Ongoing gastric problems

[Mrsmr]

Hi, has anyone else experienced ongoing gastric discomfort,bloating nausea and fatigue after starting regular 3monthly injections. Before I was diagnosed with falling levels of vitamin b12 for several years I felt terrible but after jab and taking oral supplements along with prebiotic I started to feel better. Next jab due Thursday.i don't want to fee l as I did last summer when I couldn't eat or get out of bed for days.

Thanks for listening.it is good to share experiences and know we are not alone!!

[fbirder]

It could be that you have Pernicious Anaemia, the underlying cause of which is Autoimmune Metaplastic Gastric Atrophy. AMGA will also cause your stomach acid to be low, or absent.

This lack of stomach acid can cause bloating, wind, diarrhoea and constipation. healthline.com/health/achlo...

Many of us find that drinking something acidic with large meals helps a lot. I take 25 mL of lime juice in a glass of something (water, tonic, orange, gimlet) others like vinegar (especially that from apple cider).

[Mrsmr in reply to fbirder]

Thanks fbirder. The gastroenterology said I did have gastric erosions but because my MMA ,IFA and coeliac test was within normal limits it wasn't PA or AMGA and the answer was to take amitryptiline which I refused as I don't want to make fatigue worse so he discharged me!!!!

[wedgewood in reply to Mrsmr]

Having your IFAB in normal range i.e. negative test , does NOT mean that you don’t have P.A. I wish that doctors would educate themselves about P.A. Then they would know that 50% of P.A. patients rest negative to Intrinsic Factor antibodies .

[Mrsmr in reply to wedgewood]

Thanks Wedgwood, I sometimes think I am loosing my Marbles!!! After reading posts in the forum it seems as if its best to assume I havePA as I have all the symptoms and treat myself the best I can.

[wedgewood in reply to Mrsmr]

Our lives are made so difficult by doctors who have no understanding or knowledge of P,A. So many of us have had terrible confrontations with GPs ,and that is so difficult when you feel unwell . There is no conclusive test for everyone with P.A. You have the symptoms . You probably have a high level of Homocysteine caused by low levels of B12.Your doctor has to add everything together , and use some common sense . He has to be a detective . Well many of them are not capable of that when it comes to P.A. unfortunately .

[Nackapan in reply to Mrsmr]

I ask your Gp for another referral. I waited 12 weeks to see a neurologist over 2 years ago.

He also put me on amitriptyline supposedly tk get uk tk 50mg.

Hed discharged me buf difny even telm me.

It was in an awful letter to the G.p

Didnt reflect consultation much at alm I said this to thr Gp.

Her answer was he probably thought of that afterwards and grinned.

The arrogance of some of the specialists I'd just awful.

[Mrsmr in reply to Nackapan]

Thanks everyone. I spoke to a couple of old nursing friends today, both had been prescribed amytriptoline, one for a shoulder problem the other for unexplained abdo pain.needless to say they both refused it. It seems to be the go to medication if they have no definite diagnosis.Great site for support and info.

[Nackapan in reply to Mrsmr]

It can help some .its an old antidepressant used for pain too. My daughter had a low doses force few months. Severe joint pain.

She worked and studied whilst on it .also got some sleep.

It helped me for 2 days as knocked me out giving me relief from migraines . Then I coukdbr tolerate it. I felt too drugged and the head pains broke through anyhow.

I was on 10mg !!

Not for me.

You are right it seems the first line of treatment for many things.

[wedgewood]

I found that a probiotic called SYMPROVE helped me no end when I had those gastric symptoms you mentioned . You can of course eat foods containing probiotics like organic sauerkraut , kefir, kimchi etc l You can make them yourself of course . I found that eating smaller meals more often and chewing very thoroughly was also a help . Plus what fbirder suggests with drinking something acidic .

There is a test for stomach acid that you can try at home. You drink a small glass of water to which you have added some bicarbonate of soda .You drink it very first thing in the morning when you get up. Google to find out the exact. instructions. If you take 5 minutes to “burp “ , it means you have very low stomach acid . But read up about it

My gastric symptoms disappeared completely after a course of Symprove and getting sufficient B12 injections ( in my case it was once a week) They have not returned. Best wishes .

