KiasuParents - Parenting in Singapore

Been having persistent gastric pain that shoots to the back for a month and a half. Been to a specialist and did endoscopy and colonoscopy. Diagnosed with acute gastritis - that was about a month back. Now the pain still there - on and off. Is it normal for gastritis to last so long? I've searched google - and found other people in other countries having similar symptoms. But what about here in S'pore? I asked my friends - those with gastric prob say theirs recover in a couple of days.

Verysuperkiasu ,
I have had some problem too about 5-6. Not pain but more of muscle spasms in my esophagus ( globus)
I have to be very careful with my diet. It took about 3-4 months, for it to get back to almost normal - I guess for my stomach to heal.
What it means now to me -
It means spicy is taboo. Fried food too. A little indulgence once in a way is ok now but not together. It means if i went for an office lunch, i compensate with light dinner ( bread and oats porridge ). When i went on my vacation recently i had to pack some instant porridge , just in case. I dont like it when i have to be fussy about what I eat - but well its no big deal, just irritating

Water in singapore is too chlorinated and this can be a problem for some of us. I read up this guy and have switched to mineral water for the last 6 months.
http://reflux-relief.com/

I found a difference withing 4-5 days of switching over but dunno if it is solely due to the water change but will be sticking to it for some time more.
Atleast better than popping nexium.

Do share anything you found works for you....

Long term mineral water can have gall stones for some people. 2 of my ex-colleagues got it and has to be operated as the company has ample supply of mineral water. Maybe an alternative replacement is distilled water.

I am also prone to gastritis but if I eat a little in many meals, it is better than big and few meals. Stress definitely can worsen the pain.

An ayurvedic doctor I saw recommended this:

pound some curry leaves and make into a paste; then drink it before breakfast every morning.

I tried it for about a month and it seems to work for me. Of course, I also have to ensure I eat my meals on time and eat small and non spicy meals. Stress is also one of the factors so you may want to take care of that as well.

It's a holistic approach, I guess.

Thank you all for sharing. It's just so frustrating having to stick to bland diet. I miss my tea, miss my coffee and chilli Yesterday, during my wedding anniversary, I just took a little sip of tea and dip bread into curry sauce - then, wham - it all came back! And it was really painful!

@sun_2010 : 3 to 4 months to heal??? that long? I really hope mine wont be that long. does it mean I can't take my favourite foods anymore? I am also on nexium but effect too slow to heal.

@ Han Seo
what does ayurvedic mean? Isnt' curry leaves spicy too?

and I never thought our chlorinated water might be a factor too? What if I boil it? does boiling remove the chlorine or decrease its level ?

Ayurvedic in the Indian community is the equivalent of our traditional chinese medicine. I'm not sure what components are in curry leaves that are effective but no harm trying.

Verysuperkiasu wrote:Thank you all for sharing. It's just so frustrating having to stick to bland diet. I miss my tea, miss my coffee and chilli Yesterday, during my wedding anniversary, I just took a little sip of tea and dip bread into curry sauce - then, wham - it all came back! And it was really painful!

@sun_2010 : 3 to 4 months to heal??? that long? I really hope mine wont be that long. does it mean I can't take my favourite foods anymore? I am also on nexium but effect too slow to heal.

Hopefully not . I think my case for different - i did not feel heart burn till after the endoscopy. So in ways I did not realise something was wrong expect for occasional bloating etc. For me the stress levels was very high last year which i believe is the cause but the impact i felt was just 6 months back. So probably the damage was high and hence the long recovery.

Once you are better , you can take taking your fav food, but just check out what works for you. Find out triggers and avoid them. In moderation, and taking it easy during other meals works. Just start slow and if you feel fine gradually move on. Its not like you have to eat bland food forever but yes junking out carefree is probably out. Its about management.

You will recover soon

Han Seo wrote:Ayurvedic in the Indian community is the equivalent of our traditional chinese medicine. I'm not sure what components are in curry leaves that are effective but no harm trying.

Green leaves like spinach, mint etc are good for gastrics.
I did not know about curry leaves in specific but is likely to be good.
All spices are not bad.

The ones that aggravate for me
dry red Chillies
cinnamon
cardoman
clove
The above are main ingrediants in curry powder so currys are a big no-no not just due to the oil.

For foods that help heal
Ginger is supposed to be good - just google and check.
Pepper is ok - it helps heal wounds but is a little heaty. take honey to compensate
Cummin seeds in water soothes.

Pomogranate - very good
green coconut juice - preferably one in which there is hardly any coconut formed.

Sun_2010 wrote: Hopefully not . I think my case for different - i did not feel heart burn till after the endoscopy. So in ways I did not realise something was wrong expect for occasional bloating etc. For me the stress levels was very high last year which i believe is the cause but the impact i felt was just 6 months back. So probably the damage was high and hence the long recovery.

Once you are better , you can take taking your fav food, but just check out what works for you. Find out triggers and avoid them. In moderation, and taking it easy during other meals works. Just start slow and if you feel fine gradually move on. Its not like you have to eat bland food forever but yes junking out carefree is probably out. Its about management.

You will recover soon

Thank you, sun2010 for your encouragement. My trigger was coffee I think. I used to be a non-coffee drinker but have been drinking tea all along. Then my mum gave me a big bag of 3 in 1 coffee and I started drinking each packet a day on top of my usual tea. After about 2 weeks, I started feeling the pain, that's when the prob starts and never seems to resolve. Plus also other factors like stress because my son was having his PSLE this year - and my dd P4 SA2.

Since herbs are beneficial for gastritis, how about herbal tea? Like chrysanthemum or other herbal teas?