Ulcers, H. Pylori, Malnutrition, & Plain Old Stress

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How do you know whether an ulcer (or severe inflammation of the stomach) is caused by h. pylori or some other, non-microbial stressor?

For the last few weeks, I've had increasingly severe upper GI problems. Initially, I was just getting sporadic, mild stress reactions to swallowing some supplements (e.g. B1, niacinamide, aspirin). Pepto-bismol helped quite a bit. Then, I started getting more severe reactions, as well as discomfort in the stomach, and almost anything strong or acidic began causing them. I also began getting heartburn -- not usually a problem for me. Eventually, most food began causing mild stomach pain + stress reaction. Then, yesterday, it felt like my stomach "broke" after I took small amounts of niacinamide dissolved in warm water, and I had stomach pain until the late evening.

Because of my already stressed and malnourished state (see below), I need to fix this problem soon. I don't want to go too far down the h. pylori rabbit hole (or any other) unless it's likely to repay the effort.

My background:
-- Deficiencies in B1, B3, and protein. Hard to fix because of upper and lower GI problems.
-- My B1 deficiency causes adrenergic reactions to even very mild stresses, so anything that irritates my stomach causes increasingly severe adrenergic reactions. Makes eating even harder.
-- Lower GI problems: Frequently get stress reactions before or after bowel movements, or when matter passes through lower part of intestine.
-- Adrenergic problems have limited my mobility for last 2+ years.
-- Fatty liver.
-- Lots of stress over last 2+ years. Trying to handle it with equanimity.
-- The bigger problem in the short term is probably under-eating, not what I eat. When I can eat, much of my diet is fruit juice, beef gelatin, liver, cheese, shellfish, carrots, mushrooms, coconut oil. GI problems have made diet much more restrictive than I'd like.
-- Hypothyroid. (Bet you didn't see that one coming.)

Other questions:
-- Which do you think is the more likely explanation for my upper GI problems, h. pylori, or general stress and malnutrition? Or something else?
-- Could h. pylori cause both my upper and lower GI problems? Maybe h. pylori in stomach leads to poor digestion of protein, causing lower GI problems?
-- I have probably been protein deficient for a while and have been able to eat very little in last week or so. Should I try to eat more protein even if doing so causes escalating ulcer symptoms?
-- What would you try to eat if you were in my situation?

Glad to provide more info; just ask.

Any insights, advice, or jokes greatly appreciated. TIA.
 
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Do you still take aspirin? It can cause issues with GI tract reliably, even if injected. COX1 inhibition can cause it. "much of my diet is fruit juice, beef gelatin, liver, cheese, shellfish, carrots, mushrooms, coconut oil." also, your diet sounds too weird. How much protein did you get before? Or did the diet change with the onset of your disease. Also, CO lacks monounsaturated fat, which is part of requirements, de novo lipogenesis is not reliable imo. Also intake of butterfat and and soft eggyolks, and maybe no trashy fruitjuice.
 
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I find aspirin hurts if I have H. Pylori.

I take a couple spoons of honey on an empty stomach upon waking, drink no liquids and eat nothing for an hour. Doing that for 3 or 4 days seems to quell the H. Pylori and lets me easily tolerate aspirin for awhile.

Coconut oil + D3 also does the same thing, maybe even better but isn't as palatable.
 
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Do you still take aspirin? It can cause issues with GI tract reliably, even if injected. COX1 inhibition can cause it. "much of my diet is fruit juice, beef gelatin, liver, cheese, shellfish, carrots, mushrooms, coconut oil." also, your diet sounds too weird. How much protein did you get before? Or did the diet change with the onset of your disease. Also, CO lacks monounsaturated fat, which is part of requirements, de novo lipogenesis is not reliable imo. Also intake of butterfat and and soft eggyolks, and maybe no trashy fruitjuice.

Thanks, @Tristan Loscha. Yes, diet is definitely much more limited than what I ate before adrenergic problems started. I eat egg yolks, just didn't mention them.

