How I cured my gastritis

So sorry to hear this Daniel. I am concerned about this possibility for myself as I have had gastritis now on and off for 11 years. I too am on a strict diet.

I am off to see a gastro next month who will I am sure order an endoscopy (last one 11 yrs ago).

Hi there,

Do not worry so much for your case, go for the checkup with a light heart. Stress free is always good for the stomach. For my case, he said that my IM - Intestinal metaplasia is localized at a specific area and is not spread throughout the entire area. So its is still not so bad case unless the IM is at esophogas which need to be endoscopy after a few months as the area there is more prone to cancer. He has treated many paitients with IM and not all have progressed to gastric cancer. In many cases, IM might clear up on its own. I also hope you can do a research on your country for the best/well-known specialist for stomach case, some docs are more specific in checking every area of your stomach. Anyway its good to check early. Stay stress free and need not worry much ok.

Apologies for all the spelling mistakes.

I do not worry so much about calcium anymore since I read that article in the New York Times about milk presenting some studies showing that people who don't eat dairy are in better health and have lower risk of bone fractures. Sometimes I take Calcium supplements "bone heatlh" from NewChapter, this is the only one I found I tolerate. The calcium in the pills is from seaweeds.

1. To flavor my oatmeal I add a banana, sometimes raw, sometimes cooked with it, and I add broken walnuts or sliced almonds. On the weekend I put a little bit of maple syrup.

If I need a dairy substitute for cereals I use rice milk. This is the dairy substitute I tolerate best.

2. I only use the list of ph level of foods in the dropping acid cookbook, I don't really use the recipes. I just cook everything very simply: sauteed with olive oil and a little bit of salt, steamed, roasted with olive oil and thyme/rosemary/salt. I got inspired by one of the recipes to make oatmeal banana cookies. Recently I use the books "simple food" I and II. They have lots of ideas how to cook seasonal vegetables. I just skip the onion/garlic/spices.

3. This is a hard one because I feel that there is a very slow constant progress over months. First the stomach pain disappeard, then the heartburn got better, now my stomach is more and more resistant to more acidic food. For example two months ago I got stomach pain with cooked apples, this weekend I had cooked apples again, I felt a slight soreness but barely noticeable. I rarely have heartburn at night anymore, only if I eat too late or things that are not recommended. It has been five months since I don't have stomach pain anymore, but I still feel that I am slowly improving my stomach strength. But I can't say that I enjoy every meal without discomfort as I still stick to the diet more or less, I haven't tried very irritating stuff (spices, garlic, onions). Every time I feel a soreness (with apples or once I tried tomatoes) it reminds me to go back to the diet. To be honest, I don't mind sticking with this diet for the rest of my life. It is healthy, I am healthy, my BMI is 21.5. And I find cooking with herbs satisfying. I do miss onions a little bit as they are a base of French cooking but I still make all the French recipes without it and it is fine (I am thinking of using leeks instead, even though they are from the onion family, they don't seem to bother me cooked).

4. when I am hungry I eat immediately. When I was trying to limit fat, I ate carbs (1-2 cups), lean proteins and vegetables at every meal. For snacks I tried to eat fruits and proteins. Protein are good to calm hunger, carbs are good for energy, vegetables/fruits(fibers) are good to feel satisfied/full.

For a quick fix I love coconut water. When I was better I used these protein bars made of almond paste, honey and whey, nothing else.

The books I mentioned in my previous post are "The art of simple food" I and II by Alice Waters and not "simple food". I just made a celery root soup from the book the other day, delicious!

Thanks so much for your detailed reply. You are very kind and compassionate to make the time for people's queries.

Helpful for what? What are your symptoms?

It helped me but it is hard to say because the effect is not immediate. It takes a few days/weeks to notice something.

0.75 mg once a day should be enough though. I was taking 0.35 mg twice a day.

I did not know that. I have not noticed that pepzin gi does anything for the bowels. What worked best for my ibs is to follow a gluten-free fodmap diet. There was just an article in the digestive issue magazine of the hopkins hospital about ibs and fodmaps this year. They talk about a few studies that show that the fodmap diet works.

