Hi all,
Im confused, this is easily achieved!
As a PA sufferer am I most likely to suffer high or low stomach symptoms. I have an array of symptoms: gas,up and down! Loose stools, tiredness after eating, grumbling gut ... but the wind is becoming very embarrassing .(I must be the only person glad to be isolating)
Any advice?
Hi lesley12 I'm not medically trained but as I understand it for Vitamin B12 to be processed via the digestion it requires high acid levels to produce the Intrinsic Factor that combines with the B12 all the way down to the Ileum where it enters the bloodstream and into the cells.
If you are not producing Intrinsic Factor either because of low acid level or IF antibodies you won't process the B12 and you then have Pernicious Anaemia requiring B12 to be injected.
Your "indigestion" can be caused by either high or low acid levels so it's a bit of a catch 22 situation.
I have low acid levels and personally I find it helps if I add a few drops of Lime juice to a glass of water with meals others may suggest apple cider juice or similar.
Are you taking a PPI?
I wish you well
That was one of my symptoms but I didn't realise rushing to the toilet 5 times a day excessive gas it's most embarrassing and I have to return to work , the tiredness and the brain fog is affecting me too. I'm looking to buy from Germany confused about what needles I will be required to use and where people inject good luck
Hi, thanks, I’ve been given advice to improve stomas acid. I get my b12 from Germany too. There is a pinned message regarding needles somewhere on this site. If you can’t find it write a post. Someone will advise.
P.A. patients have low/no stomach acid ( Hypochlorhydria/ Achlorhydria) This is caused by the antibodies that attack the parietal cells in the stomach , causing loss of the Intrinsic factor and stomach acid , both of which are produced by those cells . B12 needs both plenty of stomach acid and intrinsic Factor to be absorbed. Lack of stomach acid upsets the stomach flora , which enables bad bacteria to get the upper hand , causing stomach pain , bloating , burping , flatulence , nauseous reflux , constipation or diarrhoea.
You can do a home-test for low stomach acid using bicarbonate of soda ( google it)
A gastroenterologist told me that I had low / no stomach acid , because of my P.A. diagnosis , but could not prescribe anything for it !
I found that an acidic drink before a protein meal was helpful . Try diluted Organic Apple cider vinegar with mother ( health food shops , Amazon)
One member here drinks lime juice . Swedish bitters can be made by infusing dried Swedish Bitter herbs in water or vodka .
Serious lack of stomach acid can be treated using Betaine Hydrochloric Acid with pepsin and Gentian Bitters capsules ( Amazon) Google for instructions of use ).
I found that probiotics worked very well . I used a water -based probiotic called Symprove , which was successful , but there are many others in capsule form .
I have to say that now I am receiving adequate treatment for my P.A. ( self injecting weekly ) my low stomach acid problems have disappeared!
Prolonged use of PPIs can cause B12 deficiency symptoms.
Hope this can help you a bit .
Thanks Wedgewood, I will certainly try some of these tips. Stay safe and well
With age your stomach acid reduces too.
I think that the reason for my absorbtion issues with b12 and iron.
So I have cider vinegar on food.
Lemon or lime juice
Or even a pickled onion in vinegar towards the end of a meal.
My stomach grumbles very loudly.
I find plain probiotic natural yoghurt is good. I dontvactually like it but with fruit okay. My head is more of a problem than my stomach though.
My daughter has a small bottle if probiotic. Not symprove but something similar on her budget. that seems to be working for her.
She had much ' cleaner food' than me as really does does not digest well. Reflux had dramatically improved. Stools normal and nausea reduced. Painful flactulance and bloating also improved and neatly gone.
It's taken a long time to discover what she can and cant eat. Some foods make her so ill for a few days
She used fodmap.
Has recently started to introduce more foods as very restricted
Only way it seems.
She had b12 deficiency and folate . So had folic acid and b12 injections .so perhaps fodmao worth a try?
.
Both if us maybe have PA who knows??
Neck pain, thanks for all those tips ,I’ll certainly try the advice I get from here, stay safe and well
Hope you get on okay TC
PA is caused by your immune system killing certain cells in your stomach - Gastric Parietal Cells.
GPCs have two main jobs - making Intrinsic Factor and making stomach acid - HCl.
IF is needed for absorption of B12. WIth no GPCs you cannot make IF and, therefore, cannot absorb B12 - at all. That's why you need injections.
HCl performs various functions. It physically dissolves some of your food, aiding digestion, but that's a minor role.
It activates various enzymes that break proteins down into absorbable fragments. Without HCl these enzymes cannot work efficiently and the proteins remain, to some extent, unabsorbed. They make their way through to the large intestine which is where the bulk of your gut bacteria live. They have a huge party on the unexpected extra protein - which helps cause the bloating and gas that you experience.
HCl also helps those large intestinal bacteria from moving further up the gut to colonise the small intestine. You get Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth - SIBO. This can also cause the symptoms you experience.
Many people find relief from the symptoms by replacing the absent stomach acid and by trying to ensure that you have good bacteria in your gut.
I use lime juice as my acid. During every meal I drink a glass of something (tonic water, orange drink, gin, tequila) with around 30 mL of lime juice in it. Others prefer vinegar (especially the stuff made from apple cider). You can get pills that release HCl, but I found them too violent.
To keep SIBO in check a good probiotic works. The best is Symprove, but it's very expensive. Bio-kult is cheaper and works well. A course of Symprove followed by Bio-Kult is a good start. I've now switched to kust using Actimel yoghurt drink on my Weetabix. Some like home-made saurkraut.
Thank you so much birder for that clear reply. I have suffered several symptoms for years and years. They improved after PA was diagnosed and injections started. Recently reduced from 4 to 8 weeks and symptoms seem to return violently . I will certainly try your recommendations, many thanks. Stay safe and hopefully well.
Ever since I had my gallbladder removed I've had the same digestive problems you described. I tried different things to cure myself but nothing really helped the loose stool problem. Just recently I tried a digestive enzyme capsule that is designed for people who have had their gallbladder removed. I take one capsule about 3/4's of the way through a meal. It works really well, my night time acid reflux is much better too. If you want to try it, I get it from Amazon and it's called Digestion GB.
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