I've had problems eating protein on and off since late 2018. I'm rarely able to eat more than 50-60 g/day, and for the last couple of weeks, I've often been under 20-30 g.

I can experiment with butter. Any particular reason you recommended it?

Do you think it's worth trying things that would kill h. pylori?
 
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I find aspirin hurts if I have H. Pylori.

I take a couple spoons of honey on an empty stomach upon waking, drink no liquids and eat nothing for an hour. Doing that for 3 or 4 days seems to quell the H. Pylori and lets me easily tolerate aspirin for awhile.

Coconut oil + D3 also does the same thing, maybe even better but isn't as palatable.

Thanks much for these tips, @ecstatichamster. (And also for your other posts that have helped me in the past.)

I take only around 100 mg of aspirin, and so far, at least, buffering it with baking soda eliminates any discomfort.

I like the honey and vitamin D methods: easy and very safe. I'll do them.

Were there any particular symptoms that made you suspect h. pylori?
 
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Thanks much for these tips, @ecstatichamster. (And also for your other posts that have helped me in the past.)

I take only around 100 mg of aspirin, and so far, at least, buffering it with baking soda eliminates any discomfort.

I like the honey and vitamin D methods: easy and very safe. I'll do them.

Were there any particular symptoms that made you suspect h. pylori?

stomach pain from aspirin -- I have read that it's a good sign you have too much H. Pylori in the stomach.
 
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stomach pain from aspirin -- I have read that it's a good sign you have too much H. Pylori in the stomach.

OK, so sounds like I should take the possibility of an h. pylori infection seriously. Before I started buffering the aspirin with baking soda a couple of days ago, it was definitely causing pain.

I'll report back on my results with the honey and vitamin D methods.
 
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Tagging a few people who have written helpful posts on digestion or related topics: @aguilaroja, @mrchibbs, @Zpol, @Hans, @PakPik.

I'll value any thoughts or suggestions you may have about my case.
 
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Among other things, I'm trying to figure out how much I should try to ease the load on my stomach while it (hopefully) heals.

I'm deficient in protein and probably in calories in general, so I'd like to try to eat as close to my normal diet as possible, or more. (If my GI problems are due primarily to malnutrition and not h. pylori, the need for more gelatin, calories, etc. becomes even more urgent.) But the more I eat, the more burning I get in my chest when not eating.

I am also deficient in B1 and B3 and need to take them in significant doses to function and not get crazy adrenergic reactions to everything. But taking them orally in sufficient doses irritates my stomach a lot, and topical application has not worked very well so far.

So I'm looking for ways to heal my stomach while maintaining or increasing nutrition, or at least not reducing it much for long.
 
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@ecstatichamster: When you had h. pylori, besides eating honey first thing in the a.m., did you try to eat more or less your usual diet? Or did you eat less or change what you ate?
 

gaze

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No matter how many supplements you take, you will never recover unless you eat more protein. Beef, chicken, crab, scallops, goat milk, cows milk, cheese, shrimp, oysters, lamb, eggs, cod, doesn’t matter what it is, don’t even worry about eating gelatin with it. Even bacon is acceptable for you. Try and find anything you can handle and get at the very least 80-100grams
 

mrchibbs

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I concur with @Tristan Loscha and @Kammas. You probably need a lot more protein.

Since you're having trouble with eating more of it, I would recommend trying a different kind of protein in your regular diet. With the fall season coming around, I recommend cooking stews with the best cuts of highly gelatinous ruminant meat. Shoulders, oxtails, etc. Find a butcher, a dutch oven, a good recipe, and you can freeze portions. You'll get a lot of protein, but also a lot of real gelatin at the same time

Your intolerance to aspirin may indicate a gelatin deficiency. And in general, gelatin is therapeutic for GI tract issues, it acts in a potent anti-inflammatory way on the walls of the stomach and intestine.

