Ranitidine ??

[Jodiedebs55]

Hi guys , went to gp today my symptoms were vomiting and bringing up clear liquid ( zero food,) and more alarmingly bright red spots of blood , I also feel full after just a few spoonfuls of food and I get cramp like pain just below my chest literally in what I call my muffin top , I never vomit food just bile and sometimes blood he suspects acid reflux ? And prescribed me 300mg ranitidine 1 at night for 6 weeks , he knows my history hypo and hashis and suspects my acid reflux is connected to thyroid issues he says NOT to be alarmed about the blood as that's probably from my asophigus, has anyone taken ranitidine for acid reflux ? I'm nervous of taking anything prescribed until I check with members here first , thanks in advance

[greygoose]

Acid reflux isn't always caused by high stomach acid. It can also be caused by low stomach acid - and hypos usually have low stomach acid. So, Ranitidine would make it lower.

Before you decide whether to take the prescribed medication, check on your stomach acid level with this home test - found at the end of this article:

scdlifestyle.com/2012/03/3-...

If you do have low stomach acid, there are other things you can do for the acid reflux, other than taking acid-lowering medication.

[Jodiedebs55 in reply to greygoose]

Thanks greygoose i actually questioned that and he waved it off , thankyou for the link

[greygoose in reply to Jodiedebs55]

You're welcome. Doctors don't seem to know anything about low stomach acid, not even that it's a possibility.

[Jodiedebs55 in reply to greygoose]

He didn't seem concerned at all and when i asked for the 5th time about my adrenals and my weight and gut health he said its not connected and seperate issue to thyroid and my weight could be due to my diet ( laughed out loud) didnt realise fruit , vegetables chicken and salmon were fattening but hey ho you learn something new every day.... just not at the surgery lololol

[greygoose in reply to Jodiedebs55]

Oh, they're all the same! Never met a doctor that knew the connection between adrenals and thyroid. When I've asked, they've usually just sat and looked blank, as if they were trying to remember where the adrenals were… (adrenals, adrenals… I know they're round here somewhere…) But the last doctor I saw looked me in the eye and said, 'there is absolutely no connection between adrenals and thyroid!' But, he also said that women don't have testosterone, so I made my excuses and left. Forever!

[Jodiedebs55 in reply to greygoose]

Oh he sounds exactly like my GP i will never forget when one gp at the surgery asked why I was taking NDT as he believed levo was the only thyroid meds necessary? I explained quite simply i had problems converting to T3 he laughed in my face and said T3 is so old fashioned and there is no need for it where do you get your information from ? I said research , Google and the thyroid group that opened my eyes to the real problems , he wasn't having any of it, levo made me so ill , if I couldn't source NDT myself i wouldn't wish to exist i simply couldn't imagine myself in that dire situation again , it scared the hell out of me . This group changed my world im forever thankful

[greygoose in reply to Jodiedebs55]

I think I would have asked him where he got his information from, if he thinks that T3 is 'unnecessary'. Does he even know what it is? That doctor I mention above, he didn't know what it was. And, he didn't know what T4 was. And the conversation went something like this:

him: what's T3?

me: the active hormone, T4 is converted into T3.

him: what's T4?

me: T4 is levo, levo is T4.

him: no, levo is the treatment for hypo.

me: not the only treatment, there's also T3.

him: what's T3?

And we just kept going round in circles like that until I had the wit to say: liothyronine! And, that he could look up in his little book, because it sounded more… medical. But, he still had no idea what it was.

[Hidden in reply to greygoose]

This would be hysterical if it weren't so sad and harmful to patients.

[greygoose in reply to Hidden]

Exactly!

[Jodiedebs55 in reply to greygoose]

Also I madea typo error he suspects my acid reflux is NOT connected to thyroid issues and suspects its a seperate issue regarding gastro .. 😂

[greygoose in reply to Jodiedebs55]

Of course he did. They know nothing about symptoms.

[Hidden in reply to Jodiedebs55]

And by assigning it to a gastroenterologist he can pass you off to a new doctor who can waste time and money by reinventing the wheel.

I have had gastrointestinal issues with levothyroxine for years but have just lived with them. Since getting a new, helpful, effective endo last April we are slowly addressing my individual thyroid problems and symptoms and tho a slow process I am already feeling much better . But still have a way to go.

Regaining thyroid health after years of mismanagement is a slow process.

And as good as my new endo is he doesn't know everything but he works with me, listens to my input, (which is considerable esp from this forum), and doesn't clutch his chest when I come in with new ideas.

Take care. irina

[LAHs]

Here is the sum total of my knowledge about throwing up blood. I believe that if it is cherry red and frothy, it came from the lungs, if it is dark red and not frothy it is from the stomach. Don't know if that helps.

[overnighthearingloss in reply to LAHs]

I thought cherry red meant new bleeding and dark red is old blood?

[Hidden in reply to overnighthearingloss]

Both you and LAHs make good points about blood. It's usually thought that bright red blood is active, new, possibly ongoing bleeding and dark red blood is old bleeding. The color difference is because old blood has lost its bright color due to lack of oxygen.

Either way I am taken aback that your doctor chose not to address the bleeding in any way and instead chose a dismissive approach.

