Help my stomach

[Chris in VA]

We have major stress (some ongoing), including a death, a relationship shake up, marital woes and the corona stress. My stomach can't take it. I already use famotidine and I can't have coffee or too much acidy food. 

Probiotics? Prebiotics? Routines? Help. I can't get to the Dr. 

[klmama]

Ginger?

[mmasc]

I’m so sorry for what you’re going through. I don’t have any great tummy advice, but wanted to offer up my well wishes for you. I don’t think you can go wrong with probiotics through. Can try a cup of kefir a day? Or a cup of kombucha? and see if that helps. As far as routine, I think having a cup of tea at night is relaxing and beneficial. I love the cheap ol’ Sleepytime from Celestial Seasonings, but any non-caffeinated tea would be calming in the evening I think. 

[Kassia]

No advice, but I'm sorry about the stress and discomfort.  

 

 

[wintermom]

I'm sorry that you are experiencing stomach pain on top of the stress. Apparently the 2 are often linked. My ds and I have both had problems with stomach pain and stress.

You may want to look at trying a few things:

- identify and specific foods that tend to cause pain and limit eating these

- if the pain is from gas build up, reduce foods like broccoli, cauliflower, legumes/beans, cabbage, or other foods that cause gas

- incorporate relaxation activities such as 30 min daily walks outside, restorative yoga, meditation

[Pen]

probiotics might help.  Especially cabbage based ferment since cabbage is itself helpful.  (Mild kimchee perhaps or live  ferment sauerkraut)  (ETA: raw real fermented cabbage apparently can help reduce H pylori, thus help if there are ulcers if H pylori based) 

B vitamins - especially B2 in my experience and a good B complex like Emerald or Thorne or Country Life can help with stress (and thus also stomach issues) 

NAC  can help with stress (but not too much too soon or it can cause stomach distress)

same for myo-inositol: can help with stress and stomach... but can also cause stomach upset if take too much suddenly without a gradual build up. 

 

Limit sugar

 

If nausea: ginger

for acid pain:

Lemon balm and/or chamomile and/or peppermint tea and/or licorice and/or ginger.  (Or an herbal tea combo dubbed tummy comfort or something like that).  Lemon balm eases stress too, so double good. 

 Almond milk (or almond butter, or almonds if rough texture is okay),

real dairy milk (or half and half for more soothing fat — half and half is my own favorite go to for reflux) 

possibly

yellow mustard (after a few minutes of it feeling **worse** some people feel relief)   Similar for Apple cider vinegar. 

Pickles

Papaya

apples

bananas

celery

 

(And what @wintermom wrote avoiding problem stuff and doing outdoor time if possible, meditation, etc) 

 

 

 

Edited May 6, 2020 by Pen

[J-rap]

I'm sorry you're going through all of that.  I don't know if this is any help at all, and feel free to ignore!  But when my stomach is upset due to stress, non-stomach related things can help.  Like, getting enough sleep.  Or talking to a friend (about anything, not necessarily my concerns).  Even a nice chat with a stranger can do that for me.   I suspect it's a distraction from the part of my brain that's feeling stress, and it really does seem to help me.   For me though, I've realized that what is key is seeing other people.  And unfortunately, that's hard to do now because of the pandemic.  (Going on a long walk alone and meditating doesn't seem to do much for me.)  

Apart from that... sticking with simple, homemade food, and depending on your specific symptoms (diarrhea, heartburn, nausea, etc.), adjust your diet.   A glass of red wine, perhaps?  

[kbutton]

For heartburn (including silent reflux) or irritable bowel types of symptoms...

Probiotics are a good idea. You might have research which strains of bacteria/yeast work for your particular symptoms.

If you do respond to H2 blockers, then you might want a probiotic that tends to decrease histamine (some produce histamine). I read something about saccharomyces boulardii reducing histmine, so I switched to it vs. a probiotic I'd been taking for a long time. Since then gut issues are stable, and I have less itching--I am not positive this is from the probiotic only because I've slowly made several other changes. If I discontinue this probiotic, the gut issues return, which was also the case with the other probiotic I used. Seems like at least an even trade. I take Sacro-b from Thorne.

