alexis760
06-09-2008, 03:42 PM
He has suffered with acid reflux for years and it seems like there is no end in sight. Everytime he gets better, he seems to head right back down the road of suffering. He throws up days at a time, and it hospitilizes him at least twice a week every two months. It's gotten to the point where certain hospitals won't even treat him, because they say he is a pain med addict. Coupled with the acid reflux he has panic attacks, I have suffered through that and know that it feels like you are dying. I try to encourage him, and tell him he's not dying and just to relax (things i had to do when i suffered form anxiety) but I think he has it a million times harder because of the acid reflux pain. The only time he feels relief is when he takes really hot showers. He sleeps outside on our balcony to help with the anxiety. We can't seem to go back to normal. Does anybody else have the same symptoms as him? Is there something I can offer him as some for of relief? (He does take protonix which helps, when he isn't vomitting) HELP!
Sponsor
Linda_in_NJ
06-09-2008, 03:53 PM
It sounds like he has more going on then just GERD. You don't vomit from GERD. That kind of vomiting is telling there is something wrong with his stomach. Maybe an ulcer. And you don't need pain meds for GERD. The protonix is good for him and he should take it daily to stop the reflux. The panic attacks are also another issue. He needs meds for a while to get him under control. Did any of these hospitals ever take tests besides blood work?
Take one step at a time and have him see a therapist for the panic attacks. Once he can get them under control (which is hard, I know first hand too) he can concentrate on his other problems (stomach). Wishing him and you the best. Linda
Take one step at a time and have him see a therapist for the panic attacks. Once he can get them under control (which is hard, I know first hand too) he can concentrate on his other problems (stomach). Wishing him and you the best. Linda
alexis760
06-09-2008, 04:12 PM
It sounds like he has more going on then just GERD. You don't vomit from GERD. That kind of vomiting is telling there is something wrong with his stomach. Maybe an ulcer. And you don't need pain meds for GERD. The protonix is good for him and he should take it daily to stop the reflux. The panic attacks are also another issue. He needs meds for a while to get him under control. Did any of these hospitals ever take tests besides blood work?
Take one step at a time and have him see a therapist for the panic attacks. Once he can get them under control (which is hard, I know first hand too) he can concentrate on his other problems (stomach). Wishing him and you the best. Linda
Yeah, he does have a therapist, but i know he is not taking the pills because he says it messes with the acid reflux (or gerd). He has had every test under the sun, i know he gets discouraged, then he finds hope everytime they do tests on him. He can't keep a job because, he calls in sick too much, so he has molina health care (medi-cal). I want to marry this guy, and it hurts to see him suffering. I sometimes get annoyed by this problem, and I try to keep my attitude in check, but it gets tough when he doesn't follow doctors orders.
Take one step at a time and have him see a therapist for the panic attacks. Once he can get them under control (which is hard, I know first hand too) he can concentrate on his other problems (stomach). Wishing him and you the best. Linda
Yeah, he does have a therapist, but i know he is not taking the pills because he says it messes with the acid reflux (or gerd). He has had every test under the sun, i know he gets discouraged, then he finds hope everytime they do tests on him. He can't keep a job because, he calls in sick too much, so he has molina health care (medi-cal). I want to marry this guy, and it hurts to see him suffering. I sometimes get annoyed by this problem, and I try to keep my attitude in check, but it gets tough when he doesn't follow doctors orders.
TEdds83
06-09-2008, 09:19 PM
HI Alexis! It does sound like he may have something else going on , like down in his stomach. Has he ran all the tests he could to figure things out? I would leave no stone unturned. I would demand tests until I found out the problem. He must be suffering so much. That coupled with anxiety just magnifies everything. I have really bad anxiety too. I never take the meds for those because I am afraid to take them and I am afraid of addiction. I think therapy would be good too. I am going to look for one myself. I need it. Some of the problems are in the head and emotionally too. I feel for both of you. Don't give up! You both will find some answers! Good luck! :angel:
alexis760
06-12-2008, 11:50 AM
thanks. He has had blood tests, ultrasounds, mri, ekg, all the abbreviations in the book. When he's in good health everything is great. You wouldn't even be able to tell he has this illness. It drives me crazy to see him suffering and on the brink of giving up. He doesn't believe the doctors anymore. He feels like what he has is not acid reflux. When he throws up its all clear, of course with specks of esophogus lining. He hasn't eaten hardly anything in one week now.
eihcet
06-12-2008, 12:31 PM
Besides the nasuea and vomiting, what other symptoms has he had? Any pain? Any stool/bowel problems (blood there too)? What kind of foods does he eat when he is feeling better?
Has he just been going to the ER or has he been seeing a Gastroenterologist? Has he had a stomach emptying study done? Has he had a HIDA Scan done for his Gallbladder? What did they find in the Endoscopy? What did the blood tests say (were there any findings)? You don't need to post here, but, get copies and look over the labs and see if anything is out of the ordinary.