I've suffered from reflux, and a host of GI symptoms as well. These can all develop into serious pathologies, but thankfully aspirin is absolutely great for prevention of all of the GI-related issues, from the esophagus to the colon. Hence why it's so helpful for cancers of the digestive tract.

Aspirin, dissolved in baking soda, taken with your daily ''stew'' meal will probably do wonders if done on a daily basis. Aspirin can create a gelatin deficiency, so it's important to get A LOT of gelatin. So add gelatin to your already gelatinous stew (take some of the juice/stock, and mix in 1-2tbsp of gelatin powder) when you sit down to eat one portion (don't add the gelatin to the big pot).

Honey is awesome, and it has had well known benefits for acid reflux for millennia possibly, so it's definitely a good idea to take it first thing in the morning in hot water or milk, and before bed as well.
 

Zpol

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- Sounds more like gastritis than a single ulcer to me but you might want to get an upper endoscopy to know for sure. This diagnostic will tell you if you're dealing with H. Pylori as well but you have to specifically ask for them to test for that. This will also tell you how severe and deep the ulcerations are.

- How did you find out about fatty liver; did you get an abdominal ultrasound? If so did they look at your gallbladder, main bile duct, and pancreas? Sounds to me like you could have an issue with bile flow and low pancreatic enzymes. Pancreatic enzymes are needed for protein assimilation. There are some enzyme supplements out there which are supposedly pretty good but I prefer a more natural route so I take bovine pancreas supplements. I use the Ancestral Supplements brand but Healthnatura has one too.

- If it is H. Pylori follow the 3-M's; Manuka honey (on an empty stomach, probably first thing in the morning), Mastic gum, and Monolaurin.

- With gastritis, keeping some solid food in your stomach at all times will help. I use overripe banana, baked peeled apples w/ cinnamon, dates, carrot sticks. Once your stomach is empty again the burning pain seems to come back.

- What brand of B vitamins are you taking? Some of the cleanest (least likely to cause pain) I think are the Idealabs Energin, Healthnatura, or the Forefront Health one. You don't want to take too much B3, 50mg doses a couple times a day is probably safe. But I'd be very cautious with supplementing with it because too much can be hard on the liver.

- Aged cascara sagrada can be great for intestinal inflammation.

- The antihistamine Dramamine was very effective for me for easing gastritis symptoms, just a 1/2 pill would work. Dye-free Benadryl could also help in acute situations. Neither are good long term as they are anti-cholinergics. Cyproheptadine and ketotifen are both in that same class of antihistamines, these could help too but are harder to get. I think Ketotifen is the least anti-cholinergic.

- Speaking of choline. I see you eat liver and meat but you might want to see if you are getting at least 550mg per day of choline. Adequate choline is necessary to usher the fat out of your liver. Masterjohn has a nice database on choline in foods here. Also, the phosphatidylcholine type of choline is needed for bile flow.

- I see a lot of people recommend collagen and gelatin for stomach issues and they are great but they don't have nearly enough glycine in them to make a noticeable improvement in my experience. Perhaps try some additional glycine powder. For more on that search haidut's posts on glycine + either aspirin or gastritis.

- As I'm sure you know, a high calcium to phosphate ratio is imperative. The cheese in your diet might not be enough to balance all the meat. I'm not sure what your ratios are but you might want to consider adding in some egg shell calcium.

- When I was really sick I couldn't digest much protein either so I had to supplement. I used these two; AminoPro and haidut's protein mix for people with bad digestion (recipe here).

- I emailed RP asking about non-H. Pylori gastritis and this is what he sent back to me...
Have your cortisol and vitamin D been measured? If you’re going to be getting tests, it might be good to include parathyroid hormone. Low thyroid, low vitamin D, and stress are often involved in gastritis.