P.S. Serious lack of stomach acid can be treated with Betaine Hydrochloric Acid with Pepsin capsules. . ( Amazon.co.U.K. ) But you do need adequate instruction from a nutritionist .

[Mrsmr in reply to wedgewood]

Thanks Wedgwood 👍👍

[Hidden in reply to Mrsmr]

Did your gp test you for hpylori.? It won’t do any harm to ask it’s a simple stool test .If I was you I’d cut out the probiotics for a time just to see if that makes a difference as some people can’t take pre/ probiotics,I can’t.

You could also go lactose free and reduce your gluten ,again just to see if any difference to your symtoms.

I had HPylori a number of times it made me very ill so these are things I do now and I also have P.A. amongst other things and it’s given me back some kind of gut normality I’m much happier.best of luck x

[Mrsmr in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Diddlydot, no i haven't had h pylori test done. Last time I had bloods done i asked for it but nurse said they don't test bloods for it now only stool test and she couldn't authorise it. Rather than go back to surgery I think I will buy a home testing kit. I am fed up of going to doctors. I am trying to look at diet more to see if there are triggers but I do eat healthily..it is trial and error I think!🙄🙄

[Hidden in reply to Mrsmr]

You’d be better to get it tested via gp because if you do have it they may not recognise your private testing and you need the triple therapy from him to eradicate,it’s a bugger to get rid of.Obviously that’s your choice but id get it done via gp and labs it’s a very damaging parasite that needs careful handling,after you have the triple therapy you can then ask for the breath test to confirm it’s dormant.

They won’t blood test because once infected with HPylori it stays in your blood stream just lying dormant so the blood test will always say positive.The stool test and breath test are the way to see if you have that active infection.

Best of luck whatever you decide and you may not have it it could be dietary but I’d still get it checked out via gp it won’t do any harm.x

[Mrsmr in reply to Hidden]

Thanks.you are right,I know it is best to go to GP .I just need to summon up energy to go back. ☺☺

[mickeymouse42 in reply to Mrsmr]

Which H.Pylori kit will you use? A breath test or stool test? There's this stool kit: stressnomore.co.uk/helicoba.... There are also many sold on Amazon. On the breath test, NICE lists the Helicobacter Test INFAI breath test kit: bnf.nice.org.uk/medicinal-f... (costs £17) but it's hard to find somewhere that sells it. This may be the same kit: theonlineclinic.co.uk/h-pyl....

[fbirder in reply to Hidden]

My pal has just done an H. pylori breath test. His gastroenterologist prescribed it. He picked it up from the GP surgery, did the test this morning and will take it back to the surgery.

[Hidden in reply to fbirder]

How are you now did you manage to clear yours up with the triple therapy.I’ve been doing better gut wise since my last infection with it,it definately makes some people really poorly.Hope your well now.

[fbirder in reply to Hidden]

Yes, thanks. At least I presume it's all gone. I still have the odd bout of heartburn, but I attribute that to my hiatus hernia.

I guess I'll find out this summer when I have my annual gastroscopy.

[Hidden in reply to fbirder]

That’s better then,I think we all know the HPylori symptoms and pain by now so are able to recognise when it’s active again.I was first diagnosed in Spain I’d never heard of it and I’d suffered for a good year with it in U.K. I kept buying new bras lol and I even changed my mattress because U.K. gp said it was just muscular pain and ibs.When I went to a young gp in Spain he asked had I done any foreign travel and I had been on a cruise to the Caribbean the previous year and right away he said it’s not muscular or ibs and said he could help,he tested me said it was HPylori so gave me. triple therapy gave me sedation too as said keep stress levels down and no bread white or brown no pasta etc and within a couple of weeks I recovered after a year of awful pain in ribs and tummy.I then had a recurrance twice again over the following ten years,I’m glad you are well now and you know what to expect in future symptom wise.hope the gastroscopy goes well for you.take care.