Dear Professor Marshall
I have read your posts which are very knowledgeable and helpful. Thank you!
I have been suffering miserably from H-pylori gastritis for more than a year now. I took one week triple therapy 10 months ago. My symptoms did improve a lot a week after the treatment and could eat more and more food and even a poached egg in the following 2-3 weeks. However, it didn’t last long. One morning I tried eating a large slice of toast with some nuts and corn meal in it, which was disaster for my stomach. I had symptoms again; indigestion, full and heavy stomach and I could only eat a little soft food. Since then this episode has repeated many times over the last 10 months when I ate a bit more food particularly animal protein food. I feel my stomach has been so fragile from the infection/inflammation. A bit more sweet and acidic food can irritate my stomach and trigger excessive stomach acid. A bit animal food, or a bit more density bread or starch food (such as potato) can cause indigestion. I am now on a vegan diet and Sustagen meal powder in order to less irritate my stomach and help healing.
The positive side is I do feel my symptoms have improved although very slowly and the episodes have gradually become shorter over the time. However, I still don’t know how long my recovery journey will go.
My first gastroscopy before the treatment showed mild superficial inflammation throughout my whole stomach. I had the second gastroscopy 3 weeks ago which showed scattered mild inflammation characterised by adherent blood and congestion (which worries me). My stool test 3 months after triple therapy showed HP negative.
Can I ask you a few questions:
1. I have reviewed the episodes I have been through. I feel very likely that I have increased food volumes or added animal food or not-easy digested food too soon to my very fragile stomach, which irritated the stomach lining and then inflamed and then delayed the healing. Am I right?
2. Do Vitamin D, Vitamin C and Zinc help stomach lining healing, or help HP-gastritis recovery? I really want to find something that can help my stomach healing.
3. I have noticed that a month after the triple therapy, my stomach acid secretion has become very easily trigged by even a small amount of sweet or acid food. Would my acid level become normal over the time?
4. I have had acid reflux and been on and off omeprazole for more than 5 years. I have taken the medicine more frequently since last year to reduce my stomach acid. I worry about the side effects after long term use of the medicine. I am an Asian woman nearly 60 (wish younger). When I felt my stomach acid high, I usually took omeprazole for 2 weeks to one month and then gradually stopped. Is it safer that I don’t use the medicine continuously for too long? Or I shouldn’t worry about it too much?
Many thanks