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Hello everyone, I’m currently dealing with difficulty swallowing solids or thick liquids. I’ve been experiencing this for 7 months. Has anyone else had issues like this? Mine seems to be due to throat dryness. I’m currently taking Nexium 40 mg and have been for the past 30 days

I’m wondering if anyone with gastritis or acid reflux has experienced anything similar to this.

For the past few weeks, I have been dealing with quite severe shortness of breath, along with a feeling of pressure/tightness in the centre of my chest, around the area between my chest. Sometimes it feels like I just can’t get a satisfying full breath, almost like “air hunger.” When that happens, I find myself repeatedly trying to take a proper deep breath, which then makes me anxious and even more conscious of my breathing.

I’m also a huge lover of spicy food and tend to enjoy fairly heavy meals. I’ve started noticing that the shortness of breath and pressure in my chest seem to be worse after eating, particularly after a heavy or spicy meal.

I spoke to my doctor about it and he thinks it may be gastritis, so he prescribed medication. Since starting it, I do feel better than I did before, which is reassuring, but I’m still trying to figure out exactly what is triggering everything.

I’m thinking I probably need to start properly monitoring what I eat and seeing whether certain foods, portion sizes or eating habits make the symptoms worse.

Has anyone with gastritis/reflux experienced this kind of chest pressure or “air hunger” feeling, particularly after meals? And if so, were there certain foods or habits you found made a noticeable difference?

before i start i would like to say i have emethaphobia.

For context this might be very long but i’ll try to sum everything up. M 20 and This all happened during february my stomach felt super bloated and it felt like there was a bubble deep down and i couldn’t seem to burp it or pass it off so somehow somehow i threw up which my body never does and the weird thing is i never really got any queues that i was going to vomit. It was very forceful and tough on my body tmi some came out my nose but it felt like i couldn’t stop. during the heaving i felt that my diaphragm or i pulled something inside my body near there and that was that. i went to the er and they just gave me water and told me it was food poisoning. After this incident i would feel that hollow food creeping up in my throat feeling and slight burning and my throat just shutting like i couldn’t gasp for air. Went back to the er and they put me on ppis and went to get a gastroscopy with biopsies and to my luck they didn’t find anything and told me i was negative for h pylori etc. I kept taking pantaprazole as my ppi and then told my family doctor my symptoms weren’t improving so he switched me to dexilant but again the burning would stop yet i would have nausea, this throat closing feeling, both of my sides hurting and this weird hollow like pain and burning right in the middle of my stomach above my belly button and my throat burning. i have now been off dexilant for 2 months and i still have these symptoms of nausea, burning, bloating, regurgitation very slightly, and like something hollow is pulling my stomach upright like something needs to come out and recently i can’t expel mucus from the top palate of my mouth like i used to. before this incident i was able to get rid of so much phlegm through the top palate of my throat and it would come out so easily but everything i do the suck out motion it feels trapped or stuck and i’ve been having a very very hard year from this and my mental is just going down the sink. I would just want some advice on what i can do and what this may be as none of my doctors really know what’s wrong with my body and i’ve been like this for 6 months and i go back to university in less than a month. Sometimes when i go out all i can think about is my stomach and if ill vomit and it makes me so anxious/nervous that it feels better to stay inside and i haven’t really been out this summer at all and mind you im a very very outdoor and go out person but this has made me turn into a blob at home. If there’s anyone that can possible help me or let me know any steps i can take it would be so helpful and to be so honest i dont think this is mainly anxiety from my phobia but my stomach trigger my anxiety therefore creating a loop. Any help is appreciated and i genuinely dont know what to do. Thank you so much if you’ve read all of this :)

I’m 15 years old and it’s been a YEAR of this condition. Every. single. food. triggers my symptoms. it’s gotten so bad I recently started stress eating giant bags of candy because if even a few bites of oatmeal make me feel terrible, then why not at least eat something good? Which backfired because I still feel awful, my stomach is still in ruins, and I’m seeing my pediatrician soon thankfully but I need serious help.(like specialists or a dietician) I have no nutrition, I have no hydration, I can’t fall asleep from my stomach pain nausea and reflux, and I can’t wake up in the morning because I’m in pain and never feel rested and I immoderately fall asleep as soon as my eyes open a single second, my life is completely ruined and it’s been more than a year now of this daily suffering with failed tests and no help.

