Sara's Friend - Update?

[Guest guest]

GERD is a good beginning thought Sara, but my boyfriend just had a

stomach endoscopy (they scoped his stomach and beginning of his

intestine) and they found not only the beginnings of gastritis, but

also a hiatal hernia. I can let you know what a) I suggested for

Brian and b) what the doctors suggested..perhaps it will help.

 

Doctor's Suggestions:

1) raise the bed up a few inches by putting blocks of wood under the

headboard side. That way, he sleeps at an angle and will hopefully

keep the acid down if at all possible

2) Do not eat past 6pm. (or 3-4 hours before bed) It'll keep the

stomach workings to a minimum.

3) Eliminate caffinated foods/beverages

 

My Suggestions and what has helped:

1) Brian has been drinking (read: SIPPING) chammomile and peppermint

tea each night. Usually a cup after dinner and one before bedtime.

He's found that to help almost immediately. I have also read/found

by experience that slippery elm can often help soothe mucous

membranes including irritated stomach linings (gastritis) I made him

a tea of peppermint, spearmint, chammomile and some slippery elm last

night. It helped settle his stomach.

2) If the stomach is crampy at all, sometimes rubbing arnica cream or

oil on the stomach/abdomen area will help the cramping and soreness.

It sounds like that could be helpful to him. Arnica can be taken

internally but I wouldnt recommend it since at high doses it can be

toxic.

3) Eliminate dairy and hard to digest foods (including meat) Brian

limits his dairy intake (which does many different goods to the body,

including lessening ear/nose/throat infections). This actually seems

to help.

4) Drink lots of water to help dilute the stomach acid.

 

I honestly would reccommend that he see a doctor as soon as

possible. Sometimes stomach problems including GERD can lead to

esophageal cancers which are often very very troublesome.

 

I really hope this helps!!

 

Sarah Anne

 

herbal remedies , Sara Thustra

<sara.thustra@e...> wrote:

> Hey there folks -- thanks to everyone who offered advice about my

friend

> with stomach problems, and all of you who were silly enough to ask

me to

> keep you updated.

>

> He's not doing any worse, which is a good indication at least that

he

> doesn't have gallstones or anything serious...argh...and we're

starting

> to figure out that certain dietary changes help keep it from being

> nearly as bad as it was. Namely, he can't drink coffee any more--

at

> all, pretty much--and he feels a bit better if he eats small

amounts

> frequently, as opposed to large amounts once or twice a day like he

used

> to. He still belches a lot, but not as much by far, and he gets

> heartburn at least once a day. The real problem is just that his

stomch

> is always " sore " and sensitive, and usually upset after he eats or

when

> he gets hungry. He was taking an acid-reducer that his mom brought

him,

> but though it helped a little a few weeks ago, by now it's stopped

> working completely. Stress / anxiety also seems to make it worse

almost

> immediately.

>

> Other things that I've noticed: Laying on his left side tends to

help;

> right side makes it worse. Drinking plenty of water helps ward it

off,

> but doesn't fix it when it flares up. And if he doesn't get any

> exercise for a day, it tends to be worse. (Thankfully, he's my

toddler

> daughter's babysitter, so he usually gets plenty!)

>

> Based on the above, do you all agree with me that it sounds like he

> probably has acid-reflux disease (GERD)? (I am still looking for a

free

> clinic to take him to, but no luck so far, so of course we're going

to

> keep trying whatever we can to help his pain in the meantime.) And

if

> you do agree, of course, suggestions would be *wonderful*,

specifically

> for foods and teas (but especially foods) that would help him. I

have

> tons of research on GERD that I used to help another friend a long

time

> ago, but he had the money for things like hawthorne berries, and

also

> medication from a doctor, and on my advice he got a dietician

> too...don't know if I'll have any of that to help us this time,

though

> wow, I would give my right arm for a dietician, heh.

>

> Mostly, I need to know about food, because we can't figure out what

does

> and doesn't aggravate his stomach. Granted, he doesn't eat great,

but

> he hardly touches junk food (and never alcohol and now, no coffee

> either), so it's a challenge figuring out what he can eat that will

keep

> him from being in pain. I do things like give him fresh fruit and

it

> ends up doubling him over, but then he'll eat chicken & potatoes

and

> feel better...I don't know; I'm rather lost there.

>

> Thanks again to everyone--you've all been a lifeline. -ST