New Member with GERD, Anxiety, etc.
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
New Member with GERD, Anxiety, etc.
Hello, Everyone. Thanks for being here. I'm new and hope you'll bear with me as I learn to navigate your forum. Let me tell you a little about myself. In 2015, after being given Omeprazole by the ER for suspected GERD, and then advised by my health clinic to take it for 12 weeks, I developed diarrhea and horrific anxiety. I stopped the PPI early, which helped the anxiety, but the diarrhea continued unabated. In early 2016, I was diagnosed with C-diff and finally ended up in the hospital in isolation for a week. My GI doctor suspected something else was going on and discovered MC-collagenous during a colonoscopy. I did the Pepto-Bismol treatment for weeks, which helped, but nothing has ever been the same as before my illness. I had a bit of a flare-up in 2018. I had a bad GERD flare late last year, and am experiencing another right now. The reflux and nausea are so debilitating that I'm missing major time on my job. Ranitidine and Pantoprazole both have bad side effects for me, so I'm taking tiny amounts of OTC meds like Pepcid and generic Mylanta. After lots of blood work and a visit to the ER, my doctor (who is great and really does care) wants me to take 50,000 units of vitamin D for several weeks. I haven't started it yet due to the nausea. Now it seems as if the MC is going into a flare. I'm starting some Pepto again today. Meanwhile, my anxiety and fear are through the roof, and I'm not exaggerating. I've been under tremendous stress for the past few years due to many issues in my life, but I can't help but feel that all my woes are related to the MC. I've visited your site before and have both books on MC, but am finally joining you because I so need your support. I'm really at the end of my rope. I haven't done any major diet changes other than those relating to dairy. I've tested negative for Celiac twice. I probably need to remove gluten from my diet, but with it would go a major source of my calories and I'm thin already. Thanks for allowing me to prose on about myself. If I could get past the anxiety and have some hope, it would really help.
Welcome Frances,
Sorry this has hit you so hard.....as you mentioned you have visited this site, but now reality is setting in and you wouldn't have spoken out if you really weren't ready to make some life changes in regards to your MC/CC diagnosis. I remember when I was hit with this in 2015...seems just like yesterday, I was in such a sad place, I'm so thankful for this site and people here.
Since you have the books....and you've probably contemplated some of the changes you are faced with...my suggestion would be to start VitD3 5000iu and Magnesium Glycinate 600mg (broken into two servings 300 morning, 300 night for a few months 4-6 perhaps then get a VitD level check and go from there)
This will begin the process of helping with that nausea situation. It takes a little time for it to start working its magic but that in addition to stopping gluten, dairy, soy and egg and eating protein until you start to feel better will help the mind to overcome some of it terrible feelings right now so that you can focus on how you want to see your healing process begin. All the medicines you've been advised on besides the Pepto have depleted the magnesium even more for you so it will take VitD, Mag and Time to get you up to speed.
Member success stories are uplifting....the Sticky's have great information posts you get to this area by clicking on the Potty Person in the upper left of this website page.
I feel you know where you need to begin, you just need a bit of support to get it started
Cheers
Erica
Sorry this has hit you so hard.....as you mentioned you have visited this site, but now reality is setting in and you wouldn't have spoken out if you really weren't ready to make some life changes in regards to your MC/CC diagnosis. I remember when I was hit with this in 2015...seems just like yesterday, I was in such a sad place, I'm so thankful for this site and people here.
Since you have the books....and you've probably contemplated some of the changes you are faced with...my suggestion would be to start VitD3 5000iu and Magnesium Glycinate 600mg (broken into two servings 300 morning, 300 night for a few months 4-6 perhaps then get a VitD level check and go from there)
This will begin the process of helping with that nausea situation. It takes a little time for it to start working its magic but that in addition to stopping gluten, dairy, soy and egg and eating protein until you start to feel better will help the mind to overcome some of it terrible feelings right now so that you can focus on how you want to see your healing process begin. All the medicines you've been advised on besides the Pepto have depleted the magnesium even more for you so it will take VitD, Mag and Time to get you up to speed.Member success stories are uplifting....the Sticky's have great information posts you get to this area by clicking on the Potty Person in the upper left of this website page.
