Gastritis - Constant severe stomach pain

Hi Everyone,

I am so glad I am not alone. About 3 month ago this pain started. So debilitating. Some days are more severe than others. Pain is like a band around my upper stomach and back. If I had to pinpoint the pain, it is in the upper center. Been to GP and ER. Had endoscope, colonosopy, CT with dye, and xray. Endoscope came back with diverticulosis, and scar from ulcer, as well as bile reflux (gallbladder removed in 2013). Colonoscopy came back with some thinning of intestine but no polyps. CT showed nothing other than constipation and Xray just showed air (gas). I was given Diludad (sp?) but did nothing for the pain. 2nd ER gave me Fentinal (sp?) did nothing except hallucinate-ick! Just had parathyroidectomy a week ago. Was hoping to find relief as abdominal pain is one of the many symptoms. But no-still am getting the pain. Eating, not eating doesn't make a difference. Can't find triggers for the pain. Sometimes Norco with help but other times it will not make a dent in the pain. Tried beet juice, and aloe juice, but do not notice a difference. Same with peppermint tea and ginger tea. I am quitting my job as I do not know when I will feel ok to work. I feel so discouraged and overwhlemed. Why can't anyone help us or care to? I have to keep trying. I have found massaging my colon helpful for bloat. I try to do it for 20 minutes. If anything helps, even for a bit, I will post it. Good luck.

Hi Jenny,

Have you been tested for

H-Pylori? (a common bug which sometimes causes stomach problems).

The test for this is a very simple stool test.

The treatment is 2 types of antibiotics for 1 week and proton pump inhibitors for 3 weeks.

My symptoms are very similar to yours and I have had 3 bouts of this over the years.

Recently my symptoms have returned but testing this time proved negative.  Due to a family history of stomach cancer and the connection to it with H-Pylori my GP referred me for an endoscopy.

This found erosive gastritis and a small polyp. I was prescribed a 3 month course of a PPI 40mg and had a repeat endoscopy 2 weeks ago.

The repeat endoscopy found the gastritis almost cleared and the polyp almost gone.

I was also given an upper GI and pelvic scan which was clear.

My problem is that my upper stomach was still very sore to touch with repeated burping and chest pain. I asked if the PPI could cause this and the gastrologist said it's possible and suggested changing to another type or reducing them. 

I have reduced to 20mg and for the last week I have taken a 20 billion probiotic along with a small probiotic drink every morning. Since taking the probiotics I have seen a marked improvement in the symptoms ( not gone but 75% better). I shall continue this with fingers crossed

Testing for H-Pylori is a good place to start and none invasive as are probiotics. I believe there is also a natural way to eradicate this bug if you don't want to take the antibiotics.

Good luck Jenny

Had insomina for three night , I suffer with aniexty and panic attacks, so I got aniexty because of lack of sleep , with anxiety I get aCid reflux so now that I felt like sleeping I could not because of the acid reflux and aniexty , it was not going and got worst even after natural methods , like ginger tea and baking soda , so I decided to take make aloes Juice, well I believe I did not follow with the methos to mix it and made it very strong and felt weak , oh before taking aloes my lower stomach felt heated as well, any ways I took pills for the acid refluxs that same day an hour apart and it helped a lot , must say I took nexium some days before and it never helped. So because I normally get aCid reflux from aniexty , and it normally goes away and I can eat anything when it goes , I ate anything for two day and it came back worst than before, took the tablets I took that helped and it was not much help , began drinking coconut water , and ginger tea through out the day and it helped a bit , ended up drinking an alcoholic beverage and just a sip burned right through me , it got worst , my aniexty give me headaches and I got light headed, took the same tablet and nothing , next '2 day felt light headed and my stomach felt raw , could not walk to far and it burned , decided to follow instructions on how to use the aloes, the last time I felt weak and the aloes made me itchy , this time I made it and put cucumber, and coconut water and not an aloes and that same day the burning in my lower abdomen stopped , second day I'm not holding my stomach while I walk , I plan to take it for atleast a month to see what happens . StI'll gonna check a doctor though. Also felt dull pains on and off in my lower stomach and once in a while a little movement while my stomach burned