Ter Arkh. 1985;57(2):31-4.
[Blood viscosity indicators in patients with gastric and duodenal diseases].
[Article in Russian]
Murashko VV, Zhuravlev AK, Shylle ChI, Shabashova NI, Skliarova MA.
Abstract
A total of 102 patients with peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum, chronic gastritis, and erosive gastritis were examined. A statistically significant increase in blood viscosity was recorded during the diseases enumerated. In peptic ulcer and chronic gastritis, the fibrinogen and hematocrit levels did not change quantitatively although quantitative changes in the fibrinogen level were likely to influence blood viscosity. Red cell aggregation was found to be increased, being the main factor responsible for blood viscosity deterioration. The authors studied the effect of cimetidine on blood viscosity in patients with peptic ulcer and the effect of peritol in chronic gastritis. These drugs were found to markedly reduce blood viscosity, as a result of which the circulation in the gastric mucosa improved, promoting the cure of patients with peptic ulcer. According to the authors' opinion, cimetidine, that blocks H2 histamine receptors, lessens the effect of histamine on red cell aggregation, thereby improving blood viscosity.

Ulus Travma Acil Cerrahi Derg. 2008 Apr;14(2):96-102.
The effects of low thyroid hormone levels on the formation of stress gastritis:
an experimental study on the rats.
Maralcan G(1), Erkol H, Erkol Z, Yanar F, Plevin R.
(1)Department of General Surgery, Gaziantep University, Faculty of Medicine,
Gaziantep, Turkey.
BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of low
circulating thyroid hormone levels on the development of acute stress gastritis
in rats.
METHODS: Sixty adult Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into six groups: Control
group, surgically thyroidectomized group, stressed group, surgically
thyroidectomized + stressed group, surgically thyroidectomized + T4 + stressed
group, and surgically thyroidectomized + T3 + stressed group. Damage to the
gastric mucosa was studied using millimetric acetate papers on photographs
enlarged 3.5 times and the number and the size of the lesions was recorded.
RESULTS: Acute stress gastritis was significantly increased in stress +
surgically thyroidectomized rats as compared to rats that were only put under
stress (group III) (stress gastritis scores; group IV: 44, group III: 16,
p<0.001). The stress gastritis score in group VI was significantly decreased
compared to rats in group IV (stress gastritis scores; group VI: 10, group IV:
44, p<0.001).
CONCLUSION: Low circulating thyroid hormone levels in rats increased the
development of stress gastritis. This effect could be prevented by thyroid
hormone replacement therapy.

Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2017 Apr 26;8:92.
Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and Autoimmune Gastritis.
Cellini M(1), Santaguida MG(1), Virili C(1), Capriello S(1), Brusca N(1), Gargano
L(1), Centanni M(1).
(1)Endocrinology Unit, Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and
Biotechnologies, Sapienza University, Latina, Italy.
The term "thyrogastric syndrome" defines the association between autoimmune
thyroid disease and chronic autoimmune gastritis (CAG), and it was first
described in the early 1960s. More recently, this association has been included
in polyglandular autoimmune syndrome type IIIb, in which autoimmune thyroiditis
represents the pivotal disorder. Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) is the most
frequent autoimmune disease, and it has been reported to be associated with
gastric disorders in 10-40% of patients while about 40% of patients with
autoimmune gastritis also present HT. Some intriguing similarities have been
described about the pathogenic mechanism of these two disorders, involving a
complex interaction among genetic, embryological, immunologic, and environmental
factors. CAG is characterized by a partial or total disappearance of parietal
cells implying the impairment of both hydrochloric acid and intrinsic factor
production. The clinical outcome of this gastric damage is the occurrence of a
hypochlorhydric-dependent iron-deficient anemia, followed by pernicious anemia
concomitant with the progression to a severe gastric atrophy. Malabsorption of
levothyroxine may occur as well. We have briefly summarized in this minireview
the most recent achievements on this peculiar association of diseases that, in
the last years, have been increasingly diagnosed.

