How I cured my gastritis

Posted , 375 users are following.

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

3077 Replies

Prev Next
  • Edited

    wow i thought i was the only one in the world with this problem. Have had a scope and diagnosed with gastritis. No bacteria (Helicobacter) no ulcers. Made to feel the pain and nausea is in my head and to go home I probably have irritable bowel syndrome!. Will look at following what you have done and a few diet changes to see if i gain any relief. Sharon in Australia
    • Posted

      It sounds like my diagnostic. Please share your progresses.
    • Posted

      I will do. I have started with cutting out dairy and so far i have no nausea today. Oh and bread
    • Posted

      I felt a great improvement when I stopped dairy. But bread does not hurt my stomach. Did you feel bread was causing problems?

      I do avoid wheat but it is for a different issue (IBS).

    • Posted

      Stopped bread as thought it might be bloating me. My specialist told me it was IBS but that was to get me out the door. I have been quite good since not having dairy last three days. Have thought of avoiding wheat but just doing one thing at a time at the moment. 

      my facebook is Sharon Louise Richards. Picture of me and my hubby

    • Posted

      Bread in particular made of wheat (because of gluten) makes IBS worse. I was bloated too from it and had inflammation in my bowels. That went away when I started eating gluten-free. For some reason I tolerate better 100% spelt bread. Spelt has less gluten. If I remember correctly it is an ancient variety of wheat. The fodmap diet is helpful for IBS too.

      But my stomach tolerates bread very well as well as yeast. I regularly eat spelt bread made with yeast.

    • Posted

      Rice bread is probably better than spelt bread for people with IBS because there is no gluten. I have found yesterday a delicious gluten-free bread at the organic store based on rice and buckwheat, delicious. 
    • Posted

      Hi Shaztaz, I would like to know if your nausea went away finally? I am dealing with this issue and it worries me.
  • Posted

    Hello ines

    Please advise if your stomach made you suffer frim anxiety and depression with symtoms like rapid heart beat 

    BYE

    • Posted

      My stomach problems similar to all previous posts definitely caused me anxiety and depression.Also when my symptoms are really bad i have palpitations and sometimes strong and fast heartbeat.Have been checked out by cardio and heart ok.It is a common problem. 
    • Posted

      Hello dawn

      For how many years did you had this, do you take antisepressant 

      WHat do you take to calm it down

      & how can it becured

    • Posted

      i tried taking antidepressants but they made me feel ill.I tried several different ones.My stomach has not calmed down yet which is why i am on here reading the posts.I just know that bloating and discomfort causes me to have loads of ectopic beats( palpitations) which are harmless but scary.My problems are caused purely by stress as i have had symptom free periods.
    • Posted

      Hi dawn, can an endoscopy show whether reflux is bile or stomach acid? Ive never heard that. 
    • Posted

      Hi Hebert,

      I wonder if the stress I had this last years contributed to my gastritis. I was in a bad relationship crying a lot. Now thankfully it is over and I am happy except for the stomach problems. At some point the pain in my stomach was preventing me to sleep. I was exhausted and depressed by it. But I did not have my heart racing. Could it be a panic attack you have? 

    • Posted

      Hello

      Ines my stomach lining is very weak thats why it causes anxiery and sometimes paid in upper left abdomen & rapid pulse

    • Posted

      Hi Hebert,

      Did you get an endoscopy to check your oesophagus? 

    • Posted

      Hello ines

      I did an endoscopy 4 yrs back its was my esophagus inflamed with both bile & acjd

      But its the anxity & stress that is worst

      Were you using antidepressant also?

    • Posted

      Hi Hebert,

      I did not take anti-depressants. I was in a bad situation and when I got out of it I recovered. Also when the stomach pain became weak enough that I could sleep full nights, it helped a lot too.

    • Posted

      _____ (Removed)

      Interesting read about how eating when stressed can cause bile reflux which causes gastitis.

      I was diagnosed with bile reflux, which probably caused the horrible gastritis. I am having a low week beecause its been 10 weeks and only seems to be getting worse. I find cutting any hard food or carbohydrates like bread, pasta, rice, helped me in the beginning. I actually find soft cooked egg very soothing. DGL licorice tablets really irritated me, or mabey in was the chicken soup i had with it with, but I'm scared to try again.

