Gastritis or Glutening - Slippery Elm

[C-rats]

5 hours ago, cristiana said:

C-rats - thank you.  Did you pursue Prilosec for many weeks before things settled?  I felt slightly off when I was taking Omeprazole but I was only on the full dose for three weeks, then started to taper it.  Perhaps I should have tried it for longer?

Yes. I tried taking it every day, but I had severe stomach acid and also constipation. Everything I ate hurt my stomach. I was training for a half marathon a couple weeks away, so I took a break, then restarted taking one pill every other day. After a week I started taking them every day again. After about a week, I started to feel better. It was probably two more weeks before I felt normal.

[C-rats]

14 hours ago, Whitepaw said:

What sort of side effects did you have?  I feel like I still have acid every morning, upset stomach,  bloating,  burping, and poor tolerance to most food.

It was mostly stomach acid, poor food tolerance and constipation. I'm not sure how much was from the gastritis, Prilosec, or celiac.

[cristiana]

9 hours ago, Whitepaw said:

When we were posting before, I hadn't really lost any weight ... maybe a pound or two.    Last week, when I called for a GI appt., the nurse told me to start a food diary.  That opened my eyes quickly.  I could see right away that a bite of this and that throughout the day, and trying new things to see if I could tolerate them wasn't a very scientific approach to figuring out what was causing my symptoms. That's when I made a list of what I seem to tolerate best most of the time, and then things that I often can tolerate, and then another that I can sometimes tolerate.   I have tried to stick to that first list, the best tolerated, which is why I'm mostly eating tuna, well cooked soft smashed up veggies, rice, and a little soy milk.  I can swap out the tuna for fish, plain chopped chicken, ground turkey, or ground beef.    You can see why it gets old fast!   I find that limiting to smashed up / ground foods makes it easier to digest.  I even bought a few containers of baby food to have on the go. 

I am wondering if the medicine is making me feel off.   I seem to still have acid when I wake up;  I'm ok until I move, like roll over or get up and move around.  I do have acid throughout the day, sometimes after eating, and I often burp after eating (less with the most restrictive foods).  I've also been having strange dreams.   At first it was food dreams, but this morning it was odd things, like being in Alice in Wonderland. I need to look up the list of possible side effects.

Re: food diary.

That is a really good way of keeping a food diary - I always thought it was a question of just scribbling everything down.  But categorising things into what one can always tolerate, sometimes tolerate, never tolerate is such a good way of making things seem clearer.

Re: medicine.

It is weird because normally if one takes, say, a paracetamol for a headache, hopefully it will sort out the headache but other than that you wouldn't know you had taken anything.  Whereas these gastro meds you take them for gnawing pain - which hopefully is addressed but often isn't and you end up with bloating and diarrhea instead. I need to get my head round this!

Re: weird dreams.

Me too! I can't recall having had such vivid or weird dreams in a long time.  

 

 

[cristiana]

3 hours ago, C-rats said:

Yes. I tried taking it every day, but I had severe stomach acid and also constipation. Everything I ate hurt my stomach. I was training for a half marathon a couple weeks away, so I took a break, then restarted taking one pill every other day. After a week I started taking them every day again. After about a week, I started to feel better. It was probably two more weeks before I felt normal.

With omeprazole I never felt entirely good really - some time every day I felt off, but I think it might have been the bloating.  Perhaps I never gave it long enough.  Yet that nauseous feeling and diarrhea carried on for a few days after I stopped taking it.

Now on day four of Ranitidine/Zantac.  I did feel nauseous mid-morning but had to go on a few errands and found walking around helped it pass.   Too early to tell yet - but perhaps I'm tolerating it better than omeprazole.  I think I will take it four 14 days before deciding one way or another if it works.  I have taken two teaspoons of Gaviscon after lunch, and the same before bedtime, and that helped too, I think.

Thanks so much Whitepaw and C-rats for all your observations and help.

[cristiana]

Whitepaw, I also meant to say that my friend who has been having extreme gastritis issues since the winter (now it seems to be getting better after tapering off Lanzaprazole and introducing more natural remedies) told me that she used to feel acid in her stomach first thing, too.  

But now finally she is feeling better. It is good to know that there is light at the end of the tunnel.  There is hope!  

Recovery from gastritis and GERD etc is not for the impatient!

[Whitepaw]

On 8/22/2017 at 3:59 PM, cristiana said:

Re: food diary.

That is a really good way of keeping a food diary - I always thought it was a question of just scribbling everything down.  But categorising things into what one can always tolerate, sometimes tolerate, never tolerate is such a good way of making things seem clearer.

Re: medicine.

It is weird because normally if one takes, say, a paracetamol for a headache, hopefully it will sort out the headache but other than that you wouldn't know you had taken anything.  Whereas these gastro meds you take them for gnawing pain - which hopefully is addressed but often isn't and you end up with bloating and diarrhea instead. I need to get my head round this!

