Im taking Mastic and slippery elm and probiotics and doing a yeast diet and yet my stomach still hurts just as much as ever! Im not on any antibiotics. I don't think Ill ever be able to get on a treatment plan because of my stupid stomach.
Ive only been on the new supplements for a few days. I should have asked my dr how long it takes till I notice a difference. Im dying here. This has been going on since last April. GI dr just says "gastritis" yet no one can make it better. Im on prilosec and slowly coming off that cuz I think its making things worse.
Stress isn't helping, but I am stressed because my stomach hurts so much!!!! I cant even drink water without getting terrible burning pain.
Please God, I just want to die-I really am so very, very ready!
Nancy
Posted by vachick (Member # 8353) on :
nancy, i am so sorry you are going through this. I know what it feels like. If you remember, I am the one who has had a total of 20 tests done on my stomach with NO diagnosis or relief.
I don't know about mastic or slippery elm, but when I took DGL for the first time, it took at least several weeks before I felt a difference.
Hang in there, and if you don't feel any better in two more weeks, you should probably call the doc back and let her know.
Meanwhile, just keep doing what you are doing. Are you still on Theralac? If so, that should help.
Posted by Areneli (Member # 6740) on :
If it is fungus, oil of origano should help.
Try 5-7 drops in half a glass of water 3-4 times daily.
Posted by Nebula2005 (Member # 8244) on :
Hi Nancy
You sound miserable. Stomach problems bite. I've had a problem with nausea with my other symptoms--it comes and goes for known reason, just like the rest of this torture.
Have you tried papaya juice? I know it's loaded with sugars (probably not compatible with the yeast diet) but it seems to help. If you can get a fresh, soft, yellow papaya, that would be better. Good with a squirt of lemon juice. Scoop out the slimey black seeds. Also you can buy papaya pills, but often they have calcium carbonate in them which is what is in Tums and has always made my stomach problems worse.
I've also used those Sea Band things that they sell for motion sickness. They're cheap--I guess they push on an accupressure point in your wrists. You can wear them all day if needed.
Right now my symptoms are headache, jawache, teeth ache, neck ache, earache. Pain. It makes me understand needing Dr. Kavorkian or however you spell it. No one should have to feel this way.
Water bothers you? Holy cow. That is bad.
Needs to get better, doesn't it?
With heartfelt commiseration, Lynne
Posted by James H (Member # 6380) on :
Has anyone tested you for Helicobacter pylori? There are decent tests for it now, it is usually readily cured with a couple of weeks of an appropriate antibiotic combination.
Despite that, many doctors seem content to just throw Prilosec of Nexium at their patients even though they know what is likely at the root of the problem.
I know, My mother suffered with ulcers and other severe stomach problems for 30+ years until a very conscientious family practitioner checked her for H. pylori and cured the whole problem with a 2 week course of 3 different antibiotics.
It has been years now, and the problem has not been back. She can eat pretty much anything she wants and does not have to be worried about her stomach.
Another friend I know where I live is in the same boat, but her Dr. tested her for H. pylori, the test was positive, but he never bothered to treat her for it. She still suffers, and is on hundreds of dollars every month of heavily advertized symptom treating drugs. Go figure.
Unlike Lyme and TBD's, Doctors aren't being hunted down and 'executed' for treating it. There are no repercussions for doing so to my knowledge. I would very much hope it isn't because they don't want to lose a 'regular customer' by curing him or her. Whatever the reason few seem to bother fixing the cause of the problem.
Before you give up on living you might want to type 'Helicobacter pylori' into Google and start reading.
Posted by cantgiveupyet (Member # 8165) on :
Hang in there Nancy,
Im having burning problems of my own in another area as you know from my posts. Nothing is helping...its horrible.
Im sure you have tried just about everything....im just wondering if there is something that can coat your stomach more.
Im having stomach problems today too...slight burning...
Im not on abx either and it is very frustrating.
when i was on doxy water burned my stomach too....i couldnt eat for a week...now my stomach problems come and go.
Im sorry you have to go thru this. Hang in there.
Posted by Nal (Member # 6801) on :
Thanks guys. Do any of you think stress is playing a big part here too?? I mean, cant stress and anxiety/depression alone cause stomach gastritis and such?
Im hurting both physically and mentally. I am going to a counselor starting this Wed. I cant cope anymore. My poor two year old see's me crying all the time and asks "Momma got a boo boo??" I mean, this is torture on my kids too.
Id give anything to take on a different illness sometimes ya know?? This one just seems so impossible to fight.
