Cd People W/ Acid Reflux & Gastritis

[rmmadden]

Hello to any/all celiac disease Patients who also have Acid Reflux and Gastritis (As I Do). I am interested in finding out how you feel on a day-to-day basis?

I was diagnosed with Acid Reflux in Aug. '04.....Gastritis and celiac disease in late November and have been gluten-free since early December.

My typical day is like this....Usually I don't feel as well in the morning. I wake up some mornings and as soon as I sit-up in bed the belching starts. I take Prevacid for the Acid Reflux in the morning and eat breakfast about 1-hr later. It's tough to eat some mornings as the thought of food just isn't apetizing. But if I don't eat I then end up feeling shakey/jittery which is no fun either.

Some mornings the gas/belching isn't present or goes away after a while. Other days I"ll have it all morning. I generally feel better in the afternoons, though. I eat lunch and then go for a 20-30 min. walk after eating. Evenings seem to fall in line with how my day has gone up till then. If I feel well in the afternoon then the evening is usually trouble-free. If the morning turns into a bad afternoon then the whole day is usually a wash.

I have been taking Pepto Bismol pretty regularly lately to get relief from indigestion and to settle my stomach. Even though I know I am eating gluten-free my stomach seems to be acting up lately.

My General Symptoms:

If I eat something one day and then try to eat the leftovers the next I never do as well the second day.

I get indigestion and gas bubbles (With lots of Belching).

I get stray gas pains in my back, armpit and pectoral areas.

Sometimes a slight tingling sensation (a few seconds) in between my shoulder blades.

Some light headaches (Not too often).

Always knots and muscle tension in my shoulders.

Occassional anxiety or panic attacks.

And my newest and scarriest symptom has been light palpatations (1-2 seconds) after eating or in response to gas/belcing.

I went to the Dr. and wore a Halter Monitor for 24-hours but of course Murphy's Law says that I felt good that day and didn't have any palpatations or my usual symptoms. Like most doctors mine started preaching about stress, etc. and prescribed anxiety medication. I am awaiting the offical results but I feel like anxiety medication is just trying to cover-up the symptoms instead of fixing the cause.

Can anyone out there relate? Does anyone share these same symptoms? How do you feel on a day-to-day basis?

Please respond & Thanks for listening to me vent......

Cleveland Bob

[KaitiUSA]

Sometimes a slight tingling sensation (a few seconds) in between my shoulder blades.

Some light headaches (Not too often).

Occassional anxiety or panic attacks.

And my newest and scarriest symptom has been light palpatations (1-2 seconds) after eating or in response to gas/belcing.

Can anyone out there relate? Does anyone share these same symptoms? How do you feel on a day-to-day basis?

Please respond & Thanks for listening to me vent......

Cleveland Bob

I do not have acid reflux but I can relate to some of your symptoms. Have you had your thyroid checked? I was diagnosed with graves disease(hyperthyroid) in march and some of your symptoms resemble that.

Also my dad has hypothyroid and seems to also experience some of the things which you do.

[Canadian Karen]

You just described me to a tee! Some days I could belch every 10 seconds constantly and still not get rid of the gas..... I also quite often get pain in my flank area along with my shoulders, neck pain, etc.

Here is a list of symptoms I get when I get a "flare-up:

- "locking" of shoulders/neck in the centre of my back.

- I see "flashing light" in the corner of my eyes.

- I see "flashes of things" i.e. something that looks like a bug crawling across the floor but thre is nothing there.

- My eyes puff out and I get dry skin patches on my face.

- Numbness, coldness in fingers.

- Burning/tingling of lips and tongue and a funny taste in my mouth.

- Numb feeling on face (cheeks, around the mouth)

- Stiff jaw (kind of like locking.)

- A "shooting" feeling down my arms and legs.

- Abdominal pain, unbelieveable gas, feels like poison going through my whole body

- Tenderness, rawnesss under breasts, reaching to the back area.

- I feel unstable, upset, crying, jumpy, nervous.....

Quite often, the only little bit of relief I get is laying on the floor in different posturial positions until I work some of the gas out of my system.....

I also have a problem in the morning when I wake up that it takes a good 1 - 2 hours before I can move around properly - I feel incredibly stiff. Quite often I wake with a stiff neck too.

I have noticed that my palpitations that used to be quite severe have greatly diminished the longer I was on the gluten-free diet. But were they ever scary! It felt like my heart was skipping beats and thumping out of my chest!

