Constant Pit of Stomach Pain

[nroberts]

First time posting (please bare with me!)

I am a 34 year old, non-smoking, non-drinking, average weight female. For the past few weeks I have been having an almost constant pain in the pit of my stomach. I have been nauseous on and off for this time but no vomiting. Usually this pain is a dull ache - like something is just sitting in there. It is quite uncomfortable. It hurts when I press on it.  When I inhale and press my stomach out it also hurts.  It does not seem to matter if I eat or not...still there.  Occasionally, I get sharp shooting pains through to my back.  No fever. I don't take a lot of Advil or other pain relievers (only occasionally for migraines).

I went to the ER a week ago and had blood work done and there was no bacteria present and all the blood work was OK.  I was told that it was probably Gastritis and possibly the start of an ulcer. I was put on Nexium. I took that for a couple of days and went and saw my GP. She put me on Tecta instead.  I have been avoiding spicy foods, heavy foods, carbonated drinks, coffee, chocolate, high sugar foods, citrus foods, etc. as suggested.

I have been very stressed for the last month or so and have not been looking after my diet (lots of candy or sugary treats,too many chai lattes). I am not a coffee drinker (can't handle the caffeine) but was having several decaf mochas prior to stomach getting really sore. Related?

I also have anxiety and take 112.5mg Effexor for it. Of course this stomach pain is sending my anxiety into overdrive!

Does this diagnoses of gastritis sound correct? If I have no bacteria in blood, could it be caused by stress?? Crummy diet?

If diagnosis sounds right, what should I be eating? Any natural remedy ideas? How long does this last?

I'm open to anything I just want to get my life back and not worry about this. It is freaking me out and I'm trying not to think the worst.  I have two little ones and need to be healthy!

[megaveggie]

I am a 30 year old female, average weight, non-drinking and non-smoking similar to you.  I was on Effexor for a year but found that there were just too many side effects for me to justify taking it.  I would feel shocks to my body and feel dizzy, like I was going to fall for a second, then I would be fine, then it would happen over and over again throughout the day.  Other people have reported the electric shock feeling with Effexor as well.  I switched to Citalopram, which is the generic form of Celexa.  It has helped my anxiety way more than Effexor ever did and it costs less to boot.  

I think the pit in your stomach is intense anxiety along with acid burning a hole in your stomach.  I had both of those going on at the same time too and it is very hard to lead your life with those symptoms.  It is super painful physically and then on top of that emotionally.  Prilosec didn't work for me.  I ended up getting rid of two things in my diet for 2 months in the summer of 2012: soda and coffee.  They are so acidic you cannot even really imagine how acidic they are, almost as acidic as a car battery.  

I had been drinking an iced mocha with two shots of espresso every day for months.   It was like my crutch and habit that I looked forward to every day.  I couldn't imagine life without coffee but I had to wean myself off of it by switching to black tea with sugar and milk for 2 months.  I stopped drinking vanilla coke altogether and now only drink carbonated fruit juice once in a while as a treat.  

I am a believer that anxiety disorders are real and need medication but the stomach acid problem was caused by your diet and you can change that.  Drink milk or almond milk to neutralize that burning in your stomach and don't drink acidic things like orange juice, soda, and coffee.  Your stomach will be able to heal without being consistently drenched in more acid.  And here's good news: once you feel your stomach has completely healed you can go back to drinking the acidic beverages you once loved but on a much more moderate basis.  You will be much more aware of how much you can handle of a certain type of drink or food to prevent it from getting that painful again.  I hope that helps a little bit!

[mammo]

I feel your doctor's diagnosis is correct, but if the medication isn't helping then call your doctor.  It definitely sounds like an ulcer, and the Nexium helps to cut down on the amount of acid in your stomach.  I can't find anything on the other medication you mentioned....did your GP say why she was switching your medication?  Avoid anti-inflammatory medications like Advil, they're very hard on the stomach, use ibuprophen for pain.  You want to avoid spicy food, and sugar can be hard on the stomach.  But first and foremost call your doctor and ask what this medication is and how it will help you because you're not feeling any better.  You really need to be treated by a Gastroenterologist since this is their specialty.  Don't hesitate to ask your doctor any questions you have, she should have advised you on the cause and what to eat.  If you don't start to feel better real soon, make an appt. to see a GI doc so you can get relief...and stay away from Advil.  Take care.