      Has anyone tried l glutamine? Or digestive enzymes? I bought both from the health food store but afraid to try anything that could make it worse. I've also come across the acid/alkaline diet and the paleo diet in my research which people are swearing cured them, but which to try?  However another interseting article is: 

      http://www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/stomachacid.htm (Replaced)

      Also has anyone else become absolutely fed up with doctors? Mine gave me no diet advice told me not to worry about bile reflux even though thats what the endoscopy showed (and research into bile reflux says that it causes gastritis, cannot be managed by lifestle changes and requires medication), and told me to take paracetamol for the pain! 

      Patient Moderator Note: I have removed an URL (a link) from this reply as it was unsuitable for inclusion within these forums however I have provided a suitable replacement. If any user is interested in this removed information they should contact the author via the Private Messaging system requesting such. Sorry for any inconvenience.

      patient.info/forums/discuss/private-messages-226361

    • Posted

      Several Weeks on now...  Im still off the PPIs, Weetabix x 2 in a morning, 2 x White Toast at Lunch with Clover Butter, Evening Meal Chicken or Turkey with crushed potatoes and  Cabbage.

      Snacking on Chicken Pieces, Raisins and drinking a lot of Decaffeinated Tea of all things and rich tea biscuits.

      Im taking probiotics every morning as well.  Strange is some days are better then others and I can have several days with barely any pain, but then several with.... v strange!

      Sometimes I feel a hard lump beneath the centre of my rib cage, not quite sure what that is, or what causes it.   

      It is at least bareble right now and I am putting some weight back on of the 2 stone I lost but my diet is still very limited and I am hoping I can be well for xmas dinner.

    • Posted

      If you have pain some days and others you are fine, there might be some food in your diet that irritates your stomach, the decaffeinated tea maybe?
    • Posted

      Strange thing is I can go several days with very little pain, even the bad days arent as bad as they used to be but Im so scared to eat anything different right now just in case it starts up again.   Tea actually seems to help the pain.... maybe its the warmth that relaxes the stomach.   Im at the stage now where the point I used to press in my stomach sometimes hurts, but most of the time doesnt.  So Im hoping its on the mend.  I have the same foods at the same time every day, and Im desperately trying to put on some pounds.

       

    • Posted

      If you want to check if the tea might cause a problem, you could replace it with chamomille for a few days. Chamomille is perfectly safe.
    • Posted

      Raisins are a bit acidic too, not too bad. You don't like bananas?
    • Posted

      Cant stand Chamomile.... tried about 7 different herbal teas and cant pallet any of them..... one made me violently sick! lol.   I never have issues overnight at all, seems to be most sensitive at lunch time if anything.  Hance the toast.
    • Posted

      I seem to be able to eat things I shouldnt be able to, but not things I should.  Oatmeal and bananas both set it off the last time I had them so Ive stayed off them since.
    • Posted

      I could have written this, pleased you are doing well. I've been off ppi s about 6 weeks. I'm taking acidophilus in a morning before food. L glut amine with food. Juicing 2 meals a day and eating clean rest of time. Keep trying little goodies in to try to put back a bit of my weight. It's almost a year since I started with gastritis hoping I might have said goodbye to the worst of it.

      i also have to strange feeling between my ribs sometimes it feels like a weight or a tightness. No idea what it is either

    • Posted

      Oh I drink clipper White Tea. I can't stand anything else
    • Posted

      Hi Matt,

      so many of us seem to experience similar

      The following could be helpfult to us guys:

      Oats...processed (flakes) or non processed steel cut (seed kernals busted up)?

      And was your reaction fast...like an allergic reaction or a tad slow like an intolerance?

