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[DCF]

Hi all, this is my first post so please be gentle!
I’m wondering if anybody has had any similar experiences to me?
I’ve had acid reflux for 18 months and have tried various tablets and currently am on pantoprazole which seems to be managing the symptoms. I’ve had a gastroscopy and that came back all clear.
In October I began experiencing tummy pains, mostly in my left side but sometimes spreading round to my back. I spoke to my gp who was amazing, did full bloods along with arranging an MRI scan, and thankfully all have come back clear.
I do experience constipation and had wondered if this was the cause. GP has prescribed Laxidio, which has helped with the constipation, but I’m still getting the pains. I’m at a bit of a loss as to what it could be so wondering if anybody else has experienced anything similar.
Thanks for listening ☺️

[CLKD]

Yes. Yep. Yes.

   having good results gives you and your GP a base line from which to work.

I suggest overseeing your food intake - keeping a diary will help, jot down everything that you eat and drink for 3-5 days.  Everything ;-).  In the last few years we have cut out a lot of ultra processed foods which were OK for me as a teen when I did more exercise.  DH has cooked from scratch most nights, however when eating out for morning coffee etc., a scone with a cuppa was OK until recently: then I began to feel bogged down and sluggish.

No pain fortunately.  I do suffer bloating with wind which is eased in the bath ;-).  Haven't worked out what causes it other than afternoon cups of tea.  R U able to describe your pains?  It could be trapped wind ;-).

As oestrogen levels drop muscles may become lax = aches and pains and it is common to develop hiatus hernia = reflux.  Can B nasty!! 

[DCF]

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I haven’t yet kept a food diary, but I will definitely try that. There doesn’t appear to be anything that sets it off, it just seems to be all the time the moment. I’ve been told it could be trapped wind, which would link up with the constipation but it just doesn’t seem to go. Baths do seem to help.
Obviously, I’m glad results have been good, but I’d love to know what’s causing it, just to put my mind at rest.

[Penguin]

When you say gastroscopy, you mean the one that goes down your throat, is that right? Have you had a colonoscopy where it goes up the other way and checks your colon? I am wondering if you could have diverticulitis or something like that?

Also is there any chance it could be muscular? The nerves down the side of the spine inervate to the left abdominal area and I got lots of left sided pain when I pulled my QL muscle.

Penguin x

[DCF]

Yes, it was the tube down my throat.
My MRI said I had 2 small diverticula, but not enough to cause any issues.
I haven’t had a colonoscopy as currently I don’t meet criteria for one as mri was all clear.
Given how long I’ve had it, not sure it’s muscular, but then again, what to I know 😂🤦🏼‍♀️

[CLKD]

U know that you don't feel quite right!

What type of pain, R U able to describe?  When I have big winds I can watch it moving under my belly fat ......... 

[DCF]

Absolutely, and I think this is the worst thing!
Sometimes it’s like a stabbing pain, sometime it feels like period pains and sometimes it’s just a general ache. It’s mostly in my left side, above my pelvic bone, but then others it’s just round my lower abdomen or round into my back.

[CLKD]

If it's over the pelvic bone it may be a ligament that has been pulled. Or it could be referred wind pains  .  Watch and wait and if after 7 days it's still bothersome, speak to your Nurse Practitioner or Pharmacist.  U may require an over the counter 'mover', there's something prescribed by the GP but I miss out the middle woman and the powders go straight into the compost.  Can't remember the. name but it's either lemon or orange and mixed with water - YUK 

[Rabbit1977]

Hey there!

Sorry to hear you are suffering pain. I too have suffered from pain in my left-hand side for several months now - intermittent, sometimes sharp and other times not. I didn't go to the doctor (asides from anything else you can't get an appointment for love nor money where I am!) but did lots of reading online and think mine is food related. I stopped eating the copious amounts of raspberries every day (I think the acid doesn't help), cut out Pepsi Max (not sure aspartame is good for anything anyway), cut out most processed foods like sausages, bacon and all cheese, no more crisps (just the occasional popped-rice snack) and added oats and more vegetables and eggs to my diet. I still get the occasional pain there but nowhere like as it was before. Yes, the oats cause an excessive amount of derriere wind the following day but I feel it is helping my cholesterol level.

