The Perfect Storm

Thank you for posting. I have the perfect storm too, hernia the whole ball of wax, and I am on Pepcid as well. The only thing I have been able to think to do further than what you have mentioned is elimination diets to see if food allergies are playing any part. What got me thinking along this line is I am also taking psyllium soluble fiber, but noticed the brand that I was taking is manufactured by a company that also markets bee pollen. So I got to wondering if there were traces of bee pollen in the psyllium. I am very allergic to bees. I feel at a loss, but am reassured reading your post, and look forward learning more on this topic.

I have 6 diagnosed issues for 10 years now .
Ruins my life daily .
Tried it all , everything !! On 6 th Gastro Dr . Even Mayo Clinic Dr and testing in Jacksonville.
Did the holistic route too .
Did Functional Medicine Dr.
I can barely eat anything.
I eat at home , small & healthy.
Can’t go to restaurants or take out .
We cook here .
I have Gastritis, Esophagitis, GERD, diverticulosis, small benign polyps on gut lining , small hiatal hernia, IBS-D , 1000 deep wet gross belches day & night . Non stop churning gut .
I feel for you . I’m growing so so weary of living this life everyday when everyone I know is out Living a good life !
No Joy 🥹. Just suffering.
I’m on anti anxiety med low dose for years .
Tried every rx , supplement, elimination diets , testings .
I pray you find the right Dr.
Have they talked about taking gallbladder out ?

I'm so sorry Rozy. This is just such an awful existence. I thought I had it bad but you are even worse than I am. My heart goes out to you. It really does. I am having such dark thoughts. Every time my stomach acts up I get anxiety and depression. Nobody (except you) can understand how bad this is. The constant pain is unbelievable. I pray that it ends soon. Losing all hope and will to live. Ps - the gallbladder is a much needed organ and without it I would be in worse shape as the bile would just drip directly into the stomach so I'm trying to hang on to it.

elimination diets will help with the reflux as I am down to sweet potatoes, gluten free toast, oatmeal with a bit of almond milk and organic chicken. I'm pretty tired of it after 3 months but everything else seems to bother me. The pepcid works as long as I don't have the hernia slide up. Then the pepcid will not work. It's just such an awful way to live. Who is the world doesn't bend over a few dozen times a day yet the doctors say take a drug, eat less food and don't bend over. Instead of just fixing the hernia so that I can have quality of life again. I'm so done. Sorry Linh. Don't mean to rant but this wears your life away.

Ask Gastro Dr about CREON med . I tried it but unfortunately for my issues it didn’t work . I think for yours it would !
It’s RX only .
My gosh you are so sweet and nice . I wish we lived closer . I’m in West Melbourne FL .
Where are you and how many Drs have you seen ?

No need to apologize at all, believe me it is therapeutic to hear you are not alone! Your pepcid experience with the hernia slide up perhaps explains what I deal with, thanks for sharing. My doctors haven't mentioned anything about bending over, so thanks again for another tip.

As far as meals go I ordered a battery food sensitivity test on sale, and plan to use any reactions as a starting point for elimination diets. Hopefully the results will give me some insight where to begin trial eliminations. I had read the Docs had a backlog of urgent surgeries to do following COVID restrictions, no idea if their O.R. schedules finally cleared that backlog off their calendars yet. Sounds like your doctors want their patients to give it the old college (lifestyle changes) try before they take anyone under the knife. That or your insurance has tied their hands.

I will ask-thank you for the suggestion. I live in Ontario, Canada. I swear we have the worst doctors. All the good ones go to the States because they get paid better. Brain drain. Lucky you - sucks for us. I haven’t seen that many doctors, just the 2 in emergency and my own doctor (who is really quite useless) but it took me ten years to get a doctor. My husband hasn’t had one in all the time we’ve lived here in Ottawa and that’s 40 some years. Not enough docs for the populace. I’m terrified to try anything new as I react so badly to EVERYTHING. Are you med sensitive too?

Thanks for that. I think I’m driving my husband nuts, constantly talking about it. I should just shut up because I don’t want him to worry. He’s not the healthiest guy in the world. I wish I had pearls of wisdom so no one else had to go through this but I’m stuck at the moment. Just trial and errors and lately it;s all errors. No matter what I try I can’t seem to get things to quiet down. Can I ask how come you are not taking a ppi? All docs pour that stuff down your throat. I think they get a percentage of sales. I get the college try but I think the patient should be listened to more and if one has no quality of life then let them have the operation if they want it. I’ve heard of wonderful testimonies of people feeling like human beings again.

It’s bad enough taking the Pepcid which still causes me to get depression but not as bad as a ppi. I take 20mg in the morning and wait 30 to 60 minutes before I eat my oatmeal. And if I start to not feel good in the evening I take a charcoal tab and a Gaviscon. I don’t want to do 40 mg of Pepcid. I will still have to wean off the 20 as it is. You and I are lucky it helps us instead of the stronger ppi which is practically impossible to get off of. Yes for sure check that bee pollen. Allergies are not to be taken lightly.

I am not considered a candidate for a ppi because of the degree of osteoporosis I have. I took one briefly when younger, and it altered liver function labs so the G.I. doctor tapered me off of it. I don't know your age, but doctors in general have a thing about operating on patients over a certain age it seems like. I receive care at a teaching hospital clinic, my doctor graduated so there is always hope their replacement will listen!

I've been dragging my feet about putting more effort into planning and cooking meals. I have reach the point where there is no way around it any more. Cooking is one of the few things you can do in California and not get taxed to death (no tax on food, except junk food).

I have G.I. issues at both ends. Just got back from the doctor who believes I am having spasms (at the other end). I hear you, if it isn't one thing, it is another! I think I will check my magnesium level because I seem to recall Pepcid can lower it. It has really helped me to know I am not alone. Thank you so much for sharing your experience.

I am sorry you are going thru all this. I have a sliding hernia and bend at the knees when something has to be picked up. that has helped me because my trunk/head stay upright enough to prevent problems. If you haven't tried that you may want to and see if that does the trick for you. You can also try "grabbers" if all you want to do is pick up something light (people usually use those to grab stuff off high shelves). There may be other options. For instance, I use a picker-up suction cup at the end of my pickleball paddle so I don't bend over to pick up a ball. Good luck!