      Thanks

      Claudio

    • Posted

      Hi Jayne,

      I have same feeling, specially a weird pain in the left part of my esternon, no idea where the pain comes from. I feel tightness around that region. I've been a bit better because I'm avoiding foods that produce gases, lactose and gluten. But no doctor has been able to tell me what's the origin of that umcomfortable feeling

    • Posted

      Hi Matt,

      I have problems with oats and bananas as well. I found out that I can only tolerate very very rip bananas, I usually buy them and wait until the skin is kinda dark, if they are a bit green, the pain is horrible. I can't stand any tea as well, lately chamomille has been causing me problems, horrible reflux, my throat gets soared, quite painful. Somehow I think that the problem is not the tea itself but the temperature of the tea. I've tried with different temperatures, very hot tea or any liquid in general cause lots of reflux. I always wait for my tea to cool down almost to room temperature, then I drink very small sips and make long pauses between sips, in this way I can tolerate chamomille or other herbal teas, maybe you could give it a try smile

    • Posted

      Hi Herbert,

      I have Gastritis and also suffered from a mild depression.  I was reading that one of the causes of gastritis is pernicious anemia which is a form of anemia that occurs when the stomach lacks a naturally occurring substance needed to properly absorb and digest vitamin B12.  A deficiency in Vitamin B12 can produce symptoms like feeling weak and tired, but if it stays low for a long time, it can produce symptoms like depression, numbness or tingling in the fingers and toes, a poor sense of balance and even dementia.

      I noticed my memory was beginning to get worse and worse (over the last 4-5 years).  I attributed it to just getting older.  But now that I've been diagnosed with gastritis, I'm hoping once I begin a regimen of B12 shots, my memory will improve significantly.   I hope B12 shots can also improve your anxiety and depression, Herbert.  It couldn't hurt. 

      I've spoken to a few friends who also get the shots and they say you get them in the fatty tissues of your gluteus maximus (your behind) and you can feel a difference in your mood within 5 minutes.

      Good Luck to you, Norma

    • Posted

      Depression affects memory as well. It is hard sometimes to know the cause. When I was in a bad relationship a few years ago, and depressed because of it, my memory, cognitive abilities got worse. Now that it is over and that I feel better, I am learn and remember much better than I used to.

      I had problems focusing with I had gastritis as well but I blame the lack of sleep most of all.

    • Posted

      I have found that when you have inflammation in the gut, it's likely to have inflammation in the brain. This can cause brain fog, anxiety, and depression. I notice a link to this myself when I have a flare up.
    • Posted

      I wonder if there is a link between hypothyroidism and gastritis. That would explain the brain fog since hypothyroidism causes the cognitive functions to slow down. I wonder about this because people who have IBS are more likely to have gastritis, and gluten might be implicated both in IBS and hypothyroidism. I definitely get bowel inflammation with gluten. Does anybody else notice or know something about this?
    • Posted

      Hello Ines,

      Just wondering how you are doing now? Are you still completely good? I seem to be getting worse! I can now only tolerate veg, milet, bananas and rice cakes. Everything else hurts. I'm feeling really low

    • Posted

      I'm feeling so low and losing hope this will ever get better. I'm having an MRI scan on Tuesday to check fir colitis and crohns, I doubt I have either of these things, but why on earth is this getting worse. I'm taking omeprozoles 60mg per day, and trying very hard to watch my diet. I don't know what else to do.

      What did you do for your evening meals when at your worst? I prey you tell me that your feeling so much better now and able to eat more foods??! x

    • Posted

      Hi Gaynor,

      I am so sorry to hear you are not feeling well.

      What hurts? Is it your stomach just below your ribs, or more in your bowel area close to your pelvis? Are you haveing excess acid?

      I was feeling good for a while, still being careful with what I ate though. And then I got pregnant. At first my stomach was fine, I just had the morning sickness (nausea) but after 2-3 months, I started having light acid reflux at night. Now I try to do long walks regularly, eat a lot for lunch than have a light dinner at 5 pm, drink a lot of evamor water between meals, and sleep on my left side and then I sleep well. I think this problem is due to a mix of my sensitivity and the pregnancy.

      I would like to tell you that I can eat what I want but unfortunately it is not the case. A month ago I went to the restaurant 3-4 times in a row for my birthday, I had spices, garlic, onion, pizza, hot chocolate, ... and I got some pain back for a week or two then it went away. Now I am fine again beside light acid reflux that I think is due to the pregnancy.

      I do eat more things than I used to though. Sometimes I eat foods from the red list and once in a while it is fine, I have no consequence from it. I made a tomato sauce with yellow tomatoes for example (yellow tomatoes, a pinch of sugar, grated carrot, olive oil, salt, and fresh basil to finish), I have dairy every now and then, a little bite of smoked duck with garlic from the farmer's market, I add one yellow tomato to my salad every now and then, I regularly have pears now, I especially love asian pears, I had a mango and a few pieces of pineapple but it felt a bit acidic so I stopped, apples still feel too acidic so I don't have more than one bite... I try one thing at the time to identify what works and what does not and I keep the quantities raisonable. If something feels too acidic on my tongue like apples, I stop eating it immediately. Most of my diet is still according to the bland low-acid diet though, I add to it a lot of fresh herbs to make it tasty, and I don't mesure fat anymore.

