Reflux problems - HELP!!

[Eva]

Hi!
I have the same problem. I have sometimes gastritis that can last up to 2 weeks where I'm unable to eat coz I feel so sick... I have no acid reflux just a feeling like there is an inflammation in my stomach and that I cannot burp properly. I've been put on Nexium for a year which has done nothing at all! Gavisgone is useless, ranitidine too! there was a time whenthe product Alkalal worked really well but then it did not work anymore, then I tried Regulat, again it helped for a few months then it stopped working. I had endoscopy, colonoscopy, barium eneama, breath test and blood test for H.Pylori... all negatif! Tried gluten free diet, sugar free diet, dairy free diet, FODMAP...you name it! I got so skinny coz I could hardly eat anything that I lost 9 kgs. My Dr thought I was anorexic and most of the time they did not believe that it was the pain that was stopping me from eating. They tried painkiller, anti-depressant (amytryptilline) for the pain, nothing worked!
Since August I have been put on big amounts of laxatives which did help massively, I was able to eat any types of food and gain 6kgs the gastritis disappeared a lot instead of having it all day I got like 1 a month. But guess what? last week on wednsday it happened again and now I can't get rid of it! so I guess I'm back to square one.
I'm fed up! this pains is unbearable.... it feels like I'm going to be sick anytime but I'm not and if I throw up I usually don't stop so I need 2 injections from the Dr. to stop me from throwing up. A real nightmare
So I do empathy with your pain and problems. It's a nightmare. I am also diagnosed with POTS and chronic Lyme disease so I'm not sure if the other condition is giving me trouble in that department.

[Rosie]

Hi Eva

Have you thought about asking for a referral to Prof Aziz? he deals with gastro-intestinal issues in HMS.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=9367&p=152965&hilit=aziz#p152965

Rosie

[Fiona-Jane]

hiya,

i second what Rosie said (wrote? ). i've seen prof Aziz for a while now and he's helped me LOADS. i still have the gastritis, reflux, spasms, delayed gastric empty etc but we're been able to control it quite well with medication and altering my diet (so i eat less foods i cant digest and more food that i can). and when my symptoms flare up i go on a course of antibiotics followed by a course of really strong medical probiotics so i clear out my gut and restock it with new bacteria in more suitable amounts, the probiotic contains loads of different types of bacteria in idea amounts etc. that always works a treat and it's such a relief to know that theres a way to settle my tum down if stuff decides to go a bit crazy inside my tum

fi xx

[orchidmum]

Hi
I am new here. I have two boys. One eight and the other almost five. They are both bendy and suspected of having joint laxity. They are under the care of neurologist due to low muscle tone and were considered to have possible myopathy?
Right now we are not sure of a clear cut diagnosis.
My strong feeling is hypermobility, possible EDS.
The youngest is the more affected with significant developmental delay-not sitting up at 12 months.
My big issue right now is delayed gastric emptying which I am certain both have. The youngest more so and affects him more.
Wondering if anyone else has had experience of this in kids. We are due to see GI next month so I looking to go armed with as much info as I can. Unfortunately the neuro hasn't taken vomiting seriously so referrring us under the impression they won't find anything.
Thanks

[tigsx]

i have discoverd some really random things trigger my reflux and ibs the oddest one being the bottom pastry on pies/sausage rolls etc. if my diet is too fatty i suffer and my gp made me cut out all fruit and fruit juice. I miss a glass of oj but know i will suffer if i do. Tomatos also are very citric and evil for my joints and my ibs/reflux

It can be really hard to figure triggers the only thing i can suggest is a food diary. took me 4 years but most of the time im symptom and tablet free untill i get stressed upset or my joints get worse.

[kayle_d]

I find really fatty and heavy foods make my reflux worse, as well as the obvious - citrus and spicy foods.

I find that if I have been "good" with my diet (avoiding things that trigger it) and am going through a period of low stress (as stress triggers it as well) I can have small amounts of the foods that I love that does trigger it, like a couple of plum tomatoes! I can't cut foods that I'm not really meant to eat as most of them are foods that I absolutely love (I'm also lactose intolerant so there's a lot of foods I'm not meant to eat!)

I always have a packet of zantac at hand just encase I do make it flare up!

[nemonie]

Do you not have a prescription for rantitidine (the generic name for zantac)? Most of us with reflux problems are on some kind of heartburn medication, they make eating a lot easier as they cut down on flare-ups as you are taking them all the time. Talk to your GP about it.