BMC Gastroenterol. 2018 Nov 8;18(1):172.
Relevance of vitamin D deficiency in patients with chronic autoimmune atrophic
gastritis: a prospective study.
Massironi S(1), Cavalcoli F(2)(3), Zilli A(1)(4), Del Gobbo A(5), Ciafardini
C(1), Bernasconi S(1), Felicetta I(6), Conte D(1), Peracchi M(1).
(1)Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale
Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
(2)Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale
Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy. [email protected].
(3)Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Università degli Studi di
Milano, Milan, Italy. [email protected].
(4)Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Università degli Studi di
Milano, Milan, Italy.
(5)Division of Pathology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore
Policlinico, 20122, Milan, Italy.
(6)Laboratory of Clinical Chemistry and Microbiology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda
Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
BACKGROUND: Chronic autoimmune atrophic gastritis (CAAG) is an autoimmune disease
characterized by hypo/achlorhydria. A role of CAAG in the pathogenesis of
nutritional deficiencies has been reported, therefore we hypothesized a possible
association between CAAG and 25-OH-Vitamin D [25(OH)D] deficiency. Aim of the
present study is to evaluate the prevalence of 25(OH)D deficiency in CAAG
patients.
METHODS: 87 CAAG patients (71 females; mean age 63.5 ± 12.8 years) followed at
our Centre from January 2012 to July 2015 were consecutively evaluated. 25(OH)D,
vitamin B12, parathormone, and calcium were measured in all the CAAG patients.
The results were compared with a control group of 1232 healthy subjects.
RESULTS: In the CAAG group the mean 25(OH)D levels were significantly lower than
in the control group (18.8 vs. 27.0 ng/ml, p < 0.0001). 25(OH)D levels < 20 ng/ml
was observed in 57 patients, while levels < 12.5 ng/ml in 27 patients. A
significant correlation between vitamin B12 values at diagnosis and 25(OH)D
levels was observed (rs = 0.25, p = 0.01). Interestingly, the CAAG patients with
moderate/severe gastric atrophy had lower 25(OH)D values as compared to those
with mild atrophy (11.8 vs. 20 ng/ml; p = 0.0047). Moreover, the 25(OH)D levels
were significantly lower in CAAG patients with gastric carcinoid as compared to
those without gastric carcinoid (11.8 vs. 19.8 ng/ml; p = 0,0041).
CONCLUSION: Data from the present study showed a significant reduction of 25(OH)D
levels in CAAG patients and a possible impairment of vitamin D absorption in CAAG
may be postulated. Any implication to the genesis of gastric carcinoids remains
to be elucidated.

Eur J Endocrinol. 2013 Apr 15;168(5):755-61.
Chronic autoimmune atrophic gastritis associated with primary
hyperparathyroidism: a transversal prospective study.
Massironi S(1), Cavalcoli F, Rossi RE, Conte D, Spampatti MP, Ciafardini C, Verga
U, Beck-Peccoz P, Peracchi M.
(1)Gastroenterology Unit II, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore
Policlinico, Milan, Italy. [email protected]
DESIGN: The coexistence of chronic autoimmune atrophic gastritis (CAAG) and
primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) has been described previously, even if its
extent and underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. We therefore
prospectively evaluated this association in two series of patients, one with CAAG
and the other with sporadic PHPT.
METHODS: From January 2005 to March 2012, 107 histologically confirmed CAAG
patients and 149 PHPT patients were consecutively enrolled. Routine laboratory
assays included serum calcium, parathyroid hormone (PTH), plasma gastrin and
chromogranin A (CgA). In CAAG patients with high PTH levels, ionized calcium and
25(OH)-vitamin D were evaluated. All CAAG and hypergastrinemic PHPT patients
received an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Exclusion criteria were familial
PHPT, MEN1 syndrome, treatment with proton pump inhibitor drugs, Helicobacter
pylori infection and renal failure.
RESULTS: Of the 107 CAAG patients, nine (8.4%) had PHPT and 13 (12.1%) had
secondary hyperparathyroidism stemming from vitamin D deficiency. Among the 149
PHPT patients, 11 (7.4%) had CAAG. Gastrin and CgA levels were similar in the
CAAG patients with vs those without hyperparathyroidism (either primary or
secondary), and calcium and PTH levels were similar in the PHPT patients with vs
those without CAAG.
CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms a non-casual association between PHPT and CAAG.
The prevalence of PHPT in CAAG patients is threefold that of the general
population (8.4 vs 1-3%), and the prevalence of CAAG in PHPT patients is fourfold
that of the general population (7.4 vs 2%). The mechanisms underlying this
association remain unknown, but a potential role for autoimmunity is suggested.