Also decrease sugar and refined grains. You might look at lists of foods that loosen the esophageal sphincter--they cause heartburn more indirectly. 

[Pen]

Also:

VitaminDWiki:

• Acid Reflux—An Overlooked Sign of Vitamin D Deficiency 
  dyspepsia, bloating, constipation, and reflux symptoms are all quite common among those with vitamin D deficiency 
      because of reduced esophageal motility and sphincter dysfunction

 

Plus some drugs for reflux decrease D and magnesium bioavailability . 

[Pen]

Oh! 

And slippery elm bark!

Can coat the stomach lining and reduce pain.  

That’s also a personal top go to! 

 

[Spryte]

Without knowing your specific issues, it’s hard to say.  I have a lot of GI issues periodically (sorry if TMI, just a fact Of life post C Diff), and my go-to first defense is a good probiotic.  I like Visbiome.  They ship with temp controls.  I’ll also add Florastor.  If things are looking more serious, I’ll add in Candibactin A and B.  
 

Garlic, and oregano can help as well.
 

After all that, it’s a call to the doc and a televisit for me!

 

Good luck!

[catz]

I have IBS and things that work for me are watching sugar/white carbs,  balanced diet, probiotics, flax based fiber (start VERY slow with any fiber product), daily movement/exercise.  Journaling and meditation have been helpful at different points.  

If you are feeling anxious/depressed, follow up with meds/therapy has been helpful to me in the past.  I think there is a lot we don't know about how these systems are tied together.  

[ElizabethB]

I have buffered vitamin C powder, 1/2 to 1 teaspoon, with my food. A bit before eating, a bit during, a bit after.

It is slightly basic and offsets stomach acid. It is helpful for my food allergy reactions.

[PeterPan]

Are you able to eat yogurt? I've been eating Chobani, and of all the products I've tried (various brands of yogurt, kefir, etc.) it's the best. I've never tried Activia, so that might be another. But Chobani is good and at least won't hurt. Might make you feel indulged. I get it in these little cups with fruit on the bottom.

[ElizabethB]

You might also want to try digestive enzymes.  Those helped me but then I became allergic to them.

[BookwormTo2]

This sounds familiar — someone in my extended family has this issue. They take Betaine w/ HCL directly after eating something like chili and also take 600 mg NAC with 500 mg Vitamin C caplet right after breakfast w/ coffee. Digestive enzymes didn’t work for them at all. Now they have to have full-fat half and half instead of Coffeemate powder in coffee or whole milk in a latte (more protein in whole milk). They are now doing great. Forgot to add they also were deficient in Vitamin D and are supplementing w/ Vitamin D3 daily.

Edited May 6, 2020 by BookwormTo2
More info

[Farrar]

All the physical remedies I know have been mentioned, but I wanted to add that you should also treat the stress itself if you're not already. I would say that if you know stress is the root cause of these issues, then putting as much effort into whatever methods you can to alleviate the stress as you are into the symptoms is a good practice. I don't know if that's an issue for you, but I know some people find it easier to treat their physical symptoms than to get the therapy they need or simply give themselves the space and time to relax. So I would suggest that too.

[SereneHome]

When I had continues stomach issues due to stress I had this every night before I went to bed  https://www.amazon.com/Republic-Tea-Good-Vanilla-Caffeine/dp/B001B2SY9U/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=republic+of+tea+roobois+tea+vanilla&qid=1588784746&sr=8-2

I don't know if this tea actually helped or the "idea" of this tea helped, but it did help. I don't know why it's so expensive on Amazon, it's half that price in Whole Foods

Good luck!!!!

 

[Tap]

If stress is causing the tummy trouble, you need to treat the stress, not the tummy.  

B vitamins, relaxation techniques and things that de-stress you. You may find that reading books on destressing, help. Or listen to pod-casts. It can help if you can get advice from someone like a therapist, who can guide you to literature which fits your faith or personal beliefs. There are nerves in your stomach that respond to stress. It is likely nerves impulses that you are feeling, not acid etc.

