How I cured my gastritis

Posted 11 years ago, 375 users are following.

ines6375

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

acakes ines6375

Posted 10 years ago

Why does my lower stomach get bloated with Gastritis?

ines6375 acakes

Posted 10 years ago

If you take acid blockers, you have less acid to keep your bacteria in check. This is my guess, but I don't know really.
emma666 ines6375

Posted 10 years ago

Hi Ines. Is the bloating due to lack of good bacteria do you think?
ines6375 emma666

Posted 10 years ago

We have between 300 and 1000 different species of bacteria in our gut plus other microorganisms and they reproduce constantly at a very fast rate, it is hard to tell which ones are the good ones but everything we eat, medication or food, change the balance of them all. I would imagine We get the best ecosystem in a natural environment without medication and processed food.
ines6375 emma666

Posted 10 years ago

From what I read the acid in the stomach acts as a barrier against bad bacteria as it kills some. This is why the people taking PPI are more susceptible to get C.Difficile.
I don't know what the bloating is caused by, where is it located exactly? It could be due to candida, some bacteria having a feast on undigested fibers and producing excess gas (see fast tract diet), some side effect of medication, or something else.
acakes ines6375

Posted 10 years ago

I have bloatoing in my lower belly since all this but its more like inflammation than air I think.
ines6375 acakes

Posted 10 years ago

Could you give a more precise location? Below the navel?
Are you constipated?
I used to have bloating in my bowels due to IBS but it went away going gluten-free and following loosely the fodmaps diet.
acakes ines6375

Posted 10 years ago

Below the navel all the way down to the pubic bone. I'm thinking IBS due to stress. Not sure if thats my issue or not. I use the restroom once a day so maybe not constipation?
emma666 acakes

Posted 10 years ago

Hi acakes. Are you constantly bloated or do you bloat after certain foods. I notice I get really bloated if I have something thats hard to digest i.e. red meat or something that I'm intolerant to. You might be able to pinpoint it to certain foods.
ines6375 acakes

Posted 10 years ago

It does sound like IBS. Going gluten-free made all the difference for me. Do you eat gluten-free? And the fodmaps diet has been proven to be effective. For me what cause problems beside gluten is mostly cabbage, lentils, beans. Lactose might be a trigger for some people too.
I know they say IBS is related to stress, and all our digestive system is influenced by stress, unfortunately you can't really do much about the stress in your life, but adapting your diet gives good results.
acakes ines6375

Posted 10 years ago

I wonder if I should get a colonoscopy. They will probably just come back and say you have inflammation. Well, yes I know that! Lol. taking gluten out and even tried paelo. No dairy. It could be stress, Candida, Leaky gut? Its wierd how it goes so low towards my pubic bone in the bladder area. I have had urinalysis so no bladder infection, CAT scan normal.
acakes ines6375

Posted 10 years ago

It feels like inflammarion because theres a bit of a burn. Like inflammation.
ines6375 acakes

Posted 10 years ago

That is what I had too before, very painful. Sometimes I did not know if it was PMS or something else but it was IBS. Now I eat gluten-free and I am fine but if I eat a slice of wheat bread, in a few hours I will most likely have some inflammation again.
acakes ines6375

Posted 10 years ago

Ya I just haven't really had gluten. I did this week when I had Wheat Thins, but was having it before that. I also have swelling in my mid stomach where my belly button is. It's like I have 3 different issues and its too overwhelming.
ines6375 acakes

Posted 10 years ago

IBS is correlated with gastritis. Many people with gastritis have IBS, it is not uncommon. The reaction to gluten appears many hours later and might linger for a while so it is hard to identify that it is the cause, but other foods from the fodmap list might be responsible too.
acakes ines6375

Posted 10 years ago

If I clear Gastritis will that help clear the IBS? Ya typicllay I do not have gluten anymore.
ines6375 acakes

Posted 10 years ago

Even though when you have IBS you are more likely to have gastritis and the other way around, the cure is different. I don't think curing your gastritis will cure your IBS. Check the FODMAPS diet for IBS, it is more than gluten.
acakes ines6375

Posted 10 years ago

I don't get diarreah or constipation
emma666 acakes

Posted 10 years ago

Hi acakes. Have been reading today about sinusitis. Apparently if you have leaky gut then you are likely to have inflammation in your body. It makes you have an overactive immune system. My stomach bloats and burns around my navel as well so you could well have leaky gut especially as you have candida. The diet though is the same as the gastritis diet. It says you need to eat inflammatory foods though which include salmon and green vegetables.
ines6375 acakes

Posted 10 years ago

It might not be IBS but the pain and inflammation are one of the symptoms. When I had it, I had sometimes slow bowel movements, rarely real constipation or diarrhea, it was mostly the inflammation and the pain resulting from it that bothered me.
acakes ines6375

