronounced as they used to be. The main problem i have nowadays is the lower abdomen tenderness/bloating and the heart rate issues after eating. The doctors I see dont seem to want to know about it or minimize the issue. I have even on one occasion had it passed off as an anxiety disorder !! I mean, im obviously anxious about my health deterioration but its not causing these problems. Ive had ecg's and various blood tests done a few times but they come back normal.

Has anyone else had issues similar to this? Or does anyone have info they can share on this topic as im stumped as to what the problem is and so do my docs with my ongoing health saga!

When i wake in the morning, i feel completely fine, no stomach problems, minimum bloating and heart rate is a non issue, its as soon as i start eating the problems start. its lead me to think i have either a food intolerance, an autoimmune issue, internal candida overgrowth or a parasite infestation (or a mixture of a few of these).

I look forward to hearing a reply,

Matt

0 likes, 47 replies

47 Replies

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  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    Gut problems do Doctors heads in :D

    Are you still suffering from heartburn but paradoxically there doesn't seem to be any acid as such, more like a slow moving ripple up the Oesophagus leading to a tightness in the throat, maybe reaching up as far as your neck muscles and jaw sometimes?

  • Smitzl
    Smitzl

    Posted

    Hello House,

    Yes, i get this symptom daily, very regularly. To me, it feels like the top of the stomach opens and what feels like a dough ball, moves up in a wave/churning motion then goes back down slowly and then i feel the stomach close again I've sort of subliminally learnt to control this by posturing my self in a certain way when it happens to prevent it moving up to the point i get heart burn symptoms. only on the odd sporadic occasion per week do i get an acute/forceful reflux that causes the heartburn sensation.

    Thanks for your reply,

    Matt

    • inomgod
      inomgod Smitzl

      Posted

      How you are feeling now? I am going through exact same route. heart palpitations, brain fog etc etc. Please update, If you find any solutions.
  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    Very interesting cheesygrin This could be just harmless spasm but on the other hand it could be indicative of / be something else smile
  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    Ever been woken up in the night with a ridiculous toothache, and then you might get up and go to the loo, or just sit up, and it just melts away ??? smile
  • Smitzl
    Smitzl

    Posted

    errmmmm, no i cant say i have, is that related? or do i detect a hint of sarcasm lol. during the night and first thing in the morning are the times i feel most at ease, absence of food = no problems.
  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    Oh :[ No, no sarcasm at all :[ It was a genuine symptom question, it's good that you haven't had the tooth thing smile
  • Smitzl
    Smitzl

    Posted

    ha, okies, im glad i dont have the tooth thing it doesnt sound good lol. one food i have found to be really good at controlling these symptoms is cooked beetroots (not the pickled variety), i eat one a day but cut up and eatenb through the course of the day. I dont know why, but it works for me,.
  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    Yeah the tooth thing hurts a lot wink This eating thing, how much weight have you lost, is it a case of the more you eat the worse the pain gets ??? smile
  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    Ever taken a tonne of Paracetamol (or another painkiller) for the pain and it's done nothing infact it may have even made the pain worse ??? cheesygrin
  • Smitzl
    Smitzl

    Posted

    I havent lost any weight through the eating problem, i still need to eat like a trooper i always have, But Ive learnt which type of foods trigger things more , the main ones are breads, cereals (cornflakes, branflakes, weetabix etc), rices and pasta's and most carbohydrate based foods. Meats arent too bad, although i mostly only eat poultry and fish even really sweet stuff like chocolate and ice cream is tolerated better than granery or wheat. unfortunately though i havent really eliminated alot of these foods out of my diet as i find i need their bulk to keep my appetite satisfied. :-/

    No, i rarely ever use painkillers, i try to use as little medicines as possible, Ive never found any over the counter painkillers ie paracetemol/asprin/ibuprofen useful for anything anyways, more of a placebo thing.

    I think its time i got myself some food allergy/intolerance tests done, but i know theyre costly outside the NHS though. Mind you, the NHS waiting list is years long, i'd rather pay for the quicker service.

  • Smitzl
    Smitzl

    Posted

    I dont really have any issues with my stools either, they always look reasonably healthy.
  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    (As NHS Gastroenterologists say) if you aren't losing weight then there's nothing wrong with you cheesygrin I disagree but whatever it is it isn't that bad yet, interesting that you are having the spasm thing or whatever though smile
  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    Oh :[ Yeah try and work on your diet, keep a food diary and rate how you do depending on what you eat smile
  • Smitzl
    Smitzl

    Posted

    Good shout, House. I will start doing that, I monitor my heart rate before and after meals on a phone app. After eating a trigger food it can jump up to 50bpm within 30mins and stays that way for a good hour or two.
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