How I cured my gastritis
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When I got diagnosed with mild gastritis (but no H. Pylori) and esophagitis, I looked all over the internet to find what to do. I did not find many accounts of people who have cured themselves successfully and how they did it. So I thought I would write my story once I am cured. Here it is. If you have cured yourself from gastritis too, please share your experience below as well.
Many people ask how long it takes to be cured. At first I started on dexilant for a month but I did not see any improvement. After a month I kept taking dexilant and I started the low acid diet in parallel. I got much better in 2-3 days. After two months on dexilant and one month on the diet, I felt completely good. Then I stopped the dexilant cold turkey and got a lot of pain and acidity back in my stomach. Now I regret I did not take the dexilant a little longer as my stomach was obviously not healed and not strong enough to go through the rebound effect of stopping dexilant. I regret also that I did not stop dexilant slowly taking it every other day for a week, then every three days for a week, .... I felt anxious about taking a medication that has so many side effects taken long term and I wanted to stop immediately, which was not reasonable.
Anyway there I was back at the beginning with stomach pain and acidity day and night. I felt pain related to the esophagitis as well which really scared me. I hesitated to take dexilant again but I decided to try to cure myself the natural way. Below I describe what I did. I got cured in approximately two months, getting slowly better week by week. After two months of natural cures I had no stomach pain anymore and no excess acid, I was able to sleep again, felt like a new healthy (and lighter -- I lost a few pounds) person. However after those two months, I felt that I needed to follow the diet another month for my stomach to get strong and be able to handle a less strict diet.
THE CURE
Books
Most of what I did is summarized in two books which I found very useful:
The first book is "Dropping acid: the reflux diet cookbook & cure" by Jamie Koufman. This is the book I based my diet on. The only disagreements I have with the author regard dairy products that I stopped taking as they make the stomach produce more acid (very clear for me), and the use of ginger, manukka honey and aloe vera which I find too irritating and/or acidic (and I don't feel that they help). Also she does not talk about salt which is known to be irritating for the stomach lining in excess, I felt an improvement when I lowered my intake in salt. I will explain the diet more in details below.
The other book is "Ulcer free! Nature's safe & effective remedy for ulcers" by G. Halpern. I know you may have gastritis and no ulcers but the two conditions are related and what cures one usually cures the other too. I used some of the natural supplements recommended in this book. In particular slippery elm (this one is actually not mentioned in the book) and DGL licorice for stomach pain (coat the interior of the stomach lining), Zinc-Carnosine (reduce inflammation and protects stomach lining - I felt a great improvement after starting to take it especially with acid production at night), and cabbage juice (finished my recovery with this one, after two days I had no stomach pain anymore at night). I describe the supplements more below.
What did not work for me
Mastic gum hurts my stomach. It is supposedly helpful against H. Pylori which I knew I did not have (I had been tested).
Prelief removes the acid in food and stomach very efficiently but causes constipation.
Tums works well for 45 minutes but then there is a rebound effect with the stomach producing more acid.
Manukka honey hurts my stomach (Too acidic, Ph level 4, but maybe also because of the tea tree essential oil in it). It is supposedly helpful against H. Pylori.
Aloe Vera is too acidic (around Ph level 4), and I don't feel it is doing anything positive.
Ginger is irritating and I don't feel it is doing anything positive.
Probiotics helps with digestion but not really for the stomach.
Zantac works very well at removing the acidity but makes me feel dizzy and incredibly tired.
PPI worked very well at removing the acidity and pain in my stomach while I was taking it while doing the diet, but I had a bad rebound effect when I stopped (one must stop slowly by taking it every other day for a while). Also having too low acid in the stomach because of PPI might cause problems in the long term (problems with Calcium and B12 absorption, bacterial infection more likely).
39 likes, 3077 replies
anonymous70121 ines6375
Posted
aleksandra777 ines6375
Posted
Hi Ines,
I already wrote here, a little less than a year ago. I was diagnosed with gastritis, duodenitis and esophagitis type 2, no H.pylori, and was on a stron PPI treatment. Then I got familiar with all the side-effects of long-term PPI usage and along with that I got strange piercing hip pain when I would walk. When I stopped taking PPI it went away. Then I tried again to make sure it's PPI and it came back every time I started taking it. The same with Ranitidine. It makes no sense really, but I went to several Physiatrists and they found nothing wrong with my bones and legs. So it must be the meds I figured.
