Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Reoccurring Indigestion. 7 months

Hello,

I am a 27 year old female. I recently moved back to USA from living in Thailand for 3 year. This year I have been having a lot of heath related issues. My first 2 years in Thailand I could eat anything, a lot of spice and street food and I never had any health problems. Then last December  I got food poisoning, I stayed in the hospital for 2 days until I recovered.(Vomit +Diarhea) (I'm still not sure what my exact diagnosis was) I was fine and then a month later another food poisoning incident.(vomiting diarrhea) I recovered at home. After that I seemed to have been okay for a while.

Then I started to notice severe bloating and chest pain at night I was also becoming more weak and lethargic over the passing months. Sometimes upper stomach burn. This started to occur everyday. I visited a doctor who put me on Nexium for 2 months. she said maybe I have GERD, I took it for 2 months and did not get better. So I arrived in the USA and my friend suggested I take Prilosec for 14 days. I did this ... but still my upper stomach burn and indigestion did not go away (I have no diarrhea, I often feel constipated but usually pass stool daily). I do feel some improvement,  my appetite is much better, But still have daily Indigestion ( I know Im not Lactose)  

For example: Today I was at a house party and I ate lunch and cake. After the cake my heart began to beat really hard and pressure while I was sitting. This frighted me, so I practice slow and deep breathing technique and it went away after 5 minutes. This is not the first time Ive had this but I try to ignore it and it goes away.

I'm very easy going and never have had any prior health issues, Now I'm a little underweight,. Some nights my stomach pain even wakes me up usually from 3am-6am with more intense heartbeat.

Any suggestions or Advice?  
2 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
Ok,  I will try to see the doctor and get tested for these things, I guess I need to be sure that way I know what I can eat.

Thank you for taking the time to help, really appreciate it.

Bee
Helpful - 0
351246 tn?1379682132
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hi!
I am sorry to hear about your recurrent and persisting medical problems. It is difficult to diagnose this on net, but I’ll try and explain in detail what you can do to reach a diagnosis.

First of all, since you were in Thailand, and since it all started with vomiting and diarrhea, it is important to get a stool test to rule out parasitic infestations, especially amoebiasis, giardiasis, tape worm, round worm, etc. All these can cause malabsorption, anemia, weight loss etc. The anemia and weakness can cause the heart to beat faster. So, along with stool test you need to test for anemia, low vitamin B12, and electrolyte imbalance.

Other than this, you do appear to suffer from acidity and gastric reflux. You also need to find out if you have H pylori infection. Many a times a persisting H pylori infection can be the cause behind acidity not responding to treatment. You will need to take a combination of medications (under medical supervision) like a proton pump inhibitor such as omeprazole, lansoprazole or pantoprazole empty stomach in the morning and an antacid gel after meals or H-2 blocker such as ranitidine for complete relief.

Also you need to make some life style changes such as taking a late night snack, drinking cold milk, avoiding heavy meals and eating frequent small meals, avoiding too much of caffeine, tea, smoking, fried food and drinks both alcoholic and non alcoholic fuzzy ones, avoiding heavy exercises within 4 hours of a heavy meal, raising the head end of the bed by pillows to 30 degrees, and avoiding lying down for least 2 hours after food.

A comprehensive investigation is required keeping all the points in mind. Please consult your doctor regarding this. You may also need to consult a GI doctor.

Hope you get well soon! Good Luck and take care!
Helpful - 0

You are reading content posted in the Digestive Disorders / Gastroenterology Forum

Popular Resources
Learn which OTC medications can help relieve your digestive troubles.
Is a gluten-free diet right for you?
Discover common causes of and remedies for heartburn.
This common yet mysterious bowel condition plagues millions of Americans
Don't get burned again. Banish nighttime heartburn with these quick tips
Get answers to your top questions about this pervasive digestive problem