      To be honest with you I don't remember very well what I ate when I was at my worst. I think mostly mashed potatoes (use a little bit of the cooking water to make it smooth), white rice (a friend suggested I cook it with excess water and eat it like a soup), steamed vegetables or in soup (you can make all sorts of soup with a base of potato to make it creamy), roasted chicken or white fish with just a little bit of salt, fresh juice with carrots-romaine-celery for the vitamins. bananas and raw organic pure coconut water are very soothing too. For breakfast oatmael and banana with chamomille tea.

    • Posted

      I'm having stomach burn and pain, which travels under my right ribs and burns through the back. Been like it 10 months now. I can't get on top of it. I'm now on antidepressants and anxitey meds. Just feeling so low about it all. I've lost loads of weight. I was having chicken and fish with veg dinners but I can't even tolerate meat anymore. I've had to cut out milk and any substitute as it gives me s sore throat, I'm assuming acid reflux. There's no way I can make my diet any blander! I have Millet with banana and bottled water both morning and lunch, then pots and veg for dinner, drinking only water. I'm trying to reduce my stress, but this condition is making me stressed. I can't tolerate coconut water, or anything else come to that! Surely I should be getting better, not worse?! I so desperately want my life back.

      Did you try any other PPI? I'm currently back on Omeprezole, I was on Lanzoprazole and then Pantoprazole. Did you find Dexilant was better? x

    • Posted

      When you say oatmeal do you mean porridge oats?

      Do you think the cabbage juice worked?

      Did you have a problem with calcium? Were/are you able to tolerate almond or coconut milk?

      Sorry for so many questions. I'm feeling so lost. xx

    • Posted

      Hi Gaynor. Just been reading how things have got worse for you. 

      I am in the same boat. I have recently been and had some allergy tests done and they were also able to tell me other problems I am suffering from. 

      She thinks a lot of my problems are made worse by my state of mind.

      I am very stressed and depressed like you at the moment and it is having a big impact on my health. She has recommended I try yoga and other relaxing exercises. She has also recommended some books for me to read to help me be more positive and to try and take my mind off my illness.

      It sounds like you are in the same boat and that is why you are not impoving.  Take care, Emma x

    • Posted

      Hi Emma,

      I totally agree that my state of mind is not helping. I live on my own with very little family support. I've been single for 10 years (I caught the herpes virus 6 years ago and can't face trying to form a relationship) on top of that in also having problems with bunions (also arthritis in the toe joints now) and finding shoes is difficult. I wake up every morning trying to find a reason to get up. It was a cigarette but even that's had to go. I feel like in just existing and I don't know how to change it. I'm 34 yrs old and feel trapped. I can't even have a bar of chocolate to cheery self up. Sorry... Things are just really hard. I have joined a dating website though.... Just perhaps I may find some happiness. My life as a mess before this, it's 10x worse now.

      Has the allergy test helped at all? X

    • Posted

      Hi Gaynor. Im sorry things are bad for you at the moment. It sounds like you could do with something positive happening in your life to help turn things round. I hope you meet a nice man and that might help take your mind off your health.

      The allergy test was useful. I have a big problem with trying to digest anything at the moment. She did tell me that I am low on digestive enyzymes and hydrochloric acid. I have started on the digestive enzymes which help a little but am too scared to take the acid because I know it might trigger burning in my stomach. 

      We are going on a weeks break soon and it always makes me feel so much better so I know that stress is a big factor in my health problems.

      I tried to take an antidepressent recently and even that started my stomach burning. 

      Do you work? I had to give up but the trouble is it gives you more time to sit and dwell on your problems. x

    • Posted

      I bet you're looking forward to going away?! Do you find your stomach improves when you're not stressed or go away somewhere?

      I too have trouble digesting my food. I'm assuming that's because of the PPI's stopping the acid?

