Gastritis diagnosed but PPI's not working

hi esthi471

was just reading your story and symptoms and i am in the exact same situation.

was just wondering how you are and if you found and cure or results

thanks

hello nicole03248,

I only saw your message just now. Have not been on this site for ages. Thought I'd get email alerts when someone replies but did not or have missed them.

On and off I'm still having problems with stomach pains radiating to the back but not as bad as when I was on PPIs. Had the additional MRI test done a while back, and they did not find anything abnormal. My consultant and GP think the gastritis is most likely stress-related (although I have much stress now than years ago) and/or there maybe something wrong with my stomach motility. I most likely also have silent reflux because of recurrent hoarse voice and coughing. Gaviscon at night helps but not entirely. Since last last October I'm on HRT because they found osteoporosis and because the usual bisphosphonates would be too harsh on my stomach. Since then I was able to put weight back on which I lost while taking PPIs and ranitidine (they made me underweight). I also have more energy now and able to exercise which helps with stomach issue. But as mentioned, the pains keep coming back, like right now since the past few days, even some at night now. Feels like my gastritis has come back or has become chronic. I still cannot pin down what triggers it. Have been and still am very careful with what I eat. Stopped dairy for a while but no difference. Also stopped gluten foods (although I was tested negative) but no difference either. I don't think the pain is linked to what I eat because I get it mainly a few hours after eating and when stomach empty. I was thinking that maybe it is autoimmune gastritis in early stage i.e. not yet detectable when they did endoscopy/biopsy in January 2018. I'll go and see my GP again to discuss further options.

How are you doing? I never heard back from cath24183 who described very similar symptoms like we have.

I was diagnosed with gastritis last December. I was prescribed PPI and followed the instructions to the letter. There was some improvement, but then it got worse again, if fact worse than originally. I saw a different GP who doubled the dose and doubled the length of time to take them and phase them out. I was also instructed to be prepared to take a low dose every couple of days if necessary. It took 6 months but I am finally symptom free. No pain during the day and even better, no pain at night. But I have to be careful what I eat. If I over-indulge, or eat anything that's too acidic or spicy, I get twinges. I immediately take a 10mg dose and eat sensibly, with lots of fluids for a couple of days. So a success story and a lesson learned.

which ppi worked and didn't work for you? and what strength and times per day?

did you have pain or discomfort in the intestines too?

Hi

The first attack I had, I was prescribed Lanzoprazole, 20mg per day morning for 2 weeks and that did the trick. But the symptoms were pretty mild in the first place.

The 2nd attack I had I was prescribed Omeprazole 20mg per day for 2 weeks, then 10mg per day for 2 weeks, then 10 mg every other day for 2 weeks, all morning. It helped at first but the symptoms never completely went, then returned after I started to cut down. I went back to the GP who prescribed 40mg Omeprazole for 6 weeks (20mg morning 20mg evening) followed by 20mg (morning) per day for 2 weeks, the 10 mg (morning) per day for 2 weeks then as required. That did the trick, and now I take either 10mg or 20mg as required, perhaps two or three times a month.

I have diverticular disease so always have niggles in the intestines - I can't put it down to gastritis specifically.

Thanks Nicole. I appreciate your advice. I'll talk to the doc about an ultrasound. I'm not very impressed by my general practicioner. I'm trying to follow the same type of food plan. I couple questions about food. What do you think about apple cider vinegar, Apples, yogurt, almonds, pistachios etc? I'm not drinking caffeine, soda, alcohol, spice etc. I did have curry yesterday and ginger but my stomach bothered me the rest of the day. Thus, healing is different than just digestion properties.

I agree, the online folks are negative. The healed and happy dont go to the website to chat lol.

Is a liver and digestive specialist an a doctor or a holistic medicine practicioner?

thanks,

george

the specialist i see is and actual DR.

apple cider vinegar didnt really do anything for me, i actualy found all fruit especialy apples, dairy and nuts made my stomach worse in the beginning i can tolerate them now that the gastritis has healed.

i ate very bland for a good 6 weeks.

toast, soup, rice crackers, boiled rice, steamed veggies and only chicken and only drank water.

i also took a digestive enzyme every morning.

my specialist (DR )said it can take up to 12 weeks for it to heal.

good info thanks Nicole!

hi nicole and george,

apple cider vinegar did not help me either but did not worse the pain. When my stomach pain started (two weeks after taking PPI against silent reflux), I ate very blunt foods as well including baby food that has no spices, onions, tomatoes or lemons in it. Oddly enough, well chewed almonds appered to sooth my stomach. Chewing well/eating slowly is key for me. When in acute pain, most helpful was a third teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda in a glass of warm water or herbal tea (NOT peppermint) and/or eating raw celery sticks, again, very well chewed. Exercise as well, like brisk walking and sitting and bouncing on my Swiss ball.