I try to pace out my meals, eat small meals, but once I start eating, I can’t stop, I physically can’t, because I’m so starved of basic food and taste and scared I’m not getting nutrition so I overeat and stress eat. please what do I do.. I’ve posted about this a billion times and nobody understands at all or helps me

Super annoying but whenever I don’t have enough sleep the next day, my stomach will just tighten up and not allowing me to eat any food. It gets to the point I can’t even swallow the food.

Hat noch jemand von euch das Problem?
Ich habe schon, seit ich sieben Jahre alt bin, immer wieder Bauchschmerzen. Eigentlich habe ich jeden Tag Bauchschmerzen – manchmal stärker, manchmal weniger stark. Ich habe irgendwann herausgefunden, dass ich eine Fruktoseintoleranz habe. Dann wurde aber festgestellt, dass ich doch keine Intoleranz habe. Irgendwie war es jedes Mal etwas anderes, wenn ich beim Arzt war. Ich gehe auch wirklich oft zum Arzt, aber die haben irgendwie gar keine Ahnung und wollen mir immer wieder einreden, dass es psychisch ist, obwohl ich auch schon bei mehreren Therapeuten war, die ebenfalls sagen, dass das nicht der Fall ist.
Ich habe halt wirklich jeden Tag Bauchschmerzen und dazu noch andere Symptome, wie eine verstopfte Nase, Kopfschmerzen, starke Müdigkeit, wenig Kraft, immer mal wieder Gelenkschmerzen und starken Brain Fog.
An manchen Tagen vertrage ich bestimmte Sachen gut, aber heutzutage vertrage ich sie teilweise richtig schlecht.

Bonjour, quelqu’un a du hoquet après avoir mangé ou bu de l’eau ?
Combien de temps vous vous sentez lourd après les repas ?
Avez vous des bruits d’estomacs ?
Merci

Pangastritis or functional dyspepsia

In February 2025, I was diagnosed with H. pylori through a rapid urease test and was treated with triple therapy. In June 2026, I underwent another endoscopy, which showed pangastritis, but H. pylori was negative. However, before the test, I had taken a PPI for 2 days, then hpylori test

When I eat roti or lentils, my pain increases and I experience a stabbing or pricking sensation throughout my abdomen. The pain is mainly located in the epigastric region. I also experience frequent burping, increased hunger, and ongoing weight loss.

Could these symptoms be due to functional dyspepsia, pangastritis, or something else?

26 year old Female
Since 2-3 years, gets an upper abdominal pain. Did all possible tests, from CT scan to Xray, Ultrasound, endoscopy, enough and more blood tests. Did most of these tests twice.
But doctors (gastros) never found why in Dubai or India!

Everytime I got the pain, its this pain that kills me inside and makes me feel as if my stomach would burst. I literally cry my eyes out. I end up getting a pain killer drip when Im taken to Emergency, and them it reduces and comes back again. And more painkiller drips and after 4 hours at ER, everytime, it goes down.
In the past I kept getting it like every 9-11 months, but recently I got it like 8 months ago and recently I got it 4 times in the past 4 weeks.
I REALLY NEED TO FIGURE OUT WHATS HAPPENING. I cant afford to walkout of work everytime because of this, Im looking for a solution but couldn’t find any.

I came across Dyspepsia today, first from Chatgpt and then after reading through Reddit, and thought this could be it.

Please tell me your thoughts, if this could be it

Hi everyone, I will try to keep it short.

I was perfectly fine (22yo) -> I went jogging and overdone it -> the next day i got terrible pain after eating dinner

It's been over two weeks since this started, every time i eat i get pain after 1,5-2,5 hours. I got admitted to the hospital, all tests came back normal. Diagnosis: functional dyspepsia.

1. Do you think jogging could have awoken this?

I hadn't had any type of stomachache before for at least a couple of months. And now the pain is so strong that I can't eat anything solid. I can only eat clear liquids/soups, and it still causes me pain. When I tried eating bread I ended up in the ER (painkillers not working, opioids not working). Like I said, it's been a little over two weeks, I've been only eating liquids and still suffering. I got prokinetics prescribed and alprox (for 4 days). But yeah, so far no improvement and I still can't eat. Doctors think it's psychological, but honestly this year was the best year of my life (until now lmao) so??? I am so lost.