      Are you able to tolerate almond or coconut milks? X

    • Posted

      I forgot. Are you taking acid blockers? That is what helped me the most! I had to suffer through the side effects or take half a dose. I bought empty pill capsules and divided them up.
    • Posted

      Hi,

      Yeah I'm on Omeprazole 60mg per day and peptac throughout the day! My GI doc suspects crohns but I don't have any bowel probs I.e blood or pain. I've got my MRI scan on Tuesday. I'm expecting it all to come back clear and be told it's IBS.

      How are you know? Are you still good? X

    • Posted

      That is so frustration. It has to be caused by something. Or low digestive juices, slow digestion, etc. I really hope you find answers! I know how crazy this can make you!

      I am doing better on the PPI but it makes me feel aweful, anxiety and tight chest, tense muscles. I hope I can come off of it in a few weeks and be ok without them.

    • Posted

      Hi Gaynor,

      I did not try any other PPI than dexilant. I did a lot of research online and it seemed like the best PPI (less people complaining of side effects, more people reporting it works). So when my doctor said I could try Nexium as well I decided not to.

      By oatmeal I mean rolled oats cooked with water and half a pinch of salt. Cooked oat release some sort of gel, and it is very soft, I find it soothing.

      The cabbage juice helps for the stomach but the side effects on the thyroid are really  not worth it. You can always try if you feel desperate but I would advice against it if your thyroid is sluggish, you feel tired, cold, ...

      I don't think I have a problem with Calcium but I am not sure how to know that. From that article in the New York Times I talk about in a previous post in which they report on different scientific studies, people who are drinking milk have more problems of bones fractures, so it looks like it is more healthy to eat dairy free. Now I am pregnant so I take a calcium supplement from NewChapter called "Bone health" just in case, it is the only one I tolerate. Give it a try if you are worried about your calcium intake. The calcium in it comes from seaweeds. You can also eat the seaweeds directly as a side dish. Supposedly seaweeds are the reason why Japanese people don't have calcium defficiencies.

      I don't really tolerate well almond or coconut milk. Sometimes I have it when there is nothing else around but it is not something I really feel good with.

      It is normal you don't feel good with red meat, I don't either. I very rarely have beef even now. I keep it for special occasions. And I never had it when I was in pain.

    • Posted

      What PPI areyou taking?

      I'm sure I'll get answers one day. Maybe my state of mind is making things worse. x

    • Posted

      Hi Gaynor,

      If you are looking for a milk substitute, I recommend rice milk. This is what worked best for me (I tried them all).

      Also if you can find some shoes that fit, walking 1-2 hours per day might help you greatly. You can start with 15 minutes as fast as you can, than 30 minutes, than increase. I keep reading an incredible number of studies that show that exercise help with so many things, and I find it that it helps with stomach problems as well, it is relaxing, it improves sleeps, oxygenation. There was a girl on this forum Vicky who said that after she started walking everyday her symptoms of acid reflux went away. Personnally I can't sleep a full night these days if I don't walk during the day. Give it a try.

    • Posted

      Also exercise (the study reported cardio exercise 30 minutes 5 times a week) has been proven to be as effective as medication against depression and anxiete.
    • Posted

      I am looking forward to going away. I do find it really helps with my stomach yes. I was reading up that stress reduces your digestive enzymes and stomach acid, so the more stressed I get, the less I can digest.

      The allergy lady recommended I steam cabbage and drink the water it has been steamed in. Then after im a bit better, start putting the cooked cabbage into my smoothies, eventually trying to add some raw cabbage. 

      I am not able to tolerate any alternative milks. My diet consists of banana, eggs, vegetables, chicken, turkey, lentils, brown rice, and sweet potatoes. I was having salmon every day but it has come up as a high irritation food for me so I need to stop having it for a bit.

      It might be worth looking into having some food allergy tests done.

      She also told me my spine isnt straight (i do get back ache) and that one of my wisdom teeth is affecting me. She has also started me on b12 which I am managing to take. It was a very useful test.

       

    • Posted

      I can't tolerate any meats, they all burn eventually.

      Yes I'm on the rice milk. I tried the one with added calcium and stomach didn't like it.

      I dunno, I do wonder if my depression is making things worse? What do you think?