My next mission is to try and tackle the acid reflux, which again only happens occasionally. I'm thinking this too is food-related but can't see a pattern at the moment.

[Taz2]

Hi DCF. Although you have probably been told that your two small diverticula are not big enough to cause symptoms I believe that the effects of symptoms, especially pain, vary greatly from individual to individual. The fact that you have left sided pain does point to diverticular disease so this could be the cause of your problems. Have you researched it and found out what you can do to try to alleviate diverticular pain? Might be worth doing that if not so you could have a better understanding of what might be happening and then push for help. This link seems helpful - sorry if you have already done all of this https://gutscharity.org.uk/advice-and-information/conditions/diverticular-disease/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw_-GxBhC1ARIsADGgDjuyaeHZtnUVJea-9Ifcz58Wos2qdbhjlS1_CqhAL9OyVJNwVMXm4o0aAkmXEALw_wcB

Taz x 

[Dandelion22]

Hi, I have jumped on this thread as I have been suffering from acid reflux, bloating and awful stomach ache particularly in the mornings. Some days I am constipated and then have diarrhoea. I have just had an endoscopy that revealed a small hiatus hernia and small ulcer and I have been prescribed Lanseroprazole. I have only taken it for 5 days and the acid reflux is much better but I have trapped wind and nausea now which seems to be helped by Gaviscon.  Will my body get used to the Lanseroprazole? I take 30 mg in the morning but wondered if I should ask the GP for a different brand and split the dose to 15 mg morning and 15 mg at night?
If anyone has any advice about starting on a Ppi I would be really grateful.
Just to rub salt into the wound I had a recent internal ultrasound to check my ovaries which were ok but they found a thickened endometrium which has to be checked later this week. I am 3 years post menopause and have had no bleeding.
Thank you x

[Penguin]

Hi. I was on a ppi for a month due to gastritis and did split the dose am/pm. However I did that because the burning came back at night. If you are waking with nausea then it is possible the acid is flaring up overnight and causimg this, along with the bloating so a split dose may well work. Does the lanzoprazole come in smaller doses that you could split, I can't see why GP would say no to that. However the ppi works by suppressing stomach acid which is needed to digest your food. So you may also benefit from taking a digestive enzyme before you eat, I used (and still use) one by wild nutrition which is really gentle. Personally i found the ppi really impacted my body's ability to digest food normally and I came off it as soon as I'd healed my tummy. However some people do need to be on it long term and the benefits outweigh the risks / any discomfort and it sounds like you definitely need it while you have the ulcer. Hopefully one of the ladies who are on it long term will be along soon to let you know how they manage with any wind/ nausea. But if I were you, I'd definitely be looking at things to improve digestion in general such as enzymes, plus possibly A Vogel digestive bitters which also help.

[Dandelion22]

Thank you Penguin, I will see if I can talk to my GP about the best option for me. I did try digestive enzymes a few years ago and think they did help my issue at the time, I will ask him about taking those too.  You just don’t know what to do for the best xx

[Ayesha]

Patience is needed when you first start to take PPI's as it can take two months for them to work.
If you find you are on them for the long term supplements are a good thing to take to help with digestion, for instance a probiotic and vitamin B12.
Wait for your body to get used to the Lansoprazole and see how you get on, there are lots of other PPI's that you could try if Lansoprazole is not for you.

[Dandelion22]

Thank you Ayesha, I am persevering with the Lanzeroprazole, my bowels seem to be a bit more settled and my reflux is definitely better during the day.  I am still having a bit of indigestion during the night and feel yucky in the mornings which is usually helped by gaviscon.