Anyone with Gastritis, GERD, hiatus hernia, reflux?

ronnykar

Hi everyone, I lost 48kgs in 3 years then fell pregnant with my son and gained 15kgs. A month after having him I was in a lot of pain and found out by gastroscopy that I have gastritis, hiatus hernia, GERD, IBS and major reflux.am taking nexium tablets but I still am very limited on what I can eat. I need to avoid coffee,tea, anything with tomato in it, any citrus fruit and spices and herbs. I am finding it impossible to get back to my goal weight and it's making me depressed. I'm scared to eat because I might feel sick but my diet was awesome before falling pregnant now I feel stuck! My son is 15 weeks and I haven't been able to eat properly for around 12 weeks now. I miss my old diet! Has anyone experience any of this and can give me some advice please??

cathipa

Yes I have the same. I'm also a PA who works in gastro. How are you taking the Nexium (before or after meal, once or twice a day)? Have you tried any other medications besides Nexium? What about just over the counter Zantac 150mg? Have you been checked for gastroparesis?

juliebowman4

I just typed out a long answer and only one line posted....ugh!!

ronnykar

cathipa wrote: »

Yes I have the same. I'm also a PA who works in gastro. How are you taking the Nexium (before or after meal, once or twice a day)? Have you tried any other medications besides Nexium? What about just over the counter Zantac 150mg? Have you been checked for gastroparesis?

I'm taking one 40mg nexium before bed every night, no other medications apart from the occasional milenta, I used to take Zantac but wasn't doing anything so I switched to nexium but doctor says it will take at least 6 months to heal and it's chronic. I also take a natural drop called iburogast to help with IBS, what is gastro paresis?

cathipa

Take the Nexium 30min-1hour before dinner and see if this helps. Timing is everything with this class of medications. Gastroparesis is when the stomach becomes sluggish and does not process the food so it sits in the stomach longer causing all of the above symptoms you mentioned. Typically associated with diabetics, however I see it in otherwise healthy people as well without any certain reason. There is a test your doctor can send you for (Gastric emptying study) which can rule this out.

randomsue

Congratulations on your new baby! Take care of your body and your symptoms and give yourself some time for your recovery. It's not a race and please don't feel depressed about the time you have to take to get to a healthy point. Have you gotten the A-OK about exercising? Just taking a walk with the baby might help how you feel about your diet restrictions and it can be something that you CAN HAVE control over.

But have you tried braising your food. Braised beef with vegetables can have alot of flavor from the ingredients alone. Roasting food can concentrate your flavors too without using the herbs and spices you have to avoid. Roasted veggies with just a little olive oil, love them.

earlnabby

I can only address part of your issue. I have GERD and a hiatal hernia. I treat GERD with prilosec (currently one every 3 days is enough but I used to take one daily) The hiatal hernia is the biggest issue for me. I need to eat frequent small meals, make sure I drink plenty of water (aids digestion and the weight helps keep the stomach from sliding up through the hiatus), make sure I eat small portions of hard to digest foods (like the cruciferous veggies), and make sure I don't wear clothes that fit tightly around the waist while eating (no wearing my favorite jeans when going out to eat).

I still get regular attacks from the hernia and need to talk to my doctor about it. The pain is incredible and has many of the same symptoms as a heart attack. All I can do is lay on the bed in a fetal position taking very shallow breaths until either the food digests enough for the stomach to slide back down or I vomit up the food that is sitting in the hernia. It has sometimes taken as much as 5 hours before I feel somewhat comfortable.

ronnykar

Thank you everyone, I'll try taking it before dinner see if it helps. I've got the ok to do light exercises I walk daily if it's not too hot or cold as I have Bub with me but in a few weeks going to look info joining a new gym. It's just hard to exercise when I feel sick but I know it's also good for my mental health! I'll have to ask my doctor about the test I have never heard of it. I live in leggings at the moment as it hurts to wear tight clothes plus I'm so bloated. I find beef hard to digest I have been eating mostly rice and chicken but I'm getting sick of it lol I also have to eat small meals regularly but it's hard to do with a baby who is teething and super clingy do tend to forget until I start to feel the stomach pain!

ronnykar

Don't you hate that!

juliebowman4 wrote: »

I just typed out a long answer and only one line posted....ugh!!

randomsue

ronnykar wrote: »

Thank you everyone, I'll try taking it before dinner see if it helps. I've got the ok to do light exercises I walk daily if it's not too hot or cold as I have Bub with me but in a few weeks going to look info joining a new gym. It's just hard to exercise when I feel sick but I know it's also good for my mental health! I'll have to ask my doctor about the test I have never heard of it. I live in leggings at the moment as it hurts to wear tight clothes plus I'm so bloated. I find beef hard to digest I have been eating mostly rice and chicken but I'm getting sick of it lol I also have to eat small meals regularly but it's hard to do with a baby who is teething and super clingy do tend to forget until I start to feel the stomach pain!

