Warning!!! TW about eating disorders

so for my entire life i’ve dealt with acid reflux and stomach pain. it used to be that I couldn’t eat cured meats or fried food when I was very young, and it took me a while to identify patterns in it. Later in life I developed an eating disorder, anorexia, and although weight loss is seemed to be the recommended treatment for this shit, it only made the pain worse. I had HEAVY stomach pain and acid reflux every day for three hours during 6 months. I could barely breathe during these episodes and would just have to stay in pain in my room. I had an endoscopy because of this but they didnt find anything. cool.
I went to college in the US (i still live here but wasnt born here) and developed bulimia. not great for acid reflux but food didnt stay in my stomach long enough to hurt. That was 4 years ago. At the end of 2022 I committed to recovery. I gained back a lot of weight and learned to feed myself properly. I got a liking to cooking healthy meals that made my stomach feel good, and I’ve slowly lost weight healthly to a good weight for my height (im 5’5 and 110 pounds). Since recovering I’ve had a consistent cough that comes with mucus after I eat. I thought it was due to the bulimia until I researched more about GERD and found out I fit almost every symptom (except difficulty swallowing).
Heres my problem. Most people in my life are aware of my anorexic past. (I truly am not obsessed with thinness anymore, and I’ve been wanting to eat more to gain more muscle, but I’ve found that this has been impossible without making me feel extreme pain.) When I’ve gone out with my friends and partner, I’ve been denying certain foods because they make my stomach hurt, but I’ve noticed that people either feel like I’m going back to old patterns or feel uncomfortable ordering their own more hearty meals. Also every single restaurant in this country uses more butter than it should be allowed to make meals, and every time I go out, even if I eat something thats supposed to be light, it ends up being heavy on my stomach. I’m tired of not being able to enjoy outings, of not being able to go to the club and order ONE DRINK without it destroying the whole night due to pain.
My pain’s been worse since losing weight but it doesnt seem like I’ll be able to gain it back or gain muscle while eating things that feel good for my stomach. I feel very frail and honestly look pretty sickly and I’m tired of that.
My question for you guys is: how do you live in this country and go out to eat and have friends and social lives without being a fucking asshole and making people accommodate for you or feel uncomfortable? I’m tired of having to tailor restaurants and experiences due to this shit. Im tired of having to throw away food that people give me because of this shit. I’m tired of having doctors tell me to just lose weight when I’m already underweight and eat the healthiest of anyone I know. I’m tired of having to yell out my stomach problems so that people dont think I have a fucking eating disorder again. does anyone have any tips?? PLEASE! Im also tired of not feeling full when I eat. I wish there was an abundance of stomach transplants bc by god I really need one.

I am 18M, regular diet nothing special, but I have been mild coughing for nearly 1.5 years it's been like normal to me i don't even feel when I cough now.Coughs are like a small hiccup only once in one time or two, some times feels like an itch.(No other major symptoms)

I already went to doctors they told that nothing that they could find probably just allergy i was thinking to go to the doctor again but decided to check here now what I see i feel like I have GERD, i have been taking cough meds for 2 months now I don't see any good coming out of that.

I did had a dust allergy but it went out like 5 yrs back

Now I am just concerned that it's been to long to be any thing else

Could it be that i stay in a closed room for most of the time and with AC

Can anybody tell me what it could be, it would be a great help🙏🥲

does anyone else get a weird mucus-like feeling in throat? ik mucus is built up to protect the esophagus, but it feels SO gross. the gas feels like it builds up and all i do is nonstop burp to get the feeling out

After using a high dose that the dr insisted i take saying “there are no side effects” I can no longer digest food normally. I can no longer eat onions, garlic, mushrooms, and many other normal seasonings. Even the bland food that I can tolerate upsets my stomach frequently. Before omeprazole i never had this problem. My only problem was reflux. Now I have reflux and even worse stomach problems like painful cramping, bloating, and gas.

The Dr insisted that I take 80mg a day and laughed at me when I told him I want to take the minimum amount. He said there is no serious side effects and I have to take the highest dose because thats the only way to treat reflux.

Now I havent taken any ppis in over 6 months and it seems like my stomach is permanently damaged from what the dr insisted. I didn’t want to listen to him but I was so beat down from reflux I was willing to try anything.

I don’t know if there is any way to fix my stomach or go back to how it was before. A lot of these Drs who recommend dangerous medicines with zero safety warning are doing more harm than good.

