Gastritis

[luckystrike]

My wife has had severe stomach pains since Monday, and on Tuesday the doctor suggested that it may be gastritis. He gave her Zantac to take once a day, but after the third dose this morning, she is still in just as much pain.

Is this normal, or should we be worried?

How long does a dose of gastritis normally take to shift?

Any experiences with this would be most appreciated.

[redcrx]

I can offer no advice on gastritis but if there has been no difference then i suggest your wife goes back to the GP for further advice.

[scotchollie]

Oooh Lordy! I'm not sure that Zantac would be my first choice for gastritis! It's an antacid.

I'd definitely go back to the GP - could be a number of things and you want to rule them out.

[Town Crier]

Oh for crying out loud, scotchollie - Zantac is one of the primary drugs used to help with Gastritis.

I do not know how long the drug should take to work but saying crap isn't going to help.

[crete]

gastritis........ inflamation of the lining. ie mucosa of the stomach,

[scotchollie]

Town Crier - treatment should be dependent on the causes of the gastritis.

Zantac is certainly one option - but if the gastritis is caused by H Pylori, inflammation or an ulcer, I question the use of Zantac, when other treatments might have been considered.

All too often Zantac is the first port of call.

Now, re-read the question. We don't even know if it is gastritis... It could be an allergic reaction to something that was eaten or drunk - nothing more.

Prescribing Zantac can actually make the situation worse in some instances - particularly if it is H Pyloi, when anti-biotics might be a more appropriate treatment.

And suggesting that ruling out such other causes by way of revisiting the doc after three days of taking a drug that should have been alleviating symptoms after a matter of hours is not "crap" - it's common sense.

[Town Crier]

You talk as though you know the person and the cure, scotchollie.

YOU re-read the question - the doctor prescribed Zantac as he/she suggested it was gastritis. What makes you think the doctor was wrong? You were not in the room when the person gave her symptoms and this doctor would know her past history when making the diagnosis and prescribing Zantac.

Yes, I agree that luckystrikes wife would be best advised to ring or see her doctor again as it might NOT be gastritis - Try helping, rather than just giving your views!

[scotchollie]

For three months TC I had indescribeable pain in the stomach and was also prescribed Zantac - which failed to work.

It got to the point, after many visits to the GP that I was admitted to hospital for an endoscopy, which revealed that I had a hiatus hernia.

The valve that stops acid leaking back into my oesophagus was being squeezed permanently open, causing inflammation that had spread to my stomach - hence the pain. It required surgical intervention.

So TC, I do actually have some knowledge of the matter despite your assertion to the contrary.

I have not suggested that the doctor is wrong, nor indeed have I even suggested a cure - you are making assumptions that are not supported by what I write.

My perfectly valid answer to a perfectly valid question was submitted in the spirit in which I feel the question was asked and was based on my own experiences - which are again directly relevant to the original question.

That does not make it arrogance on my part, but a reasonable reply to a reasonable question.

However, you have used luckystrike's thread to take a swing at me, without actually volunteering anything constructive yourself, which, I feel is neither reasonable or constructive in assisting luckystrike.

[redhead23]

poor scotch why do people have to attack people on here > there is need

[scotchollie]

Thank you redhead.

Town Crier's comments don't bother me, they merely make me feel that luckystrike must regret posting a question when someone barges in and railroads it with invective about another person.

The whole point is that luckystrike asks for answers from people with any experiences and I volunteered mine.

I think (!?) that's what luckystrike wanted and, in all honesty, can't see where I have been arrogant, where I have indicated that I know more than I actually do, or where I have suggested that Zantac should not be used for gastritis...

Town Crier has me baffled - if it's me he does not like, fair enough, but he shouldn't hijack someone else's question to vent his spleen.

Nuff said - and apologies to you luckystrike.

None of this is of your making and I hope my experiences have helped.

Best of luck to you and your wife - I hope you get it sorted.

[Town Crier]

Ah well, scotchollie, you and I will disagree again. I am sorry you have had to suffer considerable pain, I really am - but look at your very first words - oooh Lordy. I am not sure Zantac would be my first choice for Gastritis! It's an antacid.

Saying this could only lead luckystrike to not only worry that his wife does not have gastritis but also that the doctor had made a complete mistake in prescribing Zantac for what he/she believes is gastritis. Not only that but that Zantac, in your view, should not be used for gastritis anyway - as it is an antacid - even when antacids are still the most common way of treating gastritis - at least to begin with.

You may think you have helped but if this had been me, I would only have been more worried after your post that the doctor had made a complete mistake. I know you will not see this but you have judged this case based purely on your own experiences - Zantac did not work for you, so other treatments should always be considered first, according to you. That is arrogance - you are not a health professional and should not be judging those who are.

I will not be coming back to this thread again as I know you would not agree with me on principle - but PLEASE think of the poster before airing views that are likely to bring MORE worry, rather than less.

Redcrx gave the perfect reply. If you had simply said words to the effect that you think the Zantac should have worked by now and as it hasn't, definitely go back to the GP, that would have been the perfect back up to redcrx. If you cannot see that is all that was needed to help luckystrike, then heaven help the next poor person you try to help.

I am sorry for your wife's troubles luckystrike and hope she gets well soon.