Hi Jojo
I have had the same problem for years that you're having now. Ice get pain that starts at the rib cage and then now it radiates to the very back of my back and I spend a lot of time on the heating pad. I've been on Omeprazole, nexium, dexilant (which is extremely expensive in my insurance won't pay for it now) you name it all of them. Last year I did a lot of research on microbiomes and stomach issues and what I've learned seems to help me a lot. Like I said I take applesauce and sauerkraut everyday. To try and keep myself regular I take a powdered magnesium made by vitality extracts called calm. You can get it at any health food store or Costco it cost about $24 a year the bottle has lasted me 9 months and it's only halfway empty. I take a teaspoon of that everyday and mix it with a quarter teaspoon of psyllium fiber in a glass of 8 oz of water and I drink that down every day. It keeps me pretty regular so I'd miss out on the constipation I used to get. Everybody is different you might have to take a little more or a little less depending on how bad your stomach issues are. Too much magnesium will give you the runs and too much fiber will blow you and give you a stomach ache. For me I only need a quarter to a half a teaspoon of fiber every other day but the calm magnesium I take everyday. Also green leafy salads even if you go without onion and other things in it like tomatoes I can't do helps to move your system and keep you regular. I pretty much stay away from sugar but I do love my chocolate so I might have a little candy bar every other night. I also get diverticulitis pain on the left side when I feel like I'm starting to get constipated or bloated so I'm very careful. I switched my milk out to lactose-free and that helps. I've been to so many doctors for scleroderma and the only thing that really helps anything with my disease is sildenafil for my raynauds and hydroxychloroquine for my stiffness and puffiness in my fingers. But I would like to get off the hydroxychloroquine due to the fact that it can cause plaquenil toxicity and affects your eyes after about 5 years sometimes. The disease that I have affects everyone differently so I just try really hard to stay healthy but I have noticed a diet and exercise have helped me more than any medication they've given me at this point. I hardly ever get stomach pain now but when I do I curl up like a baby and cry myself to sleep on the heating pad. I wish you the best of luck we have to be our own advocate so fight for your life and your pain to go away research research research! Big hugs, Melissa