Dig Liver Dis. 2018 Sep 1. pii: S1590-8658(18)30916-2.
Deficiency of micronutrients in patients affected by chronic atrophic autoimmune
gastritis: A single-institution observational study.
Zilli A(1), Cavalcoli F(2), Ciafardini C(3), Massironi S(4).
(1)Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Unit, Fondation IRCCS Ca' Granda Major Hospital
Policlinic, Milan, Italy; Postgraduate School of Gastroenterology, Department of
Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
Electronic address: [email protected].
(2)Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Unit, Fondation IRCCS Ca' Granda Major Hospital
Policlinic, Milan, Italy; Postgraduate School of Gastroenterology, Department of
Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
Electronic address: [email protected].
(3)Laboratory of Clinical Chemistry and Microbiology, Fondation IRCCS Ca' Granda
Major Hospital Policlinic, Milan, Italy. Electronic address:
[email protected].
(4)Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Unit, Fondation IRCCS Ca' Granda Major Hospital
Policlinic, Milan, Italy. Electronic address: [email protected].
BACKGROUND: Chronic atrophic autoimmune gastritis (CAAG) leads to vitamin B12
deficiency, but other micronutrient deficiencies are largely understudied.
AIMS: To investigate the prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies in CAAG
patients and their potential relationship with the grading of gastric atrophy or
entero-chromaffin-like cells hyperplasia or body mass index (BMI).
METHODS: From 2005 to 2016 a number of CAAG patients underwent regular follow-up
with annual blood testing and upper gastrointestinal tract endoscopy every years.
RESULTS: Out of the 122 CAAG patients checked (100 F; median age 65 years), 76
presented nutritional deficiencies, single in 24 and multiple in 52 cases: a
deficiency of B12 and iron showed in 42 patients, 25-OH vitamin D lacked in 76
and folic acid in 6 cases. 25-OH vitamin D levels directly correlated with B12
levels and were significantly lower in patients with macronodular than in those
with linear or micronodular hyperplasia. No significant correlation was observed
between B12, folic acid or ferritin levels and BMI, blood gastrin levels, the
grading of gastric atrophy or ECL cells hyperplasia.
CONCLUSIONS: 25-OH vitamin D deficiency was the main one in CAAG patients: its
correlation with B12 deficiency may indicate underlying shared pathogenic
mechanisms, although further studies are needed to confirm this hypothesis.
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japanesedude

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if you get urge to go to bathroom after eating fried food or any kind of meat,consider fat malabsorption(bileacid diarrhea)
 
OP
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No matter how many supplements you take, you will never recover unless you eat more protein. Beef, chicken, crab, scallops, goat milk, cows milk, cheese, shrimp, oysters, lamb, eggs, cod, doesn’t matter what it is, don’t even worry about eating gelatin with it. Even bacon is acceptable for you. Try and find anything you can handle and get at the very least 80-100grams

Thanks, @Kammas. I'll bet that whether or not I have h. pylori, you're right about needing a lot more protein to recover. I'll do my best to increase protein intake.

Right now, I'm in a vicious cycle: digestion gets worse, so I eat less, and digestion gets worse...

Any thoughts about how to break out of that cycle? Do you think nibbling protein all day (probably easier for me) would help, or would it be less stressful on digestion to try to eat regular meals?
 

gaze

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Messages
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Thanks, @Kammas. I'll bet that whether or not I have h. pylori, you're right about needing a lot more protein to recover. I'll do my best to increase protein intake.

