wonderoushope
Senior Member
- Messages
- 247
Hi there,
I am just wondering if anyone can offer me some advice in regards to Gastritis, Reflux or food intolerance's and if that could be part of the fatigue issues for me, rather than CFS?
I'm not sure exactly if I have gastritis. I had my first bout of gastritis probably about 6 years ago (diagnosed with a colonoscopy). I did okay for a while after having a course of PPI's, but eventually similar symptoms came back over the years. I at one point did the RPAH elimination diet with a dietitian, and it did seem to help (but I didn't do it properly) and well just stayed away from most of the food I thought was causing trouble. I felt like I kept on getting different results each time I did the challenges (but I now realise, that's probably because I should have gone on the strict diet, because I had so many issues with food). I didn't understand the diet enough, and the dietitians I saw, where probably not as well versed in the diet as they needed to be. For example I now know that on the Failsafe/RPAH elimination diet you are not meant to probiotics because they are high in amines and the dietitians never told me that. As it turned out, probiotics seemed to make me very, very ill at the time.
Anyway, for the last few years I have followed a pretty fail-safe diet, but did introduce certain foods and for a while I was fine. Apart from getting bouts of chronic fatigue issues (which I didn't even realise could be to do with food intolerance's or gastritis ) and stomach issues (that were not as magnified as the gastritis symptoms but similar). However, at the end of last year I started getting burping, extreme bloating at the top of stomach, occasional pain in top stomach, stomach cramping, tiny bit of reflux (I usually have silent reflux) and Costochondritis.
So my new gastro said "lets do another colonoscopy" because it's been 6 years since you had one, we had tried other things before that and symptoms kept reappearing. I thought when I came out of the procedure that my gastro said I had mild gastritis. And she did put me on nexium for 4 weeks at 40g and then told to reduce to 20 for two weeks. It seemed to clear up and then in the last months I noticed similar issues again, but nausea as well. I also have this horrible problem where I get really really hungry all day, no matter what I eat (I can eat protein, carbs and it doesn't make a difference). I then get the opposite at times, where I can eat just a few spoonfuls of something and feel full for the whole day. So I went to GP and said I think I have gastritis again and she looked at gastro notes (from the end of last year) and the results didn't mention anything about gastritis this time around, just reflux/gerd. I said I was so sure the gastro told me I had "mild gastritis".
But GP said lets put you on nexium anyway for another 6 weeks, because of your symtoms. So I took it for a few weeks with not much improvement and so I decided I don't like taking PPI's and maybe it really is food intolerances, so I decided to really try the failsafe/RPAH elimination diet, but really do it properly this time.
Well it's been about four weeks on the diet, and I have improved (without taking PPI's). I have good and bad days, but I certainly see an improvement. My stool is regular and formed, it is more consistent, my fatigue has lifted on most days (unless a food aggravates me), depression has lifted, and I can think more clearly and my stomach has settled down a lot and not getting overly full or overly hungry, aches and pains have reduced and I now am able to wake-up between 7:30- 8:30 am rather than midday! Unfortunately, insomnia is still on and off, but it could get better as I get more and more down to baseline. It still not perfect and I haven't been able to challenges properly, as I haven't completely been able to get down to baseline with the diet. I still also seem to react to failsafe foods on the diet, like white fish (but might because my body is still getting down to baseline).
So I wondering if I do in fact have gastritis and this diet (as it is pretty simple) is just helping it or I in fact I do have food intolerance? Or could it be that I am just going through a CFS type flare-up and becoming more sensitive to foods? Or perhaps I keep getting gastritis because of food intolerances?
I also conflicted as to whether I should take PPI's while doing the diet? I just feel like, how on earth would I know if I have intolerances if I am taking PPI's while doing this diet? The other thing is though, if I do have gastritis can it heal by itself with a diet, or do I need to take PPI's for it to actually heal? Would diet just be suppressing the gastritis, rather than fixing it?
Also would a Gastroenterologist put someone on nexium for 4 weeks if you have reflux or just if you have gastritis?
