I took Omeprazole on and off for about 4 months, with periods of time where I was taking it twice a day. Now that a doctor has recommended me to get off, I have noticed that I have a tightness in my left side under the rib cage whenever I eat or drink, and this pain radiates to the back. It’s not super painful, just light gnawing/burning. Is this a common side effect or should I be more worried?
Hi everyone,
I’ve been dealing with a frightening squeezing, crushing pain behind my breastbone. I do not have the typical burning or “heartburn” sensation at all — it feels much more like pressure, tightness, or an angina-type squeezing pain. Sometimes it honestly feels cardiac, which has been very anxiety-provoking.
The pain is highly unpredictable and can happen both at rest (sitting or lying down) and during exertion, even something as simple as walking. Because of the squeezing nature of the pain, I underwent a full cardiac workup. Thankfully, my EKGs, echocardiograms, and stress tests were all completely normal, and my cardiologist has cleared my heart.
To investigate a digestive cause, I recently had an endoscopy (FOGD) with biopsies. I translated the reports from French to English below, and I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has experienced something similar.
Esophagus:
Stomach:
Duodenum:
Conclusion:
Marked inflammation/redness in the lower esophagus, Grade 1 hiatal hernia, and erythematous pangastritis.
Biopsy conclusion:
Mild chronic inactive gastritis associated with H. pylori infection, without malignancy.
My concern is that despite the reassuring cardiac tests, I still struggle mentally with the squeezing “angina-like” sensation because it can feel so intense and convincing, especially when walking or during physical activity. My doctors believe the inflamed esophagus and small hiatal hernia may be causing esophageal spasms or pressure sensations rather than classic burning reflux symptoms.
Has anyone else had H. pylori, gastritis, reflux, or a hiatal hernia cause severe squeezing chest pain without actual heartburn — especially pain triggered by walking or movement?
And for those treated for H. pylori, how long did it take after antibiotics and acid-reducing treatment for the chest tightness/spasm sensations to improve?
Thanks a lot for any insight or shared experiences.
I 19f just recently got diagnosed with gastritis. It is one of the most painful sensations I've ever felt. Feels like a knife being twisted in my upper abdomen every thirty seconds . My doctor didn't give me a specific cause for the problem but after digging through the internet I found that prolonged use of NSAIDs can cause ulcers. Now the horrible part is that I was prescribed 400mg Ibuprofen (was told to use up to 4 times a day) for my excruciating period cramps ever since I was about 13 years old.
I'm scared I'm going to have to deal with this for life, and I was never warned of the risks at all. I would do anything to get this pain to go away and go back to normal.
Has anyone else had this extreme of NSAID use and have recovered fully? And if so how long did it take?
If gastritis is like a wound and every time we eat or the stomach produces acid it is like picking on that wound, then would the stomach heal fully if we took extremely high doses of PPI like 40mg of Rabeprazole twice a day for 5 days and water fasted during that time? Or are there kinds of damage in the gastric tissue that take long no matter how good of a healing environment is created?
Has something like this been tried by anyone here?
ENT: You keep getting steroid packs from urgent care for ear pain and fluid, but I don't see anything. I can't help you.
Allergist: Histamine dumping? Never heard of it. Every night between 8 and 10? No, that doesn't make sense.
Gastro: Your gastritis and GERD have nothing to do with your histamine. You have histamine all over your body.
Ok so time for a functional med doc? They diagnose everyone with leaky gut and sell you $100 in supplements, but besides that, give me your opinions. Thank you.
About a month ago I developed an ulcer from using nsaids (chronic pain). I'm seeing specialists from the endoscopy clinic soon.
My problem is that I'm also going through terrible stress and can't eat when I'm stressing.
I know not eating regularly is really bad for the ulcer.
I just can't eat when I'm overly stressed. I don't know how to overcome it. I don't know if this is going to make me sicker. I have zero appetite as well.
Have you ever had this problem? I can still hurt after eating as well.
So I had my first EDG for suspected EOE and GERD…biopsy’s came back and I did have a hernia and EOE (yay me) but one thing I saw that was not mentioned was “mild chronic gastritis”
I have maybe 2 glasses of wine on the weekend, no NSAIDs, negative H pyloria. What could it be causing it? Not GERD right the stomach is a safe space for acid I thought?