Posted 10 years ago

Did you ever get a colonoscopy? I'm thinking about it, but may be a waste of time.
ines6375 acakes

Posted 10 years ago

Yes I did, my colon was fine.
sirivinay1786 ines6375

Posted 10 years ago

I agee...gastritis caused some sort of gluten intolerance for me as well...though it's gone now...
ines6375 acakes

Posted 10 years ago

It might be good to have a colonoscopy to identify the problem, or at least rule out more serious diseases. What does your doctor say?
acakes emma666

Posted 10 years ago

I eat alot of oatmeal right now because its soft. Apparently I have too many things to fix... IBS, Candida, Leaky Gut, SIBO, Gastritis! Overwhelmed.
emma666 acakes

Posted 10 years ago

Hi acakes. The one good thing though (if thats possible) is that the diet we have to do will fix all of these things. I filled in a questionnaire online with my symptoms and it came up with ibs but like you, I dont get constipation or diahorrea. Do you take probiotics because they are good for the candida and leaky gut?
Was reading a success story from a man with gastritis/acid problems who has started to take magnesium and things are improving. Have been reading about it being good for digestive problems/acid. As I cant take supplements, I have bought some magnesium oil/epsom salts that you can add to your bath water and it will soak through your skin into your cells. Worth a try.
acakes emma666

Posted 10 years ago

I am afraid to take probiotics. Does it irritate some people with Gastritis. I have SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth). I took antibiotics for it recenlty and am afraid the probiotics will make it grow back.
acakes emma666

Posted 10 years ago

Emma, I don't know why my lower stomach inflammation won't go away. I've been eating so well. Maybe it's stress. I might get an endosocpy, but what can they find at this point? I already did a CAT scan.
acakes emma666

Posted 10 years ago

Emma, I'm not sure how my diet will fix my Candida because I'm eating oatmeal and one fruit a day.
emma666 acakes

Posted 10 years ago

Hi acakes. I think my lower stomach inflammation is because of poor digestion. The harder the food, the bigger the bloat. Do you have poor digestion?
emma666 acakes

Posted 10 years ago

I have sibo as well but probiotics are good bacteria and are very imporant to take with leaky gut and candida especially after antibiotics. They are the only medicine that I am able to tolerate so would really try and take them.
emma666 acakes

Posted 10 years ago

I dont think the oatmeal is a problem and you are not consuming loads of sugar so try not to worry. One fruit a day shouldnt be a problem, I eat bananas. Im just trying a couple of cake recipes at the moment using dairy free butter and maple syrup so will let you know how they go.
acakes emma666

Posted 10 years ago

Emma, I don't know. I think I have slow digestion, but that has been since the Gastritis. I'm drinking only smoothies so I don't see why I'm inflammed
emma666 acakes

Posted 10 years ago

I read that if you have leaky gut, you have inflammation in your body. Mine is especially in my sinuses. Everytime I eat anything at the moment, they start hurting.
emma666 acakes

Posted 10 years ago

Are you not eating any solid foods at the moment?
acakes emma666

Posted 10 years ago

Off and on. When I start to add solid foods I bloat up high in my stomach assuming it's the solid food irritating my Gastritis or Erosions. I am on shakes right now (oatmeal, almond milk, bananas, protein powder) and boiled eggs. I will try to add solid foods back again in week or less.
emma666 acakes

Posted 10 years ago

I tried doing just a soup diet a long time ago. I didnt find this helped at all because I was going to bed hungry and I felt that my stomach acid was then attacking the empty gut. R u able to try and eat some steamed green vegetables as well as this will give you some good nutrients.
acakes emma666

Posted 10 years ago

I'm juicing too. I find the smoothies very filling and I'm not hungry. I have been finding things to add to it so that I get enough calories. Plus I eat eggs. Yes, I think steamed veggies would help. I will do that. The smoothies help my bloating go down. I will add ground turkey and sweet potatoes soon.
emma666 acakes

Posted 10 years ago

Well done, you're doing well. This should surely pay off. I tried gluten free porridge oats yesterday and they gave me sinusitis and I can't digest almond milk so I couldnt do what you are doing. I have been told to just eat chicken and steamed veg for a couple of weeks and nothing else but I just cant do it. I think it would pay off if I did though so might have to resort to it soon if I cant turn things round.
emma666 acakes

Posted 10 years ago

If you are'nt bloating with the smoothies, perhaps it is down to digestion as they are obviously easy to digest.
acakes emma666

Posted 10 years ago

Actually it helps with my Gastriris Bloating but not the lower stomach bloating. But maybe I need to buy special gluten free oats but I was told Oats ARE gluten free?!!
acakes emma666