My doubt is ,,,Glutamine and Pro biotics showing immediate positive effects on ibs...but taking Zinc Carnosine,,feeling itz not showing any effects

Hi Vicky,

You weaned yourself much faster than I did but still my impression is that your reaction was from what you ate. I doubt rebound would appear like that out of nowhere after you feeling good for a while.

Even now after 5 months of feeling good I still don't eat garlic.

Today earlier I was at the supermarket, they had a tasting of gluten-free puff chips. So I tried. Than I felt something bothering me in my stomach so I went to check the ingredients, it had onions and garlic. It was with no consequence but this is to say that one must be careful with food for months after having gastritis.

To answer your question about acid rebound, I stayed for one month at each level of weaning myself of dexilant. I felt a little bit of rebound for maybe 2 weeks, I am not sure. From what I read on the internet it should not last more than 40 days.

Dairy gives me heartburn. Garlic is really irritating and gives me stomach pain. If you eat a strict diet again everything should go back to normal.

About IBS, I am fine with avocado and celery. I checked in the John Hopkins white paper about digestive problems and they say that celery is fine. They don't talk about avocado. Avocado is very fatty but beside it is a safe food. Sourdhough wheat bread is not good for IBS though because of the gluten, it gives me inflammation. I am fine most of the time with spelt bread though (it contains gluten too but in smaller quantity and the gluten molecule is slightly different) but I only eat it when I feel good otherwise I eat rice-based bread (Food for life english muffins are delicious).

I just reread your post. You say that you have blood taste in your mouth appearing a few days about that bad meal. This is strange as if it was really due to that meal, it would have happened faster than that. Maybe you should ask the doctor to check what is going on.

Thank you ines for such a quick reply!

I weaned off nexium for 2 months, going from 40mg, 30, 20, 10, then every 2nd day, every 3rd day, every 4th day each for around 2 weeks.

My last nexium was 1 week before xmas last year.

Even when I was on nexium, I was never free of symptoms. I always felt bloating and sometimes sore throat, but my endoscopy was clear. My doc said the symptoms is just my 'hypersensitivity' and he prescribed me antidepressant endep starting 5mg. I'm not sure whether the antidepressant helps, but until my dosage now's 30mg the symptoms doesn't change much. My doc said to keep upping the antidepressant dosage until 75mg. I'm reluctant to do that as I'm scared.

My doc is also against me stopping nexium, but I still stopped nexium anyway as somewhere I believe that nexium contributed to my bloating (indigestion feeling) and I'm also afraid of sibo. So now I'm totally on my own

After stopping nexium, I actually felt better, the bloating is still there, but less. So I think nexium did contributed to my bloating feeling.

I went to hydrogen breath test for sibo, the result was 'borderline'.... it confuses me as I don't know whether I should just go for antibiotics for sibo, and go for sibo diet.....

Since the bloating feeling is always there.... and the sore throat is there too (even tho endoscopy was clear), when I added garlic to my meal the 1st time, I didn't feel much different. So I keep going. I thought cheddar cheese was low in dairy, as it's listed as low fodmap, so I tried to add it to my sandwich - and I didn't feel much different after that.

Only later in the afternoon on that day I had a blood taste in my mouth came out of nowhere 2 hours after my lunch, I thought it was my gum and I ignored it.

Then it was 2 days ago, when I suddenly felt that my throat was much hurting since breakfast. And in afternoon I could spit some more blood from my throat again it was 2 hours after lunch, that I knew it's something wrong.....Later that night I was woken up with nausea feeling. And again, last night. Yesterday and today, I could feel more bloating, but the sore throat isn't as bad as 2 days ago....

So apparently garlic and onion are no-no.

Do you think it's because they are high fodmap food, or just because they are spicy? I thought garlic after being cooked, it's no longer spicy

Are you able to eat outside now ines? It's quite hard to find the right food in restaurant.... many food use garlic and onion, pepper.

Are you able to eat pepper now?

Thanks ines!