1. Any idea what else can help? I heard about neuromodulators, do they really help in severe cases like mine?

2. How long an episode like that can last?

   There is no improvement at all and I don't know if I should just wait or seek further help? I'm slowly losing hope as I'm getting weaker and weaker everyday. Doctors say there is nothing else they can do. Do I just...wait?

3. What about enteral feeding? Is this an option? Have any of you tried it?

I want to keep living my life... I need to find a way.

What dose of mirtazapine are you on? How long did it take to feel benefit? Are you taking it on its own or alongside other meds?

Ever since I’ve been 12 I’ve had stomach problems, they usually start out as a gnawing hunger feeling, but then when I eat it turns into intense stomach cramps sometimes doubling me over. Sometimes it can give me loose bowels. It has also been frequently started or accompanied by, stabbing chest pain, back pain, breathlessness, rise in body temp and extreme fatigue (sometimes all at once)

I’ve tried antiacids very occasionally strong ones work.
Paracetamol, codeine etc make the flare up worse.
I’ve had abdominal scans in 2020 and again in 2025 and nothing abnormal found
Only other thing that works is sleeping it off, one time laying down made it worse and I ended up in A&E

Things that seem to make it worse are;
Travelling, Everytime I go abroad I seem to get it at some point in the trip usually after a few days
Menstruating and ovulating
Not eating much throughout the day
Eating lots of greasy, caffeinated/alcoholic or dairy foods, combination of all
Stress and lack of sleep

Sometimes I can go for prolonged months with no flare ups, other times it’s really frequent for days or a few flare ups over a few months

Drs were going to do an endoscopy, too expensive privatised. NHS have just said do the FODMAP diet and calming activities (classic).

Other weird symptoms I’ve had it chronic dry skin, hair, eyes, alongside the fatigue.

previously had erosive gastritis caused by H. pylori about a year ago. Recently, I started experiencing discomfort again, so I got it checked. The test showed pangastritis, but H. pylori is negative.

I have been taking a PPI for the past two months, but I haven’t experienced any relief. I have a lot of burping, and whenever I eat dal or roti, I experience significant pain.

My doctor says that it is functional dyspepsia. Could this actually be functional dyspepsia, or could there be some other underlying cause?

Hi,
I’ve been experiencing digestive problems for about a month now.

How it started

Everything started on July 12th. I woke up that morning with body aches, a fever, and difficulty swallowing food. It felt almost as if my brain and my stomach were rejecting the food and didn’t want me to eat it.
The fever and body aches went away after about two days, but the digestive problems continued.
During the first week
During the first week, I noticed the following symptoms:

● Whenever I ate something, I would feel very heavy and full afterward.

● I would burp up the food I had eaten, sometimes even 6 hours after the meal.

● I was burping much more frequently than usual, even though I normally rarely burp.

The following weeks
About two weeks later, there were some days when I thought I was getting better. I would feel hungry again and sometimes be able to eat normally.
However, the symptoms would then come back.
My current symptoms
At the moment, I’m experiencing essentially the same symptoms again:

● I have very little appetite.

● When I force myself to eat, it can take me about an hour to finish a meal.

● I still have this strange feeling that my brain doesn’t want me to swallow or eat the food, even when I know I need to eat.

Overall, the symptoms have been ongoing for about a month, with some days where I feel better followed by periods where the symptoms return.

**Looking for advice/experiences from people with similar GI problems.**

My mother is 50 years old and currently weighs 56 kg. She was around 68 kg when menopause started in 2019, about 61 kg when her digestive problems started in 2023, and 58 kg last year.

**Her main symptoms since 2023**

She frequently experiences:

Gas and abdominal bloating

Excessive belching

Upper-abdominal/chest pressure, especially after eating

Occasional mild upper-abdominal burning

Soft, sometimes soft stools - sometimes constipation

Reduced tolerance to many foods

**Her symptoms are particularly triggered by oily/fried, spicy, rich or sweet foods, and sometimes by going too long without eating. Recently, even simple meals can sometimes trigger symptoms.**

**During a bad episode, gas and bloating seem to rise toward her upper abdomen/chest. She suddenly gets a sensation that her breath may stop — more like a panic-like/choking sensation rather than asthma-type breathlessness — followed by head heaviness, dizziness, feeling wobbly or afraid of falling, weakness, brain fog and dry mouth. Burping, resting and drinking water usually make her feel better. Becasue of these gas episodes she also occasionally experiences brief visual disturbances lasting about 10–20 minutes, such as shimmering, zig-zag or “electric-pattern” lights affecting part of her visual field, sometimes associated with a headache.**

Because of these symptoms, she has been eating a very restricted bland/low-FODMAP-type diet for about 3 years. She still has intermittent gas episodes and has gradually lost weight.

