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Trauma-induced Gastritis

Messages
83
Location
Kent, England
18 months ago, I suffered an extremely distressing period of my life..which triggered a bout of chronic gastritis, which I cannot recover from. I suffer from typical gastritis-symptoms including stomach burning and irritation, nausea, loss of appetite, acid reflux, fullness, stomach pain and discomfort nearly daily.

I've made the standard dietary changes - gluten-free, dairy-free, no nightshades or other acidic foods/potential irritants and tried many supplement protocols to no avail - l-glutamine, zinc carnosine, mastic gum and so on..

I'm currently doing the 12 week course of Symprove (probiotic) and following standard gastritis dietary advice.

The trauma which triggered my gastric issues have long passed and I'm in a reasonably good state mentally - but it's as if my body does not realise that the trauma has passed. I sleep well, rest and avoid stress.

Has anybody had a similar experience with trauma and digestive issues? It's having a huge impact on my quality of life and ability to nourish myself.

I've just found myself in the financial position to fund a comprehensive stool test, so I'll be doing this next to rule out other possible issues.

Thanks for sharing any advice/suggestions.
 
Messages
83
Location
Kent, England
Have you been tested for Helicobacter pylori infection? In any case, I'd advise a visit to a gastroenterologist.


Hi, I should have included this - but yes, I’ve been tested twice.

I’ve seen two gastroenterologists - one diagnosed me with gastritis via an endoscopy - but I was dispatched from both as they could find nothing wrong - h.pylori and coeliac were checked, I had a scan of my abdomen and a gastric emptying test - all clear.

Only thing showing is high levels of inflammation - I assume the gastritis.

I’m on my own in this...
 

Runner5

Senior Member
Messages
323
Location
PNW
I narrowed my diet down to a bowl of corn cereal 4x per day. It was weird, yeah, really weird. But when I added back in other foods the gastritis started up again, not as bad and I was able to go back to the bowl of cereal diet for awhile until it cleared up. So you might try a two item easy to digest and food you know you can handle for a bit and see if you can give yourself some space to heal.

I finally figured out that anything stodgy and greasy does me in, I can't really very well digest fat very well and I need to take digestive enzymes at each meal and not drink water until after I finish eating.

My gastritis nearly had me in the hospital twice and my stomach was bleeding pretty badly and I had sharp pain from it along with all the other gastritis symptoms.

People will tell you "oh follow this diet" or that diet -- whatever, but it's very individual - they can't know what's right for you. They just don't. I think the only things that are fairly predictable are the irritating foods, coffee / caffeine, hot peppers and spicy food.

My stomach still has some mystery issues, I think the Vagus nerve might be damaged.

If you are actually vomiting and can't keep food down very well - could be a parasite. There is one that causes gastritis symptoms, is usually misdiagnosed and of course isn't cured by diet.
 

Runner5

Senior Member
Messages
323
Location
PNW
Oh and at my worst I was Prilosec, Zantac and Gaviscon -- I had to quit all that, it was hurting my kidneys and did nothing to heal my stomach.
 
Messages
83
Location
Kent, England
Did they prescribe anything? They usually prescribe proton pump inhibitors. Although I'm not a fan when it comes to long term use, a two week trial would be something I would personally do.

I spent seven months on various PPIs and H2 blockers (Now use Gaviscon Advanced at night if I feel acidic; still waking up every morning with a sore, irritated stomach though).

Apologies for not providing more info in my original post to save you suggesting the first line things. I’ve been down a few avenues, hence the increasing frustration and desperation...
 
Messages
83
Location
Kent, England
I narrowed my diet down to a bowl of corn cereal 4x per day. It was weird, yeah, really weird. But when I added back in other foods the gastritis started up again, not as bad and I was able to go back to the bowl of cereal diet for awhile until it cleared up. So you might try a two item easy to digest and food you know you can handle for a bit and see if you can give yourself some space to heal.

I finally figured out that anything stodgy and greasy does me in, I can't really very well digest fat very well and I need to take digestive enzymes at each meal and not drink water until after I finish eating.

My gastritis nearly had me in the hospital twice and my stomach was bleeding pretty badly and I had sharp pain from it along with all the other gastritis symptoms.

People will tell you "oh follow this diet" or that diet -- whatever, but it's very individual - they can't know what's right for you. They just don't. I think the only things that are fairly predictable are the irritating foods, coffee / caffeine, hot peppers and spicy food.

My stomach still has some mystery issues, I think the Vagus nerve might be damaged.

If you are actually vomiting and can't keep food down very well - could be a parasite. There is one that causes gastritis symptoms, is usually misdiagnosed and of course isn't cured by diet.

Sticking to one simple food is something I’m thinking about trying. My appetite is very poor but the instinct to eat is still there.,

How long did you live off the corn cereal for?