 

Hi Vicky,

I am a bit concerned by the blood you are tasting. Did you have that before? I never had blood from my stomach. Maybe you should tell your doctor?

About dairy, from what I read the problem is not because of the lactose, lactose pose problems for 75% of people in the bowel because they can't digest it, not really in the stomach. And you are right, cheddar is low in lactose. The problem comes from the proteins in milk that somehow cause more acid production. The high content of carbonate calcium might play a role as well, like with tums, you feel an immediate relief than things are worse later. Anyway it is not very clear what the mechanism is but the effect has been proven by some studies. My husband made a pesto last night with parmesan, olive oil, pine nuts and basil and I had some slight reflux during the night. So I will try to be strong again and stop dairy completely for a while.

I have the same thing as you. If I eat something bad, it does not cause me much problems anymore, but I feel more sensitive afterwards for a few days, and if I keep eatings things I should not after a few days I get more and more acid reflux and stomach pain. This is why now I avoid any food that give me the slightest discomfort because I know it is a sign that it is only going to get worse.

Cooked garlic and onions are less spicy than raw ones for sure but still I can't tolerate them. I have not tried onions for a while though, I am thinking about trying it sometimes, but at the same time I don't really miss it that much.

I still avoid eating outside. And when I do, I am the most annoying customer ever. I choose what looks safest on the menu and ask it to be prepared plain, than I have a list of things I can't eat on a piece of paper that I give to the chef. Everybody gets a good meal and I get a very boring plate so this is not a very pleasant experience and I avoid it. Last time we went to a Japanese BBQ and actually that was nice because I asked all my meats to be not seasoned and I tolerated beef well. I was a bit conflicted though for ethical reasons as I usually only eat humanly treated animals living on small farms when I eat meat.

I still avoid pepper. I noticed many people ask when they can reintroduce this and that. I have the opposite philosophy. I don't plan to reintroduce anything irritating. I just decided to leave my mind at rest and I decided I will eat like this for the rest of my life. Maybe some day I will change my mind but I don't want to worry about it now. My only weakness is cheese, I am trying hard to resist, going back and forth. My favorite is fresh goat cheese, oh my.

ines, i'm really scared of the blood thing, it has stopped now, so i'm almost certain is from the reflux but i dont know whether it's from my throat or from somewhere else. my throat was hurt at that time but i remember it was hurt when i was on nexium, and yet my endoscopy was clear...

so how can i tell whats the right food then?

 i'm confused of what i should do. i dont do well with ppi as it gives me indigestion and bloating. and maybe i've been sick so long that i dont know whats normal feeling anymore. i dont know whether i'm experiencing any burning or any pain at the moment....idont knw whats normal....

it's very hard to book for a soecialist here in australia, the wait list is long and the earliest i could get is still next month...

my fam doc suspected is the 1/4 banana that i put in my cereals 2 days in arow.... apparently after 1.5years i still dont know what i should have in my diet....i'm thinking to book for a dietician...

ines, my emotional state is now very low...i'm really depressed and scared...thank u thank u for replying...

Hi Vicky,

Do not take nexium for too long, even my doc also advised me to stop after taking 2 weeks. They have many bad side effects, my doc changed my nexium to another type of PPI. During my nexium days, I could experienced all kind of side effects which include stomach cramps, depression, anxiety, nausea and woke up in the middle of night. I felt so much better after I stopped taking nexium, or maybe it did cure my gastritis n GERD. My advise for you is to try another PPI instead of Nexium.

Thank you daniel for replying..

Have you tried any other ppi besides nexium?

I'm scared of trying ppi now... it took me 2 months to get off nexium and it was hard! I was so stupid to introduce new food to my diet too fast, before finding out for sure what is causing me to have gerd in the 1st place - I was thinking to put on some more weight....

I don't understand why 1/4 of banana could set my reflux off.

Even in low fodmap diet, 1/4 banana is considered ok.

Then celeries too... I tried celerie (4 stalks) juice and it sent me bloating for days.....

High fibre food like raw vegies are not ok as well

I also tried sourdough white bread, I'm now not to sure anymore....

Sigh....

