gastritis or ulcer sufferers please help....

[alypaly]

have possibly got and ulcer or gastritis. Have been in pain for 10 days now. Stared with pain in chest through to shoulder blade.
Was put on omeprazole 40mg last thursday but it seems no better,maybe a tiny bit as pain in lower shoulder blade is less.

Bump alypaly. Will also look at this with interest as this may be my problem too.

and what antacid are you using? your dose of omeprazole is good but this is only stopping the acid production to some extent. you need to be taking some gaviscon as well. take the strongest one you can as often as you are able to. this will coat the ulcer and help with healing.

are you taking you omeprazole tablet(s) twice daily? this can be better than all in one go.

although considerd old fashioned these days, you need to get some dietery advice as well. you need to give up all caffiene (include chocolate/coke/coffee). do not take any asprin/nurofen/NSAD. severely limit any alcohol. to some extent cutting out very acid food or limiting can help as well if you have a particularly raw ulcer.

you need to also look at making your stomach empty better, their are drugs for this but they are not commonly prescribed these days, however you can help it along. include some fibre in every meal and any starches should be high fibre so wholemeal etc all the way. the other thing that helps your stomach empty and promotes healing within it is licorice. a couple of pieces a day can work really well, plain old supermarket licorice is fine (as long as it actually contains licorice extract)

other practicalities to consider are not wearing constricting clothing especiall tight jeans. have you tried elevating the head of you bead just a little bit? good posture (especially when sitting) and some pilates/yoga good for longer term help.

sorry for long winded reply but i have had a lifetime of a particularly painful and repetative ulcer condition and was not believed at first so this is 30 years of trial and error from me.

omeprazole is a ppi which is an acid inhibtor. gaviscon is more for reflux and i dont have any signs of reflux or indigestion at all,just pain and swelling of abdomen. But no cramps so i know it isnt irritable bowel.dont take nsaids.

i havent had tea or coffe or any caffeine for 10 days and i dont drink. i eat bran flakes most days and have 2 or 3 veg on normal days. have got a tens machine on at the moment just to srown out the pain and hospital have given me dihydrocodeine for a week to see if it improves. got to see doc on friday