Also, make sure you don't use Gas-X. I was using those like candy and found out they contained gluten!!!! I use Phyzyme or Rolaids Multi-Symptom Antacid and Antigas.

Just wanted you to know that you are not alone.......

Karen

[jenvan]

Cleveland Bob--

First off, have to give a shout out for Cleveland--have family there, dad was born and raised...lots of family history there

Reflux...I had issues years ago. I'm okay now, but my dad has it pretty severely. We both get palpitations. Most likely, nothing to get worried about. Have you heard of the Vagus nerve before? A doctor blamed the Vagus nerve for my father's issues. It is a large nerve that affects digestion and heart rate both. Often times digestive issues like reflux will trigger the nerve and it will in turn trigger the heart to produce palpitations. My father went to the hospital for what he thought was a heart attack once, and turned out to be this very phenomenon. My father and I have both had palpitations time to time for years with no complications. I notice I get them when I am run-down. I know from experience they can be anxiety-causing. I myself dealt with some panic attacks connected to palpitations. It can become a vicious cycle.

Also, prevacid did not work for my dad--he had serious reflux. However, Nexium did help him. Have you tried traditional helps for easing reflux? ...elevating the head of your bed a few inches ie. on bricks, not eating several hours before lying down, cut alcohol and highly acidic foods out of your diet?

Wish I had more to offer, all I can think of for now... Hmmm...am wondering the the difference in your mornings and afternoon is that afternoons/evening are typically better....

[bklyn]

Cleveland Bob,

Can relate to your problems - I was diagnosed in Aug.04(low iron) no gastro symptoms. Was gluten free for a few months and suddenly started having stomach pain/nausea. My GI dr. called it "acid" and put me on Prilosec, which made me feel worse. I woke up every morning sick to my stomach. I've cut out coffee, spicy foods, chocolate, everything I thought was irritating my stomach. When I went back to Dr. he suggested a CAT scan. I decided to go to the Celiac Center in New York for their opinion. Dr. Lee at Columbia thought the same thing (acid) and give me Nexium. Actually, I feel better without the meds! Had the CAT scan - nothing. My Dr. has also been saying "anxiety" but I don't think I could put any meds in my stomach right now. The strangest thing is that this all started since I went gluten-free. Dr. doesn't think it's celiac disease related because my antibody test was down to "5" from "194". Some days I'm OK and then others I feel bad.

[judy05]

Hi Cleveland Bob,

I can totally relate to your symptoms. I was diagnosed in Oct '03 with Acid reflux, it was a severe case because when I had the Endo the GI doc found Barrett's Ring around the esophagus. It can lead to Cancer so I have to be "scoped" yearly. I have been on both Prevacid and Nexium(not at the same time). I find that caffeine makes it worse so everything is caffein free or else I will have palpitations. Before going gluten-free I had terrible anxiety attacks, I have since learned that they occur in people with acid reflux (I don't know why, wish I could help). Mine would get so bad that I would get hypoglycemic, very dizzy. If I was driving, which I love to do, it got so scary that my husband would have to take the wheel, and believe me I hate his driving. I have also had the pain between the shoulders, it used to bother me when going to night school, when I got out of a warm car into the cool night air. I had it at other times too, I blame it on fibromyalgia but the doctor didn't think so, I didn't have the right trigger points . If I were you I would try something other than Pepto Bismol, I think it is kind of harsh to be taking it every day. I would start the day with a gluten-free cup of decaf tea (anything but peppermint, it's bad for the reflux) and a soluble fruit such as banana. This is an old IBS trick I learned. You need to get started off on the right foot or your whole day will be off. There is a lot of IBS info on the net, most is common sense, if you interested, there are books by Heather Van Vorous which I highly recommend. Even though I have gluten intolerance, I think I also have IBS and of course acid reflux. I think you have to get your stomach settled down early in the day. Her suggestions have really helped me as well as this board. I feel better than I did a year ago. Hope some of this helps you. Also fiber pills Citracel two pills daily helped. Remember always put soluble fiber in an empty stomach.

[Canadian Karen]

I have often suspected I have MVP (Mitral Valve Prolapse), but never discussed it with my doctor.

Read the link, it is quite interesting:

Open Original Shared Link

Karen

[Eliza13]

I'm getting the reflux/burp problem too. Does anyone know if it will go away on gluten-free diet???