[kayle_d]

No you don't need a prescription for rantitidine. I was given it in hospital when I started to get really bad reflux problems and anemia and they told me the dosage to take (which is different to what is on the otc packets). They offered me the choice between than and a prescription one but I stuck with the zantac as I could buy it over the counter at a pharmacy. I thought it would be less hassle to get it over the counter as I wouldn't need to keep going to the doctors or muck around with prescriptions.

I did used to take them all the time, but now I only take them when my reflux is bad. However, I don't take pain meds anymore (as they were just causing too many problems - especially with reflux).

[Rosie]

Hiya

You are right, you don't need a presecription for ranatadine, but if you get free prescriptions, or get a prescription for a large amount, or have a pre-pay certificate, then it can cost less to get in on prescritption. Many of us need to take meds for reflux all the time, partly because the symptoms require it, and partly to prevent any damage that long term reflux can cause.
It is good to hear that you can manage without any pain meds, many ofus would love to be in that position.

Rosie

[kayle_d]

its a lot more grinning and bearing than managing... I partially ruptured both my achilles this time last year and didn't take pain meds as I just can't function on them and they cause too many problems. It does help having a family who is quite big on massage (my dad is into sport but has high blood pressure so can't take pain meds, and I have arthritis in the family) and partner who is a trained masseuse for sports therapy. I rely a lot on alternative therapies, a tens machine and KT Tape.

I can't get free prescriptions (that I know of) so I haven't really looked into getting it on prescription. Zantac isn't really that cheap, but I find it a lot less stressful than going to the doctors all the time - and stress causes really bad flare ups for me, but I am quite lucky to be able to do that.

However, I did find that I got yeast infections after taking regularly for a long period of time, which was the main reason why I stopped and started to monitor everything as I was just finding that I was taking pills for taking pills...

[ridgie]

I was diagnosed with gastritis and hiatus hernia after an endoscopy several years before being diagnosed with HMS. I've tried every sort of ant-acid treatment from gaviscone to Nexium. Only nexium helped but recently my gp told me he wasn't allowed to prescribe me this anymore and i was given the cheaper alternative omeprazole. This has been terrible for me, feeling sick frequently having indigestion, difficulty swallowing and chest pain. I'm so angry at the NHS! Prescibing a cheaper alternative that doesn't work so I have to suffer. I have no idea whether my gastritis and hiatus are related to HMS but I defo think that taking so many pills doesn't help especially the anti-inflammatories although I've not had a problem with naproxen except that it didnt help my HMS or celebrex, which I am currently on.

[nemonie]

You can get cheaper versions of zantac off the shelf or over the counter - Tesco ranitidine is less than a quid for more tablets than a normal packet of zantac which costs a lot more.

As for free prescriptions, if you are income related benefits then you are automatically entitled, some health conditions will entitle you as well (like diabetes). Otherwise get a HC1 form from your GP, dentist or an opticians. This will basically means test you to see if you qualify for complete or partial help with medical costs - prescriptions, dental care, eye tests, glasses vouchers, travel to hospital.
If you don't qualify and you spend a lot on prescriptions then see of getting a pre-pay certificate would be sensible - as you are then paying a fixed and limited amount per year no matter how many prescriptions you get.

[DeeNJai]

I have an exemption certificate because I need help to get my medication from the chemist. its because I use a wheelchair. I had to get the doctor to sign a form to say that i needed the help. Sorry cant remember the name of the form.
Dee

[trekster]

i felt sick when i went to bed last night and i couldn't work out what caused it.

[Fiona-Jane]

nausea can be caused by tons of stuff, and can even be the result of anxiety etc so its really hard to pin point the cause. maybe you went to bed too soon after eating? or ate a food that your body doesnt like and so was taking much longer to be processed by the tum? stuff that sits in the tum too long can often cause nausea and reflux makes you feel sick without needing to reflux far up the oesophagus (often reflux that only goes up a short way can be silent with no obvious reflux symptoms).


or you could have been too hot, or a bit dehydrated? they cause nausea too..... ooh, or it could have been low blood sugar.


i run a little checklist in my head when i feel particularly sick at night-checking what i ate and at what time my last meal was, if i'd had obvious reflux symptoms, if i have glands up (and so have a virus etc). check if i'm too hot or cold etc and try and fix my hydration levels, cooling myself down etc. if these dont work i drink a glass of andrews salts in water (s*d bicarbonate), or i suck on a little frozen stem ginger or my crystallised ginger pieces. sometimes burnt toast and flat coca cola help me too.

hope you're feeling better now, and your nausea stays away!


fi