Anyway, it's been a year and I'm still struggling. I'm losing hope really. The second time I did gastroscopy it was significantly better than the first time (no erosions, type 1, and no H.pylori again. I managed to take myself off the PPI and H2 blockers, since each time I tried to gett off the meds I had a bad rebound no matter how slowly I tried to stop.
The main problems I used to experience were constant throat clearing and that was basically mild compared to what I have now again. Now I have difficult swallowing again, and that's when I know it's serious. Because that's what I had when I had my first endoscopy and was diagnised with severe chronic gastritis and esophagitis.
The problem is that they also found bile in my stomach. And bile is worse than stomach acid. When bile goes back up to your esophagus it can really wreck chaos.
The most troubling thing right now is that I've lost a lot of weight in the last year and a half. I'm about 172cm and I have 54kg now, I used to have 57 just three months ago, and I'm eating more than I used to when I was 60kg.
I don't smoke, don't drink and all that... I'm really worried that there's no cure for this and that I will be stuck with these damn disease for good.
michael28518 ines6375
Posted
Hi! Where were you able to find cabbage juice, and in what form? I've had no luck locating it today saldy!
csheal ines6375
Posted
wow, so glad I found your post @ines6375 while surfing the web early AM here in canada.
In addition to have been diagnosed with mild gastritis after a gastroscopy(nothing) & endoscopy, I also have constant burping. It got really bad since january. and I have a massively distended belly after a meal(this for years).
going to see a naturopath this week,
wondering if anyone else has burping troubles, and a big belly after a meal. I can sense gas & a poor inflamed belly.
scott20738 csheal
Posted
Hello csheal. Yes, I had troubles with burping and a distended belly. It wasn't until I had eliminated olive oil that my digestive system started working normally. For some reason, olive oil dramatically slowed down my digestion; not just bloating and burping, but also a lot of constipation. And I think eating too few calories also contributed to the problems. So now I eat a diet with only about 25% of my calories from fat, 25% from protein, and about 50% from carbs. And I eat enough calories (about 2300) to keep my metabolism up and my stomach and digestive system moving along at a decent pace. I wish you the best of luck.
Scott
ines6375 csheal
Posted
All fats slow down digestion but personally olive oil is the one I tolerate best.
I have been reading a lot about non-ulcer (functional) dyspepsia lately, I believe that is what I have and what caused my (now cured) gastritis. I still feel sick if I stray from my diet which is annoying. I find the link between dyspepsia and norepinephrine (neurotransmitter) imbalance very interesting, which explains why some people get good results from taking anti-depressors and also why this problem is stress related. I read too that regular exercise can help regulate neurotransmitters. So I am going to try that.
I also checked my B12 levels and even if they are in the normal range they are not in the optimal range, same for my iron levels. I felt a great improvement from taking an iron supplement. I am going to take B12 as well. I used to not believe in vitamins supplements but when the stomach is not working properly it impairs the absorption of some vitamins, so it does not hurt to check. Same for probiotics, I am eating lacto-fermented vegetables regularly now. I can't tell if it really does anything but it feels good, for some reason it an acidity I can tolerate.
Regarding the comment below, I agree one must be careful with licorice but I never heard of any problem with chamomile. It widely consumed worldwide and very soothing.
scott20738 ines6375
Posted
My symptoms are pretty much non-existent, unless I stray from this diet. Â If I begin eating lots of fatty foods, for more than a day or so, then the symptoms come back.
Scott
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ines6375 scott20738
Posted
Cpyg scott20738
Posted
Hello,
How are you able to get so many calories in on the low fat diet we have to be on? It's almost impossible for me to get in even 2k calories per day.
Cpyg ines6375
Posted
Hello, I know everyone recommends eating as much as lean protein as possible. I've been chicken breast for the past couple of weeks and wondering if its a big deal to eat the darker parts like the drumsticks. I love eating chicken legs & wings much more than the breast. I'm not sure if it makes a big difference.
ines6375 Cpyg
Posted
ines6375 Cpyg
Posted
Actually if the chicken is well roasted, it's skin should have lost a lot of its fat anyway.
