complex gastrointestinal problem thats not getting better..

Digestive health
1

Hello,

Im a 31 year old male, who was very active and healthy up until around October 2010, I noticed i was getting slight heart burn issues and intestinal discomfort like the sensation of excess/trapped wind. I also noticed when i was consuming certain foods and more significantly, any alcoholic beverage, my heart rate would increase and beat more forcefully which would in turn, trigger anxious feelings. I tried to ignore it until the heart burn issue became such a problem it was affecting my daily life.

I was diagnosed with having Helicobacter and given the triple therapy in the hopes of eradication. This was an unpleasant two weeks which included a trip up to the hospital as a result of the side effects. The treatment didnt make the heartburn subside, if anything, it made things worse and i also developed gastritis.

I masked/controlled these symptoms with daily doses of 40-60mg of omeprazole and Gaviscon Advance so I could continue my daily routines but knew if i ever stopped taking either of these the results would be very painful. I eventually started to develop more pain and bloating in my lower left abdomen area which seemed to be exacerbated after eating as did my palpitations and again any alcoholic drinks, even just a small intake, would cause heavy palpitations and anxiety, which has scared me off drinking.

recently I had an upper endoscopy which revealed nothing more than gastritis and i was pescribed De-Noltab which did a wonderful job at decreasing the inflammation in my stomach. I also took the use of this medication as an opportunity to wean off omeprazole as i dont like the idea of short circuiting my digestive system for the rest of my life the way PPI's do. I was also told i was helicobacter free after the endoscopy and a further breath test at my doctors confirmed that. Im also not a celiac which they tested for too.

I now control my heartburn issues with ranitidine and gaviscon advance but the symptoms arent as pronounced as they used to be. The main problem i have nowadays is the lower abdomen tenderness/bloating and the heart rate issues after eating. The doctors I see dont seem to want to know about it or minimize the issue. I have even on one occasion had it passed off as an anxiety disorder !! I mean, im obviously anxious about my health deterioration but its not causing these problems. Ive had ecg's and various blood tests done a few times but they come back normal.

Has anyone else had issues similar to this? Or does anyone have info they can share on this topic as im stumped as to what the problem is and so do my docs with my ongoing health saga!

When i wake in the morning, i feel completely fine, no stomach problems, minimum bloating and heart rate is a non issue, its as soon as i start eating the problems start. its lead me to think i have either a food intolerance, an autoimmune issue, internal candida overgrowth or a parasite infestation (or a mixture of a few of these).

I look forward to hearing a reply,

Matt

2

Gut problems do Doctors heads in :D

Are you still suffering from heartburn but paradoxically there doesn't seem to be any acid as such, more like a slow moving ripple up the Oesophagus leading to a tightness in the throat, maybe reaching up as far as your neck muscles and jaw sometimes?

3

Hello House,

Yes, i get this symptom daily, very regularly. To me, it feels like the top of the stomach opens and what feels like a dough ball, moves up in a wave/churning motion then goes back down slowly and then i feel the stomach close again I've sort of subliminally learnt to control this by posturing my self in a certain way when it happens to prevent it moving up to the point i get heart burn symptoms. only on the odd sporadic occasion per week do i get an acute/forceful reflux that causes the heartburn sensation.

Thanks for your reply,

Matt

4

Very interesting cheesygrin This could be just harmless spasm but on the other hand it could be indicative of / be something else smile

5

Ever been woken up in the night with a ridiculous toothache, and then you might get up and go to the loo, or just sit up, and it just melts away ??? smile

6

errmmmm, no i cant say i have, is that related? or do i detect a hint of sarcasm lol. during the night and first thing in the morning are the times i feel most at ease, absence of food = no problems.

7

Oh :[ No, no sarcasm at all :[ It was a genuine symptom question, it's good that you haven't had the tooth thing smile

8

ha, okies, im glad i dont have the tooth thing it doesnt sound good lol. one food i have found to be really good at controlling these symptoms is cooked beetroots (not the pickled variety), i eat one a day but cut up and eatenb through the course of the day. I dont know why, but it works for me,.

