Deterioration in digestive health

[lclark7335]

Over the past few months I feel my digestive and overall health has deteriorated. I am 58 have been diagnosed as coeliac for 3 years. I follow a strict gluten free diet. I have lost weight recently and now have a normal BMI. Always very careful. I have terrible burping, reflux, a feeling of tightness under my left ribcage. This feels like its squeezing my heart and causing very troublesome palpitations. My GP has said I should go to A & E if I develop chest pain or breathlessness- but I have neither. He didn’t offer to see me- done over the phone. I am due my annual coeliac check with my gastroenterologist but have heard nothing this year- presumably due to covid. Anyone else experience these things?

[Cooper27]

Gastro appointments have been delayed unfortunately, so you may need to wait while they work through their backlog.

How long have you had the issue? It sounds like your doctor should be doing more investigation here, so I'd probably go back to them to press for more help. There are a few things that cause these symptoms, your doctor needs to rule out the more serious of them.

[lclark7335 in reply to Cooper27]

Thank you. Its been 3 months now that they are this bad- though I have suffered reflux since 2013. The burping and palpitations are recent. I will go back to GP and try again. Its the palpitations that worry me most.

[Cooper27 in reply to lclark7335]

Acid reflux is very often a result of low stomach acid, which is also very common with autoimmune diseases. Have a look for an at home "stomach acid" test (bicarb and water downed first thing), and if yours is low, you might find taking apple cider vinegar a few times a day will help you.

If you've had it since 2013, I guess you've taken things to lower stomach acid, and it hasn't necessarily helped?

[lclark7335 in reply to Cooper27]

Ive tried lots of things over the years with varying success. Now though nothing seems to help- apart from Gaviscon to some degree. Ive tried bicarb and apple cider vinegar in the past- but it might be worth revisiting now. Thank you

[Cooper27 in reply to lclark7335]

This might be helpful:

avogel.ca/blog/low-stomach-....

I'm not too sure bicarb and ACV has any purpose - one is acidic and the other alkaline, so you just end up cancelling out the beneficial effects. Try the test, and if your stomach acid is low, it's be 1tsp-1tbsp of ACV only diluted in approximately 100ml of water, taken 30 mins before a meal.

[Ukulelelady1]

I have similar issues to yours. I have a lot of upper trapped wind, (Higher up, which goes into my left shoulder) and don’t seem to be able to get rid of it (I can’t burp, so that’s not helpful). I have been diagnosed with coeliac disease for a number of years now, and have developed a lot of food intolerances since giving up gluten, so am trying to investigate what is causing it. I was already dairy intolerant, so I know it’s not that as I never eat it, but I do have a hiatus hernia which was discovered on my first endoscopy. I find that foods with citric acid, acetic acid etc. cause the pain to get worse. I was on PPI’s for many years, but came off them, because as you get older your stomach produces less acid and I was finding them counter-productive. In recent days I’ve been using a little bicarbonate of soda in warm water from the kettle to try and ease it, and have given up all carbonated drinks, sticking to either plain water or decaffeinated tea.

I don’t know whether any of what I’ve said resonated with you.

[lclark7335 in reply to Ukulelelady1]

Thank you. Yes a lot of this resonates with me. It always helps to know Im not alone in suffering these things. I too gave up PPIs as I ended up refluxing undigested food which was even worse. Plus I had developed a polyp in my stomach fundus due to them . I dont know if Ive developed a hernia too now as its 3 years since my last endoscopy- which diagnosed my coeliac disease. Im going to retry my GP and take it from there. I’m trying to work out if I have other intolerances- oddly cauliflower seems a problem for me. And onions and garlic.

[Ukulelelady1 in reply to lclark7335]

Yes it does help to know you are not alone! I too, like you have been waiting for my yearly Coeliac hospital check. I doubt we’ll get them any time soon with the rate that Covid is increasing at the moment and you can’t get to see a GP either.

Onions, garlic and cauliflower are also problematic with me, along with a list of other things. I went in the lowFODMAP diet as advised by my dietitian, but found I had to stay in it a lot longer than most people before re-introducing foods back in. Interestingly, my trapped wind problem has re-emerged since coming off it and re-introducing foods. PPI’s are not good to take long term, and as you get older your stomach produces less acid and taking PPI’s can just make things a lot worse, with symptoms rebounding. (I‘m 61 now). Try keeping a food diary, with a list of symptoms after eating foods. List them individually, to make it easier to find offending foods and do look into the lowFODMAP, you’ve nothing to lose.

[Penel in reply to Ukulelelady1]

I’ve also found the Low Fodmaps diet very helpful. I have tried reintroducing a small amount of some High Fodmaps food but when they disagreed with me I cut them out again.

Having been on the diet does not mean that you will necessarily be able to successfully reintroduce High Fodmaps foods. If you are getting digestive problems again, why carry on eating that food?

[Ukulelelady1 in reply to Penel]

That’s what happened to me with a few of the foods I re-introduced and I took them back out again and then tried another food.

[Penel in reply to lclark7335]

I would second having a look at the Low Fodmaps diet, it’s recommended for IBS.

healthline.com/nutrition/lo...

[Cooper27 in reply to Ukulelelady1]

Might also be worth my sharing this with you too, in case it helps:

avogel.ca/blog/low-stomach-....

[Ukulelelady1 in reply to Cooper27]

Thanks for that! Yes, I think low stomach acid is my problem, thought it for a while.

[Hidden]

Do you eat commercial gluten free products e.g. bread, biscuits, etc?

[lclark7335 in reply to Hidden]

Just bread in moderation and breakfast cereals. No cakes or biscuits.

[Hidden in reply to lclark7335]

Might be worth reviewing those for a few weeks and see if it makes any difference. Depending on the brand, some people struggle with some ingredients in gluten-free bread and products. There are a range of ingredients that may contain traces of gluten that might cause problems, e.g. barley malt, maltodextrin, glucose, etc. There are threads on here about being 'super-sensitive' or the safeness of certain ingredients.

[lclark7335 in reply to Hidden]

OK thanks. Will do that

[lclark7335]

I’ve finally managed to get in to my GP today for a face to face appointment. She thinks my spleen is enlarged and is pressing on my stomach and my heart, causing palpitations. She could feel the fullness on my left side under my ribs and beside my stomach. Been referred urgently for a scan. Will keep you posted.

[HowNowWhatNow]

How are things going now?