Thank you daniel for replying...there are times that I feel so lonely...

First of all, do not get upset so much as depression will cause further inflamed to your stomach. After I finished nexium for 2 weeks with all the crazy effects, doc change my med to omeprazole/sodium bicarbonate which is lower dosage than Nexium with lesser efffects. You can try this, I only took alternate day once a day before dinner for 1 week. After another week going be take 3 times a week with just once a day before dinner. Do not totally rely on PPI forever as its not going be good for your stomach.

You should also try invest in natural n good supplements for your gastritis or GERD which is like Pepzin GI which soothe the lining, i took this and feel great with twice a day. I am waiting for my piobiotic and DGL Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice as I just ordered online. I hope all these supplements will help me too instead of relying on PPI. So far I am doing quite okay with very less pain and so much less gas released which this is my relief. But my diet are still very strict with no coffee, sugary stuff, acidic food. I gg stay this diet for at least 1.5 month and slowly see how its goes. Our stomach needs time to heal. Last but not least, you can try chamomile tea...this tea is a wonder which help your body to relax too. It have an anti-oxidants effects in our stomach. I do take lots of strawberries, blue berries and bananas and drinking 2 litres of water with PH 8 at least every single day. Water helps to dilute acid too and clear your system. Best is to drink at least 250ml -500ml once you wake up. 

Always rem our bodies are different from one another, there are food which might be suitable to you and not for me. So its best you know which food trigger badly for you and avoid it. I know its hard to resist temptations but the thoughts of suffer with pain can make me withstand it. 

Hi Vicky,

I described at the beginning of this thread what I think are the safe foods to eat for most people. But sometimes one person does not react well to one food or the other that is usually well tolerated. Why does your doctor suspects the banana? Most people do well with banana, even though every now and then somebody has a bad reaction to it. I eat bananas every day. If you were feeling good on a strict diet before, go back to it and you will feel good again. There is always some trial and error to discover or remind us which food to avoid. I suspect very strongly that garlic, onion and dairy had a bad effect in this case, maybe the bread if it has lots of fibers (wheat bran) or if the crust is hard.

I have been having some acid reflux at night these days, I am not happy about it. I have been eating much more acidic foods than usual lately: honey, grapes, cooked sour apples, dates, some dairy. And I tried a leek in a soup, it tasted spicy, and I did not feel so good afterwards (leek is from the onion family). I am going to avoid those for a while to go back to feeling 100% good.

Thank you daniel, ines.

My throat and chest are now burning cold, regardless what I eat. I'm a bit reluctant to go back to ppi especially because my hydrogen breath test for bacteria overgrowth is "borderline"....

If I rely on gaviscon and natural treatments, do you think it's wise?

My earliest appt with a specialist is on 26/2!! I can see that my family doc doesn't have enough knowledge on this....

 

 

It best to see a  specialist, my family doc once told me that I need not see specialist cos its might be due to my indigestion nt well that all. After having several pain, i decide to see specialist and i got a shock on my report.  If you do not feel well with PPI, maybe stop it. You can try seeing a private specialist which their schedule are faster. Maybe in the mean time you can try pepzin gi and DGL. Always drink plenty of water too.

Hi Vicky,

I am not sure what to tell you. PPIs helped me a lot to recover, much more than natural treatments. I know they have side effects taken long term but the goal is not take them long term but to recover as quickly as possible.

Hi, I really appreciate the info from this forum...it helps a great deal....I also had d same experience with u taken nexium for 4 weeks , I got completely cure from gastric ulcer. I started taking all kind of fried foods again without any problem until I ate Garlic food which triggered my ulcer now. I tried taken nexium 40mg again but am reacting to it now... I however resulted to only diet now i.e. eating vegetables which is better.

Hi, I really appreciate the info from this forum...it helps a great deal....I also had d same experience with u taken nexium for 4 weeks , I got completely cure from gastric ulcer. I started taking all kind of fried foods again without any problem until I ate Garlic food which triggered my ulcer now. I tried taken nexium 40mg again but am reacting to it now... I however resulted to only diet now i.e. eating vegetables which is better.