There are a number of issues that can cause stomach irritation, not just GERD/Acid Reflux. It's also possible (very likely) that the anxiety is because of the problems and not the cause, but at this point it's certainly not helping! Now he likely does need to be on some fairly strong antacids simply because the stomach lining IS irritated and needs to heal, but that might not be the root cause of the problem. Read up / search on DGL Licorice and see how it can be used with antacids to speed up recovery.
When I was prescribed a PPI for my gastritis complaints and started taking it I felt better for a day or two and then I had horrible anxiety and cloudiness, I was a nervous wreck and it wasn't because of being worried, it was the meds. I switched to an H2 Blocker (Pepcid AC) and that worked for me on the acid side but might not be right for others. Since then I've been working with my doctors to find out why I get the recurring nausea and there are a number of tests that need to be done.
While they've been doing the testing I've been watching what I eat and following a Gallbladder Diet. That has helped me a lot. Your BF may want to look into that and/or look into Chron's / Celiac's diseases and eliminating various foods from those groups... it takes a long time to figure these things out, and even when the cause is known a lot of times the treatment is very strict and difficult, it requires lifestyle changes most of the time (eating healthy, etc).
Has he just been going to the ER or has he been seeing a Gastroenterologist? Has he had a stomach emptying study done? Has he had a HIDA Scan done for his Gallbladder? What did they find in the Endoscopy? What did the blood tests say (were there any findings)? You don't need to post here, but, get copies and look over the labs and see if anything is out of the ordinary.
There are a number of issues that can cause stomach irritation, not just GERD/Acid Reflux. It's also possible (very likely) that the anxiety is because of the problems and not the cause, but at this point it's certainly not helping! Now he likely does need to be on some fairly strong antacids simply because the stomach lining IS irritated and needs to heal, but that might not be the root cause of the problem. Read up / search on DGL Licorice and see how it can be used with antacids to speed up recovery.
When I was prescribed a PPI for my gastritis complaints and started taking it I felt better for a day or two and then I had horrible anxiety and cloudiness, I was a nervous wreck and it wasn't because of being worried, it was the meds. I switched to an H2 Blocker (Pepcid AC) and that worked for me on the acid side but might not be right for others. Since then I've been working with my doctors to find out why I get the recurring nausea and there are a number of tests that need to be done.
While they've been doing the testing I've been watching what I eat and following a Gallbladder Diet. That has helped me a lot. Your BF may want to look into that and/or look into Chron's / Celiac's diseases and eliminating various foods from those groups... it takes a long time to figure these things out, and even when the cause is known a lot of times the treatment is very strict and difficult, it requires lifestyle changes most of the time (eating healthy, etc).
alexis760
06-12-2008, 12:51 PM
He's been suffering with these problems for about 3-4 years. He was a big time junk food junkie when I met him. He would make short work of a 24 pack of coke, candy was demolished in days (Halloween candy was like .05% for his son and the rest was his). I have been reading all the suggestion on the health boards and bought 80% of the stuff listed. The ones I am missing are the licorice and aloe vera drink.
As far as pain, You name the region in your chest it burns. The problem with most of the things offered as remedies is, he has to be able to keep it down. When he gets sick like this, nothing stays down. He'll drink water and 20 seconds later, here it comes again.
He has been seeing a GI for about a year. As far as the test he had done, I believe he said he saw damage, but nothing to be alarmed about.
It's just very frustrating, when you feel like your dying and they think they can diagnose you in 2 minutes of talking to you. He goes in to the ER for them to give him the shake that makes the vomitting stop. I dont know what it's called, its a cocktail of medicines, and it seemed to work well. Why they couldn't prescribe it, I couldn't tell you.
I have had anxiety, and I definately believe that the anxiety stems form this illness. He tells me he wants to die, he can't take the pain anymore, but I know he doesn't want to actually kill himself, or actually die. I can't imagine what its like to have nobody helping you. The doctors don't offer solutions for the times when they are not available to help, so ER is the only option. The ER staff gets tired of seeing you there repeatidly, and think your a pain med addict. I have seen him fight against the illness, he goes days in pain and vomitting before he considers going into the hospital because of the way they treat him. At our WITS END.
As far as pain, You name the region in your chest it burns. The problem with most of the things offered as remedies is, he has to be able to keep it down. When he gets sick like this, nothing stays down. He'll drink water and 20 seconds later, here it comes again.
He has been seeing a GI for about a year. As far as the test he had done, I believe he said he saw damage, but nothing to be alarmed about.
It's just very frustrating, when you feel like your dying and they think they can diagnose you in 2 minutes of talking to you. He goes in to the ER for them to give him the shake that makes the vomitting stop. I dont know what it's called, its a cocktail of medicines, and it seemed to work well. Why they couldn't prescribe it, I couldn't tell you.
