Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => Other Health Discussion => Topic started by: star35 on November 13, 2016, 07:25:38 AM
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Hi sparkle
Can I ask you about your acid reflux. My doctor now wants to send me for another endoscopy and I see yours wants to do the same. I have had 3 lots of different tablets and none seem to have worked. I can go a few days and feel good and then it all comes back again. Is this the same for you do you get it on and off. I had an endoscopy and ultra sound and neither showed any thing wrong. Can you explain what yours is like. Hope you don't mind me asking.
Star.
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Also try eating differently. I don't take my evening meds too close to going to bed otherwise I get vicious acid reflux. I always have Rennies 2 hand, it can take 2-3 tablets B4 I gain relief. Milk of Magnesia can be useful too.
Some of the prescribed relief medications can cause more problems than they cause. I have in the past chewed a tablet about half an hour prior to eating. I have been aware of heartburn for a few weeks now - apparently Himself tells me that I keep muttering 'heartburn' :-\ as I wander around the house ::)
Sparkle - has your GP not given you a Motillium-type medication? When I had IBS in the 1990s my GP gave me Colpermin to ease upper gut wind as well as the above - each had to be taken within the hour of my main meals … which meant that I had to set the alarm initially >:( ::). Within 3 days the symptoms had started to recede :)
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Thank you so much for replying. I have changed what I eat, have kept a food diary,have changed my eating pattern but nothing is helping. I have now started taking ranitidine it's been a week now but no improvement, also have the stingy throat. I have another 3 weeks on these tablets and if no change then back for another endoscopy but if nothing showed in the first place not sure if any thing will show up now.
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Hello star35 and sparkle.
This may sound silly but it may help or prompt some other ideas.
My neighbour struggled with digestive problems for a long time until he started making his own bread after being given a machine as a present. It seems there is something in commercially made bread that he was reacting to and he never would have known that under normal circumstances.
I haven't had acid reflux but I do know about IBS and I sympathise with sufferers everywhere!
Wishing you well.
K.
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Have tried omeprazole and then lansoprazole but neither helped. When I do have a good day I don't think it's the tablets that are helping I just think that I'm not getting acid on that day, does that make sense. Have not tried ga but will give it a go.Will try any thing so wedge pillow will be next, can't do extra pillows as l have damaged discs in my neck, so the wedge should be better. Completely agree about trying to find the cause being a nightmare.
Hi Kathleen
Funny you should mention bread as that always has an effort on my husband, but for some reason I hadn't considered that might be affecting me. Willing to consider any thing, thank you both.
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B4 investing in a wedge try lifting the head of the bed on two bricks under each leg.
I don't view Colpermin as medication ::) - I did note though that when taking it my poo smelt of peppermint :-X
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Have you tried digestive enzymes or bitters as a lot of acid reflux is caused by too little acid (esp. after 40s) where food isn't breaking down properly so everything piles up and you get slow transit in the small intestine? This leads to reflux at the top and constipation and imbalanced bowel bacteria at the lower end. Peri hormones also cause the same as they mimic a pregnancy state where food transit is meant to slowdown to retain more nutrients.
PPIs etc. may help the symptoms initially but can add to the cause. I battled it all for years (was on every 'prazole going, motillium, serotonin blockers etc.) and finally refused to take them when I ended up in pain from the lack of acid causing food to churn the stomach lining until it was raw.
My GPs have recently changed how they prescribe PPIs as they used to put patients on them long term but now they only do courses due to the rebound reflux and gut bacteria issues.
Peppermint also caused me probs as for many people it relaxes the sphincter at the bottom of the osophigus allowing contents to reflux up.
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Hi Sparkle
I will give the food combining diet ago, I hadn't thought of that. My daughter is lactose intolerant and although I am not I tried cutting out lactose, but it didn't help.
I to have found chocolate a problem but funnily not milk chocolate but my daughter's dark chocolate.
Like you say it is tricky trying to find the culprit.
Some times when I eat it gets really bad soon after, but another time I can have it really bad but as soon as I eat it gets better. Just so hard trying to find any pattern.
CLKD thank you for reminding me about bricks under the legs I had forgot about doing that. It was something we had done for my dad.
Hi dangermouse
I had been wondering if this could be not enough acid. My daughter uses digestive enzymes for her lactose problem, don't know if they are the same ones, I will look in to it.
I am due to see the gp12th Dec and she is going to refer me back to the consultant for another endoscopy so I now have a few things I can ask him about.
Once again thank you all for your help and suggestions.
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Why not swallow something prior to eating to 'line' the gut?
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Just what I was going to ask.
I to have wondered if maybe I have an intolerance, also have thought about a dietician. I just find it all so mentally tiring trying to sort out what foods could be making it worse along side all the daily demands of every day life.
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Liquid Milk of Magnesia or something simple …….. even an Actimel pot or LIVE yoghurt will help to line the gut.
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Yes even fresh lemon juice can be enough for enzymes as it causes your stomach to start producing acid - even imagining eating a lemon can do it as our stomachs are directly affected by the brain! (I also use it sometimes in hypnosis to make clients mouths water as an induction).
Do note that when you stop PPIs and Ranitidine you will get quite a strong rebound acid effect as your body switches the gastric hormone back on. It will settle in a few days though but a lot of people think they must stay on PPIs forever because of this.
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I haven't read every reply so forgive me if this has already been suggested but I have come across this before with acid reflux not responding to any of the drugs on offer and it was because the acid was bile acid and not stomach acid. I then read an article from a gastro Dr saying that everyone whose acid reflux is not responding to the drugs should be tested for bile acid reflux but it is rarely done.