[bmorrow]

Cleveland Bob,

I started having acid reflux problems about three years ago, before the Celiac diagnosis. I took all of the reflux medicines for over a year, even Nexium and nothing helped. I was like Judy05, I had very serious problems with Gerd. The doctor told me that I could develop cancer from the reflux. I had the surgery for reflux, which is called Nissen Fundoplication. The surgery worked great until about three months ago, and now I have started having some reflux again. The last EGD that I had didn't show any signs of Barret's or Gerd, but I had Gastritis, so the doctor had me start Prevacid again.

I still having the following symptons: Belching, gas, burning stomach, heart palpitations, nausea, and pain in shoulders, back and chest. I have also been diagnosed with Celiac, microscopic colitis, fibromyalgia, leaky gut syndrome, hypoglycemia, and just this week, Mitral Valve Prolapse. Karen, I found the link very interesting. I never had heard of MVP, until this week.

I wish that I had some advice on how to control the symptons for reflux, but I haven't found anything that works for very long.

I just wonder if all of this is related to Celiac?

[ianm]

I used to get acid reflux and gas really bad before going gluten-free. The reflux would be like sharp stabbing pains in my chest. Going gluten-free and keeping my portions real small has helped me a lot.

[Guest BellyTimber]

Bob, and others,

I'm no doctor but I was persuaded this was relevant to me and would be relevant to some people with gluten sensitivity especially if gluten gave them central nervous system symptoms. It's to do with the way the stomach digests food.

There is one specific condition where the stomach produces too much acid and antacids are to be recommended but apparently it's not quite as common as commonly thought.

What might be going on in quite a lot of cases like for instance my case, is inadequate stomach acid causing food to not go down, hence the congestion causes some to come up, stinging the oesophagus, causing those palpitations which I've just twigged.

I was recommended to take, just before the first mouthful, either of:

- Solgar (Leonia NJ 07605) Betaine Hypochloride with Pepsin (betaine is in pineapple which is why people take it with ham or prawns - to help digest the protein)

- Similase which is made in the UK and contains protease, amylase, lipase, lactase and many others.

(-Ase means it digests an -ose like lactose)

I do better when I'm taking these.

I wouldn't want to interfere in your medication regime, either of you, but I have heard so many times observed that "antacids" had often exacerbated a problem which was not enough of the proper acids.

I've also heard of B12 in this context and many of our friends on this board say that has helped them.

[antmimi]

DONT DO THAT!!!

NO more acid is needed. TRUST ME ON THIS!!!!

I was watching this infomercial and it said to try vinegar. BAD MOVE.

I will be pooping acid tomorrow (back to day one again).

Ask your doctor about the CARAFATE suspension. It is made by axcan and they are REALLY nice about finding out info for you if you have problems. Make sure you get the brand name because then you have their customer care center to ask questions.

It coats the stomach and attaches itself to the higher acid levels in your stomach (finds the ulcers). It clears up the reflux. Stomach ache is still there but clears the acid reflux.

I can sleep the nights again and even find myself slipping down to a flat position. Hoping it will take care of the poisoning I jsut gave myself tonight.

[KaitiUSA]

What might be going on in quite a lot of cases like for instance my case, is inadequate stomach acid

You may be on to something there. That is very possible.

I know of a few people who did not have enough acid for the food and that was what was causing the problem. There was a supplement(have to check with them to find the name out) that was given to them and that helped with the problems they were having. Also they were told a pickle to eat would help as well.

Lack of acid may not be true in all the cases but for some it could be.

[Guest BellyTimber]

I made a mistake in not adding, the products are not to be used in cases of stomach or duodenal pain, gastritis or ulcers.

As Kaiti is saying, what I stated is by no means applicable in all cases.

[debbie-doodles]

my daughter was diagnosed with acid reflux in may 2004. the doctor put her on prilosec. she seemed to get better, then all of sudden, it got really bad. he doubled her dosage and it didn't seem to help. that's when he did another scope and took biopsys again. this time they came back positive for celiac. he said acid reflux is a "side effect" from Celiac and that lots of celiac patients have it. He is leaving her on her prescription (prilosec 20mg once a day - 30 min before eating) for a few more months until she has been gluten-free for a while and feeling better.

Have you tried a stronger, prescription strength medication for your acid?

