@h2998sc - the number of experimental "tries" is overwhelming -- if we add ALL of ours together, imagine the profits for pharma!!

I have awful upper gut pain. After lots of testing, it was attributed to my spinal stenosis and arthritis not to my gut or to long COVID. I've opted not to have surgery again. In '99 the first surgery on L4/5 resulted in a horrible blood infection for which I was in the hospital 10 days and it was similar to what a dear friend got from L/3-5 surgery and the infection resulted in paralysis from the waist down. All I know is that tho' my back pain flared again in 2015 and for which I am on pain medication, the gut issues NEVER happened before - just since COVID. It's so bad that I can barely walk when it's at its worst which makes spine v. gut the cause logical.

I will ask my many doctors about carafate - thanks for that. Do you take it with the omeprazole? I don't know either drug and will look them up.

Yeah, you too about staying positive. On days when I get so very down because this has upended my life - my symptoms are as noted, many - and I'd just like some of the "better" me back.

JE