Maybe ask about this in case??
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Ladies, I don't know whether this could be of any use to you all. x
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/how-diet-really-can-cure-ibs-a7411161.html
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Good luck.
In the last couple of days I have noticed the pain starts a short while after taking the tablets, so I am leaning towards that it could be low acid. Plenty to discuss with gp then consultant. Have been a little stressed which also starts it off.
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I used to keep going back to the GP as started having griping pain on upper left quadrant (to add to the nausea I was having from undiagnosed peri symptoms). They said it was, therefore, definitely ulcers (even though I had no pain before I started the PPIs) and they upped the dose. I got worse and worse and then they switched me to Ranitidine in case I was intolerant of PPIs but it was much the same although the pain was a little better but they made me more dizzy than PPIs.
I would beg for an endoscopy at my a&e visits (for dehydration from not being able to eat) but I had to wait for the 6 month waiting list (North Middlesex of course!). I just knew I didn't have ulcers but the docs in a&e told me off like a child for not taking the max dose of PPIs.
In the end I just stopped them all and the pain disappeared in 48 hours. Once I figured out it was hormones I had been on the pill for a few weeks before endoscopy came round. Results were no ulcers just a half healed irritated stomach lining (from blocking the acid) which fully healed without any drugs.
So yes, they can definitively cause pain. The only other time was lower bowel pain from flaxseed oil as it can apparently cause a lot of gas and irritation (the purer oil made me much worse than the seeds so it wasn't a fibre issue).
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Hiya, I think I have said this in another thread - going gluten free is a possible solution to reflux? A bit pricey but worth it as I have seen it work for my hubby
XX
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I have finally seen my consultant again yesterday, she sent me for a scan today but the doctor who done it said he couldn't see any thing wrong, which I am pleased about but if nothing is there then how it will get treated I don't know. I am due to see the consultant again 6th Feb and she has already said if the scan showed nothing then she would do an endoscopy, but I don't think that will show any thing either. Obviously I don't want to find any thing but the pain has such an impact on my life I need to find a treatment that works.
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Hi Sparkle thank you for your reply, yes she has said if the scan shows nothing then she will go ahead with the endoscopy. I had this done 2 years ago and it showed nothing then that's why I think it Won't show any thing this time. The gp has tried so many medications I have kept food diaries cut out different foods but nothing seems to help. Stress makes it worse but is not the cause of it, I think maybe if I see a dietician that might help, but I just don't know.
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Hi Sparkle like you say it is just a vicious circle, I think the dietician is the way to go because on my own trying to sort the right foods is just a mine field. Oh to feel normal again.
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Finally had endoscopy, as I suspected nothing was found only slight inflammation which they don't know what is causing it. Suggested taking gaviscon as well but that's not helping,although DH keeps saying it might feel like it's not helping but might be worse without it. Same pattern as usual can be fine for weeks then it starts up again. Still can't pin it down to any one thing. Thought it had gone then back it comes every day now for the last 5 weeks. Do not know what to do any more, so hard to cope. I'm happy knowing nothing serious is wrong but that doesn't help with the pain some thing must be causing it. So hard to function every day when feeling like this I worry about leaving the house in case it suddenly gets to unbearable, so I guess the worrying just makes it worse catch 22. Oh I could scream. Sorry moan over I know some people have far worse to cope with.
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Very interesting to see how many of us are suffering with tummy problems. Sparkle I have been taking lanzaprol 30mg for years now and I really don't think it's working, on my last visit to doc I told her that I read ppi's can stop you from absorbing other vitamins, and I asked her if this is why my iron levels are so low and I now need to take iron tablets every day and b12 injections every 3 months. She dismissed this and said no way we're the ppi's causing my problems. I personally feel that the lanzaprol is doing more damage than good and may try just taking it every second day and take gaviscon more often. I was diagnosed with a hiatus hernia many years ago, this doc has since retired and new doc tried to tell me I didn't have hernia, it must have vanished :-\. I know I have hernia, the pain from it when it's acting up is unbearable, but what can yo do when doc dismisses you when you try ask for something different. It's all very frustrating when your in pain but the doc just puts everything down to anxiety. I know anxiety causes a lot of problems but I feel the medical profession, once they realise you suffer with this blame it on all your problems. Sorry for rant but really fed up with not been taken seriously and not been listened to.
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Thats what gets me the not being taken seriously. Because the endoscopy showed nothing they just want you to go away and get on with it. They don't understand the pain you can be in with this and how it impacts on your life. I have tried all the ppis and none have helped. What you not think they would want to know why so many people are suffering with this.
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Hello star35
I was having huge problems with my stomach a few years ago and like you
nothing seemed to work.
My dr prescribed low dose ( 10mg ) amytriptyline. I was amazed that I managed to
sleep through the night for the first time in months. Looking back I think worrying
about my stomach was actually making it worse. Amytriptyline is also used to
stop bed wetting in children so has a range of uses.
It might be worth a try, it definetly worked for me .
Dede
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As I said sparkle, once doc knows you suffe with anxiety they put every ailment down to this :hotflash:I think if I went to her with ingrown toenail she'd say it was caused by anxiety. I really am at the end of my rope though and am strongly considering ads, trouble is my doc doesn't like prescribing them so I'll have a battle on my hands. But I know I can't g on feeling the way I am, I don't want to leave the house, I don't even want to leave the chair :'(. Constantly worrying about chest pain, aches and pains and churning stomach, the list goes on and on. I just want ME back.
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Am going to do my research on ads and be ready for doc
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Hi Dede thank you for that I am seeing gp in a couple of weeks so I will talk to her about the amitriptyline.