Don't push yourself too hard. Your walks are great . You could just increase the length of your walks and see how you feel after that. If you still want to join a gym after that, take advantage of the trial period most offer to see if you want to join or if you need to look elsewhere. You aren't supposed to feel awful and I think you're doing a great job right now. Especially with a little one that's teething. Maybe put alarms on your phone to remind yourself to eat. When I was starving, I used to grab a baby food jar to eat along with my kids when they were babies. I thought it was better than nothing. Lol Bananas and the tropical fruit medley were my favorites. It was hard to share. The things we do as parents !

Monkey647

My partner suffered from the same symptoms as you with a very similar diagnosis and found that cutting out garlic and onion helped him greatly. I guess everyone has different triggers but it was remarkable how much his symptoms improved once he eliminated these foods. I hope you find what works for you and start to feel better.

cafeaulait7

I take Nexium and 2x20mg Famotidine (Zantac is fine, too) a day for mine. You can take those classes together. Ask your doctor, of course, but the combination is the only thing strong enough for me now. Don't take the Nexium at the same time as the Pepcid or Zantac, because Nexium needs more acid to work. Good luck!

ronnykar

The one thing that I miss the most is my coffee! I'm too scared to have one tho the last time I had one was 12 weeks ago and I was in so much pain! I might ask the doctor about taking Zantac as well. I have cut out onion and garlic as they are a trigger but still I'm stuck on what to eat to lose the weight. I used to have rice thins with ham and tomato everyday now not being able to have tomato sucks! I'm booked in to see a dietician next month hopefully she can help

shanahz

I have recently been having issues with eating because it hurt. I found out I have esophagitis and possibly eosinophilic esophagitis. This has caused my diet to reduce and change drastically. I can only eat certain foods because they hurt less. Sadly, this means they aren't terribly healthy. I have been eating like this for a little over a week and it is bumming me out because it is impacting my progress, my ability to eat healthy and exercise. I have found this to be a real downer because I love food and I want to get healthy. So I know what you are going through. I just had a scope done to find out what the problem was and now I have to wait for the results to confirm it. It just makes me feeling like I am starting back at square one.

cafeaulait7

I drink an instant coffee that has had the acid removed: "Kava, acid neutralized". It's tasty enough compared to no coffee. Coffee is my biggest trigger now with my recent flare-up, too But the Kava works!

For my diet, I drink a lot more milk and soymilk. Smoothies are good. Bananas are less acidic than lots of fruit. Apples are fine. It's the citrus fruits that get me.

Sweet potatoes are great. If you like things like kale, cabbage and broccoli, they are great acid-wise. Tomatoes were my favorites and they do hurt, which figures, lol (but now that's getting better, too, after several weeks of higher meds).

I have no problems with low-fat cheese, either. I'm actually lactose intolerant, too, but I just chew a lactase tablet and I'm good to go there

ronnykar

Oh I've never heard of that coffee not sure they sell it here but I want some! Lol

Machka9

The heavier I got, the more I struggled with GERD. Eventually I went for an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy to confirm what I already knew. GERD. The Dr told me to keep taking Nexium (I had been on it about 6 months by then) and take it for the rest of my life.

Problem was, the Dr didn't take into account a genetic mutation I have (which became evident when I developed DVT in 2009) and it turns out that Nexium + that genetic mutation = all sorts of difficulties.

I went from a reasonably energetic, fairly optimistic person who loved walks to the beach and cycling ... to an unexplainably exhausted couch potato who was beginning to fight with depression. I also gained the last several kg to reach my peak weight in that time.

I couldn't figure it out ... until I started researching Nexium. But Nexium is not easy to get off. If you're reading this and thinking, "Oh well then, I'll just quit Nexium" ... don't. Do your research, talk to your Dr, and if it is recommended, go into the weening off process very, very carefully. But most importantly, your situation is likely different from mine, so this might not apply to you. However, if you've got any misgivings about Nexium, the best idea is to go to your Dr and have a good chat about it. Let me just emphasise that for anyone who might think I'm glibly telling you to go off Nexium ... if you are concerned about it, talk to your Dr about your options before you do anything.

Interestingly, as I lost weight, my GERD has diminished to a point where I'm rarely bothered by it. But I still have to do things like chewing my food very well, eating slowly, eating small portions, and sipping my beverages. I also can't do things like eat a meal and immediately upon finishing it, lean over and tie my shoe. That's a good way to get my meal back!