      Yes I do walk as much as possible. I love walking, but dont dare do too much as I've lost too much weight already. x

    • Posted

      Hi Gaynor. If meat is affecting you, I would think that it is because you are not digesting it well. Have you ever tried digestive enzymes? I didnt think I would be able to have them because nearly every medication reacts, but I am actually able to have this particular brand. If you want the name, I can private message you. If you are stressed, it will be making your digestion worse definitely. 
    • Posted

      My stomach problems started after I had been under high stress for many years. I think the digestive system is fluctuating with emotions a lot but nobody really knows how it works. Maybe the depression is making things worse I don't know, I see it more the other way around, the depression is probably making it harder for you to deal with stomach problems. When we are depressed we are more sensitive to everything. Whatever the link between the two, the solution is the same, try to get help to get better both emotionally and physically.

      About walking, what is your BMI? If it is below 20, or worse close to 17, you are right to be careful not to exercise too much. If it is above 20, don't be afraid to exercise too much, I am sure the benefits outweights the inconvenients.

    • Posted

      Hi Emma, yes please, that would be nice. It seems crazy that it's getting worse. If I was to tell my dr he would bark at me that it's stress! I must admit though, my stomach is all I think about. It's taken over my life. I think I'm not stressed but in actual fact I rhink I'm just so used to being stressed that it's the 'norm' for me now. But clearly not for my body. Maybe I need to take up yoga!?

      I may try lentils. How do you cook and eat them? x

    • Posted

      Thats the trouble with me, I let my stomach problems take over my life and it really isnt good. I think you sound stressed and depressed like me. 

      I buy the green and red split lentils that dont need soaking and just boil them for 20 mins with brown rice. Its quite a nice snack. 

      I will message you the digestive enzymes.

    • Posted

      Thanks Ines. Did you ever have probs with meats? Which ones are the easiest to start with? I would've thought chicken but my tummy is not so keen. Emma says it could be needing digestive enzymes... X
    • Posted

      How do we do private message? I'm useless with technology x
    • Posted

      Cant remember how to message. Will try and see if it goes through

      Solgar vegan digestive enzymes.

    • Posted

      Thanks Emma. I take it these are from health food shops?

      Yes I am stressed and depressed. I guess it's because I just really don't want any of this to be happening and fighting it. Well nothing stays the same forever I guess! x

    • Posted

      I take it you're in a better place now then? Did you take maple syrup while you were poorly or when you were better?

      How did you know to stop the ppi's?

      Just wondering what gluten free bread you have found to be best please Ines? X

    • Posted

      Exercising really helps me too! It was my only escape when my Gastritis was at its worst. And I fee like it gets my blood flowing whichg helps heal. I always felt so much better afterwards, my stomach too! I did long relaxing walks and also yoga.
    • Posted

      Yes I feel good now, no stomach pain anymore, just a little bit of acid reflux because of the pregnancy.

      I took the maple syrup when I felt better. When I was feeling bad and had a sweet tooth, I made cooked bananas or had watermelon, melon or raw coconut water.

      I took dexilant 60 mg until I felt good, than I took it one more month to be sure, than I decreased the dose slowly over two months.

      In the US, I like the millet bread from food for life (it needs to be toasted to taste good), the english muffins from food for life (they are rolls really, I put them in the over at 350F for 20 minutes), and there is a small bakery that  makes good bread (the one with proteins) too, it is called "Everybody eats". You can find it online, they ship. For crackers I buy "le pain des fleurs" from the restaurant "pain quotidien". It is made of 100% buckwheat flour.

    • Posted

      Sorry they changed the name of the gluten-free bread I like from "everybody eats", it is now called "multi-grain bread". It has buckwheat flour which gives a taste like whole wheat bread. It might be a bit early for you to try this bread though as it has lots of fibers, but they have white bread as well. Food for life has gluten-free white bread as well.
    • Posted

      Thanks Ines, Did you avoid bread while you were bad or did you just eat White instead?

      Buckwheat.... Isn't that wheat? x

    • Posted

      Is any gluten free bread ok? Sorry to ask so many questions, just trying to find something to soak up the acid. I find I have no trouble with crumpets. Perhaps there is a different gluten process to their production? x
    • Posted

      Yes I don't do well on red meats and fatty meats, I keep them for special occasions. The only meats I eat regularly are chicken and turkey, they are the easiest on the stomach in my experience.
    • Posted

      Even though the name is confusing, buckwheat is not wheat. It is another cereal that is gluten-free.