I understand what you mean regarding the diet - I have at times eaten tomatoes and bread with no discernible difference in symptoms. My symptoms are pretty constant so I’ve struggled to distinguish ‘safe’ foods - I’m playing it safe and avoiding well-known potential irritants. I’m eating lots of rice, eggs, avocados, broccoli (I’m a vegetarian). It frequently feels as if the mere act of putting anything in my stomach is too much for it.

I’ve consideted liquid only meal-replacements for a period of time but finding one without tons of sugar and non-desirable stuff is taking a little research.
Occasionally even warm camomile tea and water irritate my stomach.

I’m worried about my vagus nerve too, particularly given the suspected psychological trigger of my Gastritis.
 

Lisa108

Senior Member
Messages
675
There is a form of chronic gastritis with a presumed autoimmune origin. In Germany it is called "Type A Gastritis or Autoimmune Gastritis". This form of gastritis additionally inhibits intrinsic factor which is necessary for Vitamine B12 uptake.

Lab tests for this would include antibodies against parietal cells of the stomach and against intrinsic factor. I don't know if you have had your B12-levels checked, this might be a good indicator.

Hope you'll feel better soon!
 

Runner5

Senior Member
Messages
323
Location
PNW
I tried several protein shakes, but they didn't do as well as the corn cereal - have to kinda throw my hands up on that one, I can't explain it. I was only on the corn cereal for about four days, then added in some other safe foods, bland foods.

Is your stomach bleeding? Black tar looking coffee ground stuff? Any stabbing pains?

I'm also plant based, tried other things but it just suits me best.

It is easy to pick up parasites as a Vegetarian / Vegan if you have lots of produce. I had a really bad experience with some lettuce last year that gave me food poisoning. I thought the lettuce was pre-washed, and I wasn't thinking much about it at the time. Since then I've become very paranoid about washing produce. One bite of a raw fruit or veggie with a microscopic cyst on it and that's all it takes.

Protozoa infection and blastocystis can cause similar symptoms and it's hard to get those diagnosed.

Best of luck to you!
 

Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,824
Enterovirus can cause of gastritis as well as being linked to ME/CFS. Enterovirus treatments used by Dr Chia to treat ME/CFS include oxymatrine and Epivir.

The enterovirus that appeared to trigger my ME/CFS was coxsackievirus B4. As this virus I caught spread to over 30 friends and family, recurrent stomach aches were reported by some in the first few years after acquiring this virus, and one person who caught my virus got medically diagnosed gastritis.
 
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eric_gladiator

Senior Member
Messages
210
my stomach has always been delicate. It had been a few years since I began to notice the fatigue that some foods became much heavier than before. After falling with all the symptoms last year a few months later I started to notice that my abdomen was inflamed with almost nothing to eat, I started going to specialists without any results except small reliefs but in the end the symptoms were going to be more. Now I am in a state in which I do not eat much and I notice weak muscles as if I weighed everything, it is totally different from the fatigue I had been feeling
 

LaurelW

Senior Member
Messages
643
Location
Utah
I have chronic gastritis which started in November from some kind of stomach bug. I was on PPI's, now I'm on H2 blockers, but I'm frustrated by the slow rate of improvement. I was diagnosed with osteoporosis recently and am worried that now I'm not absorbing the calcium/magnesium I'm taking. I had to cut out all the typical gastritis foods, but now I can eat a bit more oil. I was taking lots of antacids in addition to the PPI and H2 blockers, but not so much now. My doctor did mention the possibility of enterovirus, but I haven't really checked out Dr. Chia's regimen yet, something I should probably do. I do eat a vegan diet with lots of vegetables (yes, I do wash them thoroughly), grains, beans, nuts, seeds and seaweed. Flour products trigger more heartburn, so I'm only eating whole grains at this point, and almost no wheat (which has never bothered me before now).

I sure wish I could get a quick fix! This has been going on for four months now.
 

eric_gladiator

Senior Member
Messages
210
@LaurelW
You do not know how I understand you. to me the digestive symptoms is what is bothering me most of the time, making meals that I do not like almost, noticing improvements sometimes but setbacks much bigger once as something that does not feel good. The nights are full of nightmares and my anxiety increases to sometimes abnormal levels
 

ljimbo423

Senior Member
Messages
4,705
Location
United States, New Hampshire
Hi Booksellercate- Stress can cause or contribute to small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and dysbiosis. Both can cause gastritis.

SIBO can't be found by stool testing but general dysbiosis can. There have been many studies that show a very high prevalence of dysbiosis in CFS. That aspect of CFS is very clear.

I think many of the things you are doing are good to help heal the gut.

If it's an overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria causing your gastritis though, you might need to kill the bacteria that are causing the imbalance and gastritis directly. With herbs or an antibiotic like Rifaximin, that only works in the small intestine and doesn't get absorbed into the bloodstream.

