[kitkat1]

I'm sorry I have some new questions and I dont want to post them all indivdual so am trying to do it this way.

1. Does anyone here take prilosec and if so how well does it work, how fast and side effects?

2. I am still not convinced this metformin is not causing this reflux.

3. what should my numbers be when i go to bed? I've had some night time palps and anxiety and found my numbers to be anywhere from 74 to 85 when i go to bed so what would be a good number to avoid this?

4. I bought test strips yesterday and after 3 days of eating so much mayonnaise, bacon and sausages with eggs i finally tested positive today, it says "small" on the stick which is something i guess. How ever i have/am severely paying the price for this and not sure it is worth it.

Here is what I think is the problem:
I think the metformin the ER and the regular and killing my stomach and either adding too or causing this reflux problem and maybe now this palpitations and anxiety i've had last two nights, I dont know where that is coming from. When I stopped the metformin it did all lessen but my weight loss stopped too. My doctor is adamant I try the prilosec but i'm terrified of the side effects i've read about. Vomiting, headaches, hairloss, mental and mood changes etc.

ok, I think I am done here for now and I appreciate any advice good or bad. Oh yeah I keep trying to find foods that HELP reflux or dont aggravate it but instead I find tons of info on what causes it geez. I looked up yogurt Low carb and mayo and found BOTH to be culprits and both are things i've been eating alot of, yogurt mixed with heavy whip cream tastes very good! I cannot believe that i've literally given up chocolates and cola, never ever in my life would I of thought that I COULD do it let alone WOULD do it. Yesterday was my worst day for missing sweets, it was my 3rd on the low carb and highest fats I could eat and each meal makes me sick to my stomach.

Ok just one last thing is that metformin aides weight loss from what I understand by surpressing appetite and so if this is true and if metformin is causing this reflux or making it worse wouldnt it be better to try a appetite surpressant instead? anyone try them?
I was at my doctor last in July and went the other day and i've lost 10 pounds! All this reflux isnt worth it though lol

 

[Patdart]

I'm on no drugs, but I've often read on here and off that too many carbs can make metformin cause stomach (nausea) difficulties. Can you tell us how many carbs you eat at a meal? Also, they can cause reflux. Some on here say that that condition is a long lost problem as they eat LC/HF.

Good luck,

 

[Janknitz]

Doctors think Prilosec is benign but it is NOT. Long term use can seriously damage your gut. So let's see if there are other approaches to reduce the GERD you are experiencing from Metformin.

1. Did you start slow and low with your met dose? It takes time for the body to adjust. When I had gi distress from increasing the dose too quickly I backed down to a lower dose for a few weeks.

2. ER version helps.

3. Take your met mid-meal. Having some food in your stomach before you take it helps.

4. Do not eat or drink within 3 hours of going to bed.

5. A supplement called marshmallow root helps produce mucous in the gut lining to protect the tissues from acid reflux. You take it 1/2 hour before meals.

6. Make a big pot of chicken broth from scratch. 3lbs of chicken wings, one onion, two carrots, two stalks of celery, 1 tbsp lemon juice--simmer gently for up to 24 hours. You can do this in a crock pot, stock pot, or pressure cooker (only 30 minutes in a pressure cooker). Strain the broth. This broth will gel when cooled. The gelatin us what you want. Drink several cups a day as it will heal your esophageal lining. I sip it in a mug instead of tea or coffee. Add salt to taste, it will help you feel well on lchf too.

7. Gelatin and Collagen help heal your esophageal lining. I buy collagen powder and add it to my beverages (tasteless and doesn't affect texture) and use gelatin to thicken some foods.

8. I found that certain foods made GERD worse. Dairy is my biggest trigger. Sorry--I know you are enjoying the cream and other full fat dairy, but you may have to try eliminating them to see if it helps. (. I use canned coconut milk instead.

9. Your doctor will tell you to avoid spicy and acidic foods, but those do not trigger GERD for me. Water does! I still drink water, but tackle the GERD in other ways.

10. Some people need more stomach acid to properly digest their food, not less that's the problem with Prilosec and other ppis--they suppress acid production and really mess up digestion which in turn intereferes with healthy gut flora. Some people find that having a tablespoon of lemon juice or Braggs apple cider vinegar in a glass of water before meals helps provide enough acid to reduce GERD.

It's great you're being proactive now to avoid long term ppi use. Getting your diet as low carb and grain free is the first, most important step (helps GERD, too). Then you may be able to taper off the met eventually, too, as your blood sugar comes under control.

 

[margilowry]

:cheer2:

I love your post so much, Janknitz, I want to hug it, and squeeze it, and take it home and call it "George".

 

[kitkat1]

Gosh all this info is overwhelmimg. First I don't know how many a meal I'm consuming but I'm sure not too many but is there a good number I should strive for ? By the end of the day I doubt more than 30.

As for all the suggestions instead of prilosec well he only wants me on for 8 weeks to heal. I worry about taking it but I worry about anything however chicken soup doesn't scare me. I don't have gerd though because I have zero heartburn and no other symptoms either, the one and main symptom I have is a feeling is something stuck in my throat, all the rest is stomach distress I'm assuming from the metformin. The doctor pushed on my left side where it hurts and said that is my stomach that is hurting from the reflux. Whemeo was taking the Zantac I felt better but wow did my ear ring !