9

Yeah the tooth thing hurts a lot wink This eating thing, how much weight have you lost, is it a case of the more you eat the worse the pain gets ??? smile

10

Ever taken a tonne of Paracetamol (or another painkiller) for the pain and it's done nothing infact it may have even made the pain worse ??? cheesygrin

11

I havent lost any weight through the eating problem, i still need to eat like a trooper i always have, But Ive learnt which type of foods trigger things more , the main ones are breads, cereals (cornflakes, branflakes, weetabix etc), rices and pasta's and most carbohydrate based foods. Meats arent too bad, although i mostly only eat poultry and fish even really sweet stuff like chocolate and ice cream is tolerated better than granery or wheat. unfortunately though i havent really eliminated alot of these foods out of my diet as i find i need their bulk to keep my appetite satisfied. :-/

No, i rarely ever use painkillers, i try to use as little medicines as possible, Ive never found any over the counter painkillers ie paracetemol/asprin/ibuprofen useful for anything anyways, more of a placebo thing.

I think its time i got myself some food allergy/intolerance tests done, but i know theyre costly outside the NHS though. Mind you, the NHS waiting list is years long, i'd rather pay for the quicker service.

12

I dont really have any issues with my stools either, they always look reasonably healthy.

13

(As NHS Gastroenterologists say) if you aren't losing weight then there's nothing wrong with you cheesygrin I disagree but whatever it is it isn't that bad yet, interesting that you are having the spasm thing or whatever though smile

14

Oh :[ Yeah try and work on your diet, keep a food diary and rate how you do depending on what you eat smile

15

Good shout, House. I will start doing that, I monitor my heart rate before and after meals on a phone app. After eating a trigger food it can jump up to 50bpm within 30mins and stays that way for a good hour or two.

16

Interesting neutral How sympathetic is your GP ??? (Admittedly as an experiment) ask him / her to start you on 2.5 mg Bisoprolol for review in a month cheesygrin

17

Hi, Im not really looking to start on any more meds, i'd prefer to do things with natural remedies rather than synthesised chemicals. Also after Google-whacking i see Bisoprolol is a beta blocker, with being a bass player in local bands, Ive heard beta blockers can cause pins and needles in the hads and limit finger dexterity which is the last thing i need!!

Today, i have very little if no symptoms of GERD or lower abdominal pain, i tend to have days like this after a bad episode. Although i have started using the DGL licorice supplement for the first time before main meals in the last couple of days (supposedly has a bismuth-like effect), maybe its just coincidence.....

18

Hi,if you still have helicbacter-have you researched curing with manuka honey?

19

Hi in Aug of last year I had an abdominal ultrasound done and I found out that I gave Gallstones. In mid Sept I had Chronic Cholesistitus and gastritis. The reason I am telling you this is because I have been taking PPI's for acid reflux and also had those esophagial spasms! Very uncomfortable and scary, at times felt like I would have a heart attack! Since I changed my diet all my symptoms have gone! Still on PPI's but no reflux anymore and no spasms. Have you been checked out for Gallstones? Bile production could effect your digestion? And cause discomfort. Hope you get some answers and feel better soon

20

Deedie - I have had three helicobacter tests since my last eradication treatment, stool sample was positive, biopsy was negative and the breath test was negative. Apparently, the stool sample tests for the antigens so they will be lingering around for a good 6-12months even if you are free of helicobacter. So I'm taking that i dont have it anymore.

I currently take low doses of Manuka Honey (10+) daily, a teaspoon full twice a day to be on the safe side. I prefer to stick to as much alternative medicines as possible. i dont like the idea of filling myself up full of synthesised chemicals all the time, only when needs are an absolute must.

Bigheart2 - Ive never been checked for gallstones, i have previous thought of this before, but i dont have pain on the right side of my upper abdomen and dont have acute attacks, but it could be worth mentioning at the docs.

Ive been tempted to start taking PPI's again but , as i mentioned in an earlier post, i dont like the idea of short circuiting my digestive system permanently, causing an imbalance of Gastrin... So it makes it very difficult to get off them.