Removing the bacterial overgrowth will allow your gut to heal faster if that is the root cause of your gastritis.

Jim
 

Mary

Moderator Resource
Messages
17,335
Location
Southern California
@Booksellercate - you might try fish or salmon oil. My cat (yes, my cat! ;):cat:) had a chronic problem with diarrhea and vomiting for several months. I tried changing her food, we tried ABX, finally had to put her on prednisone, which helped, but of course is very bad for her long term. The vet figured she had cancer or inflammatory bowel disease but my money was on IBD because she wasn't getting worse.

To make a very long story short, I got some wild salmon oil and started giving it to her after her second taper off of prednisone, and she has been doing very well - it feels too good to be true, but it's been 12 days now, her appetite is good, she looks good and seems to feel good, better than before and no diarrhea or vomiting.

Salmon and fish oil are very high in omega 3's and salmon oil is one of the lowest in mercury. I googled gastritis and omega 3 and fish oil and it's recommended several places to reduce gastritis inflammation. You should start slowly with it as you may have trouble digesting oils.

Also, have you tried dgl licorice?
 

Judee

Psalm 46:1-3
Messages
4,461
Location
Great Lakes
When I was first diagnosed with IBS I had tried everything in my arsenal -- DGL, probiotics, ginger, charcoal, and so many other things, plus some over the counter stuff--not all at the same time though. Rxs the gastroenterologist gave me just made me drowsy.

Then I remembered I had Mycopryl in the house and after being in constant pain for two weeks, I took one. 5 minutes later the pain was going away. Mycopryl helped me when nothing else did. I'm not saying it will work for you but just thought I'd mention in case it is something you haven't tried. (It's caprylic acid but this brand seems to work the best for me. You could try another as well.) On occassion when the Mycopryl isn't doing the full job I will add peppermint oil but I think, like the ginger, that would be too hard on a gastritis situation.

I still have to avoid food triggers such as all seeds (chia, flax, figs, seeds on berries), foods that "scratch" my insides (like brans) and cow's milk dairy. If I eat even just 1 or 2 blackberries it will flair up again in less than 10 minutes. Stress also adds to it of course but those foods activate it faster.

I'm also gluten free now. I did that to see if it would help my CFS--which it didn't. I don't think it's ever been a part of the IBS though, I just have to avoid it now because it seems to trigger something with my eyes and I get anisocoria when I eat it.
 
Messages
38
Location
Germany
Hi Cate,

most people might not like my recommendations below, I can totally understand that, but please note it somewhere and come back to it if nothing else works and you consider to give it a try. because it really helps(!), me and many others who were desperate enough to try it can confirm that and you'll find many similar testimonies. Once one passes the general governmental and corporational brainwashing of what a healthy diet should be, everything becomes clearer and one wonders less why so many people strugle with their digestion.
Please watch those videos:




I belive that most of the time a trauma is not the real or only cause of such following and lasting problems but only the final burden which brought an already struggling body to its knees. this happens with most of us sometime during our live. as long as we feel and seem healthy and robust we just do not notice the malnourishment and the burden on our digestive system from suposedly healthy foods like many man made vegetables, fiber and cereals. they are not natural for our stomach and the are in fact hard to digest and deliver not enough nutrients.

I wish you to get well soon!
 
Messages
83
Location
Kent, England
Hi Cate,

most people might not like my recommendations below, I can totally understand that, but please note it somewhere and come back to it if nothing else works and you consider to give it a try. because it really helps(!), me and many others who were desperate enough to try it can confirm that and you'll find many similar testimonies. Once one passes the general governmental and corporational brainwashing of what a healthy diet should be, everything becomes clearer and one wonders less why so many people strugle with their digestion.
Please watch those videos:




I belive that most of the time a trauma is not the real or only cause of such following and lasting problems but only the final burden which brought an already struggling body to its knees. this happens with most of us sometime during our live. as long as we feel and seem healthy and robust we just do not notice the malnourishment and the burden on our digestive system from suposedly healthy foods like many man made vegetables, fiber and cereals. they are not natural for our stomach and the are in fact hard to digest and deliver not enough nutrients.

I wish you to get well soon!

Thanks for taking the time to write.
I don't think there is a one size fits all diet, different stomachs respond to different approaches. However I'm glad that you have been helped with the above suggestions.

Since posting, I have made big and significant improvements by taking a course of Symprove - a powerful probiotic. I am hopeful I will make a full recovery, and am improving little by little each week.
 

eric_gladiator

Senior Member
Messages
210
There are so-called healthy diets that do not work for everyone. For example, I do not tolerate fruits, cooked vegetables, pasteurized cow's milk, cheeses ... and instead, foods called harmful if I tolerate them well.