 

[kitkat1]

I love your post so much, Janknitz, I want to hug it, and squeeze it, and take it home and call it "George".

That's hilarious! I love it!

 

[VeeJay]

4. I bought test strips yesterday and after 3 days of eating so much mayonnaise, bacon and sausages with eggs i finally tested positive today, it says "small" on the stick which is something i guess. How ever i have/am severely paying the price for this and not sure it is worth it.

Ketone stix only measure the presence of ketone in the urine. A light or dark reading only indicates the low or high concentration of ketone in the urine. The more hydrated you are the less the concentration is going to be.

The kidneys filter out EXCESS ketones from the blood - the ketones your body isn't needing for fuel (if you are in ketosis). The stix do not measure the concentration of ketones in your blood. They can only tell you if you have excess ketones in the urine. So if you have a low reading, it means you are in ketosis. But if there are no excess ketones being filtered out, the stix would register none even if you are in ketosis.

So the stix only say "yes" or "no", and the no could be "maybe". Not an exact science, but certainly another tool that has its uses.

 

[kitkat1]

I don't know why this is saying I didn't post long enouhj.

4. I bought test strips yesterday and after 3 days of eating so much mayonnaise, bacon and sausages with eggs i finally tested positive today, it says "small" on the stick which is something i guess. How ever i have/am severely paying the price for this and not sure it is worth it.

Ketone stix only measure the presence of ketone in the urine. A light or dark reading only indicates the low or high concentration of ketone in the urine. The more hydrated you are the less the concentration is going to be.


So are you saying I am not I'm ketosis:unamused: or it doesn't matter the color of the stick ? I see people on here that live by these sticks or am I wrong and wasting my time with them? I had the one that changed color but none after that.
The kidneys filter out EXCESS ketones from the blood - the ketones your body isn't needing for fuel (if you are in ketosis). The stix do not measure the concentration of ketones in your blood. They can only tell you if you have excess ketones in the urine. So if you have a low reading, it means you are in ketosis. But if there are no excess ketones being filtered out, the stix would register none even if you are in ketosis.

So the stix only say "yes" or "no", and the no could be "maybe". Not an exact science, but certainly another tool that has its uses.

 

[VeeJay]

So are you saying I am not I'm ketosis:unamused: not at all

or it doesn't matter the color of the stick ? that's what I'm saying

I see people on here that live by these sticks that's so true, but they think that the darker the color means they are deeper into ketosis and that's just not the case

It takes a while to get into ketosis and one can be kicked out of it by eating too many carbs, or even too much protein. It's a fine balance.

Personally, I think a person new to LCHF needs to concentrate on carb counting and getting their carb/protein/fat ratio worked out so that their BG is low and consistent. Usually what happens is that one finds that they need to reduce carbs quite a bit to achieve good BG, and when they increase fats they find that they naturally go into ketosis. But, as I said, one can be knocked out of it with one carby bing, and it can take from 3days to a couple weeks to get back into it. Being in ketosis is a long-term commitment.


or am I wrong and wasting my time with them? No, but knowing their limitations helps you interpret the results

I had the one that changed color but none after that. That's typical. In early days you could go in and out of ketosis.

 

[VeeJay]

I don't know why this is saying I didn't post long enouhj.

text in quote don't count toward the minimum.

 

[kitkat1]

So are you saying I am not I'm ketosis:unamused: not at all

or it doesn't matter the color of the stick ? that's what I'm saying

I see people on here that live by these sticks that's so true, but they think that the darker the color means they are deeper into ketosis and that's just not the case

It takes a while to get into ketosis and one can be kicked out of it by eating too many carbs, or even too much protein. It's a fine balance.

Personally, I think a person new to LCHF needs to concentrate on carb counting and getting their carb/protein/fat ratio worked out so that their BG is low and consistent. Usually what happens is that one finds that they need to reduce carbs quite a bit to achieve good BG, and when they increase fats they find that they naturally go into ketosis. But, as I said, one can be knocked out of it with one carby bing, and it can take from 3days to a couple weeks to get back into it. Being in ketosis is a long-term commitment.


or am I wrong and wasting my time with them? No, but knowing their limitations helps you interpret the results

I had the one that changed color but none after that. That's typical. In early days you could go in and out of ketosis.

I think I have good control mostly thanks to metformin and not that it was bad before but now its so much better with numbers as low as 74 where I could not get thavt low with low carb alone. I really want trying too hard nor did I expect a colored stick so was surprised to see one, I thought I was going to have to consume 1000 more in fats and honestly I don't like them that much. This morning I purposely didn't take metformin and I felt so much better today but took then half hour or so ago so will see what happens. I have a whole new bottle but same brand and I've tried regular and ER both with same results and I even asked my doctor to test me for that acidosis thing because I've had palpitations, nausea, headaches, itchy head and other things but he says it doesn't sound like lactic acidosis so who knows.