Deviated septum causing GI Issues?

[Melissa6204]

History:I have had GERD since about 2009, I was treating it with Prilosec, over the years I have had my dosage increased, increased again, then told to start taking it twice a day, now they have switched me to Nexium.  In 2013 I had trouble swallowing food-bread was the worst.  I had an endoscopy and they found chronic gastritis, abnormal mucosa and esophaegeal stricture, which they dilated, 6 months later I had to have it dilated again. I had another endoscopy in July 2017 and the gastritis was gone and I no longer had a stricture.

Current problem:  I still have heartburn and indigestion, but since October 2016, I have been having a pain in my stomach right in the  top center, it's a very intense pressure feeling as though I just did 200 situps, but it is pretty constant.  I am also bloated from about an hour after I wake up until I go to bed.   This is very embarassing, but I cannot stop burping either, I cannot even go 20 minutes without burping.

I went to the doctor in October, he thought it was gallstones, I had an ultrasound of the galbladder, liver & pancreas, everything was normal.  Blood tests were normal other than one time I had a high blood count, but it went back to normal when it was rechecked.  I have had low vitamin B12 and D for the last 2 years.  I have also recently had low folate and iron.  I went back to the doctor in February, they changed my medication and said it was a gastritis flare up, well I have had gastritis for a while and never had these additional symptoms, just the same ones I had for GERD.  The new medicine is not helping any and I am miserable.  I hate to wake up in the morning because I am constantly in pain and uncomfortable and I hate going to work because of the burping and how I feel.  I am out of breath all of the time. The other day I also had a very intense chest pain that was a constricting feeling.  I get heart burn all the time, but never that intense and this felt different.

I tried a 2 week eliminate all fats diet, I tried 2 weeks with no dairy, 2 weeks with no sugar.  I take vitamins and probiotics.  I have tried gas-x and lactaid, no help from either.

I have read something recently saying that a deviated septum could cause GI problems, it didn't go into a whole lot of detail and I am not sure how common this is, but I am trying to explore any other options to resolve this.  I have been told that I have a deviated septum a while back, my nose is constantly stuffy and has been for about 3-4 years and I frequently get post nasal drip.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, thank you!

[Red_Star]

Excerpt from Gallbladder Attack - Stomach Acid...

"Too much stomach acid? Really? I mean, how is it that millions of people on PPIs are making too much HCl? Hyperchlorhydria or too much stomach acid is rather rare. If you're overeating, eating junk food or other food that is hard to digest, eating when stressed, living under stress, chances are much greater that you don't make enough hydrochloric acid or digestive enzymes and your symptoms stem from that. Take a look at some of the symptoms caused by low stomach acid.

Signs of Deficient Stomach Acid

Gas, bloating and burping shortly after a meal could be lack of HCl
Constipation
Diarrhea
Feeling of fullness or food not digesting
Heartburn and/or gastric reflux (sometimes too much HCl but most often not enough)
Bad breath
Foul smelling stools
Loose stools in the early morning
Food allergies
Dilated blood vessles on the cheeks and nose - Rosacea
Pernicious anemia or iron deficiency
Anal Itching
Nausea especially after taking vitamins and minerals
Weak or cracked nails
Parasites - or at least increased susceptibility to parasitic infections
Chronic yeast infections
Acne in adults - especially if you have other symptoms from the list
Asthma

Since low levels of stomach acid results in poor absorption of nutrients, many symptoms that accompany a deficiency of that vitamin or mineral makes this list much longer. The nutrients most affected are calcium, iron, folic acid, vitamin K and many B vitamins. See pernicious anemia."

[Melissa6204]

I have 11 of those symptoms, I will definitely look into this, thank you!

[Red_Star]

I'm glad to help out! Let me know if you want me to send you any info. I have plenty. :)

[Red_Star]

My mother was where you were many years ago and she was VERY ill taking nexium for 6 years. The answer to her suffering was to up the dosage of nexium. smh.  

My mother no longer suffers severe GERD/LPR or severe gastritis. I searched online and to my shock found low stomach acid is most commonly the reason for acid reflux conditions.  

I found a simple baking soda test for low stomach acid and her results showed severely low stomach acid. The result was enough for me to take her off nexium immediately and have her start taking betaine HCL with pepsin supplements (increases stomach acid) and digestive enzyme supplements (helps with digestion).  

Her LONG list of health/mental health problems went away when she increased her stomach acid.  Her severely painful gastritis (stomach inflammation) went away slowly over a year (proteases - enzymes that digest protein - heal wounded tissue).

She is now in great health mentally and physically at 71 and takes no drugs except her thyroid medication (has Hashimoto's thyroiditis). You are what you eat but also what you absorb and with low stomach acid..you aren't absorbing much of anything. Btw, one of the most common symptoms of LPR (Laryngopharyngeal Reflux) is post nasal drip.

[Melissa6204]

Thank you!!!