Stomach Hell
 

I havent posted in a while. Its been 6 months since my concussion and Ive been going through the ringer.

Shortly after the concussion I started tasting an acidy taste in my mouth. Never having had acid reflux before I didnt realize what it was. This progresses to bad stomach problems - gas and bloating. Belching. ive had these symptoms for 4 months now.

Had an endoscopy, CT scan, and nothing apparant. im on Prilosec right now and on a bland diet hoping I can make things better because its been hell 24/7. And yeah - Im sure anxiety plays a part in all this and Im doing what I can for that but - its hard not to have anxiety when theres no progress with these symptoms.

Just thought Id post about it in case others have had similar problems and maybe have some tips. Thank you.

Have you had any spinal injury care? I messed up C-5 to T-2 with just inflammation. It causes stomach and intestinal issues. I also have false ribs in my neck that cause inflammation that mess with my digestion.

One time, I messed up my lower neck, upper thoracic so bad that I lost 14 pounds in 2 weeks. A chiropractor finally found I had dislocated the vertebral end of a rib. He fixed it and my stomach and throat settled down within a day.

A physical therapist who understands whiplash and TOS, thoracic outlet syndrome may be able to help. The care should be gentle.

The first part of reducing anxiety is accepting things as they are. Getting caught in the circle of anxiety that causes problems that cause anxiety is a never ending battle. Finding a way to reduce

Hey Stevegee,

I have a history of acid reflux and these are proven strategies that will help you.

1. Eating.

Try and have your biggest meal at the beginning of the day and your smallest meal at the end of the day. Try and eat your last meal at least 3 hours, ideally 4 hours before you go to bed. My problem was that I ate too much in the evenings.

Eat slowly. Chew your food thoroughly. Ideally you want to make your food a liquid before you swallow.

Typical foods and drinks to avoid are fatty foods, spicy foods, tomatoes, onions, garlic, coffee, tea, chocolate, and alcohol. You can work out for yourself which foods and drinks you need to eliminate. Don't drink carbonated drinks.

2. Gravity

Sit up when you eat and after your eat. An easy stroll after eating is advised. But, of course, avoid vigorous exercise. Don't slump in front of the TV while eating or after eating as that allows acid to creep in to the esophagus.

3. Sleeping

I bought a triangular shaped foam wedge pillow to raise my head above my stomach, again to make gravity your friend. You can arrange ordinary pillows to achieve the same thing. I've read people put bricks under their bed as an alternative strategy but that's quite tricky in reality.

4. Bicarbonate of soda.

A teaspoon of this in a small glass of water. Rinse you mouth and gargle with this to protect your throat and teeth whenever you need to. But don't swallow it. Have full fat milk in your fridge at all times. For an emergency, if and when you feel overwhelmed by acid reflux, nothing beats this.

Best wishes,

Atty

There is no reason to not swallow a small rinse of sodium bicarb. There is a lot that gargling will not reach.

An Ompaerazole capsule a day keeps my acid reflux at bay.

steeler, This is a TBI/PCS forum. Omeprazole is not well tolerated by many who have compromised brains.

I was prescribed it and stopped after just a few weeks. Did not like what it does to my head.

Would you mind sharing what your symptoms were when taking Omerprazole? I used to take it in times past with no issues. However, I have been having neck/back issues and when i tried to use it last year, I felt horrible - seemed to increase the tightening of upper back muscles, made me have dizzy/lightheaded spells, and almost felt like what I would assume it would feel like to have an anxiety attack. Took me a while to figure out it could be the Prilosec b/c, as I said before, I had used it on and off again for years with no issues. The doctor gave me an RX for a newer version of PPI, but never took it b/c I was a wimp. :) So, OTC 20 mg Pepcid twice a day is what I have been doing, along with modification in diet.

Further background info: diagnosed with Chiari I Malformation and Ehlers Danlos 15 years ago, with cranio-cervical instability being the main cause of symptoms. Though, I believe I have something with thoracic spine due to symtoms in shoulder/neck/chest/upper back.

Thanks!

I don't remember what I did not like about the Prilosec. That was well over a year ago. I tried Prevacid. It did not help my issue. It appears my issue is spine related.

A friend developed an ALS like condition that eventually took her life after years of Prilosec.

I took the acid blockers to prove to a swallowing specialist that my swallowing problem was not due to acid reflux. I have partial paralysis of the nerves/muscles in the rear of my tongue due to neck issues.

I get gastric problems due to TOS.

Thanks for your response, and I am so sorry to hear about your friend.

Interesting you mention your stomach issues are caused by spinal issues, I have wondered the same. Seems I have flare-ups w/stomach issues, then horrible upper back/chest/neck/head symptoms. I am sure if anything gets inflamed it is pushing on nerves.

New to this website/forum - found while looking for symptoms similar to mine.

Can TOS cause pains in the chest area, sometimes neck/collarbone/shoulder, too?

Thanks.

When my TOS flared, it did not cause any spine pain. It cause GERD, bloating, paralyzed gut, and such.