Re: weird dreams.

Me too! I can't recall having had such vivid or weird dreams in a long time.  

 

 

Re: food diary,

I did start by writing down everything, and how I felt after I ate it.  After a couple days, I realized what I needed to cut out and what was working.   That's when I made the lists.    Now, I am writing down what I ate if it makes me feel better.   In doing this, my diet is now pretty limited:  mashed up overcooked sweet potatoes, mixed veggies, plus tuna:  16 - 20 oz total that i mash up and eat for breakfast, lunch, and snacks during the day.  I also have a few Schar breadsticks or Entertainment crackers during the day.  For dinner, it's rice, veggies, and ground or chopped meat, chicken, or fish. The amounts I am eating are small, like maybe a cup at most during the day, and a little over a cup for dinner.   

I may have posted these foods before, but have fallen into this pattern the last couple days as it is making me feel good.  If I try anything else, it is a tiny bit and only one thing.  For example, today 1/2 banana, which made me start burping.  The rest of this diet seems to not cause much acid, heartburn, or burping for me, and that occurs mostly in the morning when my acid is already up. Today, my usual morning acid was less.   I do still need Tums in the morning and up til about lunch.

Oddly, I can also tolerate 1/3 cup of coffee, diluted with 1/4 cup of soy milk and 1/4 cup of water, with no more . Need that coffee to get going in the morning!

 

Re: medicine, yes it is ironic that you take a stomach med and it causes more stomach problems!

[Whitepaw]

On 8/22/2017 at 4:11 PM, cristiana said:

Recovery from gastritis and GERD etc is not for the impatient!

I so agree!   I am now resolved to stick to this horribly limited diet so that I will feel OK.   I will keep trying one tiny thing every few days, so that I can expand the scope of my intake.   There are many things that were on my "I think it's OK list" that I can experiment with. 

LOL, just watch, i will be in good shape when my GI appt. finally rolls around next week!

[cristiana]

6 hours ago, Whitepaw said:

I so agree!   I am now resolved to stick to this horribly limited diet so that I will feel OK.   I will keep trying one tiny thing every few days, so that I can expand the scope of my intake.   There are many things that were on my "I think it's OK list" that I can experiment with. 

LOL, just watch, i will be in good shape when my GI appt. finally rolls around next week!

Thank you so much for all your help.  Do keep me posted on your GI appointment next week.

I've been reading about stomach ulcers (just in case I've got one) and chamomile tea seems to keep coming up.  One website recommended four cups of chamomile a day which I'm going to attempt.

https://draxe.com/ulcer-symptoms-diet-natural-remedies/

I've reintroduced no fat Greek Yoghurt as we have a family history of osteoporis and somehow need to get some calcium in - but I have had mixed results.  Some days good, others not.  I've a feeling I'm going to have to drop it though as there is a bit of a race to the bathroom in the morning.  But that could also be the probiotics or the Gaviscon, which I seem to react to in the same way!  

I find now that I feel the best I do all day in the evening - I could eat a horse then, but the problem is I'd only get acid in my throat if I went to bed on a full stomach so I go to bed with an empty tummy.  No wonder I'm losing weight - I used to be an evening meal and snacker person!

I really appreciate your input, you have helped me so much.  I'll update you in just over ten days time when I have completed my trial of Ranitidine.  

[Whitepaw]

4 hours ago, cristiana said:

Thank you so much for all your help.  Do keep me posted on your GI appointment next week.

I've been reading about stomach ulcers (just in case I've got one) and chamomile tea seems to keep coming up.  One website recommended four cups of chamomile a day which I'm going to attempt.

https://draxe.com/ulcer-symptoms-diet-natural-remedies/

I've reintroduced no fat Greek Yoghurt as we have a family history of osteoporis and somehow need to get some calcium in - but I have had mixed results.  Some days good, others not.  I've a feeling I'm going to have to drop it though as there is a bit of a race to the bathroom in the morning.  But that could also be the probiotics or the Gaviscon, which I seem to react to in the same way!  

I find now that I feel the best I do all day in the evening - I could eat a horse then, but the problem is I'd only get acid in my throat if I went to bed on a full stomach so I go to bed with an empty tummy.  No wonder I'm losing weight - I used to be an evening meal and snacker person!

I really appreciate your input, you have helped me so much.  I'll update you in just over ten days time when I have completed my trial of Ranitidine.  

Could be you're not tolerating dairy for now?  

Gaviscon has one of the artificial sweeteners that end in "-ol" ... maybe mannitol, I forget which one is in it.   I find variable results with Gaviscon.  Sometimes it seems to work, then it backfires.   I stopped everything that has an "-ol" sweetener in it (chewable gas-x did too), and noticed improvement.   The one in Gas-x bothers me the least, so I went back to using that now and then. 