Posted 10 years ago

I'm serious about healing. I do not want to delay the healing by messing up. I do not want to go back to square one. That is my reason for doing good. I forgot if you are taking acid blockers?
ines6375 acakes

Posted 10 years ago

Most types of oat are naturally gluten-free you are right, but oat are often grown on farms that grow barley, rye and wheat. One year they grow wheat, the next year, they grow oat on the same land, or the oat field is surrounded by wheat field. All the crops get harvested and processed on the same machines. So you get a lot of cross-contamination and as a result 80% of oat brands found at the supermarket contain some level of gluten.
ines6375 acakes

Posted 10 years ago

Hi acakes,
Have you looked at the book "the fast tract diet"? It is a diet specially designed to reduce bloating. You can mix it up with the gastritis diet. I am not sure sweet potatoes were recommended though, but the russet potato was good.
emma666 ines6375

Posted 10 years ago

Thanks for that Ines. Not really sure why they affected me. They didnt give my stomach any problems but my sinuses are particularly bad at the moment.
emma666

Posted 10 years ago

Have you ever tried magnesium?
Theres a man on this site who has said he has acid/gastritis and is taking it and it has helped him a lot. Going to try putting magnesium flakes in my bath to see if it helps as I obviously wont be able to try it.
emma666

Posted 10 years ago

This was meant for Ines.
emma666 acakes

Posted 10 years ago

No cant take them. Too many side effects.
ines6375 emma666

Posted 10 years ago

I tried magnesium a long time ago. I tried many brands including the brand "Calm". I had a weird reaction from it. It made me feel completely lethargic, sleepy, almost like in a semi-coma for many hours. I tried taking it before bed and I would fall in a very deep but too deep sleep. It made me bloated too. So I stopped. Many people say it helps them with stress.
ines6375 emma666

Posted 10 years ago

Hi emma,
Could it be an allergic reaction that you have? Have you been tested for allergies?
emma666 ines6375

Posted 10 years ago

Was reading up on that calm today and it does give side effects. They reckon if you put it in your bath, it will get absorbed through your skin into your cells. Have got some oil to try tonight.
emma666 ines6375

Posted 10 years ago

Yes, did have some food intolerance tests done a while ago. My sinusitis is starting now after I try and digest anything slightly harder. I have been quite stressed lately and I think its made them worse. I can eat cooked carrots in the day time, but if I eat them cooked in the evening, my sinusitis starts. My digestion is poorer in the evening.
Sometimes I feel like I am fighting a losing battle.
emma666 acakes

Posted 10 years ago

Have just been corresponding with another lady who has gut problems and she said that ppis gave her intestinal bloating so maybe they could be causing your bloating.
acakes emma666

Posted 10 years ago

The lower bloating just doesn't go away... even when I tried Paleo.
emma666 acakes

Posted 10 years ago

R you taking ppis? It could well be them thats causing it. Does it list bloating on the leaflet as side effects.
acakes emma666

Posted 10 years ago

The bloating feels more like swelling and I had it before. Sometimes there is cramping too.
emma666 acakes

Posted 10 years ago

Try not to worry about it. You have only just started doing the strict diet so it might take a while to go. They say it can take a few months to heal your stomach lining so hopefully will go in time.
acakes emma666

Posted 10 years ago

Okay. In the meantime I will have a colonoscopy done. Though they will probably just say you have inflammation. Duh! Lol. I don't know maybe it's something I'm eating like bananas, eggs, or oats.
sirivinay1786 emma666

Posted 10 years ago

I took epsom salt baths on alternate days for a month.. I think it definitely helped me calm down, although i dont think it improved my gastritis or digestive issues. But, I think if I had continued longer it would have helped.
acakes emma666

Posted 10 years ago

It could be Candida
emma666 acakes

Posted 10 years ago

Try not to worry as it wont help your healing. I had an endoscopy at the beginning of my illness but it didnt show anything. I think really I should have had a colonoscopy as my pain is further down by my navel. I never go to the Drs anymore although I know I should. Let me know what they say when you have it. It might persuade me to go.
emma666 sirivinay1786

Posted 10 years ago

Thats a shame. I just want to find something that will cure all of us.
Apparently it is better if you can ingest it but it has to be a certain type of magnesium and the moderators will not let the man who successfully used it tell us which one. I will let you know who I get on with the bath oil.
emma666 acakes

Posted 10 years ago

Could be. Have you looked up candida symptoms?
acakes emma666

Posted 10 years ago

Ya, bloating is one of them. And my blood test showed Candida, but maybe I don't have as much Candida since I've been eating so well. But when you do a Candida diet you are supposed to remove all grains and fruits / sugars. It's probably IBS... but it's not going away.
acakes emma666

