I've been experiencing extreme gas, bloating, fullness and it always seems difficult to swallow food or water. Also my mouth has been producing more saliva than usual. I was told I probably have gastritis but I really have not received any definite answers. Can someone give me some help understanding what may be wrong?
Was it your doctor who told you it's gastritis? Any treatment or medication prescribed? The difficulty swallowing is not a common gastritis symptom.
They tried various acid blockers but none seemed to help. The results of a pelvic ultrasound and upper GI x-ray showed my stomach lining was inflamed. Every time I eat anything I get very bloated and a lot of the time I have trouble getting a burp out and also my mouth has producing a lot of saliva.
Jake, it sounds to me like you have tightening of the esophagus caused by scarring from acid reflux, hence the difficulty getting food down. You need an endoscopy, where they put you to sleep and put a tube and camera down your throat. If your esophagus is tight they will stretch it. This works, I had it done. Then they should give you an acid reducer like Pantoloc to slow any recurrence.
By coincidence I had this procedure for the second time just today as a followup, and there was no need to stretch. It's totally painless and does not require a stay in hospital.
Now, as to the inflammation, gas etc, it sounds as if you could have IBS. The acid-reducers won't address this, they only treat the reflux higher up the GI tract.
so for the IBS-like symptoms you need something else. Some people recommend peppermint capsules but that may not be good for you with your heartburn. Another thing to try is a probiotic.
Do you have any stomach pain that moves about or change of bowel habit? Do you notice if any particular food causes symptoms? Perhaps try a food diary. Avoid gassy foods like cabbage, broccoli and brussels sprouts. If you have any of these symptoms, it could be IBS. Go back to your doctor and ask for tests. 'Probably' is not a firm diagnosis. Ask about IBS.