I have had a fuck load of mental and psychological stress the past few years…feel like that’s my only variable it could be??
Any thoughts are much appreciated 🙏🏻
Also trigger warning: discussion of eating disorder ⚠️
Erosive Gastritis diagnosis. Just went through a week long flare up. I’m not in any pain today. I also realized I haven’t eaten in about 36 hours and that’s probably why I’m not in pain.
I’m underweight already. Planning on doing liquids only for awhile. Other than chicken broth, idk what’s safe for me to eat - even in small amounts.
Dealing with both of these issues at the same time is extremely challenging and I’m falling back into my anorexia. (Awaiting an appointment with my dietician).
Anyone else deal with both anorexia and erosive gastritis?
I’m a 27 year old male and for the past two months I’ve been dealing with upper abdominal pain, nausea, and back pain.
The upper abdominal pain is mostly right where my stomach is, but I often get the feeling of pain radiating to my left and right side just at the bottom of my ribcage, almost like a burning sensation.
The nausea can come and go. I noticed it gets worse when I drink caffeine or eat certain foods (junk mostly).
The back pain is mostly in the upper to center back. It’s like a low dull pain that can get worse if I move or sit in a certain way. I also noticed my upper back feels warm and tingly and sensitive. Almost like a mild sunburn.
I’ve also had some constipation lately.
I have gotten extensive blood tests and everything came back great. Normal lipase and amylase, CRP is perfect, liver enzymes are perfect. White blood count is perfect. Iron and iron binding is perfect.
And I have yet to have any of the concerning red flags. No jaundice, no vomiting, no oily or black stools, no diarrhea.
My doctor told me I should be taking Omeprazole, so for the past couple weeks I’ve been taking that, and I have noticed a noticeable improvement in a couple ways, namely the pain and the nausea. The upper abdominal pain went from a 7/10 to maybe a 3/10, and the nausea I’d probably say the same. The back pain got a fair bit better for the past week and a half or so but the past couple days it’s gotten worse.
So what’s wrong with me fellas?
I got diagnosed with Gastritis in April '26 after feeling miserable, nauseous and painful for a couple days. I'm guessing, Ibuprofen cuased the inflammation and I'm having a check up next week to confirm the gastritis.
It's frustrating feeling like you're healing and then BAM: Another flare up just as painful as the others. It feels like I'm being stabbed and I can't breathe or move. Pretty much all I'm eating is chicken soup, noodles, bananas, melons, potatoes and some vegetables. Have a bland diet, small portions and try to rest as best as possible. Stress seems to trigger it for me, and I know, I will eventually heal this shit but almost two month in, I just want my life back. Any hopes? Because at this point I'm just growing depressed (which I already was before but now even worse) and loose all hope.
I will keep you updated tho!
Hello, i’m F20 and ended up in hospital last week due to non stop vomiting and stomach pains, the doctor told me i have alcohol gastritis. i’m just waiting to see a doctor to get my test results. anyways just wondering if cocaine use can be linked to gastritis? google has left me confused.
I have lots of issues with my stomach like for example when I’m hungry a normal persons stomach would hurt a little right? Mine doesn’t I hear the growling voices but not the hurting feeling. My stomach bloats so bad eating nothing and I can’t even finish my plate. And I usually get nauseous in the car, or if I have a medium to large meal. Idk what’s wrong it feels like my body doesn’t even digest half the food it gets and I feel like I’m gaining weight? ALSO I DIDNT GET MY PERIOD FOR 2 AND A HALF MONTHS
If you have suffered from h pylori gastritis with above symptoms especialy your body accepting one specific food and rejecting other food please come forward
Hi all,
I was recently diagnosed with erosive gastritis after a colonoscopy and endoscopy. However, my symptoms before that were on and off, and before the colonoscopy, I was not in a-lot of pain and was eating everything normally. I was only normally in pain if id eaten something super heavy, spicy or drank a lot of alcohol. After taking the bowel prep for the colonoscopy, my body has not been the same. It has been nearly a month and my reflux and gastritis symptoms are so much worse than they ever were before this - especially considering I am eating blander than ever, taking PPI’s and supplements with regularity too. Has anyone else experienced this? Please do let me know.