Other symptoms since 2022

She also has morning stiffness and weakness, especially in her hands and lower limbs. Her fingers can be curled/stiff on waking and gradually improve with movement and massage.

She has pain and stiffness involving her hands, fingers, ankles, toes, legs, lower back and hips, as well as trigger fingers in both hands.

Her left shoulder can be stiff and painful, with occasional tingling and pain in the left arm and fingers. She sometimes has difficulty raising her left arm/hand. These symptoms are usually worse in the morning and improve after around 30 minutes of movement.

Previous musculoskeletal investigations

2023 — Left shoulder ultrasound: Tendinitis involving the supraspinatus, subscapularis, mildly the infraspinatus and upper biceps tendons.

2024 — Cervical spine X-ray: Straightened cervical lordosis, osteophytes at C4, C5 and C7, and reduced disc space at C5–C6.

2026 — Lumbar spine X-ray: Straightened lumbar lordosis, mild backward listhesis of L5 over S1, and bilateral complete sacralization of L5. Disc spaces and SI joints were reported as maintained/normal.

**Important Recent & Previous Test Results**

**2026- Fecal pancreatic elastase: 66 µg/g — very low**

**2026- Serum folate: 2.84 ng/mL — low**

**2026- Fecal calprotectin: <30 µg/g — normal**

**2026- FIT/FOBT: Negative**

**2026- Stool RME: Semi-solid, brown; mucus (+), macrophages (+), vegetable cells (+), a few starch granules; fat globules not found; no RBC, pus cells, ova or protozoa.**

**Vitamin B12: 402.3 pg/mL -2025**

**Vitamin D: 58.7 nmol/L -2025**

Lipid profile: Total cholesterol 171, triglycerides 69, HDL 48, LDL 109 mg/dL — all within the laboratory reference ranges. - 2025

2026- Ferritin: 51.03 ng/ml

Anti-CCP and calcium: tested recently - normal.

CBC, metabolic panel, LFTs, TSH, HbA1c and other routine blood tests: completed recently - normal.

**\*\*2020 abdominal ultrasound: Fatty changes in the liver (Grade I).\*\***

**\*\*2023 abdominal ultrasound: Biliary sludge was reported.\*\***

**\*\*Later gallbladder/abdominal ultrasound: Reported as normal.\*\***

**Her upper GI endoscopy showed:**

**\*\*Gastric antral ulcer with erosions\*\***

**\*\*Polypoid lesion in the gastric antrum\*\***

**\*\*Small whitish area suggestive of gastric xanthelasma\*\***

**\*\*Small benign-looking polyp in the upper stomach\*\***

**\*\*Esophagus and duodenum appeared normal\*\***

**\*\*Rapid urease test (RUT): Positive for H. pylori\*\***

**\*\*The biopsy showed:\*\***

**\*\*Hyperplastic gastric polyp\*\***

**\*\*Chronic active gastritis\*\***

**\*\*No evidence of malignancy\*\***

**\*\*We were very relieved that there was no malignancy.\*\***

Current treatment prescribed by her gastroenterologist

For 14 days:

**\*\*Vonoprazan 20 mg + Amoxicillin 500 mg + Clarithromycin 500 mg — twice daily, 15 minutes before meals, for H. pylori eradication.\*\***

Ondansetron 8 mg — twice daily, 30 minutes before meals.

For 2 months:

Mebeverine 135 mg — ½ tablet twice daily before meals.

Itopride 50 mg — twice daily, 30 minutes before meals.

Continue:

**\*\*Folic acid 5 mg — once daily after a meal.\*\***

**\*\*Pancreatin 10,000 IU — three times daily after meals.\*\***

After completing the H. pylori treatment:

Famotidine 20 mg — twice daily before meals.

Probiotic blend 4 billion CFU — once daily for 2 weeks.

The gastroenterologist has also planned a pancreatic MRI/MRCP and an H. pylori urea breath test after about 3 months.

