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Gastroenterology (Expert Forum)
Concerned Lady or Anyone - Can you Shed Some Light
This forum is for questions regarding Gastroenterology issues such as Acid Reflux (GERD), Barretts Esophagus, Colitis, Colon/Bowel Disorders, Crohn's Disease, Diverticulitis/Diverticulosis, Digestive Disorders, IBS, Stomach Pain.
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Concerned Lady or Anyone - Can you Shed Some Light
by nanci, Jul 23, 2002 12:00AM
I am having a horrible time. Taking 2 Nexium a day, chewing DGL tablets, drinking Green Magna (enzyme drink), taking acid blockers like Pepcid a few times a day, trying to watch my diet and for the past week or so, have felt horrible, Constant burning and discomfort in my upper stomach, some nausea but not bad, some burning in my back, right upper.
Had a Ab CT scan and all other areas came back normal. Having a scope on Monday and hope I can make it until then.
My symptoms became acute when I started introducing the natural stuff. What I find interesting is I take a Nexium in the AM and one again around 5:30PM. Before I go to bed, I take two acid blockers like Pepcid - I just started doing this recently. When I wake in the AM, I'm almost symptom free until I take the Nexium and start my day. Any ideas?
Had a Ab CT scan and all other areas came back normal. Having a scope on Monday and hope I can make it until then.
My symptoms became acute when I started introducing the natural stuff. What I find interesting is I take a Nexium in the AM and one again around 5:30PM. Before I go to bed, I take two acid blockers like Pepcid - I just started doing this recently. When I wake in the AM, I'm almost symptom free until I take the Nexium and start my day. Any ideas?
Stop taking any "natural" supplements that don't agree with you. There are always substitutes that will agree with you.
Have you tried a little organic carrot juice yet? Have you tried any "Acid Ease" (gentle formula of digestive enzymes) yet? Is your bed slanted (blocks on floor, under head end of bed) to keep your head higher (6 to 8 inches) than feet? Do you wear tight clothing? A belt?
What EXACTLY are you eating & drinking? Write a list. Notice which foods & beverages agree or don't agree with you. Please try to answer the following questions (as food for thought)! :-)
Are you eating or drinking any MILK PRODUCTS?
Any soda pop?
Any artificial sweeteners?
Any fake fats?
Are you eating any foods that contain GLUTEN? (like wheat, rye, oats, barley, buckwheat)
Are you eating any corn, or corn products? (like containing corn sweetener)
Do you have a "sweet tooth"?
What kind of water supply do you have?
Do you have a HIATAL HERNIA? GALL BLADDER PROBLEMS? PANCREAS PROBLEMS? LIVER PROBLEMS? ULCER?
Have you been checked by a GYNECOLOGIST? (OVARY PROBLEMS?) ENDOCRINOLOGIST? (THYROID PROBLEMS? DIABETES? OTHER?) Any other specialists?
Are there any gastric reflux tips that you haven't yet tried?
Have you read about the adverse (bad) SIDE EFFECTS of every med you are on????????? What about drug interactions between your meds? Speak to your doc & pharmacist about these side effects &/or drug interactions.
When you get correctly diagnosed, that will help a lot, because you will then have treatment choices!
Hang in there. Are there any good docs in your area?
Call the doc who is supposed to scope you next Monday, and tell that doc that you can't make it til then! Walk into an ER if you have to. Get some help NOW!
Sincerely,
Concerned lady
http://cantbreathesuspectvcd.com
If I were you I'd try stopping the DGL for a bit and seeing if that helps. I've been on Zoton/Prevacid for quite a while and was absolutely fine. In an effort to wean off or down from my 30mg dose I took DGL (Holland and Barrett chewable tabs) for a few weeks. After about 10 days I got bad reflux pain - something I never had if I took my PPI! I didn't realise it was the DGL until after about 3 weeks - as soon as I stopped it cleared up for a few days and I felt fine. Unfortunately it has come back now - I'm ok until the evening when it strikes badly.
The doctor and pharmacist I saw both said that the DGL works by enhancing your body's own resources against a problem. In order to do this it needs to feel the problem, and at the time I had no acid reflux - hence it actually 'caused' heartburn in order to fight against it. As a consequence, my body started to hypersecrete acid, as regular amounts were reduced by the PPI. The sudden stop of the DGL gave my body a knee-jerk reaction to regulate acid output, and now it has gone back up again as it attempts to regulate over the long term. Basically, mixing DGL and PPIs has confused the body! It's been a couple of weeks now since I stopped and I've been warned it will be a couple more before things start to settle down.
I think DGL is probably great if you have slight reflux pain (And even better for ulcers), and are stopping acid blockers, but not if you are on a reasonably high PPI dose. Try stopping for a bit and seeing if that improves things - if you're like me it will suddenly feel better. Then it will try to regulate, and as the saying goes, 'will get worse before it gets better'. But you'll be ok! Try all concerned lady's tips - she is very well informed. Carrot juice is foul but seems to work, and aloe vera is soothing. Good luck!
Once you feel better, you can also try the ENZYMATIC THERAPY brand of DGL, which MAY HAVE DIFFERENT INGREDIENTS in it, compared with other brands, besides the DGL.