Well sounds like you have herd to gastritis is in the gastronomeous of the stomach ititis is inflammation what can cause this lactose intolerant dairy products spicy foods some fried foods greasy food sugars some startches some butter food products try to get away from this type of food and prepare more fiber products that will coat your stomach eat lean meats stay away from peanut butter high fat hard to digest eat plenty of cruifoic veg like males and brocilli also stay away from high fructose fruits such as pinnepapple too much sugar try some kiwi no cantaloupe watermelon and blue berry cherry and ginger ginger acts as a pain relief it is available in many stores also tumerick is great for swelling good luck been there

Hi Jenny I am wondering if you ever got to the bottom of this.i am in hospital at the moment. I am in severe pain after eating which leads me to feel very sick and no longer dare to touch another food.

Anybody tried Chinese medicine?

Wow, definitely seems that I'm not the only one that's having these problems! As you can see my username is July 19. That's when I first started with this pain as well. Yes, it's been pretty tough and still going though it as we speak. Have a docs appointment this morning as he gave me meds for the ulcers, infection etc..: hasn't worked and I did forget to mention he did referred me for a ultrasound for my liver and gallbladder: results negative, as well as blood work negative. Changed my diet, did lose weight of course! But when I lay down is when it bothers me the most. I'm at work and I get flare ups and yes it's very frustrating! I will have my doctor to do a full blood count to check other organs and a endoscope. I did try baking soda with lemons and for some reason it made me burp and pass gas a lot more. Did feel good for at least 8 hours and then the pain re- surfaces again😩

Could it be gallbladder related?

Hi everyone. Just another person living with this horrible illness. Mine started out as a flu/sore throat (an infection which I still interestingly have today) in which I was prescribed antibiotics. Halfway through the course I began experiencing bloating and painful stomach gurgling which came on all of a sudden. This continued on for a few weeks so I ceased the antibiotics because I was convinced it was giving me the terrible pain (knowing full well the implications of not finishing the pack). I then started experience severe upper abdominal pain that was just below my sternum and would creep under my left rib cage (when it got really bad). When it was really bad my stomach would spasm just with my rib pressing on it when expanding to breathe. It also would make awful gurgling/spasming noises which made me very anxious at work knowing people could hear it! (And my pants unzipped at work because of the bloating wasn't a good look) i self diagnosed myself with a lot of gas and starting taking de-gas along with other over the counter meds like buscopan to no avail. I finally went back to the gp to have my stomach looked at and he made me do a stool test (which was pos for Aeromonas and blastocystis hominis). He then started me on more antibiotics, ciprofloxacin and promised me my symptoms would subside! Phew I thought!! Well..... unfortunately my symptoms didn't subside and I was referred to have an upper ultrasound done to test liver function, gall bladder and  pancreas - results ALL CLEAR as were my blood tests. I was then referred to a gastro specialist that told me that my symptoms were quite "vague" - my bowel movements were normal at this stage and he would need to investigate further with an endoscopy/colonoscopy. The procedure came back fine- only a single erosion ulcer on my terminal ileum but no evidence of crohns, U/C etc. h pylori biopsy also negative. Following this test I began to have some strange bowel movements- a blood globule in my stool and often white mucous (booked into my specialist straight away but couldn't get in for a few weeks) I was convinced that my problems were also diet related, not that I was unhealthy beforehand but thought with all my doctor google research,  cutting gluten and dairy out could help. I followed the low FODMAPS diet and further the auto immune paleo diet for about 2 months (with a nutritionists support) along with some omega ease and high strength probiotics which she prescribed but didn't see any improvement unfortunately.  I continued living in pain and desperation for another month until I decided to make another appointment despite the surgeon saying I was "fine". He is now suggesting a pill cam test to rule out small bowel Crohn's disease (family history) and in the meantime start on colofax to soothe the symptoms. Interestingly enough he also suggested I start taking a small dose of an anti depressant that has worked "miracles" for those suffering with chronic pain and IBS. He seems to think that this whole thing has been brought on my anxiety or stress (which I must admit I am quite a worryer and have started a new job in the last 6 months so it is possible) however I can't help but think something is really wrong with my health. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced symptoms like these or has a way to manage the pain? It almost seems like the unknown is just as bad as the illness itself. 