((((HUGS))))) I have had a terrible past few months. I am quite certain, the pandemic has taken at least a year of my life. Not due to illness, but stress that I can't escape. Stress goes to my stomach too (and my upper back but that is another topic LOL). For me, I find that I have wayyyyy less will power and I tend to do things that are bad for me when I am under stress. I need to sometimes treat those, along with the stress. HAHA. For instance,  I love OJ before bed. I know it will give me acid reflux in the middle of the night. I don't fight it. I sleep better if I drink juice before bed, so I just drink it anyways,  take a tums and a famotidine.  I would rather sleep better, and take a med. Because the sleep helps my stress, more than the OJ hurts me. 

Depending on your personal history, you may need to go on an anti-depressant for the short term until you can get you body to stop overreacting. I am not a fan of using anti-depressants to treat short term life events, but sometimes those events are so big, or so many little ones pile up, that people need some help regulating their brain chemistry. Once that is regulated, a person can work on some resolutions to those life events (ie finalize a divorce), have enough time that they can get more resilient (ie adapt to a job change), can accept the change in their life (ie adapt to the loss of a loved one), the offending problem goes away/gets managed (ie problem person goes away, or becomes less invasive), or what ever needs to be minimized in someones life, happens. Not that all stress problems are solved, but they are manageable on a normal day. 

[Junie]

I'm sorry that you're having such difficulties.  Hugs and prayers.

Whenever I have digestive issues (gluten related, mostly) what helps the most is to go on a liquid diet for 3-7 days.  Not fun, but I feel a lot better.

[katilac]

7 hours ago, Tap said:

If stress is causing the tummy trouble, you need to treat the stress, not the tummy.  

Nothing wrong with treating both! Treating the stress is more long-term, and there's no reason to feel anymore sick and uncomfortable than she has to in the meanwhile. Not to mention, feeling sick and uncomfortable doesn't help the stress! It's a vicious cycle. 

Probiotics help me, and I've been lucky - I grab whatever's on sale and it works for me. 

Routines can help, particularly if you're having any bathroom issues (of whatever nature). Most people are most likely to go after they've been up and active and preferably walking, so getting into a routine can help you manage it either way. If you're not going, it will help you go. If you have bowel urgency, getting into this routine first thing in the morning will mean you're less likely to have urgency at an inconvenient time or place. If you're having cramps or such after eating, see what works best. You may need to walk after eating, or you may do better sitting for a while.

Keep a diary - not just food, but when you ate, what you did after, how you felt. You may find some patterns. 

Lower carb quickly and noticeably helps my heartburn/reflux. I've been slack in quarantine, and now I'm pretty annoyed with myself. 

Phone doctors can write prescriptions. If your regular doctor isn't doing telephone visits, just look one up. Most insurance web sites have added a section on this, if they didn't have one already. 

[Tap]

2 minutes ago, katilac said:

Nothing wrong with treating both! Treating the stress is more long-term, and there's no reason to feel anymore sick and uncomfortable than she has to in the meanwhile. Not to mention, feeling sick and uncomfortable doesn't help the stress! It's a vicious cycle. 

Probiotics help me, and I've been lucky - I grab whatever's on sale and it works for me. 

Routines can help, particularly if you're having any bathroom issues (of whatever nature). Most people are most likely to go after they've been up and active and preferably walking, so getting into a routine can help you manage it either way. If you're not going, it will help you go. If you have bowel urgency, getting into this routine first thing in the morning will mean you're less likely to have urgency at an inconvenient time or place. If you're having cramps or such after eating, see what works best. You may need to walk after eating, or you may do better sitting for a while.

Keep a diary - not just food, but when you ate, what you did after, how you felt. You may find some patterns. 

Lower carb quickly and noticeably helps my heartburn/reflux. I've been slack in quarantine, and now I'm pretty annoyed with myself. 

Phone doctors can write prescriptions. If your regular doctor isn't doing telephone visits, just look one up. Most insurance web sites have added a section on this, if they didn't have one already. 

You are right. But the if the cause is stress and not diet, changing the diet won't help. If there are things that are known to cause discomfort like gas, then being stressed can make a person more sensitive to their perception of it, so avoiding those food will help. Or if a person has more acid due to stress, then treating that can help. But, if the root cause is stress, and a person doesn't generally have stomach issues......then you have to treat the stress, not the stomach. 