I feel you know where you need to begin, you just need a bit of support to get it started
Cheers
Erica
To Succeed you have to Believe in something with such a passion that it becomes a Reality - Anita Roddick
Dx LC April 2012 had symptoms since Aug 2007
Dx LC April 2012 had symptoms since Aug 2007
Hi Frances,
Welcome to the group. I can only second Erica's suggestions. PPIs are notorious for depleting magnesium, so that is the genesis of your anxiety (anxiety is a side effect of magnesium deficiency, and for that matter, GERD is made worse by magnesium deficiency). Healing requires vitamin D, and magnesium is necessary to allow the conversion of vitamin D into the active form that our body can use for healing. H2 antihistamines (such as Pepcid) are the correct medication to be taking for GERD because they will cause less magnesium depletion (than PPIs), and they will not perpetuate GERD (by weakening the lower esophageal spinctor), the way that PPIs do. Stick with the H2 antihistamines. As you have found, GERD can be very, very difficult to overcome, once it becomes established.
You may have already seen this. If not, it might be helpful:
https://www.microscopiccolitisfoundatio ... 112716.pdf
Published medical research shows that it's much more effective to take 7,000 IU of vitamin D daily, than to take 50,000 IU per week. Also, doctors used to prescribe D2. Some of them may still do so. Published medical research shows that vitamin D3 is much more effective than D2. D2 is the plant form. Humans and other animals do much better with D3. All over-the-counter vitamin D is D3.
I hope this helps. Again, welcome aboard, and please feel free to ask anything.
Tex
Welcome to the group. I can only second Erica's suggestions. PPIs are notorious for depleting magnesium, so that is the genesis of your anxiety (anxiety is a side effect of magnesium deficiency, and for that matter, GERD is made worse by magnesium deficiency). Healing requires vitamin D, and magnesium is necessary to allow the conversion of vitamin D into the active form that our body can use for healing. H2 antihistamines (such as Pepcid) are the correct medication to be taking for GERD because they will cause less magnesium depletion (than PPIs), and they will not perpetuate GERD (by weakening the lower esophageal spinctor), the way that PPIs do. Stick with the H2 antihistamines. As you have found, GERD can be very, very difficult to overcome, once it becomes established.
You may have already seen this. If not, it might be helpful:
https://www.microscopiccolitisfoundatio ... 112716.pdf
Published medical research shows that it's much more effective to take 7,000 IU of vitamin D daily, than to take 50,000 IU per week. Also, doctors used to prescribe D2. Some of them may still do so. Published medical research shows that vitamin D3 is much more effective than D2. D2 is the plant form. Humans and other animals do much better with D3. All over-the-counter vitamin D is D3.
I hope this helps. Again, welcome aboard, and please feel free to ask anything.
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.
Wow Frances, your post reads just like mine did 7 years ago. Back when I was reacting I had debilitating nausea first thing in the morning, with such intensity that I didn’t want to move. I dropped 25 pounds in 12 weeks and was struggling to get calories. Sometimes the nausea would lift in a couple of hours. Sometimes it would go until noon or later. If it settled down even a little that was my window of opportunity to try to eat a rice cake or Nut Thin crackers and a little turkey, because having something in my stomach would help.
If I took Zantac at bedtime it helped my morning nausea some. What finally helped me turn the corner was acupuncture. This was profound for me in that I had considerable improvement after 2 sessions. It got me off the PPIs and I was able to manage with an H2 antihistamine like Zantac.
When reacting I had to go gluten free, dairy free and soy free in order to heal. Soy was contributing a great deal to my nausea. I took over the counter Bonine (meclizine) during the day, and on some days I had to resort to Zofran, which can be a little sedating so it’s best if you are still at home. I was able to eat white rice and red potatoes so I had some starchy foods to replace bread. I added Earth Balance soy free butter or olive oil to my foods. Eventually I found I could tolerate Simply Ruffles potato chips and they added more calories.