[jknnej]

Those symptoms are just like me minus the belching.

Everything else is right on the money. I go to a new gastro dr in two weeks, though, b/c it took months for me to get an appt so hopefully this new one will have some insights:)

[jessman]

I agree with Michael. A lot of times instead of too much acid, your stomach does not produce enough. Your best bet is to ask your doctor to do a Heidelberg (sp?) capsule test which will tell how much acid your stomach is producing. Too much acid and not enough acid will produce the same symptoms. A lot of doctors just hand over the Prevacid or Nexium without making sure that's what is actually needed.

As for the palpitations: For years I had SupraVentricular Tachycardia. I had it checked out by my Dr, he said no big deal, so I didn't think about it too much. It would kick in every 5 or 6 months for several minutes and then go away. About 2 years ago my stomach problems started. A month or two later, my tachycardia started to get worse. It would flare up every week for over an hour. Long story short, I had an ablation and now I'm cured. MY POINT, and I do have one, is that my cardiologist told me it was quite common for his patients with SVT to have episodes brought on by Acid Reflex. Those palpitation are part of your body's response to the upwelling of acid/gas. I still get a very minor palpitation after an "upwelling", just a few seconds thought, nothing like the 180-200 bpm of old

Your best bet is to try to get the gas/acid issue under control. Good luck with that, though. I'm still trying after all this time.

[rmmadden]

Thanks everyone...You people are awesome! It's comforting to know that I am not alone in my symptoms. This forum is very much like therapy for me and I appreciate all your input.

I have elevated my bed and don't eat anything after dinner to prevent acid build-up at bedtime. I hope to be able to get on top of the gastritis/reflux and eliminate a few symptoms and start feeling better.

Thanks again and Best of Luck To Everyone!

Cleveland Bob

[jenvan]

Let us know how things are going for you again in a while....

[baggotlane]

Well, I just found out the Prilosec is NOT on the gluten-free list. Maybe it does not affect you but I am staying off it. I am learning not to trust much, especially from doctors who do not do their homework on matters like this.

Andrew

[KaitiUSA]

Andrew-

from the updated Delphi list: found good news that may help you out

Prilosec OTC (1-800-759-4841) (vp=01/25/05)

"Prilosec does not contain ingredients from gluten containing grains. It is gluten-free"

[bklyn]

Andrew,

I was given Nexium from Dr. Lee at the Celiac Center at Columbia. She told me it is definitely gluten free.

[Guest BellyTimber]

Of course if we eat up our greens - those lovely spring ones we have at the moment - that helps keep things moving - lots of nice minerals

[Dwight Senne]

My heartburn was so severe it is what led me to my gastroenterologist who, in the process of determining the cause of my heartburn, discovered I had Celiac Disease. After being on the gluten-free diet for a few months, I tried getting off the Nexium - no go - still bad heartburn.

A few bouts with Bacterial Overgrowth later, I stumbled upon information about insufficient stomach acid and how it is more often the cause of heartburn than too much acid and how low stomach acid is also a leading contributor to bacterial overgrowth. After reading Dr. Jonathan Wright's book "Why Stomach Acid Is Good For You", I started taking Betaine HCL to add more stomach acid. I also stopped taking the Nexium immediately.

That was over a year ago, I have never felt better!!! No more heartburn - no more Nexium! I'm sure low stomach acid is not the problem for everyone, but I am also equally sure that alot of people are doing alot of harm to themselves by being on Nexium, Prilosec, et al, when in fact, they have insufficient stomach acid to begin with.

I HIGHLY recommend Dr. Wright's book. It is quite an eye opener! It's available on Amazon:

Open Original Shared Link

[mbland]

rmmadden-

I feel your pain! I have gastritis, Acid Reflux (GERD), and Celiac Disease. I have been on Protonix for about a year and a half now. I tried almost ALL the other drugs. Nexium made me extremely sleepy, and none of the others were strong enough. You may want to ask your doctor about Protonix. It is VERY strong and I hardly EVER get reflux. As far as the reflux goes, I sometimes get it in the morning. I wore a 24 hour acid monitor and apparently I have most of my acid at night (which my doctor said was odd). That would explain why I get it in the morning. I have actually been having more reflux now that I am on the gluten-free diet. It could be what I am eating. I'm not sure. Anyway, I try to avoid cooked tomatoes and really acidic foods. Whatever works for your body!

Mari