SLLRunner

I have horrible Acid Reflux, where I had the worse flare I've ever experienced last month with my partner's medical emergency resulting in open heart surgery. My doctor tested me for H Pylori (negative) and asked me to do several things in order to try and calm my Acid Reflux symptoms down:

• Raise the head of my bed six inches (done)
• Drink Aloe Vera juice or tea prior to big meals to aid in digestion (doing)
• Drink Ginger tea every day (mmmmm, good!)
• Take my Prilosec twice a day instead of once a day (doing)
• Have raw vegetables with each meal (I have not figured out breakfast yet, but doing this with lunch and dinner)
• Eat foods with only one name (I am working on this)
• Eat no packaged food (I think this means processed foods because everything comes in a package, even roast, chicken, etc).
• Drink digestive tea every day (doing)

It's only been a few days, so I know it's going to take awhile. If these things do not work, then an endoscopy is the next step.

Here's a website I found too: https://www.aboutgerd.org/. I have been studying this page.

Machka9

SLLRunner wrote: »

[*] Drink Ginger tea every day (mmmmm, good!)

Oh yes, I meant to say something about this too ... I started drinking ginger tea about a year ago, and it is lovely! Any time my stomach feels a bit unsettled or burning or whatever, I'll have a cup of ginger tea and things seem to calm down a bit. Plus it tastes good. I'm not a huge fan of black tea (too bitter for me), but the kind of ginger tea I get (a lemon ginger) is really nice.

SLLRunner

ronnykar wrote: »

The one thing that I miss the most is my coffee! I'm too scared to have one tho the last time I had one was 12 weeks ago and I was in so much pain! I might ask the doctor about taking Zantac as well. I have cut out onion and garlic as they are a trigger but still I'm stuck on what to eat to lose the weight. I used to have rice thins with ham and tomato everyday now not being able to have tomato sucks! I'm booked in to see a dietician next month hopefully she can help

I was drinking coffee like crazy, so I tried to cut back to one a day. I see it leaving my future really soon because one cup bothers me.

I made myself a ginger tea latte using my Lactaid milk and it was so much better. If you don't drink dairy, you can try cashew milk, coconut milk, or almond milk.

The way I see it, is my chest burning and all the other symptoms are well worth getting rid of if it means I need to give up coffee or any other food.

SLLRunner

Machka9 wrote: »

Interestingly, as I lost weight, my GERD has diminished to a point where I'm rarely bothered by it. But I still have to do things like chewing my food very well, eating slowly, eating small portions, and sipping my beverages. I also can't do things like eat a meal and immediately upon finishing it, lean over and tie my shoe. That's a good way to get my meal back!

Unfortunately, I did not suffer from severe Acid Reflux when I was heavier, but more so after I've become a healthy weight.

Something I forgot is that I now take a probiotic every day.

LisaTcan

I just wanted to give experience - I have gastritis, hiatus hernia and GERD and also had H Pylori. I took Nexium for 6 years (it shouldn't actually be taken long term) and it really helped my symptoms but I ended up with severe nutritional deficiencies and anemia. If you don't create any stomach acid it can be hard to properly digest foods.

Nexium as @Machka9 said is really hard to come off - my symptoms got much worse and I had to taper off. I'm now off it and feeling pretty good - here is how I manage my symptoms

- 150 Zantac once or twice a day
- Relatively low carb diet and only easy to digest carbs - Check out Fast Track Digestion & FODMAPS
- Easy on the caffeine and alcohol
- Exercise daily and keep my weight healthy
- No gluten or lactose (however I am intolerant)

Good luck and congrats on your baby!

wkwebby

Don't forget to avoid overly fatty and greasy foods. This will also aggravate GERD symptoms. Take your Nexium at least 1 hour before you eat not when you're eating or as you are sitting down to eat. Eating smaller meals will help especially with you having the hiatal hernia.

Acidic foods in general should be avoided (not just tomatoes, but sour fruits, too vinegary things, etc.). The closer you are to a neutral pH for your food, the more comfortable you will feel after eating it. So any veggies except tomato is acceptable, but some fruit that may be really sour is to be avoided.

For instant relief, you can grab Tums to help while your Nexium is kicking in. Hope this info helps! Good luck!

McClimans13

I'm currently waiting for an appointment with a Rheumatologist. I had a vertical gastrectomy in August, and have been doing well. There have been a few times that I ate to late and had severe acid reflux. My problem is the pathology report showed that the Sarcoidosis is active in my stomach, and mentioned chronic gastritis, which I never knew I had. Still waiting for an appointment with Rheumatologist, they deal with the Sarcoidosis. I'm wondering if I should see a GI too. I have an appointment with my surgeon next week and will talk to them about the pathology report in depth. I'm on meds since the sleeve gastrectomy.