 LPR driving me NUTS/H2 Blockers/Low Stomach Acid
Hi All
my name is Savannah, I am 23 years old & live in London.
My brief history:
When I was 17 I was very stupid and started drinking heavily and also smoking (not much smoking but 5 x cigarettes per day lets say). I was eating badly too and therefore, unsurprisingly, I developed Gastritis. Being a young, naïve 17 year old, I went STRAIGHT down the doctors and he put me on Antacids (Ranitidine). I modified my diet considerably and continued to take the Ranitidine as prescribed. I finished my initial prescription and guess what, it came back again and again and again. Every time - I was straight down the doctors until he eventually he just prescribed a repeat prescription - FOR SEVEN YEARS. it kept things 'at bay' - I no longer felt sick, and indigestion was kept under control - however I only ever felt about 80% 'well'. I would watch all my friends go to festivals and to Ibiza and other boozy places and they'd be FINE. I remember thinking 'god I'd just feel SO ill if I did all those things'.
Therefore, 5 weeks ago, after years of research (literally) - I came across an article that explained in fact, contrary to what we are all told, Indigestion/sickness/the feeling of food 'sitting' in your stomach hours after eating' is actually a sign of LOW STOMACH ACID (exact same symptoms as too 'much' stomach acid) which would certainly explain why I never felt 100% - because I had been supressing the acid in my stomach for SEVEN LONG YEARS. it all made sense, I was/am actually suffering from low stomach acid . No doubt the initial time I got gastritis was for the opposite REASON - TOO MUCH stomach acid - BUT after supressing acid for nearly a decade, no doubt I now have low stomach acid. I even did the baking soda test 5 times and came back everytime = low stomach acid.
SO I went H2 BLOCKER (ranitidine) COLD TRUKEY (no recommended) 5 weeks ago. I just couldn't bear to take it another day!!
SO, the first week I felt 'okay' - however the second week of not taking it was really bad, bizarrely, I didn't have indigestion (maybe because I was SO careful with what I was eating, basically just greens & poached turkey) but I still felt awful, like I had flu and someone had kicked me in the stomach. I also had a dull headache for about 6 days straight. I am supplementing with Apple Cider Vinegar (AKA ACV) which helps and also an alkaline greens powder which I mix into a smoothie every morning. after 2 weeks, I started to feel significantly better (once I was over the rebound symptoms & hyperacidity).
I started to think I was 'out of the woods' and feeling really positive about making a near-full recovery. I then decided to take things further and take HCL & Pepsin = worked wonders! I felt NORMAL - I had forgotten what NORMAL even felt like!
However, as of Monday this week (so 5 days) - I have had the WORST LPR I'VE EVER HAD . I suffered with LPR on-off for the past 2 years but since I've come off the ranitidine it is driving me CRAZY. it's more-or-less 24/7 regardless of what I eat (albeit I am only eating seriously healthy food, no meat, no sugar, no booze, no caffeine and needless to say I haven't smoked in 7 years). is this just another rebound symptom of coming off ranitidine after so many years? shall I continue to take HCL or not?
Any answers/advise will be greatly appreciated - or if anyone wants to just vent/share their experiences that'd be great !
Savannah
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