Yes, I start getting better around 3 p.m., am great for the rest of the day.  I eat around 5-6 p.m., and will not eat anything more after that.   I go to bed starving, which makes me wonder about impact of being so hungry on acid production.  However, if I dare to eat or sip anything, my acid is worse in the morning.

I'm starting day 3 of this very restricted diet and still feeling better, but am so tired of feeling like i'm starving. 

[cristiana]

35 minutes ago, Whitepaw said:

Could be you're not tolerating dairy for now?  

Gaviscon has one of the artificial sweeteners that end in "-ol" ... maybe mannitol, I forget which one is in it.   I find variable results with Gaviscon.  Sometimes it seems to work, then it backfires.   I stopped everything that has an "-ol" sweetener in it (chewable gas-x did too), and noticed improvement.   The one in Gas-x bothers me the least, so I went back to using that now and then. 

Yes, I start getting better around 3 p.m., am great for the rest of the day.  I eat around 5-6 p.m., and will not eat anything more after that.   I go to bed starving, which makes me wonder about impact of being so hungry on acid production.  However, if I dare to eat or sip anything, my acid is worse in the morning.

I'm starting day 3 of this very restricted diet and still feeling better, but am so tired of feeling like i'm starving. 

I think I could have become slightly intolerant of dairy again (I was around DX and have since recovered but it was slow). But I'm not quite sure because the side effects of Gaviscon can involve diarrhea.  Even slippery elm affects my stool (sorry).  It is hard to understand what is going on when the side effects mimic celiac symptoms!

One thing I found with Gaviscon is for me it pays to take it (I only take about 10mg) straight after I have eaten.  Literally after the last bite.  I don't need it at breakfast time - the symptoms seem to be worse mid-afternoon or if I eat a late meal.

I was so hungry last night I ate a mini banana before bed and thankfully all was well.  You might like to try that.  It was a suggestion I found on Dr MacGoogle!

I also found on another website, Daily Strength, that gastritis sufferers were saying they felt better in the evening.  They thought it was the stress of the day (work etc) and take that away one starts to feel better.  I think that is the case with me.  I also eat a good meal in the evening and perhaps it is a better buffer - so I'm trying to eat a better lunch now to see if that works!

Over the next few days I'm going to carry on taking my ranitidine, on difficult days supplement Gavsicon, try to take 5 small meals and not eat three hours before I go to bed. And four cups of chamomile, and manuka honey on bread or in my fat free yoghurt.  Oh - I've also discovered that my ranitidine works a lot better if I take it an hour before I eat breakfast.  Let's see what happens!

 

[Whitepaw]

3 minutes ago, cristiana said:

I think I could have become slightly intolerant of dairy again (I was around DX and have since recovered but it was slow). But I'm not quite sure because the side effects of Gaviscon can involve diarrhea.  Even slippery elm affects my stool (sorry).  It is hard to understand what is going on when the side effects mimic celiac symptoms!

One thing I found with Gaviscon is for me it pays to take it (I only take about 10mg) straight after I have eaten.  Literally after the last bite.  I don't need it at breakfast time - the symptoms seem to be worse mid-afternoon or if I eat a late meal.

I was so hungry last night I ate a mini banana before bed and thankfully all was well.  You might like to try that.  It was a suggestion I found on Dr MacGoogle!

Thanks, I may try the Gaviscon trick.   Do you take the chewables?   That's all I saw in the store, not sure if it comes in other forms. 

I tried 1/2 banana, heated, mashed, with a sprinkle of cinnamon one night.  It was so yummy that I had the other half!   Not sure if it was that second half or eating at all that made me worse in the morning.  I just bought several, as it seemed they were OK.  However,  I had 1/2 yesterday afternoon, but it caused burping.  The lack of consistency (fine today, not tomorrow) drives me crazy.   So for now, it is back on my trial and error list. 

[cristiana]

8 hours ago, Whitepaw said:

Thanks, I may try the Gaviscon trick.   Do you take the chewables?   That's all I saw in the store, not sure if it comes in other forms. 

I tried 1/2 banana, heated, mashed, with a sprinkle of cinnamon one night.  It was so yummy that I had the other half!   Not sure if it was that second half or eating at all that made me worse in the morning.  I just bought several, as it seemed they were OK.  However,  I had 1/2 yesterday afternoon, but it caused burping.  The lack of consistency (fine today, not tomorrow) drives me crazy.   So for now, it is back on my trial and error list. 

If I'm at home I take the liquid - they sell both forms here in the UK.  That said, chewables are handy - I put them in my handbag for any attacks that happen when I am away from the house!  One normally settles things.  