Cpyg ines6375
Posted
I'll give it a try and pray for the best. I'm so tired of eating the same thing for lunch and dinner everyday. I'm hoping to incorporate different foods. im just being so careful because I seem to react negatively to foods that others with gastritis can eat (avocados, olive oil, tilapia, bread, almonds) My doctor seems to believe that I can eat just almost anything as long as they are not fried or spicy (ice cream everyday was recommended, smh) since I "only" have mild gastritis. Unfortunately, my symptoms are not mild at all.
ines6375 Cpyg
Posted
csheal scott20738
Posted
thanks @scott2378 for the encouragement!
today I cut out sugar, i hope i can sustain it. I also have cut out dairy.. and looking to reduce oil consumption slowly.
this group & everyone's insights are so awesome.
I can vouch for trying stress reducing techniques.
as a yoga teacher I stopped taking cholesterol meds, first lipitor, then statins & then crestor -each time asking my doctor to help as I got cramps, when she suggested adding a pain reliever I completely stopped taking chol drugs, shhh dont tell
according to her it was illegal to not take drugs. in canada. I couldn't handle the fact that a gp was suggesting adding pain relievers to mask cramp pain. what if my body had other pains it was hinting about other systems. anyhow got off drugs and for 6 months had a regular yoga & meditation practice. and ended up reversing my high choles..
I also dont know how its possible to say every body has the same threshold for high choles.. isnt it possible that high for one body may be perfectly normal for another?
scott20738 Cpyg
Posted
Hello Cpyg. Here's what I eat each day, spread among five meals (each meal about 3 hours apart):
550g white rice
225g skinless chicken thigh
75g salmon
75g beef
40g almonds
3 bananas (medium-sized)
200g cooked kale
200g cooked carrots
150g cooked root veggies (rutabaga, turnip, parsnip, beet)
So I think that's around 2300 calories a day. It's about 50% carb, 25% fat, 25% protein.
Also, I sometimes eat a half-pint of ice cream, if I'm craving more fat/calories. This usually happens once a week or so.
I hope that helps you.
scott20738
Posted
Cpyg scott20738
Posted
Wow, so you are also eating these meals for breakfast?
You were always able to handle eating fatty foods like salmon, beef, almonds, & ice cream? Im asking because I'm wondering will my stomach ever be able to handle these foods again? So tough to watch how skinny I'm becoming although I feel that I am eating more now. But seeing urself losing so much weight is scary and gives u a physical daily reminder of how sick you truly are
I've been attempting to drink 1/2 bottle of ensure but somedays I seem okay with it and other days I get real bad heartburn or reflux from it. So I'm afraid to try something like ice cream that has heavy cream in it.
Cpyg scott20738
Posted
I eat :
2 cups of cooked oatmeal with one banana (I hv to force myself to do this. Takes an hour to finish)
1 1/2 cups of rice, half a cup to 1 cup of chicken, & 1/2 cup of veggies (I eat this for lunch and dinner)
I may eat another banana for snack somewhere in between but that's it. No bread, no juices, nothing else. It's depressing.
eric49486 Cpyg
Posted
Cpyg,
Here is my doctor said to me when she knew I was on strick diet, "heartburn is a small issue, but you will kill yourself first." Then she ordered me to eat more and everything, certainly, I skipped some trigger food. I lost 30 lbs over 8 months of strick diet, with Ines' recommendation, now I am back almost 20lbs, be brave to eat, the worst is to take couple DGL, so what? I was so scary about sugar, now I make my drink with organic protein powder. JUST DO IT!
Cpyg eric49486
Posted
That's the point where my family is with me "just eat." The fear for me is not just the pain I may get with foods but the damage that comes with the pain. I don't want to develop Berrett's or cancer.... But I do need to eat more and vary my meals to get proper nutrition. Actually I want to eat. I still have the desire and I feel hunger. I watch my family eating whatever they want and I have to fight temptations not to reach for a damn slice of bread. Smh.
Maybe your right and I just need to try eating different things and not to be so fearful of the pain!!!
scott20738 Cpyg
Posted
Yes, for breakfast I eat salmon, rice, veggies, melon, banana and almonds. The salmon and almonds never bothered me. The beef used to bother me a little if I ate too much in one sitting, but now it doesn't. I think our bodies are very good at adjusting to certain foods if we just give them the time to do so. I'm sure your stomach can handle those foods if you just begin eating them regularly and just allow your body to gradually adjust to them. It must adjust to the new foods, and to eating more food in one sitting. It will adjust, of course -- your body wants the food.
Cpyg scott20738
Posted
scott20738 Cpyg
Posted
I'm happy to hear that!