[katilac]

2 minutes ago, Tap said:

But the if the cause is stress and not diet, changing the diet won't help.  

I haven't personally found this to be true, but in any case some symptoms can be treated with medication whatever the cause. For me, treating symptoms definitely improves quality of life. Treat the stress, yes, absolutely, but also do whatever (safe) things that bring you temporary relief. 

[Tap]

24 minutes ago, katilac said:

I haven't personally found this to be true, but in any case some symptoms can be treated with medication whatever the cause. For me, treating symptoms definitely improves quality of life. Treat the stress, yes, absolutely, but also do whatever (safe) things that bring you temporary relief. 

Sorry, I just think I am coming at this from a different direction that you are. Maybe I am reading the OPS post different?  I have a daughter with functional abdominal disorder. I get stomach aches from stress. Those two things are what I thought of when I saw this post. For dd and I, there is no illness in the stomach. No Food insensitivity, gas, acid, or flora imbalances etc. There isn't anything in the GI tract to treat. It is a waste of money. It is just stress that manifests itself as stomach pain. So the way to treat it, is treating the stress. The op already said she is limiting acid and she knows it is stress causing it. I was just responding to say, yes....you need to treat the stress. Adding unnecessary medicine to the Gi tract isn't going to fix, what isn't broken. Medications almost always have side effects (including probiotics and other things that seem to do only good things) so why add the chance of side effects, if you don't need them. Even something as simple as Tums....can cause constipation in some people.  (This is also why I say I don't think using antidepressants are good for most short term issues...side effects.) 

If the OP is stress eating, then medicine for indigestion may make her more comfortable.

If the OP is being inactive and thus constipated, then sure treat that.

If the OP is off her regular exercise schedule and that affects eating patterns, sure treat that.

Eating junky simple processed carbs instead of her normal diet of whole grains, or fiber rich foods...treat it. 

But just a simple stress related stomach ache....Spend the time and money to treat the stress. 

ETA: I guess I am taking her post quite literal. I assume if someone is stress eating and has a stomach ache, they know it is the stress eating causing the stomach ache...not the stress itself. They would ask how to treat a stomach ache from stress eating....not just stress. Because I live with someone who has very, very severe stomach issues related to stress (not food related issues), I see stomach issues that are solely stress related, as a very real, debilitating illness. 

Edited May 7, 2020 by Tap

[katilac]

11 minutes ago, Tap said:

Maybe I am reading the OPS post different?  

The OP wasn't at all specific, so yes, I think we're mostly tossing out suggestions that come from experience. The OP will know if it's likely to be straight pain caused by stress, or something with symptoms that can be treated. 

I think people process things differently, too (mind and body). I can be 100% on my normal exercise routine, and stress may mean I need to change it or increase it to get the same results. Stress can cause physical changes that increase the pain of heartburn or reflux. That type of thing - it's not always a change in routine or a lapse into bad habits at all. You can do the exact same things and get different results under high stress, which is akin to simple pain from stress but not the same. For some people, changes in diet or exercise when under stress can indeed help, even though you are maintaining a healthy routine. Bodies are weird. 

 

[BarbecueMom]

I have nightly nausea issues due to IBS, GERD, allergies, probably stress too.  Menthol cough drops + an electric heating pad + binge watching The Office.  Rinse, repeat. 

[Chris in VA]

Thank you for all the suggestions. I have a lot of reflux and nightly take 20 mg of famotidine.  If I don't, a few hours in I wake up acidy and coughing (sometimes coughing). Lately everything gives me bloaty, acidy tummy. Even bending over can trigger it. I end up taking two half pills during the day most days.

For the last 7 weeks or so I am anxious about something that happened while I was gone and the emotional/physical/mental reactions are ...HARD. That has led to a hurting tum too.  

Going to the Dr is difficult here but itmay come to that. I couldn'tgo anywhere my first two weeks (total quarantine) but I can now--just don't want to. 

[katilac]

8 hours ago, Chris in VA said:

 Going to the Dr is difficult here but itmay come to that. I couldn'tgo anywhere my first two weeks (total quarantine) but I can now--just don't want to. 

Why not do a televisit and follow up in person later if needed?