They want to put me on IV antibiotics but my insurance wont cover it.
Why do we have to suffer this way??
Thanks for letting me rant. I feel like thats all I do here, but I cant help it.
Nancy
Posted by fatigued15 (Member # 6437) on :
My daughter had many abdominal problems before her Lyme diagnosis. This slowly went away once the Lyme was treated. These problems could be from the Lyme.
Make sure you take a good probiotic. We have had good luck with metagenics ultraflora plus twice a day and theralac at night.
Posted by hopeful123 (Member # 3244) on :
i'm sure it's better to take oil of oregano drops, but the capsules are difficult enough to get down.
Posted by 5dana8 (Member # 7935) on :
Nal Hi Where you gonna get scoped?
Maybe that could tell something.When you get scoped they always take a biospy to see if you have some bugs cooking in there.
I think a few days are too soon to know if the herbs will help. Alot of those herbs are to help your stomach heal.
From my own experience ,stomach's take a very long time to heal.
I think the IV is an excelleny way to go .Can you fight your insuance company to cover the IV? I know alot of people on this board have done this.
If you can't get IV have you tryed abx injections.
Both would bi-pass your stomach.
Hang in there
The only thing I could add addtionally that has helped me alot in the past other than the natural route is carafate.
Hang in there .There is a soloution to every problem.
LOL dana Posted by 5dana8 (Member # 7935) on :
Nal On a personal note be careful of the oreganol oil.
It gave me some kind of horrible indigestion
Take care and hope you tummy heals fast
Posted by Nal (Member # 6801) on :
I get scoped again in a month. All that ever shows is gastritis. Maybe it is just from the Lyme. I want him to test for fungal infections this time. Is there a way he can do that?? Are there specific biopsies??
Nancy
Posted by Kentucky Girl (Member # 8587) on :
I am so sorry that you are having such a rough time. I have a 2 and a 3 year old and it is very tough.
I will keep you in my prayers.
Keep us posted,
Posted by 5dana8 (Member # 7935) on :
Nal When you get scoped in a month make sure to ask your doc if she/he will biop a small area.I think most will anyway.
Cave has a point in that there may be some bugs cooking.
Hang in there
Take care Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
HI Nancy. I'm sorry you're so miserable. I would think the herbs you are trying need more time.
Have you tried L-glutamine? It really helps me. You have to give it time also.
Hope you get help soon. Blessings on you!
Posted by Nal (Member # 6801) on :
I had to break down and take some zantac with my prilosec today. I just couldn't help it!! Man oh man
The herbs can take up to a month to help. Oh well, Im a loser. LOL
Nancy
Posted by Limping Lily (Member # 5099) on :
Nancy, if you can, try LOTS of whole milk, GRASS-FED plain yogurt,which is organic (my favorite is Seven Stars Farm, but any of the above will do), along with the slippery elm take marshmallow tea, and Garden of Life Primal Defense. All these worked for me when it felt like I had a furnace in my stomach 24/7. However, it can take a while if it's due to Candida that is entrenched. You can also try GoL Goatein IG (you may have to order this if your health store doesn't carry it). All the other's suggestions are good also. Good luck.
Posted by karatelady (Member # 7854) on :
Nancy,
I use to have horrible stomach pain and, like you, the doctors would call it gastritis. Anytime my husband and I would try to go out at night, I'd end up in the back seat of the car lying down from pain.
That was probably 20 years ago. Now its much better but I have to watch the carbs.
Charcoal can help (taken away from meds) when you're in a "flair" with your stomach. I'll take up to 5 or 6 when its really bad.
Once in awhile I'll get horrible stomach cramps either from something I've eaten or maybe a stomach virus and a heating pad will help relax it.
When it seems like everything I eat makes it worse, I'll have hot cereal like Ralston's or oatmeal. It doesn't bother my yeast either.
I think my stomach began to get better when I started taking digestive enzymes with meals and even in between meals. Without those I'd be back to ground zero.
Hope you feel better soon.
Sandy
Posted by lucy (Member # 7802) on :
When I was 25 yrs.old(many yrs. ago) I started to have terrible pains in my stomach. I'd never had problems there before.
In 2 weeks, I shot a hole (perferated) through my stomach and needed surgery within 12 hrs. to avoid the acids leaking out and attacking vital organs.
Back then they didn't know about H. pylori and I was considered such an anomaly that students from Harvard Med school came to interview me, my case was that unusual.
I have a good G.I. system now even with L.D.
Make sure you pursue the H. pylori route.
