How Am I Going to Cope????

arnie&caseysma!

Not exactly money saving but on Friday, after three weeks of suffering horrendous heartburn I finally decided to go to the Doctor as no over the counter remedy and cutting various things out of the diet helped.

Doc decided that as I am adamant I aint preggers that she would take blood and give me some super-duper tablets to help me and see if we can't find out what the problem is.....

I am now sitting here suffering massive headaches :mad: due to my second day with NO caffeine at all, and I can't take the painkillers that are in the cupboard as I only have Ibuprofen which apparently makes the heartburn worse. I bought decaf only to find out it is just as bad for the heartburn.

I have cut out chocolate; caffeine; alcohol; fatty foods; spicy foods and minty stuff. I am only slightly overweight (borderline healthy) so not blaming the heartburn on the excessive weight. I am now cold turkey on everything and hoping that I will be sorted out soon....:eek:

Anyone else out there any ideas???? - How am I going to cope without all the things I love!

ka7e

Hopefully your caffeine-withdrawal headache will start to subside after 2-3 days. Your blood test will presumably be looking for the bacteria that cause gastric ulcers. My OH found he was able to resume eating most of his favourite foods (in moderation) after treatment!
But you may be looking at a fairly drastic lifestyle change, and to put a positive spin on it, your "cold turkey" diet is probably going to be a lot better for you than your old one!

arnie&caseysma!

Thanks ka7e. I always say that my diet is worse in the winter than it is in the summer - I am a wintersport person and that is usually very sociable and accompanied by at least two drinks after each session although I am very conscious of this. I also prefer stodgy foods in the winter and rarely eat fruit etc. My problem now is that I seem to have replaced chocolate with crisps which are just as bad for you if not worse!:eek:

The whole thing really is starting to burst me. I know that Dad has had ulcer in the past and Doc did ask if we had a family history of them. I don't fancy the old tube down the throat but if needs must.....

Justie

if you don't eat something for a realatively short period of time (something like 3 weeks) then you lose the taste for it to a certain exent anyway so you'll soon get used to a different way of eating. Horrid if in the meantime you're suffering though.

Do milky things help the heartburn at all? You can make milky sauces with skimmed milk or creme frais so it's not fatty and eat low fat yogurts. It may not help you anyway but some people find it soothes some of the worst of it.

gooismeid

Re: heartburn - have you considered that it might be gallstones rather than an ulcer? Coming from a family of people who have suffered all kinds of stomach problems, I can tell you that fatty and spicy foods will aggravate gallstones which feel like heartburn right under your breastbone. And with the caffeine, persevere because the caffeine-withdrawal headaches WILL tail off soon! If you're wanting hot drinks then try some of the herbal teas - the ones with most flavour are things like redbush, and Morrisons does a lovely lime and ginger one. On the plus side, if it IS an ulcer you're in luck because all you'll need is a course of antibiotics and you should be right as rain.

arnie&caseysma!

Justie wrote: »

if you don't eat something for a realatively short period of time (something like 3 weeks) then you lose the taste for it to a certain exent anyway so you'll soon get used to a different way of eating. Horrid if in the meantime you're suffering though.

Do milky things help the heartburn at all? You can make milky sauces with skimmed milk or creme frais so it's not fatty and eat low fat yogurts. It may not help you anyway but some people find it soothes some of the worst of it.

Thanks Justie. A couple of years ago when dieting most of my foods were done with creme fraiche etc and I suffered it because I was determined to succeed. Things like that just taste too bland for me. I'm convinced I was made to live in a hot country as I like my food like the weather - hot! (I wasn't made to live in the brrrrrr in the UK!).

I am going to have to make a helluva lot of changes and I sure as hell aint gonna like most of them but I suppose that I will adapt in the long run....

arnie&caseysma!

Gooismeid - yes someone else did mention that to me the other day but it hasn't been explored yet. Will wait and see what the results of the blood test brings first. Got myself some herbal teas there and trying to get back into them - I used to drink them like they were going out of fashion and then got bored!!!

As you can all see nothing is going to please me about this but at the end of the day health comes first and I know things have to change - and I suppose I will look on the bright side and say it could be worse.......

Justie

arnie&caseysma! wrote: »

Thanks Justie. A couple of years ago when dieting most of my foods were done with creme fraiche etc and I suffered it because I was determined to succeed. Things like that just taste too bland for me. I'm convinced I was made to live in a hot country as I like my food like the weather - hot! (I wasn't made to live in the brrrrrr in the UK!).

I am going to have to make a helluva lot of changes and I sure as hell aint gonna like most of them but I suppose that I will adapt in the long run....

I sympathise! You can use herbs but I know it's not the same...

sleepymy

Make sure you stay off acidic foods and drinks too and some peppermint tea might help a bit.

Gingham_Ribbon

DH has ulcerations in his stomach lining and has had to radically change his diet and has been on some strong stomach pills for several months. (Without them he turns a pretty nasty grey colour and feels very faint.)

He doesn't drink, avoids coffee, spicy foods and too much fatty food. Giving up the hot chillis we used to regularly have was a bind, and the no alcohol thing was a pain at first but it's helping him feel better so it's all worth it.

Go with what your doc says and remember that there isn't much that is worth risking your health for.

Violetta_2

Just a thought but if youve cut out coffee could the headaches be caused by being a bit dehydrated aswell as caffeine withdrawal (if your drinking less fluids IYSWIM). Second trying the peppermint tea for the heartburn helped me when I was pregnant.
Edit to add- Sorry missed the bit about you not being allowed minty things when I put about peppermint tea, DOH