Then like Tex and Erica have said, adding magnesium and Vit D3 will help with recovery.
Last year I started taking digestive enzymes which has greatly reduced my reflux. I’m in remission now and I don’t know if digestive enzymes would have been helpful when I was first reacting. The goal at the stage you are in is to reduce inflammation as soon as you can. If you haven’t had the Enterolab testing you may want to consider it. I felt it took a lot of guesswork and gave me valuable insight into how to adjust my diet so I could heal. I also took Budesonide for 4 1/2 months but I realize that’s not for everyone.
Hang in there- it does get better.
Best wishes,
Carol
If I took Zantac at bedtime it helped my morning nausea some. What finally helped me turn the corner was acupuncture. This was profound for me in that I had considerable improvement after 2 sessions. It got me off the PPIs and I was able to manage with an H2 antihistamine like Zantac.
When reacting I had to go gluten free, dairy free and soy free in order to heal. Soy was contributing a great deal to my nausea. I took over the counter Bonine (meclizine) during the day, and on some days I had to resort to Zofran, which can be a little sedating so it’s best if you are still at home. I was able to eat white rice and red potatoes so I had some starchy foods to replace bread. I added Earth Balance soy free butter or olive oil to my foods. Eventually I found I could tolerate Simply Ruffles potato chips and they added more calories.
Then like Tex and Erica have said, adding magnesium and Vit D3 will help with recovery.
Last year I started taking digestive enzymes which has greatly reduced my reflux. I’m in remission now and I don’t know if digestive enzymes would have been helpful when I was first reacting. The goal at the stage you are in is to reduce inflammation as soon as you can. If you haven’t had the Enterolab testing you may want to consider it. I felt it took a lot of guesswork and gave me valuable insight into how to adjust my diet so I could heal. I also took Budesonide for 4 1/2 months but I realize that’s not for everyone.
Hang in there- it does get better.
Best wishes,
Carol
“.... people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou
Regarding anxiety- I was rarely ever anxious until I developed MC. But when I read about how 70% of our serotonin is made in our intestines it’s easy to see how anxiety shows it’s ugly head when our gut is inflamed. Add to that the feeling that we have no control over our health and we get a double dose of anxiety. As I’ve watched my own ups and downs I realize that (in my case) the anxiety I felt when in a flare is just ‘manufactured’ by that inflammation. My feeling is ‘it’s not real’. I know it will go when the inflammation goes.
I have had to deal with the reality that I can’t control all things and that impermanence is a part of life that I need to accept. It’s a lesson my chronic illness taught me.
C.
I have had to deal with the reality that I can’t control all things and that impermanence is a part of life that I need to accept. It’s a lesson my chronic illness taught me.
C.
“.... people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou
Thank you, Erica, Tex, and Carol for your kind welcome. One of the hardest things about this disease is feeling so alone with it. You've all made me feel as if I am no longer in this by myself. Thank you!
I so appreciate all your helpful suggestions and the link about GERD. With the possibility that the D. is kicking in with the GERD and the anxiety, I'm pretty overwhelmed at this point. Until recently, I thought I was dealing with separate conditions here, but now I know that it's all related and that healing must address them all.
It's going to be a challenge getting my life back, but I know I can do it, especially with the information available in this forum. I know also that you're here to help me through it.
Best to you all.
Frances
I so appreciate all your helpful suggestions and the link about GERD. With the possibility that the D. is kicking in with the GERD and the anxiety, I'm pretty overwhelmed at this point. Until recently, I thought I was dealing with separate conditions here, but now I know that it's all related and that healing must address them all.
It's going to be a challenge getting my life back, but I know I can do it, especially with the information available in this forum. I know also that you're here to help me through it.
Best to you all.
Frances