Strong Heart burns and back pains

Digestive health
1

Hi, I have been having heart burns for some time now but never use to take it seriously since then my heart burns have increased from having them once and twise daily to litrarly once every 20 to 30 seconds even burping gives me heart burns and they are really strong it also gives me some sort of sour taste on the back of my throat. when ever I am having a heart burn I tend to get this weird pain on my left back side 7 to 10 inches below my shoulder at the same time. I can not explain this pain but if it was a normal back pain I would for sure not have been this worried but this pain its not like any other ordinary back pain the best way to describe the pain its like a burning sort of pain or when having a cut and something salty gets into it its a similar pain to that. The pain its not that big in size its like a dot and it always occurs at the same location but recently I have been getting same similar pain around my right hand side kidney but its not as strong. Been to doctors and have had a stool test which came back negative I have been proscribed to take (lansoprazole Capsules) which are really really effective since ive been taking them there have been no signs of heart burns the pain has also sort of disappeared but not completely I do get the pain for a sec once in a while than it disspears. my worry is that some times I forget to take the medicine the symptoms tend to come back instantly just like how I use to have them. Another problem I have is that I do get abdominal pains too especially if I put any sort of pressure on it such as hugging someone tight or if someone smacks my belly acidently the pain usually stays for about 30 minutes to an hour. please help 

Thanks!! 

2

Hello Sam,

Gastritis, which I suffer from, can involve such issues as you are having, which is usually when stomach acid has damaged the stomach or lower eosophageal tissues. Reflux is when that acid comes up into your eosophagus and burns the tissues there, which is what heartburn is. The lansoprazole lowers the production of acid so there is less of it to cause you bother. But this is not the ideal way to deal with the problem. You need to address the cause of the stomach damage.

The ways that have helped me and which may help you are below, but be patient. I weaned off lansoprazole, but it helped reduce the initial inflamation of my stomach over two months, so you should probably stick with it for a while at least, and follow your doctor's advice. You can also tell them you are trying the things I suggest if you decide to do so.

Several medium meals per day (I have seven, could do eight, one every two hours or bit longer), rather than fewer bigger ones, so that you don't overfill and stretch your stomach. Eat relaxed and chew well. Be sat upright for and after meals, not bent or slouching, so you don't squash your stomach and press its contents upwards.

We're all different and you might find some foods are ok or bad with you compared to other people, so it's a matter of experimentation and patience, but fried foods, high-fat foods, high-salt foods, carbonated drinks, caffeine, alcohol and chocolate can all impact on stomach and reflux troubles. Spicy and hot foods can also aggravate the trouble for some people. Minty foods relax the lower eosophageal muscle too, so they are bad. I even use a fruity toothpaste.

Wholewheat bread, cereals, bananas, hardboiled eggs are a few of the foods that suit me, but there are pulses, rice, various beans (not kidney beans) and many other things you can try, and things that other sufferers find useful in their posts on this site.

Stress and excercise that affect the stomach are also to be avoided. Be as calm and stress-free as you can.

Having your last meal a few hours before bed can prevent or lessen reflux at night, but you may find, as I did, that waiting to be too empty causes hunger discomfort and keeps you awake. Because of this I lie-down raised a bit on three pillows (on my right is best for me, maybe not for everyone) about an hour and a half to two hours after last meal, and this is much better.

Another thing which has helped me greatly, is to not burp after about ten or so minutes after eating, as this can bring acid up - as you have already found - and cause burn damage that then has to heal. The taste you get will be the acid or other stomach digestive juices.

The first thing that happened when I had to find an eating routine that helped instead of harmed, was that I lost weight, and over time I have added new foods to boost calorie intake, but this isn't fully achieved yet, so I'm also having nutrition drinks from a dietician. I can't eat meats or fish really, and being low in calories anyway, I have something with more calories, and have three or four eggs a day for some fat and protein, which the dietician said is fine, for, unless a person has an actual medical difficulty with cholesterol, the body adjusts its own production of cholesterol to keep the balance right when eating enough.

Best wishes.

3

thank you so much Paul for all this information I sure will follow these steps since my diet is really poor.. I tend to eat abit of everything which I need to stop doing ASAP! and start moving into a healthy direction.. I will definitly practice your advice and will update you hopefully with improvements thanks again. 

4

You're welcome, Sam. It's a rotten thing to have such troubles and there not be an instant cure. Hopefully your tissues will heal with the help of the medicine and the other measures, and you can also see what other people's suggestions are, or ask further questions. One step at a time, though. It can take a while to get a good diet routine established that helps you.

5

What you describe is completely normal for me and isn't much to worry about. I have been on Lanzoprozole for about 10yrs now. It's fantastic and it always the first thing I do when I get up is take the medication, that is when you are suppose to take it anyway, 30mins before breakfast. It proves you need the medication if the symptoms reappear if you forget to take it. 

The adominal,pains you describe I get those too if I wear too tight clothing or eat certain foods. I have a lower dose Lanzoprozole from my dr which I take if the symptoms flare up and then the symptoms disappear. I am suffering this morning because I ate something last night and didn't take the meds to settle it down. 

Be be careful about trying to come off the meds, if you body naturally produces too much acid like my body does, it's unlikely anything else will work and you can do a lot of damage to your insides if the acid isn't kept under control .

if you drive a car that is way more dangerous than taking a tablet every day.

6

Thanks mate I will definitely be more serious about taking my medicine I just hope its nothing serious after I have all my tests taking.

7

Ohh and one more thing have you or do you suffer any side effects from the medicine since youve been taking them for 10 years?