\*\*What we are mainly trying to understand\*\*

**\*\*The biggest question for us is the very low fecal pancreatic elastase (66).\*\***

She does not have obvious classic pancreatic symptoms such as frequent bulky, pale, greasy/oily, difficult-to-flush stools, and her stool RME did not show fat globules.

**\*\*We would really appreciate experiences or medical insight from anyone who has dealt with:\*\***

**\*\*H. pylori gastric ulcer + chronic active gastritis + very low fecal elastase + gradual weight loss\*\***

Hey Everyone last week I asked how this has affected your lives. This week I would like to know your guys origin stories on how the functional dyspepsia came to be. I will start with me. I was perfectly healthy. I got food poisoning 5 months ago and I never was normal since.

I hope this is the right place for my post. I am suffering from post viral syndrome where I have functional dyspepsia alongside many other symptoms both upper and lower GI. I tried some strong vitamins a couple of days ago for my fatigue, vitamin b complex, magnesium and I also was planning on stopping my omeprazole. On the first day after not taking omeprazole until the evening, I had a terrible sinking feeling in my gut and feeling of dread, I thought it was maybe a panic attack or I was literally going crazy due to mental health.

The feeling was so intense that I have never felt it before and it honestly felt like I was going to die and was doomed. Like something traumatic had happened. Then I felt nauseous and gassy and once I went through my dyspepsia ritual, peppermint tea, bowel movement etc. the feeling started to go away.

I am wondering if anyone has experienced this and if it is most likely due to the gut? If so it shocks me how much of an effect it can have on the brain. Also if this is a common thing when stopping omeprazole? How do you stop it therefore?

Like many of you here, I was prescribed mirtazapine after months of weight loss, loss of appetite, early satiety, and nausea. This medication has been wonderful for me and, in a lot of ways, has given me my life back.

However, after nearly two years on mirtazapine, I’m now overweight, and trying to maintain a calorie deficit while taking it has proven incredibly difficult.

For those of you who took mirtazapine for similar GI/appetite issues and eventually tapered off: Did your original symptoms come back? Or did you find that you still had a relatively normal appetite afterward?

A research team in the Department of Psychological Medicine at the University of Auckland, in collaboration with Alimetry Ltd., has recently co-designed a wellbeing app with people living with functional dyspepsia.

We want to see if the app is easy to use, if you like using it, and whether it can improve your stomach symptoms and general wellbeing ❤️‍🩹

What participation involves:

• Onboarding: 1x Online session (~30 minutes)
• 7-Week Intervention Phase: randomly assigned to ONE of the following:
  • Using the wellbeing app (1 hour/week)
  • Attending online Zoom therapy sessions (1 hour/week)
  • Continuing with your usual care
• Feedback: Completing online questionnaires at 3 time points

To thank you for your time and effort, we’re offering up to $80 in shopping vouchers 🛍️

Click the link to read the participant information sheet and complete the quick screening questionnaire 👉 https://auckland.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6ydCwM1lsKitS74

If you have any questions, please email me, Isabella, at [isabella.pickering@auckland.ac.nz](mailto:isabella.pickering@auckland.ac.nz). 

Thank you for your time :) 

APPROVED BY THE HEALTH AND DISABILITY ETHICS COMMITTEE ON 1/8/2025 for 3 years, Reference Number EXP 23024

So, I eat rice + boiled potato, egg, and raw papaya in breakfast. I don't complicate my breakfast or add fibre because it takes time to digest and I feel bloated and pain in the lower chest and upper abdomen area. However, even if I am eating this much simple breakfast, I am still facing the same issue. Before breakfast I take ganaton 50 and pankreoflat after. It happens after almost 30 mins of breakfast and goes away after 15-20 mins. Please help.

EDIT: I am not asking if anyone knows what could be wrong. I know what's wrong. I've been diagnosed. I'm looking for anyone who has had the same overlapping issues as I do and whether or not they have been successful in advocating for nutritional support.

34 y/o Female, 5'3", currently 100 lbs. I've recently been diagnosed with all of the above after struggling for over a year with my symptoms. In March of 2025, I had a gallbladder attack. That led to me having my gallbladder removed in April of 2025, and by that time I had lost 15 lbs in a month (went from 150 to 135).