This is a great med. Seems have to be on for life, even tho its supposed to be limited time to be on. Any suggestions?
Hey everyone,
I am feeling completely defeated and need some real-world advice from people who have been through this.
Two years ago, doctors told me my severe upper belly pain was my gallbladder, so they surgically removed it. The pain never stopped. I have been suffering from this same old pain for two solid years. Both of the endoscopy reports below were taken after my surgery, showing what the bile is doing to my stomach.
My pain has a very specific pattern: whenever my stomach gets completely empty, it just hurts. If I don't eat something right away, the pain gets harder and harder and spreads up into my chest. The moment I eat something (like a banana), the pain goes off completely.
Because of this, it wakes me up in the middle of the night, every single night. I have to wake up, drink water, eat 1-2 bananas to coat my stomach, and only then can I fall back asleep.
I just got my endoscopy reports. Here is the exact text from both of them (both post-surgery):
I tried making homemade high-potency L. reuteri probiotic yogurt to fix my gut, but it's so sour and acidic that it feels like it's irritating my raw stomach lining even more after 6 days.
For those who lost their gallbladder and ended up with bile reflux gastritis where the empty pain builds up and radiates to the chest: How do I fix this? Do I need bile binders (like Cholestyramine) or prokinetics to keep this fluid moving down? How do I stop waking up at night?
Please look at my data and guide me. I really appreciate any support or advice you can give. Thank you.
Did anyone else feel better after an upper endoscopy?
I had an upper endoscopy last Tuesday. My results: MILD CHRONIC INACTIVE GASTRITIS. They also found Fundic gland polyps, which they removed.
Since then my pain has gone done from a 5-7 to a 1. Previously to the endoscopy I was in a high dose of Omeprazole cuz of how bad my pain was. I am now to only one 20mg in the evening.
I’ve had very mild nausea (like 1 out 10), but overall feel so much better after.
I was on Omeprazole for almost 20 years I recently finished a taper and got off of it. While on it I was having loose stool often and sometimes full blown diarrhea. I'm in the middle of my 2nd week fully of it and fully transitioned to Famotidine and all the sudden I'm dealing with the other side of things with constipation. Nothing I take or in my diet has changed just suddenly going the other way. Has anyone gotten off PPI and experienced anything similar?
Hello, during this endoscopy they found that I have gastritis and they think. Its caused by fungal overgrowth in my lower esophagus. I’m being treated with fluconazole for it. How’s your experience with it? Any bad symptoms? I hate it so far.
For the last four months, I’ve been throwing up most days of the week, usually in the evenings and sometimes in the mornings after eating. I’ve been on and off antacids for the last couple of months, and I recently got an endoscopy done three days ago. Everything came back completely normal. no acidity, no mucus, nothing abnormal. My doctor told me I need to manage my stress. I am honestly shocked to find out that nothing is wrong with me physically and I did not anticipate that being stressed can cause me this much pain physically. I’m shocked.
I started doing breathwork and pranayama over the last two days. Sometimes I’m completely fine for a few days and don’t throw up at all. When I take Domstal, it usually helps, but on other days the vomiting comes back.
The last year has been very stressful. I was unemployed for almost 10 months, and towards the end of it I was extremely anxious. My husband was also going through a difficult phase, so the past few months have been emotionally heavy overall. I started a new in-office role in March, and while I’m grateful for it, I feel constantly exhausted and stressed. By the time I get home, cooking and managing daily life feels overwhelming, however I do manage everything. I puke even though I try to eat healthy, balanced meals and avoid greasy food.
I do smoke in the evenings, and my husband thinks that may be contributing to the vomiting. I’m honestly not sure anymore.
What’s been worrying me more lately is how emotionally reactive I’ve become. Even small arguments or upsetting conversations make me feel shaky, extremely anxious, and emotionally dysregulated. It takes me almost a full night’s sleep to feel normal again, and even then I keep replaying things in my head for hours.
I’m considering therapy, but I wanted to ask — has anyone else gone through something similar? Stress showing up physically like this? Constant nausea, vomiting, anxiety, emotional overwhelm? What helped you? Right now I just feel very alone in this experience.