Gastritis

thanks for your reply!

im getting really worried now as im losing so much weight - im just over 6.5 stone now and i have no energy to do anything.

im having a nightmare with the gps as all theyre doing is upping my omeprazole which hasnt helped me in 8 weeks now. im on the maximum dose and since my last appointment ive waited a week for my doctor to contact the gastrology department to ask them what to do.

how long are they going to leave me to keep losing weight? i look like a skeleton im embarressed to leave the house and my energy is so low i cant function.

they said all my bloods for gallbladder etc were fine, something was elevated with my liver but they re checked and said it was fine. aparrently i just have to wait for biopsy results which could be another 10 weeks but ive said ill have wasted away by then.

i have to start my new job this month and i honestly think im gonna pass out being on my feet all day like this

Can you keep me updated for your results? Thank you

What symptoms u guys have like in the stool, nausea or vomiting what have you noticed or changes?

so my stools have been pretty much fine, my main symptoms are really bad indigestion and heartburn, extreme fatigue, feeling very full when im not and on a bad day as soon as i eat or drink anything (even water) my stomach instantly feels like theres a brick in it, or like it instantly fills with gas and i burp loads. all my issues are high up, when i get gassy i dont really pass wind its all burping or a constant pressure like i really need to burp but cant. ive been getting pains the last couple of days too inbetween my belly button and ribs.

i ended up at the out of hours doctor at the weekend, my partner rang 111 after he saw me getting dressed and realised how skinny ive got. ive literally been in tears nearly every time ive been at the docs telling them im not coping and theyre telling me the same every time. that they cant give me anything else to take, i have to keep taking the maximum dose of omeprazole which is clearly not working and wait for the biospy results which can take over 2 months. i dont understand this as ive read lots of forums where other people seem to be offered other medications than omeprazole.

they referred me to the gastroenterologist again but warned me it will take ages to be seen. they did prescribe me domperidone to help with sickness but ive not really had any of that so that was a bit of a waste of time.

given that im still waiting another referral thats taking months regarding mental health following my mum passing away, im so so unbelievably frustrated that im literally telling them im not managing to deal with this illness, and they cant help.

im really at my wits end with this, i have no idea what to do as its been 2 and a half months now and im still feeling awful and im just hitting a wall with the nhs.

sorry for the rant just having a bad day with it!

Yeah, I understand what you are feeling right now. Im so sorry you have to deal with it. I hope everything will be alright as time goes by. Godbless

sorry to hear your in pain, I suffer with GERD and I'm soon to have surgery but have been living in pain and discomfort for years now so I completely understand.

Have you tried changing your diet to a bland diet? Just while your stomach heals.

I would also ask if you could be changed to Lansoprazole or esomeprazole. 40 mg provides more effective acid control than twice the standard dose of omeprazole. I've tried all of them and I personally found lansoprazole worked better for me.

it will take time to heal as the acid ( we all need acid to break down the food ) is constantly in your stomach. make sure you eat little and often. An empty stomach creates more acid. Try natural yoghurt and bannas, great and easy on stomach. avoid gas forming foods. try homemade soups. no onions no garlic.

carrotts

celery

sweet potato

chicken

stock

peas (add after you have blended half soup mix for a chucky soup ) this is my go too as it's nice and easy on stomach.

stay away from domperidone this has been linked to heart issues.

it will get better but getting on the right meds and diet will help hugely. I hope you start to feel better soon x

thank you for your reply.

im sorry youve been suffering your symptoms for so long, i hope the surgery works for you.

the doctors keep telling me theres no other option than the omeprazole, and when they spoke to the gastroenterologist they said they advised the same, to just carry on with the maximum dose.

ive cut everything out of my diet, im living on pretty much bananas smoothies and potatoes now. and fortisip drinks as im not able to eat enough, even with those im struggling to maintain my weight at 42kg.

i know avoiding fatty and spicy foods will be helping, but even eating bland my symptoms are still flaring up. some days even after drinking water i get an instant pressure in the too of my stomach like gas building up.

im just at a loss as i dont know what else to do to ease these symptoms.

i feel for you i do. The doctors who dont have to live with this clearly have no idea just how awful it is.

Have you had any tests done? endoscopy? ph monitoring?

if no you need to push for this. I was left for 8 years just told to pop a lansoprazole everyday and to fair that worked for a long time bit 3 years ago it got so bad I couldnt swallow. That is now a dayily issue for me. I went from being on 15mg lansoprazole a day to 60mg!!!! and I still suffer. It does help managing with diet and bland food but it does take msomtimes months to settle back down to manageable when you have a flare up. I literally looked every item of food up before I eat it and see if its okay for acid reflux. The trapped gas feeling in my esophagus was another horrible problem and stomch just full of it. I found windeze you can get these from any chemist, really really helped with this. I also do take alot of Gavison Advance, but it must be advance.

Are you sleeping elevated?

There is definitely other medication options and you can actually take PPis and H2 blockers if it's that bad. I would push to be changed to Lansoprazole and request investigation. The tests arent pleasant but it's essential to see if you need surgery. Meds only mask the problem but you can demand what treatment you want. if you feel your doctor isn't listening then ask to change doctors. If that doesn't work then change surgery's... I had to do this.

I hope it gets better for you I really do. x

ive had an endoscopy which diagnosed gastritis, but its taking ages to get the results from the biospies.

i was on 40mg twice a day of omeprazole and it took two months of me saying every week it wasn't working for them to change me to pantoprazole. im not feeling any different on this. its been going on nearly three months now and i literally cant cope but they just tell me to keep waiting even though ive said im struggling mentally as much as physically.

ive been referred back to gastrology but havent heard back from the referral yet although they did say it would take ages to be seen.

ive had blood tests and h pylori test but nothing else as yet. i did ask when the symptoms first started if it could maybe be a low stomach acid issue but they instantly dismissed that.

i know the nhs is under pressure but this is ridiculous going back to them every week and getting no further forward. youd think something that makes you unable to eat would be treated as more urgent.

i am thinking of changing surgery as ive had a couple of very unpleasant experiences with the receptionists which apparently happens a lot at my practice.

i was also told by another gp here that seeing a chiropractor or trying massage for headaches after three months of migraine symptoms was a waste of time (they didn't know i was a massage therapist) and my only option was medication. after being really poorly trying meds after meds that made me worse i saw a chiropracter who picked up on an issue that was causing my headaches and they went. i was then refused a referral to help with anxiety and grief following my mums passing, then told in was referred only to follow it up weeks later to be informed my go changed her mind without telling me. so im still waiting for that referral 5 months on and as a result i have lost a lot of confidence in my gp practice!