I hear you about the inconsistency of symptoms - I have this too.  I'm beginning to wonder why that is.  Sometimes I think it is down to stress.  I also think possibly what one has eaten for several meals prior to a flare up affects things - maybe if on'es stomach has been producing more acid for a few meals.  

[Whitepaw]

Hi Cristiana,

Hope you are doing better.   I saw the GI last week, and have info that may help you.

First, I have an acid disorder ... overproduction.   Prilosec only lasts for 16 hours, so it wasn't enough for me.   I'm now on twice a day for a month to get this under control, then down to once a day.  I hope to taper off after a month of once a day.  As much as I hate Prilosec, it is really what I need right now and twice a day (30 min before breakfast and 30 min before dinner) is making a big difference.

I now see that a once a day dose wasn't cutting it as I was still needing other stuff (Tums, Gaviscon, etc.) all day long, and my diet was so limited due to the excess acid.

No scope needed at this time. 

I asked why I might tolerate a food one day, then the next day not.   He said it has to do with circadian rhythm, time of day, and whether the sphincter is open or closed.  So, just because something that was fine suddenly isn't, may not mean that we aren't tolerating it. Perhaps anything may have caused problems due to timing. 

He expected that I would be able to begin introducing more foods in 3 days.   I waited 5 days, then foolishly had some chocolate, extra coffee, tiny bites of bacon, and some nuts.   I could tell a slight difference, which tells me I'm not ready for all this yet.  However I did not have any real setback.  I am starting to expand my choices, like having oatmeal with soymilk or macadamia milk.  

Looking over this journey, I would suggest that anyone in a similar situation go see their GI ASAP.   I was communicating with the GI office via email and phone, and was not getting the best advice.   I think going in person made a huge difference;  also I took the time before going to organize and summarize the history and current symptoms, so that I could zero in on just that and get the results I needed. 

 

 

 

 

[cristiana]

18 minutes ago, Whitepaw said:

Hi Cristiana,

Hope you are doing better.   I saw the GI last week, and have info that may help you.

First, I have an acid disorder ... overproduction.   Prilosec only lasts for 16 hours, so it wasn't enough for me.   I'm now on twice a day for a month to get this under control, then down to once a day.  I hope to taper off after a month of once a day.  As much as I hate Prilosec, it is really what I need right now and twice a day (30 min before breakfast and 30 min before dinner) is making a big difference.

I now see that a once a day dose wasn't cutting it as I was still needing other stuff (Tums, Gaviscon, etc.) all day long, and my diet was so limited due to the excess acid.

No scope needed at this time. 

I asked why I might tolerate a food one day, then the next day not.   He said it has to do with circadian rhythm, time of day, and whether the sphincter is open or closed.  So, just because something that was fine suddenly isn't, may not mean that we aren't tolerating it. Perhaps anything may have caused problems due to timing. 

He expected that I would be able to begin introducing more foods in 3 days.   I waited 5 days, then foolishly had some chocolate, extra coffee, tiny bites of bacon, and some nuts.   I could tell a slight difference, which tells me I'm not ready for all this yet.  However I did not have any real setback.  I am starting to expand my choices, like having oatmeal with soymilk or macadamia milk.  

Looking over this journey, I would suggest that anyone in a similar situation go see their GI ASAP.   I was communicating with the GI office via email and phone, and was not getting the best advice.   I think going in person made a huge difference;  also I took the time before going to organize and summarize the history and current symptoms, so that I could zero in on just that and get the results I needed. 

 

 

 

 

Hiya Whitepaw

Back from a week in the North of England.  It was an annual holiday and I can tell you, just having less stress made a huge difference. Most days I've been on 75mg of Zantac.  Half the time I might have needed a Gaviscon tab once a day, or some slippery elm (a teaspoon) in the evening, but that was just when I was eating too late or eating badly.   The hostess gave us loads of pillows so I slept pretty much sitting up - something I don't normally do, and now my throat feels so much better.

I love the advice above, and I'd like to second what you say about seeing a GI sooner than later.  My feeling is that if I get it again I'll try home remedies for just a few days - then if there is no improvement, see the doctor.   Thanks so much for sharing.  I am beginning to see how common all of this is - even our hostess (who by some extraordinary coincidence was a celiac and has epigastric pain in the same place as me) takes a PPI sometimes. 

I too ate some chocolate last thing at night - bad idea.  No real pain but a feeling of trapped wind in my upper rib cage, which woke me and didn't go til I had some mint tea. I've just eaten some pizza.  Whilst it's great to be eating normally again, I feel the odd twinge that makes me think I need to eat more carefully for a while.

I'm on Zantac now for one and a half more months - let me know how your tapering went when you have finished, and I'll update the thread when I have finished mine.