If it were me I would pursue this issue-if not with him then elsewhere.

Not to alarm but a small trickle of bright red blood-perhaps from an undiagnosed ulcer for example- can quickly turn into more bleeding that may require emergency care.

Please look into this.

Take care. irina

[LAHs in reply to Hidden]

Thanks irina1975, makes sense.

[Hidden in reply to LAHs]

My pleasure. I just cannot wrap my head around a doctor ignoring bright red bleeding!

It may be nothing but if it's a problem that needs attention the doctor will be home having dinner with his family not lying in the E. R. being treated.

[Jodiedebs55 in reply to Hidden]

I questioned ulcer but both gp and out of hours gp dismissed it as I was extremely dizzy as well and the room was spinning so they said either inner ear infection or acid reflux

[Hidden in reply to Jodiedebs55]

Oh God!. Lets add inner ear to the mix.

I love when doctors skip the simple explanations (like perhaps dizziness from skipping lunch and have a low blood sugar episode or maybe a side effect from medication) and go from Step A to Step G in 60 seconds.

My guess is a referral to an otolaryngologist might not be far behind.

Sorry to be cynical but this is when I go into my "can we try less invasive explanations and treatments first?" song and dance.

[Jodiedebs55 in reply to Hidden]

Both the gp and out of hours gp dismissed it they said inner ear infection or blood from.the asophigus from retching i immediately thought of ulcer but at the time had no stomach pain of any kind but the last week I have stomach pain at the top but no blood when I vomit just bile the blood happened just once

[humanbean in reply to LAHs]

Blood that has started off in the digestive system somewhere will have a different appearance based on where it originated. The higher up the gut it has come from, the more time it has spent being digested, and the more it's colour and texture will differ from fresh blood.

If it comes from the stomach it will be very digested by the time it reaches daylight in poo, and will have a consistency and an appearance like black coffee grounds.

It is comes from further down the intestines it won't look like coffee grounds but will still be black. (It's spent less time being digested.)

If it comes from further down still, say in the colon, then it will probably end up looking very dark red/maroon.

If it comes from the rectum or anus it will look bright red.

[Hidden in reply to humanbean]

Very true. There is a specific description that has been around for years that describes old blood vomited from the stomach. It is described as having the appearance of 'coffee grounds.' It's an accepted medical description here (US).

[humanbean in reply to Hidden]

Yes, I've seen coffee grounds used as the descriptive term for very digested blood that comes out in poo or vomit.

[Hidden in reply to humanbean]

Right quite often from a bleeding ulcer that has not been diagnosed until the patient vomits the old blood.

[Jodiedebs55 in reply to humanbean]

When I vomitted it was the same colour as a fresh cut to a finger for example , it was as if id bit my lip and caused it to bleed but obviously I hadn't it was clear liquid and bright red blood it scared the hell out of me to be honest

[humanbean in reply to Jodiedebs55]

You might have caused a tiny tear or abrasion in your throat from the retching and vomiting. If it was bright red and a small amount then it probably isn't that serious. But if it hasn't stopped in the next 2 or 3 days or the amount increases a lot then you probably need to see a doctor.

Please be aware that I am NOT a doctor, and have no medical training of any kind.

[Jodiedebs55 in reply to humanbean]

Thankyou yes that's exactly what the gp said as the colour was that of fresh blood and he suspects a tear thankyou i appreciate your help, it only happened the once thank goodness

[LAHs in reply to Jodiedebs55]

Hi Jodie, I don't know whether this will help but dozens of years ago when I was a teenager I threw up (in the sink). Towards the end of this occasion I threw up about a 1" long blob of bright red bubbly blood. It scared the hell out of me too. It had never happened before and it has never happened since and I had forgotten all about it until now. If I were you I wouldn't take too much notice unless it happens again or frequently.

[Jodiedebs55 in reply to LAHs]

Thankyou , yes that's exactly what happened to me and only the once

[Gettingoldnow]

I would have a stool test to rule out HPoli

[Jodiedebs55 in reply to Gettingoldnow]

I vomitted blood my stools were fine

[Gettingoldnow in reply to Jodiedebs55]

Your stools would be fine .hpoli is parasites that live in the small intestine .causing acid reflex and eventually ulcers and can Ve very painful.ranitidene will help the acid but not eradicate the problem.only treatment is double whammy of antibiotics and a ppi.it may just be acid reflux hence why doc gave you ranitidene .i am not a doctor but suffered with the same hence my suggestion .i also have thyroid problems .

[Jodiedebs55 in reply to Gettingoldnow]

Ahhh sorry I didnt realise that , I do apologise, thankyou for that , its very interesting actually as I have hashis and I suffer from IBS and I have my bowels open at least 5 times a day and it worries me my food isn't properly digested i can actually see it and I told the gp and she said yes that can happen but my pointis that its every time and I dont think thats normal as it didn't happen last year only recently like from 4 months ago

[Gettingoldnow]

It's all trial and error with these things .i was lucky A and E picked it up .hope you get sorted soon .

[Jodiedebs55 in reply to Gettingoldnow]

Thankyou i really appreciate your help