Posted by Health (Member # 6034) on :
I had SEVERE!!!!!!!!!
stomach problems from lyme. I swore that my stomach was being eaten alive.
Anything I ate, I near died from pain. I was off antibiotics treating with natural supps when this happened.
YEAST supps did nothing, they made me worse. Probiotics near killed me from pain, when I was off antibiotics, and the stomach started to get worse. Now on antibiotics, the probiotics are fine.
I eventually got back on the antibiotics for lyme, and started with 1/4 tablet a day, and worked up.
I had SEVERE herxing in the stomach, the first 2 months. I awoke in the night sobbing and balling my eyes out, ready to pass out from the pain. It was horrifying, but what was even MORE horrifying was not treating it.
It went away, after the lyme got better. I would think then the lyme was in my stomach?
I dont know, it just got better.
I was on the minocycline, and flagyl, then the biaxin and flaygl, and the mino and plaquenil,
It goes away if it is lyme.
Eatting would make me so ill I wanted to die, the pain in the stomach and actually all over would start, I would ly down and near die from the pain.
ALL gone later, maybe this is you,
Trish
Posted by Nal (Member # 6801) on :
Thanks for the advice. I do take digestive enzymes with my meals. Sometimes it helps and sometimes I feel like I am gonna blow!
The stomach pain started long before I ever took any antibiotics for this lovely Lyme. The antibiotics just didn't seem to help it. However, I am willing to try them again. I feel like I am dying here ya know???
I see my LLMD tomorrow-I so hope he has something for me.
nancy
Posted by JimBoB (Member # 8454) on :
Nancy:
I TOO had stomach pains and sever nausea BEFORE I started taking antibiotics. As a matter of fact I had it for about two (2) weeks BEFORE starting on herbs last November. My DUCK just nodded when I told him about it. NEVER said ANYTHING about it.
I was even afraid to take herbs because of it. But started out really slow and slowly built it up and it did get a little better, UNTIL I started taking Tetracycline. THEN IT GOT MUCH WORSE for the 28 days I took it, but like I just replied in another thread, it got considerably better once I got off of the tetracycline. And now that I am on Doxycycline, it is still pretty good. Only slight nausea at times. (But I also quit the Andrographis for this month so that may be helping some).
THOSE who are recommending Oregano; WHAT kind of Oregano are you recomending? WILD Oregeno or the commercial Oregeno, which is NOT real Oregano at all? WHAT BRAND?
Jim
Posted by CLC (Member # 7112) on :
How about some aloe vera juice? Have you tried that? I've heard it can help heal the stomach.
It certainly helped my brother years ago when he was suffering from all sorts of stomach pain from ulcers and medications.
Posted by hardynaka (Member # 8099) on :
Yes, Helicobacter pilori is considered now the main (or only, if I'm not mistaken) cause of ulcers. It runs in my family. I got gastritis since age of 13-14. Tried everything, few knew about H.pilori at that time. I suffered gastritis for more than 2 decades. Now I'm fine.
Normal gastroenterologist doctors couldn't do anything about that except giving me antiacids. Total bull****, as it works only for a few minutes, and you get intoxicated if you take it for longer.
Control on diet, no milk (difficult to digest, and gets acid when falls on the stomach), avoid allergenic food (too acid usually) helped me. To eat healthy, slowly, and on time, of course helped too. Certain fruits like papaya, certain apples, banana calm the stomach, but better not to eat them after a meal (cause gas + pain), but before.
With pain, what helped was very hot water bottle on the BACK, behind the stomach and lower, always around the vertebral column. Never add heat on the front, at the stomach (it will make pain worse). You'll get some accunpucture points like that.
Reflexology made pain worse, I never do it for stomach problems.
Homeopathy worked very well too, but you need patience (about 6 months to get any results if on classic homeopathy if you suffer for a long time).
I know the hell to have a sensitive stomach my whole life much before lyme. But if it's lyme, then I don't know what to suggest.
I read somewhere that garlic (or was allicin?) does help killing the HP. And the Samento promoters were saying it kills it too. But may be faster with antibiotics.
A few years ago I discovered a plant called Espinheira Santa. Worked wonders (it's from Brazil). I still use it when I think I may start to have a sensitive stomach/ GI problems.
In the Rain-Tree site, I just found out that they do recommend a few plants for Helicobacter + ulcer + gastritis, a few based on documented research. Espinheira Santa is in their list, but it's not the number one for gastritis.
Good luck and I hope this hell ends. It's a hell, I know it...
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