 

[Whitepaw]

8 minutes ago, cristiana said:

Hiya Whitepaw

Back from a week in the North of England.  It was an annual holiday and I can tell you, just having less stress made a huge difference. Most days I've been on 75mg of Zantac.  Half the time I might have needed a Gaviscon tab, or some slippery elm, but that was just when I was eating too late or eating badly.   The hostess gave us loads of pillows so I slept pretty much sitting up - something I don't normally do, and now my throat feels so much better.

I love the advice above, and I'd like to second what you say about seeing a GI sooner than later.  My feeling is that if I get it again I'll try home remedies for just a few days - then if there is no improvement, see the doctor.   Thanks so much for sharing.  I am beginning to see how common all of this is - even our hostess (who by some extraordinary coincidence was a celiac and has epigastric pain in the same place as me) takes a PPI sometimes. 

I will re-read this thread again and take some notes for future reference!

Thanks so much.

 

Glad you're feeling better!   I agree the stress makes a difference.   My stress has been pretty low all summer, so I can't blame that too much.  However, when my work picked up and I had other appointments and errands to fit in, I could tell that the tighter schedule and added stress did make a difference. 

Now ... we just have to be patient and eat carefully ... easier said than done after months of deprivation!

[Awol cast iron stomach]

On 7/9/2017 at 6:51 PM, icelandgirl said:

"  Bananas are another food that works well for me.  Sipping on ginger tea is soothing as well."

 

I have a history of gastritis going back 20-25 years back when I was still considered IBS. Well, well, well it returned with a vengeance with the gluten challenge. Now it will angrily flare with CC. Now, my cardiovascular system (flushing), my nerves, and stomach all react to gluten CC before it has a chance to hit my Intestine. The Intestines of course join the party too 30-45 minutes later. 

Based on my experience I second looking at a potential CC food or event that slipped  by the radar.

As Iceland girl said I find bananas and fresh ginger soothing as well. I don't do carbs at that stage for I have found personally my stomach likes a break and a rest. I usually give it banana, ginger, and smoothies etc so the stomach get a respite for a few days to ease its anger.

Once it improves I don't personally find issues with spicy food etc. If the gastritis flares I look for gluten and corn CC as my culprits. Ironically I avoid OTC/Pharma to ease the gastritis for many contain corn and corn derivatives which will further exacerbate my problem.

I had a acupuncturist suggest slipper elm before but I never tried it. I took the acupuncture treatment and did my usual self dietary protocol to appease the angry stomach.

 

Good luck and quick healing my gastritis comrade.

[cristiana]

Hello Awol Cast Iron Stomach - love it, your 'name' describes my former self.

Thank you so much for sharing this, you have encouraged me no end because the last couple of days (probably since I decided chocolate and pizza were back on the menu) have been pretty rough.  Just now I've had a little bit of bread and some Manuka honey, and just as I found your post was coincidentally eating a banana, so hopefully back on the right track.

On the penultimate day of our holiday I had a drink called Vimto which contained, unbeknownst to me, barley.  I had drunk half the can before I realised.  I am quite sure that CC is another reason that I'm not feeling 100%. Plus a bit of stress flying around again.

I'm going to need to learn to be more careful.  

Using your techniques, and I do realise we are all different, how many days (weeks) do you usually find it takes for a flare to die down?

 

[Ennis-TX]

This all touches on a interesting subject, I had to stop and pulse my last few pills of my UC meds, Upon coming off them I have no clue if Gluten reactions of some kind or a UC flare up. My intestines hurt, that lower right sides hurts, I have distention, and when I press on my gut it feels like my intestines are huge and full they have a hard feeling like industrial rubber. Constipation is back with a vengeance that not even 3 HEAPING tsp of magnesium citrate in 12oz of aloe vera juice twice a day are helping.  Story here is my medicaid is out and I can not afford the damn $689.95 it cost to get a month supply of the my meds (I cut the dose in half to get 2 months out of them). And yeah no supplementary insurance, I do not qualify for ANY discount cards...I checked. Heck I even begged the manufacture to help out. My doctor says he might be able to get me some sample packs . 

SO alternative plan, remove garlic, chilis, onions, peppers from my diet along with everything else, Change to a mostly AIP diet. I did my research and had my family help me get some marshmallow root capsules and slippery elm. Hopefully these in addition to my aloe vera and diet will bring it under control......

Now if only I can figure out if this is a pure UC issue or if gluten snuck in some very minute form....which is possible as 2 nights ago I had some family come by....they said they had just eaten at this new Italian restaurant and the breadsticks and pasta were mediocre......and I am like that's nice....GO WASH YOUR HANDS.  Yeah pretty sure I got some CC as I had shaken hands and even fixed myself a snack and them drinks.