Nicole, I'm very happy for you that your gastritis has healed!

I I stopped the ppis on my own accord against the wishes of my gastroenterologist since then I've had less pain I've had very little problems with my stomach I just have seen have some problems with my intestines but I'm wondering whether it's because the microbiome was disrupted by the ppis and it needs to reset itself with gut bacteria.

im also trying to eat pretty bland and I'm taking all of my vegetables and I'm grinding him up in the Vitamix before I make it into a soup or a smoothie, basically as a fibrous liquid

Hi George, I agree with you completely that PPIs disrupt the microbiome. The problem is, we don't know exactly which micro-organism species have changed. Simply taking supplements might not do the trick, I tried without noticeable improvement. The diet itself probably is more important. I have always eaten lots of fruit and veggies, and virtually never meat from mammals but poultry and fish instead, even decades before the stomach issue started.

I used to blend my foods after I got the stomach pain but then switched back to solids which I chew very well to produce enough saliva thus making mushy food in my mouth rather than using a blender. My reasoning being that saliva is alkaline and contains digestive enzymes thus basically predigesting the food which should make it easier on the stomach. This also ensures that I eat slowly and smaller portions. Like you (and having had three disastrous attempts), I stopped taking PPIs altogether, and that intense pain never came back. Did however tell my GP. I think my bad experiences convinced her that it is probably best to forget about PPIs, her comment being that I'm probably oversensitive to them.

I'm tracking with what you said. i agree. I've been doing the blender in the morning with veggies just to get the nutrients and hello lower blood sugar spoke that comes with eating oatmeal combination i make with walnuts, almonds coconut fruit etc. if I didn't blend it I don't think I would take the time on most days to eat all the vegetables raw and chew him up or cook them and show him up so I'm just doing it that way and then I'm trying to eat some vegetables later in the day and chew them up like you said. i take an enzyme tablet in the morning before I drink the smoothie and eat the oatmeal. the GP just make genetic comments like"oversensitive" which is meaningless. even the gastroenterologist doesn't seem to be able to use many scientific terms or analysis it's all just take these pills for 2 months and then see how you feel.

since I stopped taking the ppis two weeks ago I'm not all better, I'm not all healed but I'm really not having a lot of pain and just sort of having upset and testicles but I don't feel the sharp pains that I felt when I was on the ppis.

I'm very happy for you George that your pain has diminished. Life feels so much better again without it. I remember that in my worst weeks, I was very close to losing my will to live, also because I felt that the doctors did not believe me, and were unable to offer effective help. SO GLAD I found this forum. Shall keep in touch hoping for steady recovery for us all. xx

did you take ppis to heal it out just zantac?

Hi George,

just a quick one as ive seen you still have intestinal problems... when i took ppis for just every day for a month, i had to come off them due to severe pain in my lower abdomen. id say i expected that once i came off them the symptoms would start to ease off however they didnt and in fact, it took 12 monthes before i could confidently form a healthy number two! (sorry) ppis for me, did more harm than good to my bowel but i wanted to tell you to give it time.... lots of it... im not kidding when i say 12 monthes but i am totally back to normal now 😃

so it wasn't the ppis that healed you, it was just time and proper dieting?

i tried a variety of diets initially but found the only noticeable thing was that when i ate a healthy salad my bowel symptoms were far worse than if i had eaten a whole bowl of chips. i mentioned this to the doctor and they said that is very common. i tried allsorts (gluten free, dairy free, acid watcher diet) but in the end just reverted back to the food i knew which is a varied diet anyway, i didn't take food supplements, if i had a bad stomach, i know it sounds bad but id just eat a meal high in carbs ! Its ludicrous to think the food so bad for us actually does have a place for us! I enjoy salads and veg tho and did not want to stop eating these but yes it took a good 12 months for my intestines to start to work properly again it was a very gradual process. Now though I know not to go near ppis. i think they were just too powerful for my gut microbiome and scarily when i looked into it at the time, there were many reports saying the full extent of the effects the pois have on the gut ISNT FULLY KNOWN. I definately wont be going down that path again.

Your body generally works for you, not against you. I realise that more now. By all means try all the supplements or diets because you may find something i didnt but ive been bowel symptom free now - i only have the discomfort of my hiatus hernia to content with but bowel wise, i can eat and drink what i like and have been that way for approximately one year!!

im sorry i cant recommend something which could offer a quicker result, but try not to panic too much and just give it time. x

Thanks Proton, It makes sense what you are saying. I think something messes up our system, for me, maybe a weekend of strong coffees and then it takes a long time to heal. We make it worse by adding PPIs and possibly causing SIBO, which I posted about previously.

My system is very unpredictable now. I notice that it doesnt bother me while I'm exercising or afterwards. I dont know how to interpret that. Maybe it causes the food to travel faster through the small intestine which then eliminates the pain.

George