Posted 10 years ago

Okay I will. Most doctors aren't helping me. But I'm complicated because I'm so sensitive to meds and supplements, especially right now! I don't remember being so sensitive to PPIs in the past when I took them for a month.
emma666 acakes

Posted 10 years ago

I am as well. Everything makes my tummy burn for hours and hours except probiotics. I never had much luck with Drs either so I dont go any more.
acakes emma666

Posted 10 years ago

I want to take probiotics, but I just got done with antibiotics for SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth). So I don't want to end up taking too much of the wrong probiotic. I don't know which strain of probiotic I'm supposed to stay away from. So probiotics isn't usually irritating for gastritis? I'm wondering if I should stop the glutamine, if it's helping or hurting. Oh, I also take Pepsin GI, but maybe I should stop that too.
sirivinay1786 emma666

Posted 10 years ago

sure emma..i used mag. malate tablets for a while, prescribed by the naturopath. Apparently, orally that is the most easi;y absorbed one. I didnt take it because the tablets were too big. I guess you can break them and take. Apparenlty PPI use reduces magnesium levels in the body as well.
sirivinay1786 acakes

Posted 10 years ago

acakes, can you tolerate coconut oil? Its supposed to kill off candida very effectively and since you are planning to incorporate healthy fats, coconut oil is a very good option. (Only if it agrees with you). You could try adding a teaspoon to your veggies and if you tolerate it, you can add more or even cook with it.
emma666 sirivinay1786

Posted 10 years ago

Yes I have heard that ppis reduce magnesium. Going to try the bath oil and hope it helps, at least it will do my skin good if not my tummy.
sirivinay1786 emma666

Posted 10 years ago

Oh it surely will! and it will make you sleep like a baby!! (i mean the epsom salt bath).
acakes sirivinay1786

Posted 10 years ago

I haven't tried it because some people said they couldn't tolerate it. But I can try it. Right now I have no idea what is causing what.
sirivinay1786 acakes

Posted 10 years ago

Maybe you could try it in small quantities and see how you feel. It is supposed to be great at healing gut problems.
acakes emma666

Posted 10 years ago

My doctor called me back regarding my question of getting a colonoscopy. He said he's hoping the acid blockers will fix my upper and lower stomach issues. He says what is up can travel down and what is down can travel up. Honestly I think my lower tummy troubles were caused first, since I've always had bloating down below. I remember taking PPI's in the past but I was on an antidepressant at the time and that may have counteracted my side effects. Because now I cannot tolerate the side effects as well. I'm going to try splitting the OTC strength in half and see if that helps. It's better than nothing.
acakes ines6375

Posted 10 years ago

So if I need to look for Gluten Free Oats, do I also need to look for Gluten Free Rice? Or is not contaminated like oats can be?
ines6375 acakes

Posted 10 years ago

I never heard of rice contaminated with gluten. Any rice should be fine.

Should we be taking Carafate if we have Gastric Erosions?

sirivinay1786 acakes

Posted 10 years ago

Carafate is usually used to heal ulcers. It normally coats the stomach and esophagus so the burning of the ulcer is not felt. Have you been prescribed with it?It would be a good thing, you can definitely try it if it is prescribed. It will provide some relief with the burning/pain.
acakes sirivinay1786

Posted 10 years ago

As long as I don't eat the wrong thing and take acid blockers I don't have burning. I will ask my doctor if it will promote better healing.
sirivinay1786 acakes

Posted 10 years ago

Oh ok, then you probably do not need it. But it is a safe medicine with less side effects (much better compared to PPI's as well) so if you do take it, it should be ok. But best thing is to control with diet. Saying this, am off to make my banana almond milk smoothie

Anyone is goat or sheep dairy ok?

ines6375 acakes

Posted 10 years ago

I tried many times and I noticed every time it goes against recovery. You don't feel it immediately like acidic foods, it is more subtle. Once you feel better, a little bit on bread or in a salad should be ok.
acakes ines6375

Posted 10 years ago

How do we ger calcium?
ines6375 acakes

Posted 10 years ago

According to those articles in the New York Times about milk we don't need more than what we get in a healthy diet rich in vegetables, etc. check them out, one reports on a bunch of recent scientific experiments. (I regularly make juice with organic romaine, carrots and celery, it feels really good!)
If you worry about it, try to incorporate seaweeds in your diet, they contain 10 times more Calcium then milk. Or you can take a supplement but be careful which one you choose, carbonate calcium is soothing at first but cause more reflux so it is not recommended. I tried many brands without success (carbonate calcium, calcium picolinate, ...). But I found one that is ok: Bone Health from New Chapter, it is made of Calcium from seaweeds.

How I cured my gastritis

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