OH and before anyone goes off suggesting I eat banana, rice, and easy to eat carb foods.... my Ulcerative Colitis flares (even on meds) to sugar, glucose, fructose, carbs, starches....yeah keto diet no fruit, sugars, starches allowed. (and yes I know the UC is flaring due to even the small hard rabbit like BM I have contain blood)

[Awol cast iron stomach]

My symptoms tend to occur in a cascade of successions. I have immediate "raw" symptoms, they then become"dull" then it progresses to lingering residual as inflammation toned down. ( I have gluten and corn issues so otc meds for management are null and void and delay healing)

My symptoms begin unfolding between 30-45 minutes of consumption (my cc hit) 

The flushing I'm bright red on my upper chest within  30 min it lasts a few hours (3hrs) then the red gradually fades as the food moves down the digestive tract. The stomach will be angry hurts for 6-8 hours then it becomes a dull ache which  (feels as) residual lingering cellular inflammation/damage .  Liken it to a Cut (but more extreme) it hurts with the initial damage then continues to be felt as a residual ache after because the inflammatory process /impact Is felt for days. My intestine gets hit also with in that 30-45 minute window period /time line of digestion ( so while my stomach is burning the intestine feels like cellular changes become unzipped/ permeable.) this is a very uncomfortable time. My body has multiple pain pathways firing at once. Throw in nerve pain toes, arms, fingers, head ache (if a mild hit like cc) worse with joint/ muscles if greater exposure.  A day or two later the mood hits low,insomnia hits, (sleeping was not great after the hit but worsens because now it's just snowballing) I get dehydrated, and lose my appetite , I increase urination (although dehydrated-annoying) and my gi becomes irregular malfunctions. Almost like the nerves are off so it affects the function of the urinary and gi tracts . they are off /malfunctioning due to mixed messages and are confused.

While the raw immediate residual gi gradually lifts symptoms in 3-5 days the whole malfunctional experience is longer my gi feels the dull ache damage and is off for 2 -3 weeks or so as it struggles to right itself back to homestasis . So my bowels,  Malfunction after the impact as it appears the inflammation and cells must be working on damage, itching on torso, and negative mood linger even after the headaches and nerve and burning go away, swelling in joints . ( joint pain is milder if cc more pronounced if I was unknowingly fed actual gluten) 

While I've had issues/ symptoms my whole life they got progressively worse with age, after going gluten-free and removing other intolerances that popped up they are more extreme and trigger sensitive.  I'm still a newbie from a diagnosis standpoint (spent years misdiagnosed) but my symptoms and time line is consistent for years now. As I removed my other intolerances I am able to hone in on it better. while gluten is the greatest offender , corn became my new gluten.

I do appear to follow a pattern of a cascade of symptoms that I liken to dominos falling and it follows the digestive pathway / timeline of digestion and once exposed the inflammation starts is acute 3-5 days then lingers 2-3 weeks.

In a nutshell 3-5 days on the initial every system is ticked raw pain , but the inflammation lingers in the forms of swelling , itching, and malfunctioning gi for weeks. My body remains in inflammatory alert for gluten even after the offending food left the tract. Either it biochemically does that or it is determined to say don't eat that with a lingering reminder.

hope the details help. Prior antihistamines would help with itching and inflammation control but I now can't find one that is corn free so I have to white knuckle through it since 2016.

so if you or some future person reads this and can take an antihistamine I imagine you can get control of that highly inflammatory time in 2-3 days to ideally have less discomfort. My circumstances are unique with the corn issue too so my symptoms linger.

 

[Ennis-TX]

16 minutes ago, Awol cast iron stomach said:

My symptoms tend to occur in a cascade of successions. I have immediate "raw" symptoms, they then become"dull" then it progresses to lingering residual as inflammation toned down. ( I have gluten and corn issues so otc meds for management are null and void and delay healing)

My symptoms begin unfolding between 30-45 minutes of consumption (my cc hit) 

The flushing I'm bright red on my upper chest within  30 min it lasts a few hours (3hrs) then the red gradually fades as the food moves down the digestive tract. The stomach will be angry hurts for 6-8 hours then it becomes a dull ache which  (feels as) residual lingering cellular inflammation/damage .  Liken it to a Cut (but more extreme) it hurts with the initial damage then continues to be felt as a residual ache after because the inflammatory process /impact Is felt for days. My intestine gets hit also with in that 30-45 minute window period /time line of digestion ( so while my stomach is burning the intestine feels like cellular changes become unzipped/ permeable.) this is a very uncomfortable time. My body has multiple pain pathways firing at once. Throw in nerve pain toes, arms, fingers, head ache (if a mild hit like cc) worse with joint/ muscles if greater exposure.  A day or two later the mood hits low,insomnia hits, (sleeping was not great after the hit but worsens because now it's just snowballing) I get dehydrated, and lose my appetite , I increase urination (although dehydrated-annoying) and my gi becomes irregular malfunctions. Almost like the nerves are off so it affects the function of the urinary and gi tracts . they are off /malfunctioning due to mixed messages and are confused.

