I first came on this board when my Mom was diagnosed with lymphocytic colitis. Then, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Then she was diagnosed with 'watermelon stomach' - which basically means your stomach bleeds or oozes, causing a continual loss of blood, and, in my Mom's case -- very low hemoglobin. The common treatment is to take iron supplements, and periodically have an endoscopy/cauterization done to stop the bleeding.
Have found absolutely nothing with regards to if any nutrition changes could help the healing ... then I remembered you guys, and how much collective knowledge there is here.
Please let me know if you have any knowledge of this illness and/or any changes that my Mom could make to help this go away.
Thanks
Karen
G.A.V.E.(Watermelon Stomach) -- anyone with experience here?
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Hi Karen,
I'm sorry to hear that your mother is having so many problems. Unfortunately, I've never heard of that issue before, so I know nothing about it. I would assume that her doctors have already advised her that she shouldn't take any NSAIDs, or mesalamine, and that they've checked carefully to make sure that she doesn't have a bacterial infection in her stomach.
Have they considered a proton pump inhibitor? I'm guessing that they have, since a PPI is often helpful when an upper GI bleed is caused by peptic ulcers, but I have no idea whether one might be beneficial in your mother's case.
Avoiding or minimizing foods that can cause blood-thinning might help to decrease the bleeding. Examples of such foods include garlic, ginger, fish oil, vitamin E, and of course any foods that contain salicylates, since salicylates in foods can cause the same effect as aspirin to thin the blood. Examples of foods that contain significant amounts of salicylates include cherries, cranberries, blueberries, bilberries, grapes, oranges, prunes,raisins, strawberries, tangerines, and leafy greens. Cider, honey, peppermint, vinegar and wine also contain salicylates.
If I had a bleeding problem I would try to minimize my consumption of those foods, but it might be a good idea to ask her doctors about them, to see if they agree.
I hope you can find some type of treatment that will help.
Tex
I'm sorry to hear that your mother is having so many problems. Unfortunately, I've never heard of that issue before, so I know nothing about it. I would assume that her doctors have already advised her that she shouldn't take any NSAIDs, or mesalamine, and that they've checked carefully to make sure that she doesn't have a bacterial infection in her stomach.
Have they considered a proton pump inhibitor? I'm guessing that they have, since a PPI is often helpful when an upper GI bleed is caused by peptic ulcers, but I have no idea whether one might be beneficial in your mother's case.
Avoiding or minimizing foods that can cause blood-thinning might help to decrease the bleeding. Examples of such foods include garlic, ginger, fish oil, vitamin E, and of course any foods that contain salicylates, since salicylates in foods can cause the same effect as aspirin to thin the blood. Examples of foods that contain significant amounts of salicylates include cherries, cranberries, blueberries, bilberries, grapes, oranges, prunes,raisins, strawberries, tangerines, and leafy greens. Cider, honey, peppermint, vinegar and wine also contain salicylates.
If I had a bleeding problem I would try to minimize my consumption of those foods, but it might be a good idea to ask her doctors about them, to see if they agree.
I hope you can find some type of treatment that will help.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.