      I don't remember exactly what I ate when I was feeling really bad but I do remember that potatoes, rice and all cereals cooked in water are easier on the stomach than gluten-free bread. One of the reason might be that most gluten-free bread is sold frozen, so it must be toasted, which makes it more irritating mechanically. If you can find soft white gluten-free bread, it should be ok.

      I stayed away of enzymes personnally as I read on some forums that some people got their stomach irritated with them but it sounds like Emma found a good brand worth trying.

    • Posted

      Hi Gaynor. Yes but you can get them online from Amazon uk. They are just plant enzymes and I chew two every meal/snack I have without any irritation which is amazing for me! x
    • Posted

      Thanks Ines, I'm going to give rice a go tonight and see if it's easier to digest.

      You sound like you're a really strong, patient person. I bet that really helped you get better?

      My blood tests came back today and I'm low on iron, so the Dr has given me a prescription. Great, more tablets!

      I've had stomach ache all day 😔 x

    • Posted

      Thanks Emma. I'm seeing my Dr tomorrow and a dietitian next week so I'll ask them what they think. I wouldn't be surprised if I'm struggling to digest food due to these flippin PPIs. Going to try rice tonight, see how I get on.

      So where abouts are you? x

    • Posted

      Hi Gaynor. Yes I think the ppis will cause poor digestion if it is reducing your stomach acid. See if he thinks the enzymes would be good. It would be good to see a dietitian. If they are of any help, could you let me know what they suggest please. I'm finding it really hard to have snacks which are easy to digest.

      I live in Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire (Shakespeares Stratford).

      Where are you? x

    • Posted

      Of course I will. I really hope they have something good to show for four years of uni!

      Snacks, I snack on rice cakes, carrots, seeds... Still struggle to find anything else so far.

      I'm in Plymouth.

      Do you really think Emma it's our mental state making us worse? We seem to be the only ones not getting anywhere?! I'm always on verge of tears. All I need is someone being nice to me and that's it.... woosh! x

    • Posted

      Yes I do because I am the same. I cry a lot and I have noticed the worse I get, the worse my digestion so definitely yes. I can't digest rice cakes (too dry), carrots set my sinusitis off and I can't even digest seeds so I cant have any of them.  I'm sure if I could find more to eat, I could get better.

      I'm off to Norfolk on Saturday so am hoping that will calm me down and start things improving.

    • Posted

      Do you have gastritis? Its just that the three items of food you snack on are all quite tough to eat and I thought you needed to eat soft food so as not to aggravate your stomach? Raw carrots always made my tummy really sore as they are very hard to break down. Just a thought.
    • Posted

      Hi, I haven't had a diagnosis yet. My symptoms started last June, I had an endoscopy in November which came back normal. Dr kept telling me it was stress. I demanded a GI red after xmas and only just started to have tests. But I have all the symptoms of gastritis. I'm in for my MRI scan tomorrow, which I'm paying for to speed things up. Not sure anything will show up. GI Dr has already hinted at 'IBS' label. I'll have all results by weekend though.

      The snacks I have are the only things I can tolerate and trying to get the calories. At least until I see the dietitian.

      Well we definitely have to try and pull ourselves together. I know what you mean about trying to find food we can eat. If we can manage that then it should help us get better both physically and mentally. Maybe your trip should help? xx

    • Posted

      Have to watch snack on seeds as if you have diverticulitis not a great snack but nutrition Bullet  great and you can add nuts seeds great digestion, bit vicious circle but seeds good for you but can be bad to digest in my opinion and blueberry affect me 
    • Posted

      Hi Joanne, Yes I have one of the nutribullet smoothie makers. They are really good and I have a lovely green smoothie every day with avocado. That is about the only thing I enjoy having now.
    • Posted

      Hi Gaynor. I had my endoscopy about 16 years ago and it came up with non ulcer dyspepsia because nothing was found. It turns out I have leaky gut which is also causing sinusitis because of the inflammation in my body.

      The test I had done last week with the allergy lady came back with inflammation around my gallbladder and appendix as well. If you dont have any luck with the endoscopy, it might be worth looking into having one of these muscle tests done. Do you have local heath store that do them? x

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.