Also try ALL the other tips. Some of us LOVE the taste of carrot juice (if made with fresh, yummy, organic carrots). Others don't. What do you think of its taste? (Don't overdo--use in moderation).
Concerned lady
times, I'm pretty consistent with the alternatives you suggest.
I did buy organic carrot juice - afraid to say I hated the taste.
I do drink aloe juice in the AM, chew your brand of DGL tablets; sleep on three pillows but the funny thing is I am hardly bothered in the AM any longer. A while back, waking up was the worst time for me. I couldn't even get out of bed the burning was so bad. But now, I wake okay and symptoms start typically after I eat my first meal in the morning which is usually oatmeal and maybe a banana. And sometimes, all I have to do is drink water and I feel the burning and discomfort.
I spoke to the doctor last nite - he told me to stop the Nexium and take two over the counter acid blockers in the AM and again in the PM before meals. And to stop all alternatives like DGL.
I did and I feel better today. I've been suspecting that the Nexium was making me feel worse but could I feel better so soon? I took one yesterday morning but didn't take one last nite.
So, am I understanding that I should stop the DGL tablets until I start to feel better? And the aloe juice? I also drink Green Magna which is a vitamin/enzyme drink - should I stop that too?
I was getting hearthburn despite taking two Nexium tablets a day for my duodenal ulcer. After a few weeks though the heartburn died down. I was taking the tablets an hour before eating as this is supposed to allow the tablets to work at their best. I started taking them just before eating and the heartburn went away! Maybe they had raised the PH too much. I now take them 10 to 20 minutes before my breakfast and evening meal.
I wouldn't waste any more time and money on "natural" treatments. Remember we are all here because "nature" has screwed up - something it does with shocking regularity!
Anything with "organic" or "natural" in the title should be consigned to the trash can.
Hold on a minute. You are taking too many drugs. How do you know which is really working for you? Isn't there some way you can try them one at a time and still get some relief?
RE Nexium. See a previous comment regarding the magnesium salts that are the inactive ingredient. Apparently, this stuff itself can aggravate an already sick stomach.
I disagree with the comment about natural remedies being useless.
You do not know what is going to work for you. It may be a combination of natural and drugs. How do you know. So do not close the door on anything without trying it first.
Try Protonix if Nexium may be making you worse.
Good luck
Try NOT CHEATING for a while, with those "tips", at least until you feel good again! :-)
If I were you, here's what I would do:
1)Stop taking the DGL, stop taking the aloe vera, stop taking the Green Magma, AND STAY OFF THE NEXIUM, since you suspected it didn't agree with you.
2)Take whatever you and your doctor decide you should try, to TEMPORARILY block acid gastric reflux. Later on, when you feel much better, you can SLOWLY, SLOWLY, SLOWLY, GRADUALLY, TRY TO WEAN OFF the antacids.
3)Avoid GLUTEN. Gluten is found in wheat, rye, OATS, barley, buckwheat. You mentioned that you usually DO eat OATMEAL. Avoid oatmeal for a few weeks, and see if this helps. Brown rice (organic) is gluten-free. Some people find that temporarily avoiding all grains is helpful.
4)Don't buy "ready made" carrot juice. BUY A JUICER, and YOU make the FRESH, ORGANIC CARROT JUICE, with good looking, fresh, yummy carrots. And drink the juice AS SOON AS IT IS MADE! Or, visit a "juice bar" at a good health food store, and have them make you a 4 oz. cup of FRESH, ORGANIC CARROT JUICE. Drink the juice right away, as soon as it is made.
5)Please start to keep a FOOD DIARY. Which foods seem to agree with you, and which ones don't?
a)ARE YOU USING ANY MILK PRODUCTS???????? These can INCREASE STOMACH ACID PRODUCTION!!!!!!
b)Do you drink SODA POP? If yes, please don't.
c)Do you use any ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS? FAKE FATS (OLEAN,OLESTRA)? MSG (Accent/Mono-sodium glutamate)? Avoid ALL ARTIFICIAL INGREDIENTS.
d)Do you have a sweet tooth?
e)What kind of WATER SUPPLY DO YOU HAVE? Is your water CHLORINATED? FLUORIDATED? Both are IRRITATING & TOXIC. "Hard" well water is best. Avoid distilled water.
f)Are you using any PROBIOTICS? If yes, what kind?
6)Do you possibly have (and have you been checked for):
a)a HIATAL HERNIA?
b)GALL BLADDER PROBLEMS?
c)LIVER PROBLEMS?
d)ULCER?
e)PANCREAS PROBLEMS?
f)OVARY PROBLEMS?
g)THYROID PROBLEMS?
h)DIABETES?
i)other problems?
7)WHAT MEDS ARE YOU TAKING NOW, AND WHAT ARE THEIR ADVERSE (BAD) SIDE EFFECTS???
I hope all these questions will give you some food for thought!
Hang in there! And I use the BEST of both worlds: holistic & "allopathic" health. I try to avoid any bad parts of both worlds, when possible.
Concerned lady
You said you sleep with 3 pillows. Unfortunately, that may be "scrunching" your stomach, and possibly aggravating the GERD.
I urge you to try this, instead of using 3 pillows:
Have someone (not you) put 6 inch thick (up to 8 inch thick) BLOCKS on the floor, under the head end of your bed. This will create a SLANT/TILT, where your stomach