I am just wondering if anyone can offer me some advice in regards to Gastritis, Reflux or food intolerance's and if that could be part of the fatigue issues for me, rather than CFS?
I'm not sure exactly if I have gastritis. I had my first bout of gastritis probably about 6 years ago (diagnosed with a colonoscopy). I did okay for a while after having a course of PPI's, but eventually similar symptoms came back over the years. I at one point did the RPAH elimination diet with a dietitian, and it did seem to help (but I didn't do it properly) and well just stayed away from most of the food I thought was causing trouble. I felt like I kept on getting different results each time I did the challenges (but I now realise, that's probably because I should have gone on the strict diet, because I had so many issues with food). I didn't understand the diet enough, and the dietitians I saw, where probably not as well versed in the diet as they needed to be. For example I now know that on the Failsafe/RPAH elimination diet you are not meant to probiotics because they are high in amines and the dietitians never told me that. As it turned out, probiotics seemed to make me very, very ill at the time.
Anyway, for the last few years I have followed a pretty fail-safe diet, but did introduce certain foods and for a while I was fine. Apart from getting bouts of chronic fatigue issues (which I didn't even realise could be to do with food intolerance's or gastritis ) and stomach issues (that were not as magnified as the gastritis symptoms but similar). However, at the end of last year I started getting burping, extreme bloating at the top of stomach, occasional pain in top stomach, stomach cramping, tiny bit of reflux (I usually have silent reflux) and Costochondritis.
So my new gastro said "lets do another colonoscopy" because it's been 6 years since you had one, we had tried other things before that and symptoms kept reappearing. I thought when I came out of the procedure that my gastro said I had mild gastritis. And she did put me on nexium for 4 weeks at 40g and then told to reduce to 20 for two weeks. It seemed to clear up and then in the last months I noticed similar issues again, but nausea as well. I also have this horrible problem where I get really really hungry all day, no matter what I eat (I can eat protein, carbs and it doesn't make a difference). I then get the opposite at times, where I can eat just a few spoonfuls of something and feel full for the whole day. So I went to GP and said I think I have gastritis again and she looked at gastro notes (from the end of last year) and the results didn't mention anything about gastritis this time around, just reflux/gerd. I said I was so sure the gastro told me I had "mild gastritis".
But GP said lets put you on nexium anyway for another 6 weeks, because of your symtoms. So I took it for a few weeks with not much improvement and so I decided I don't like taking PPI's and maybe it really is food intolerances, so I decided to really try the failsafe/RPAH elimination diet, but really do it properly this time.
Well it's been about four weeks on the diet, and I have improved (without taking PPI's). I have good and bad days, but I certainly see an improvement. My stool is regular and formed, it is more consistent, my fatigue has lifted on most days (unless a food aggravates me), depression has lifted, and I can think more clearly and my stomach has settled down a lot and not getting overly full or overly hungry, aches and pains have reduced and I now am able to wake-up between 7:30- 8:30 am rather than midday! Unfortunately, insomnia is still on and off, but it could get better as I get more and more down to baseline. It still not perfect and I haven't been able to challenges properly, as I haven't completely been able to get down to baseline with the diet. I still also seem to react to failsafe foods on the diet, like white fish (but might because my body is still getting down to baseline).
So I wondering if I do in fact have gastritis and this diet (as it is pretty simple) is just helping it or I in fact I do have food intolerance? Or could it be that I am just going through a CFS type flare-up and becoming more sensitive to foods? Or perhaps I keep getting gastritis because of food intolerances?
I also conflicted as to whether I should take PPI's while doing the diet? I just feel like, how on earth would I know if I have intolerances if I am taking PPI's while doing this diet? The other thing is though, if I do have gastritis can it heal by itself with a diet, or do I need to take PPI's for it to actually heal? Would diet just be suppressing the gastritis, rather than fixing it?
Also would a Gastroenterologist put someone on nexium for 4 weeks if you have reflux or just if you have gastritis?
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