Hi everyone,

I'm a long time lurker, first time poster. You guys all give some excellent information, though admittedly the internet in general is full of contradictions for digestive issues, but I'm now at a stage where I'm not sure exactly where I am with my health issues.

I'll give some background (and apologies for the length of this post). I'm a 31 year old male, living in the UK, and about 5 or 6 years ago I started getting bad reflux and sharp pains in my abdomen. I saw my doctor, gave a stool sample, and was put on Omeprazole since they figured it was either a stomach ulcer or h pylori. I still couldn't shake these symptoms and I went for an endoscopy which found nothing. A tissue sample was taken for h pylori and again, this found nothing (nor did the stool sample). I was simply told to continue taking Omeprazole (10mg once a day) which I did for the next 3 to 4 years or so. I began to balloon in weight and felt tired and generally fed up. I now refuse to go back to the doctors and be fobbed off again!

Just over a year ago I came off Omeprazole cold turkey. In hindsight - maybe not clever, but I gradually felt better for it. I had some die off symptoms when I did this...feeling dizzy, and flu-like for a couple of weeks.


I started taking digestive enzymes (with Betaine HCL) and various vitamins (B1, B12, Zinc) together with Acidophilus. Calcium and Potassium do not agree with me. I still take these supplements to this day, and if I fail to take digestive enzymes with a meal I get a gnawing pain in my left side together with reflux at night. I personally believe I am not able to digest food naturally anymore. I've also cut out caffeine and most grains, and feel much better for it. I drink plenty of water each day. I have tried anti-fungals such as garlic, and never expelled anything. Occasionally I might find white or yellow flecks in my stool while taking the enzymes, but nothing more.

My main concern is what Omeprazole has done to my body in that there must have been so much undigested food stored up in my system. I'm positive that this has contributed to a Candida overgrowth from what I have read here and elsewhere, and maybe even parasites. I have lost a lot of weight but still have a distended abdomen which surely backs up my theory.

I also believe I have leaky gut and I have started taking L-Glutamine in the past two weeks. Since I have started taking this I have noticed small white/yellow flecks in my stool again, and possibly intestinal mucous. This was transparent and in a jelly form both in my stool and on the toilet paper. I have been achy all over, and have what I can only describe as a "head cold" (this is not a typical cold for me which normally begins in my throat). I occasionally get white patches at the back of my tongue, so something is going on with my intestines. This is sometimes accompanied by a rumbling sound in my lower abdomen together with major hunger pangs - perhaps I have parasites too?

Sorry for the rambling, but at this stage I feel like I'm at a bit of a crossroads. Mentally, I feel much better since taking the L-Glutamine, and I want to believe that what I am experiencing is die off, but at the same time I am concerned that I might actually be feeding something (Candida or otherwise). I'm currently taking about a teaspoon and a half a day. I have built up gradually and at one stage I felt worse and backed off accordingly.

What is everyone's general experience with L-Glutamine? Should it be causing this much die off (if at all)? Does anyone have any similar symptoms after eating with regard to the gnawing sensation in the lower left quadrant of the abdomen, together with reflux that seems to stay in the abdomen area?

Any help, or advice would be appreciated and I'm happy to provide further information if I can. I just want to be free from supplements and happy again.

Thanks

Chris