Right now, I'm in a vicious cycle: digestion gets worse, so I eat less, and digestion gets worse...

Any thoughts about how to break out of that cycle? Do you think nibbling protein all day (probably easier for me) would help, or would it be less stressful on digestion to try to eat regular meals?

I find the easiest protein to digest is scallops, shrimp, cod, etc. fish also provide a lot of selenium and zinc which your probably low in. Warmed goat milk with some sugar is easy to digest as well, have you tried that? Also the more you focus on digestion, the worse it gets. Ik its difficult, but if you accept the pain, and act as if you want to be in pain, slowly you stop suffering from the pain and you simply live with it, and so you can begin eating meals you like the taste of and accept the feeling it gives. I know this is easier said than done, but mental health is important in trying to recover



I personally found this very helpful, and if your into reading, reading his book “letting go” is very helpful
 
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I concur with @Tristan Loscha and @Kammas. You probably need a lot more protein.

Since you're having trouble with eating more of it, I would recommend trying a different kind of protein in your regular diet. With the fall season coming around, I recommend cooking stews with the best cuts of highly gelatinous ruminant meat. Shoulders, oxtails, etc. Find a butcher, a dutch oven, a good recipe, and you can freeze portions. You'll get a lot of protein, but also a lot of real gelatin at the same time

Your intolerance to aspirin may indicate a gelatin deficiency. And in general, gelatin is therapeutic for GI tract issues, it acts in a potent anti-inflammatory way on the walls of the stomach and intestine.

I've suffered from reflux, and a host of GI symptoms as well. These can all develop into serious pathologies, but thankfully aspirin is absolutely great for prevention of all of the GI-related issues, from the esophagus to the colon. Hence why it's so helpful for cancers of the digestive tract.

Aspirin, dissolved in baking soda, taken with your daily ''stew'' meal will probably do wonders if done on a daily basis. Aspirin can create a gelatin deficiency, so it's important to get A LOT of gelatin. So add gelatin to your already gelatinous stew (take some of the juice/stock, and mix in 1-2tbsp of gelatin powder) when you sit down to eat one portion (don't add the gelatin to the big pot).

Honey is awesome, and it has had well known benefits for acid reflux for millennia possibly, so it's definitely a good idea to take it first thing in the morning in hot water or milk, and before bed as well.

Thanks much, @mrchibbs. I'll do my best to ramp up the gelatin and, more generally, protein. I love gelatinous stews, but don't have the stamina to cook much now; will try stews as soon as I can. I found out a few days ago that I tolerate low dose aspirin (~100 mg) well with baking soda. As ecstatic hamster suggested, I've begun eating honey first thing in the a.m., and now I'll do it at bedtime as well.

I'm sure you experienced the problem of needing desperately to eat, but knowing that the more you did eat, the worse your symptoms would get, maybe even to the point of not being able to eat the rest of the day. I'd be interested in hearing how you got around that problem (maybe nibbling small amounts all day?), and how you'd suggest I get around it.
 

StephanF

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Ulcers, caused by H. pylori, can originate from an infected tooth or root canal treated tooth. This is what I think happened to my wife, she had an ulcer, and she had an infected tooth, which still showed a shadow in her digital x-ray. When I googled on ulcer & root canal the following medical article popped up:

Helicobacter pylori and its reservoirs: A correlation with the gastric infection

This is a review paper on the correlation between ulcers and infected teeth. The infection can serve as a 'reservoir' for H. pylori, the ulcer is treated and then comes back, because the underlying tooth infection is not being treated. I use chlorine dioxide, I rinse my mouth with four activated MMS drops and swallow it. Bacteria from the teeth or infected gums can cause heart disease and arthritis.

I attached the slice from a 3-D scan of my wife's molar, you see a dark spot above the white root canal filling.
 

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