While the raw immediate residual gi gradually lifts symptoms in 3-5 days the whole malfunctional experience is longer my gi feels the dull ache damage and is off for 2 -3 weeks or so as it struggles to right itself back to homestasis . So my bowels,  Malfunction after the impact as it appears the inflammation and cells must be working on damage, itching on torso, and negative mood linger even after the headaches and nerve and burning go away, swelling in joints . ( joint pain is milder if cc more pronounced if I was unknowingly fed actual gluten) 

While I've had issues/ symptoms my whole life they got progressively worse with age, after going gluten-free and removing other intolerances that popped up they are more extreme and trigger sensitive.  I'm still a newbie from a diagnosis standpoint (spent years misdiagnosed) but my symptoms and time line is consistent for years now. As I removed my other intolerances I am able to hone in on it better. while gluten is the greatest offender , corn became my new gluten.

I do appear to follow a pattern of a cascade of symptoms that I liken to dominos falling and it follows the digestive pathway / timeline of digestion and once exposed the inflammation starts is acute 3-5 days then lingers 2-3 weeks.

In a nutshell 3-5 days on the initial every system is ticked raw pain , but the inflammation lingers in the forms of swelling , itching, and malfunctioning gi for weeks. My body remains in inflammatory alert for gluten even after the offending food left the tract. Either it biochemically does that or it is determined to say don't eat that with a lingering reminder.

hope the details help. Prior antihistamines would help with itching and inflammation control but I now can't find one that is corn free so I have to white knuckle through it since 2016.

so if you or some future person reads this and can take an antihistamine I imagine you can get control of that highly inflammatory time in 2-3 days to ideally have less discomfort. My circumstances are unique with the corn issue too so my symptoms linger.

 

Name brand Zyrtec has no corn starch in it unlike the generic versions. All generics for it use corn starch, the main brand does not and has not caused any issues for me. I did a bit of a test letting it dissolve in my mouth and checking for mouth sores/blood blisters that corn gives me and had none nor was the later fever present. Could be the antihistamines in it preventing the allergic reactions but it seems safe. Other thoughts they do have nasal ones that you spray in your nose...I think they are directly absorbed into in the mucus membranes. If they contain antihistamines I think that would be a way and I would not think they would need corn in them but you need to check.

[Whitepaw]

2 hours ago, cristiana said:

Hello Awol Cast Iron Stomach - love it, your 'name' describes my former self.

Thank you so much for sharing this, you have encouraged me no end because the last couple of days (probably since I decided chocolate and pizza were back on the menu) have been pretty rough.  Just now I've had a little bit of bread and some Manuka honey, and just as I found your post was coincidentally eating a banana, so hopefully back on the right track.

On the penultimate day of our holiday I had a drink called Vimto which contained, unbeknownst to me, barley.  I had drunk half the can before I realised.  I am quite sure that CC is another reason that I'm not feeling 100%. Plus a bit of stress flying around again.

I'm going to need to learn to be more careful.  

Using your techniques, and I do realise we are all different, how many days (weeks) do you usually find it takes for a flare to die down?

 

LOL, Cristiana, I do believe we have some kind of psychic connection.   This weekend I decided that chocolate was back on the menu, too, but I think it was too much, too soon.   I am having only a minor setback in terms of GI, and have not regressed to the point of not feeling well enough to do anything. 

However, a rash I had a few months ago has returned.   That rash looked just like DH and was from using an older bottle of shampoo and conditioner.   The current formula is fine.   However, this earlier formulation had wheat in it.   I didn't think to check until I started trying to figure it out.   I stopped using it, and the dermatologist put me on Elidel cream, which resolved it nicely.   The OTC cortisone and A&D cream only made it worse.   Derm said that A&D often has gluten in it.  No clue on what was wrong with the cortisone cream (aloe base). 

The original rash was both hands, distributed exactly where a hair product residue would accumulate.   This one is only on my right (dominant) hand, on the top of my wrist and two fingers, but it is identical.   Usually I get hives on my palms if I come into contact with an allergen, so this again seems to be from residue.   I may have stuck my hand in the washer at some point this weekend.   I was also doing a lot of cooking, preparing stuff to freeze for the week.   So my hands were in water a lot.  Could be the dish soap, as it has yellow dye and some fragrance.  I'd temporarily switched to clear after the last rash.

I see the derm tomorrow morning, as I'm not sure if the Elidel is working this time.  Moisture makes it worse (cold part of a cold compress works, the moist part does not).   It is hot, sometimes itchy, sometimes burning ... but that is descriptive of most any dermatitis.  I do wonder about DH, but from what I've read so far, it is usually symmetrical and occurs with gluten exposure.   No chance I've had any CC, as my diet has been so exceedingly limited for weeks due to the GI stuff. 