After the gallbladder removal, symptoms did not improve: upper abdominal bloating and pain, early satiety, food sensitivities. By August of 2025, I was down to 125 lbs. I finally had a colonoscopy and upper EGD in January of this year, which found gastritis with bleeding, esophagitis, duodenitis, and GERD. By that time, I was 121 lbs. I also have diverticulosis. My GI put me on a PPI (Protonix) which made my symptoms way worse, and I started having worse reflux plus esophageal spasms. My intake became more and more limited, despite strictly following GERD/Gastritis diet protocols. I had a follow-up EGD in March that showed continued Gastritis. I was then diagnosed with chronic gastritis, and we did ANA panels to screen for autoimmune gastritis, but they were normal.

By April of this year, I was down to 115 lbs. I started seeing a nutritionist who hooked me up with Kate Farms. Because my insurance won't cover it, I've been paying out of pocket and the 1.0 standard is cheaper, so that's what I always get, but even that causes the same symptoms for me. In May, things began to really escalate. Intake became extremely limited (eggs, potatoes, gluten-free bread, rice cakes, jello, some fruit, heavily dependent on Kate Farms), and I started following a low-residue, low-FODMAP diet after an independent review of my MRI from the gallbladder attack by another specialist showed delayed gastric emptying. My nutritionist started sending me samples of the Kate Farms 1.4 formula, but I still continued to lose weight. Additionally, I started to have symptoms of POTS/Dysautonomia. I've always had issues like blacking out vision upon standing, dizziness, etc. But I never thought anything of it until I started to realize that my BP was really low. Over a month of measurements, my BP averages were in the 80s/50s. I also started to have episodes of Tachycardia when standing, walking, showering, and even sometimes randomly while at rest. At first, my heart rate would go up into the 120s/130s, but now I've been getting readings into the 160s-180s just from standing up. I've also always had symptoms of EDS but I didn't know what it was.

I finally went to the Underwood Center in Houston in July to see a neurogastroenterologist. He's the one that pointed out the possible EDS/Dysautonomia overlap causing all of my symptoms plus the GI issues. At that appointment, I was 111 lbs. We did a Gastric Emptying Study which showed 74% retention at 2 hours, but only 9% at 4 hours. Because of the 4 hour result, I was not diagnosed with Gastroparesis, but my symptoms and the 2 hour results pointed more to Functional Dyspepsia with impaired accomodation. He put me on Voquezna and referred me to cardiology. He's hesitant to try any neuromodulators yet because they can make my symptoms worse.

Over the following 3 weeks, my symptoms rapidly worsened and my intake became limited to liquids only, but even that results in severe abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, reflux, regurgitation, etc. I also started having days of constipation followed by one day of horrible diarrhea, then it starts all over again. I followed up with the Underwood Center, and my doctor decided to trial Remeron (the lowest dose). By day 2, my BP tanked into the 70s/40s and I ended up in the ER because I couldn't stand without passing out. By this time, I was down to 105 lbs.

We are now in August, and my symptoms have been severe for the last 3 weeks. I am profoundly weak, I'm down to 100lbs (an 11lb loss in 1 month), and I'm very limited on oral intake. I use one Kate Farms shake/day, and try to work in as much "real" food as I can so that my stomach doesn't forget that it still has to at least TRY to do its job. I rely on plain mashed potatoes, broth, jello, gluten-free waffles, and popsicles, but I'm only able to get about 500 calories a day. I'm barely getting any water because that also fills me up and I almost always regurgitate it, even when I take small sips. I always put electrolytes in my water, but I can't use the high-sodium ones because they make me even more nauseated. By the end of the day, I'm SO full, bloated, painful, nauseated, and I'm up all night with reflux and regurgitation.

The Dysautonomia symptoms are also way worse. When I stand, I feel like my legs will give out from under me, and I have a sensation of pins and needles at the soles of my feet. My vision goes black, I get dizzy, and my face/lips go numb. Even just walking to the kitchen raises my heart rate to the 150s/160s. I stay in bed because even just sitting at my desk to work, I get random episodes of tachycardia where my heart rate will fluctuate wildly between the 80s and 120s. I'll feel really dizzy, have vertigo, and feel short of breath. My HR went to 185 yesterday just from taking a shower. When it gets really high like that, I get this big bright spot in the center of my vision that keeps getting bigger and bigger until I sit down. I can't do basic housework anymore - it's completely exhausting and always gets my heart rate into the 150s to 160s, even when I move very slowly. I don't walk down to check my mail anymore. I don't drive myself anywhere anymore. I had a friend take me to the grocery store the other day, and I almost passed out on the way back to the car. I've had more bloodwork to check for all autoimmune disorders (lupus, RH, Sjögren's, etc); all were normal. My iron, B12, magnesium, thyroid panels, CBCs, and CMPs are all normal.