Oh my goodness! Another person who knows what I experience!! I’ve had this exact problem for 2 years now, it’s been getting worse as time goes by, seeing a stomach specialist on Tuesday 3rd. My main concern is that I can’t carry on like this because I am in my final year of high school (I am 16 years old, and a boy) and the problem is taking such a strain on my education. I’ve had to go from having dairy to no dairy, and now turned vegan, this is due to ALL FOODS giving me a stomach ache, and tablets that don’t do anything for me! How’s your problem now, I got diagnosed with gastritis age 10, but became a massive problem after I got back from France in 2015! Hope you are doing better, and wonder if you have any tips because I can’t carry on like this

Hi jenny. I have had a similar condition for 6 years with no diagnosis as yet. I had intermittent pain for weeks on end having to take strong painkillers which eventually made me ill. I feel sick everyday and have to take nausea tablets. This week I can only lay on the couch or to go to bed with a hot water bottle. I bought a electric one.I have been though manty tests over the last 6 years and still don't know what it is. I have had three stomach ulcers in the past and gastritis and duodenitis . I feel severe pain all the time too and can't help thinking the worse. I was recently diagnosed with diverticulitis,  but its not that' pain in the wrong place. Other people don't realise how bad the pain is. I have had my appointment with the Gastroenterologist brought forward to October the 17th and it can't come soon enough.. I will probably have to have another camera down my stomach. Even though I don't like hospitals, I wish I could go in now and have the tests.

Hi Jenny,

I know you posted this years ago, but if you are still having trouble, have you tried over the counter Betaine HCl pills? With Gastritis it’s actually possible that you don’t have enough acid in your stomach.

I have a type of autoimmune disease where my body killed all my hydrochloric acid productions beta cells so I have severe Gastritis symptoms. Besides taking the pills, I have had to go off all foods except protein and veggies- all in small amounts. Funny thing is though, I keep gaining weight! It’s really discouraging. Anyways, if you see this I hope you are better!

I am yet another with the same situation hitting me hard. It's been over 2 months now without being able to eat anything without pain or discomfort. I've been to urgent care several times, my GP as well, had blood, fecal, urin, xrays all done and all came back negative. I've been put on a total of 8 new medications to see what works with no noteworthy success. Wearing a bra, tight shirts, or buttoning up jeans are all out of the question, and the nausea/pain doesn't fade with any particular way or sitting or Laying or standing or pills or what I eat/what I dont. It just fades to a flu like sickness, before increasing every few hours to unbearable.

Im scheduled for an ultrasound tomorrow and a GI specialist in a week or so, but I don't have much hope right now.

It's comforting to know others have felt whay you have, but it's also horrible to know it hasn't really improved for anyone. I've lived with chronic pain from endometriosis most of my life now, and with this added on it truly is zapping the will to keep going. I feel so young to say that, and my partner and I wanted to have children in the next two years, but I can't imagine living life constantly like this. I can't imagine starting a family and just having this pain constantly keep me from being apart of my kids life. I can't even focus on tv or conversation half the time, the pain just makes everything else become white noise.

I've had a bad mental state for a few weeks now, increasing with every negative test. I've already cut out most food, but I was eating breads as something soft in my stomach. Usually I don't want to eat, id rather just starve if it hurts either way I guess. I'm going to try the home remedies listed above, despite the seeming lack of success overall. I truly am greatful to hear others went through this, but I wish health for every one of you, and am so sorry you're going through this as well.

It's getting so expensive, with no results.

So my husband was having symptoms for about a month, upper left abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, headaches. The stomach pains and nausea was so bad he couldn’t really eat. Lost 30 lbs in the month, went to gastroenterologist had colonoscopy, endoscopy, barium swallow with iodine injection and a motility test and all the blood work!! Everything came back normal!!!   I tell my chiropractor the symptoms and she says immediately it’s a spastic gallbladder and gives me  Cholacol & Zypan  which are bile salts and enzyme supplements that anyone can get online and he’s been taking 2 of each with each meal for a week now and the symptoms are gone!!! They apparently break down the sludge in the gallbladder that is causing the spasms!!! Just FYI so other people might try it also because the spasms  won’t show on tests!