I have had anxiety, and I definately believe that the anxiety stems form this illness. He tells me he wants to die, he can't take the pain anymore, but I know he doesn't want to actually kill himself, or actually die. I can't imagine what its like to have nobody helping you. The doctors don't offer solutions for the times when they are not available to help, so ER is the only option. The ER staff gets tired of seeing you there repeatidly, and think your a pain med addict. I have seen him fight against the illness, he goes days in pain and vomitting before he considers going into the hospital because of the way they treat him. At our WITS END.
TEdds83
06-12-2008, 11:20 PM
HI Alexis, I was reading your latest post, and I would definately see if your boyfriend could try real hard to change his diet to completely healthy for at least a month and see how he feels. It could make all the difference in the world. I was told to eat food with live enzymes in them. Like fresh fruits and veggies. It does wonders for the stomach. It takes awhile to develope a new good habit but when you suddenly start to notice a big change in the way you feel it is all worth it. I do pray he finds some comfort and better health. For both of your sakes. Take care! Keep us posted!:)
eihcet
06-13-2008, 11:25 AM
I don't think there is any magic cure for these things. The first thing everyone has to do is cut out anything we don't need (sugar/candy, soda, caffeine, trans-fats, saturated fats, etc). Then go on a restricted diet based on the symptoms, eat natural/healthy foods-but some things cause problems still and need to be avoided (tomato's might be bad for GERD, gluten for Celiac's, eggs for gallbladder, etc). Once you have a starting point, keep a log of the basic foods for a while and see if things improve (might take a few weeks on a very basic diet). After you can go a bit on a basic diet, then slowly he can add in other foods but only do one new thing at a time.
Same thing for prescriptions. I'd take the antacids or whatever the docs recommend but if you can attribute side effects to them, then don't be afraid to call back and inquire about an alternative. There are many antacids to choose from.
Same thing for the natural suggestions you'll find here, like Aloe Vera, DGL, etc, only try one thing for a few days and see if it helps/hurts. Some take a bit to work and/or cause change sso if you try too many things you'll never figure out what's working and what isn't.
I learned I had to do this the hard way as I tried quite a few items when I first had my symptoms. I was using Mastic Gum pills for Ulcer treatment (not sure if they did much, but didn't hurt); Ginger Pills for stomach (didn't work, supposedly the real stuff works better); Milk Thistle Pills for Liver/GB; Soy Lecithin for Liver/GB; etc. Basically some of these things helped me and some didn't but I couldn't tell which until I cut out everything and did just one treatment over a few days, etc.
At this point I know that for me certain foods with Eggs cause me to feel sick (mayonnaise, French toast for sure). Milk Thistle pills give me heartburn sometimes (but not sure why / when). Soy Lecithin has no noticeable changes for me. DGL Licorice seems to be very helpful for me.
Same thing for prescriptions. I'd take the antacids or whatever the docs recommend but if you can attribute side effects to them, then don't be afraid to call back and inquire about an alternative. There are many antacids to choose from.
Same thing for the natural suggestions you'll find here, like Aloe Vera, DGL, etc, only try one thing for a few days and see if it helps/hurts. Some take a bit to work and/or cause change sso if you try too many things you'll never figure out what's working and what isn't.
I learned I had to do this the hard way as I tried quite a few items when I first had my symptoms. I was using Mastic Gum pills for Ulcer treatment (not sure if they did much, but didn't hurt); Ginger Pills for stomach (didn't work, supposedly the real stuff works better); Milk Thistle Pills for Liver/GB; Soy Lecithin for Liver/GB; etc. Basically some of these things helped me and some didn't but I couldn't tell which until I cut out everything and did just one treatment over a few days, etc.
At this point I know that for me certain foods with Eggs cause me to feel sick (mayonnaise, French toast for sure). Milk Thistle pills give me heartburn sometimes (but not sure why / when). Soy Lecithin has no noticeable changes for me. DGL Licorice seems to be very helpful for me.
Linda_in_NJ
06-13-2008, 12:36 PM
Sorry to hear he is still suffering. Did they check for a stomach ulcer? Or gall bladder problems?
Maybe an endsocopy would be helpful. Any blood in is vomit? He should really stay on a bland diet for a while and see if it calms down and then take it from there. Stomach problems are sometimes very hard to diagonse. If the pain is that bad, he should definetly get checked again. Try a different doctor for a 2nd opinion. Hope he feels better soon. Linda
Maybe an endsocopy would be helpful. Any blood in is vomit? He should really stay on a bland diet for a while and see if it calms down and then take it from there. Stomach problems are sometimes very hard to diagonse. If the pain is that bad, he should definetly get checked again. Try a different doctor for a 2nd opinion. Hope he feels better soon. Linda