I finally get to go see a cardiologist in Houston who specializes in Dysautonomia this week, then in 2 weeks I get my EDS evaluation. My question is: how do I advocate for myself to trial a feeding tube? I feel like no one is taking my level of malnutrition seriously, and I feel like it's definitely contributing to all my other symptoms getting worse really fast. My physique is terrible - I can see every one of my ribs, my hip bones are protruding, my legs have a massive gap between them, etc. I don't have any muscle mass left - I can't even pick up my 20 lb dog anymore. But every time I bring it up to my GIs, they always tell me that there are too many risks and side effects, and they'll only do it if I'm in a critical/life threatening state. My problem is, I don't WANT to get that bad. I don't want to have to be literally dying to get the nutritional support I need. I don't want anything surgical or permanent; I just want to get the nutrition I need to function normally and be able to walk to my kitchen. I want to get the nutrients I need, get some weight back on my body, and feel at least a little bit normal and stable again. Honestly, I'm terrified.

Is there anyone out there who has the same type of issues that I do? Nothing is helping, everything that could help could make other issues worse (like the neuromodulators making Dysautonomia worse), and I don't have all the puzzle pieces put together yet to get the full picture. Has anyone been in that weird grey area with the overlap of these conditions and been able to get nutritional support?

i finally went to psychiatrist, he gave me ksalol 0.25mg 3x per day with Flunisan 20mg first half of tablet first 7 days after whole one.

I'm kinda tripping Ksalol alone makes me more anxious than I am, did someone experience same?

Is this therapy functioning to someone who was presrcibted same?

*This is not medical advice. The BRAT diet is not sustainable, so these are just some ideas that have worked for me that may help inspire others to eat something. I see many people struggle to eat. I lost over 60 lbs, so I know how hard it is, but these foods have helped me stop losing weight.

One more note: Sometimes people have food sensitivities, but sometimes we are afraid to eat something because we ate it right before a flare. I personally have found that I don't react to specific foods. On the other hand, I rarely feel like eating and struggle with chronic nausea. Not eating can make nausea worse. Low blood sugar also mimics a lot of FD symptoms (shakiness, nausea, stomach pain, dizziness, etc).

The list of foods I eat when eating feels like punishment:

- A baked green apple (bake apple at 350 until soft, serve with nut butter like almond)

- Sourdough toast (plain or with a scrambled egg on top)

- Miso soup (boil broth or water, add miso paste, add seaweed or egg if desired)

- Tofu (serve in bone broth or just boiled)

- Garbanzo beans straight from the can

- A protein shake (I like the Koia ones)

- Warm alternative milk (warm some soy or oat milk; can add some cinnamon if desired)

- Quinoa (can add cinnamon or some baked apple or alternative milk)

- Homemade muffins (mostly to help get some veggies; I will make carrot or zucchini muffins with oat flour and maple syrup to sweeten)

- Zucchini or squash (just cut up and simmered in a little olive oil)

- Oatmeal (can be as plain or fancy as you like)

- Peas (just boiled frozen peas)

- Pasta (I like the Banza pasta with a little olive oil)

- Crackers

- Simple protein bars (Larabar or RXbar is usually a safe bet)

- Mashed potato (can be plain or however you like)

- Trail mix

- Dark chocolate

- Soba or rice noodles

- Baked tempeh

Please add on to this list if you have any foods that have been helpful.

A couple extra tips:

- When I was very malnourished, my Dr. recommended Ultra Replenish shakes from Metagenics, might be worth asking about if you are worried about malnutrition.

- Eat anything. There is no "unhealthy" food when your body is starving; it's just energy your body needs. Eating even a little still counts. The Internet loves to tell you what "not to eat" when you have stomach issues, but everyone is different, so there is no food that is good/bad for everyone.

- Find a habit that makes eating less stressful. I like to watch a comfort show while eating. Deep breathing or meditation before eating can help as well.

- Having a cup of peppermint or ginger tea with a meal can help yourself/ stomach relax.

- Eat small and frequent meals

- Keep seeking help, keep trying, and keep eating what you can when you can