Oh, and out of the blue, while on this very restrictive diet (pre-chocolate test), cold sores popped up. So I'm thinking that some of this weakened state is coming from not seeking early care for the gut stuff.  

I'm starting to feel like my body must have been constructed out of paper.  It holds up about as well as a piece of paper does.  

[cristiana]

On 9/6/2017 at 1:31 PM, Whitepaw said:

LOL, Cristiana, I do believe we have some kind of psychic connection.   This weekend I decided that chocolate was back on the menu, too, but I think it was too much, too soon.   I am having only a minor setback in terms of GI, and have not regressed to the point of not feeling well enough to do anything. 

However, a rash I had a few months ago has returned.  

How are you doing, Whitepaw?  Are you GI symptoms continuing to improve? How is the rash?

I'm feeling bloated, a mild discomfort still under my left rib some of the time, and  although I thought my tum was better when I had a third of a glass of sparkling wine at a party the other day that burning pain came back for the afternoon.

Hope you are faring better than me. 

 

[Whitepaw]

5 hours ago, cristiana said:

How are you doing, Whitepaw?  Are you GI symptoms continuing to improve? How is the rash?

I'm feeling bloated, a mild discomfort still under my left rib some of the time, and  although I thought my tum was better when I had a third of a glass of sparkling wine at a party the other day that burning pain came back for the afternoon.

Hope you are faring better than me. 

 

Hi Cristiana,

I was wondering how you were doing ... figured since you hadn't posted, you were healed and on your way. 

I'm just doing so-so.  The 2x per day Prilosec helped to a point.   I started increasing meal size and food variety and am back to needing Tums and simethicone for bloating and burping and upset stomach.   The GI did say it could be an ulcer, and that would make sense due to the lengthy period of too much acid production.   The Prilosec did stop all the acid sloshing around when I roll over in bed. 

I had some rose wine, diluted with water, a few times last week and it definitely made me worse.   I also had steak, caramel corn, large cups of coffee, hash brown potatoes, charcoal grilled hamburgers, and cookies with icing (we went away for a week).   I started being more careful yesterday , and I do feel better. 

I have til the end of the month on 2x per day Prilosec, so I plan to be very good about meal size and content to see if I can get this under control.   If not, I fear the next step will be a scope.  

I do wonder if we both developed ulcers.   If so, it seems we both behave long enough for them to start to heal, then we have irritating foods and exacerbate them.   From what I've read, it takes something like Prilosec and a careful diet for a couple of months to heal ulcers.   Studies show that cranberry juice cocktail will inhibit the growth of the bacteria that causes some types ulcers, however that type may need antibiotics as well. 

I am adding a bit of gelatin to my chicken broth, sipping a little watered down cranberry juice, and trying to manage any excess acid with Tums, just in case it is an ulcer.  

Re: ulcers, the foods likely to exacerbate ulcers are chocolate, alcohol, and coffee ... there are others, but I guess I remembered the ones I was most likely to eat!   Milk / dairy was also listed as being bad for ulcers.   Although they appear to coat the stomach and make it feel better, they increase acid production.   And since this whole thing for me started with a milkshake, I am now wondering if I am dairy intolerant or if I may have had an ulcer all along.

The rash had just barely healed, and then suddenly returned today.  I'd been wearing rubber gloves for all household tasks involving chemicals, but did slack off just a bit in the last 2 days.   I am still wondering if it could be DH, but it's only one hand, and it's the hand that would be touching soaps, etc. when cleaning.   Also, from what I understand, DH clears up with a gluten-free diet ... I should pop over to that section of the forum and see if it can be ongoing without exposure to gluten. 

 

 

[cristiana]

On 9/19/2017 at 3:16 AM, Whitepaw said:

I had some rose wine, diluted with water, a few times last week and it definitely made me worse.   I also had steak, caramel corn, large cups of coffee, hash brown potatoes, charcoal grilled hamburgers, and cookies with icing (we went away for a week).   I started being more careful yesterday , and I do feel better. 

Isn't it bliss to be able to eat normal food again!  And yet - things can't be right yet, as like you, I pay for it later.  The sparkling wine was a real surprise to me: I don't like alcohol normally and I drank it to be sociable - if alcohol has this affect on others with gastritis, I now understand why the last consultant I saw asked if I drank.  She was obviously going to tell me to stop!  What an irritant!

I've got a month until I need to come off Zantac, so I need to stop these treats.  Partly I upped my intake of normal food as I was concerned about weight loss.  It showed me that yes, my weight will hold or go up if I eat more fat, so I think it is only that which is causing the weight to come off.  At least, I hope it is.

Still, at my age I don't want too lose too much - I have a fear it will make me look like a prune!  

Stress continues to be a factor for me which ain't helping.

But I'm determined to beat this!

 

[Whitepaw]

Cristiana .... are you cured?