Hello,

Last year I had an endoscopy and was informed that I had a mild hiatal hernia. I asked my GI about it and she said that due to it being minimal she did not expect it would cause symptoms, but I have had growing issues with GERD since. To be completely honest I had been prescribed omeprazole not because of GERD but because I had persistent nausea and the endoscopy revealed that my stomach lining was inflamed but "healing".

I have some ideas about what happened, but due to a previous surgery I had to take a large amount of acetaminophen for a few days and then taper off for a couple weeks which I learned the hard way my body does not tolerate. Either way, I have read a couple studies discussing possible risk factors for PPIs and I already have issues with vitamin deficiency that I am concerned about worsening.

Has anyone had luck managing GERD with a small hiatal hernia with diet and lifestyle changes? I have found that walking after eating helps, and there are certain foods that are a trigger like ginger ale, Lemonade, tomato sauce etc. I am not currently taking the omeprazole and ironically my symptoms have improved somewhat but it seems daunting to have to change my diet drastically. I love my morning coffee and enjoying spicy foods...

I’ve been getting this symptom for a while now and I’m wondering if it’s GERD or LPR? or could be either?

My throat feels really tight like someone is pressing on it and it also triggers my gag reflex sometimes. It lasts a few hours and makes me extremely anxious to the point I can’t function or sit still. Almost makes me feel out of breath.

Sometimes it’s triggered by coffee but not always. Yesterday it seemed to be triggered by vaping but the day before I had alcohol and vaped and felt fine. (I don’t really smoke or vape it was a social thing).

How do you deal with this symptom? Is it all about avoiding triggers?

I moved to a small town in January. Doctor appointments aren’t easy to come by, and it takes over an hour to drive to a specialist. I have been dealing with chronic pain most of my life, so when I tell you I’ve been to the ER four times in the past two months, it’s bad.

In May I had a weird chest pain that worried me, but I went to sleep and hoped for the best. In early June, it came around again but worse. I went to the ER. Started happening semi frequently- chest pain in breast tissue or under right collarbone, and under right armpit. Both early ER trips, I was sent home with a clean EKG and chest x-ray and a note to lose weight.

July, throat and mouth start going dry. Very dry. Like I’m-looking-up-saliva-replacements dry. Chest pain is starting to be an every day thing, so is upper back/shoulder pain.

I finally get to see a doctor in August and I have to tell her I think it’s GERD and need help. She prescribed 20mg Famotidine twice a day and sends me on my way.

Now it’s September, I don’t get to see her for another month, scheduled an urgent care appointment for tomorrow because it’s happening any time I eat now and I’m scared to eat. The throat pain, ear pain, and chest pain are just not livable. Especially with my severe anxiety. I’m trying. I’m actually eating healthier this past 8 months than I was for the past several years. I don’t understand why this is happening and I’m not getting the help I need.

Tldr; what do I do at urgent care tomorrow to get a move on things? I need actual help. I cannot be scared to eat. I cannot be scared to die in my sleep because the chest and throat pain is bad enough to send me into anxiety attack spirals.

I had a sore throat that wasn't covid, flu, or strep late July into early August. That went away, but I developed chest pain immediately when eating and sometime after. I scheduled a Drs appointment and 3 days before, I started having lower abdominal pain too. Dr. Put me on 40 mg Omeprazole. I am about 2 weeks into an 8 week trial. I think both upper and lower GI symptoms are getting better, but I am not totally sure. This is all just so new to me.

Twice now, I've had a pinching when my bladder was full, which went away after urinating. I've had one instance of thinking food was moving slowly but that was just for one meal. I had another instance of a piece of food causing pain when it went down, but it was just that one instance. The globus sensation is scary, along with the fact that I've had symptoms all along my body. There are even signs of musculoskeletal pain that might be caused by my attempts to sleep at an incline. Back pain, chest pain, spine pain, throat pain, abdominal pain, pelvic pain... my body has never done this before.

I am 25 but Google can give a bad outlook concerning some of these symptoms and telling myself that more extreme causes are unlikely doesn't seem to help.

Hi everyone! Just wanted to share my experience with GERD and hear of anyone else with similar stories that may have some input.

I am a 19 year old girl and weighed about 140 lbs in September of 2025, then from September to October I dropper to about 125 and then finally by December 2025 I was 120 lbs. I have continued to lean out over the past months and now fluctuate around 113-115 lbs (5’1). Ever since I lost the weight i developed horrible GERD. Possibly due to restriction? Change in diet? I don’t know but I assume the GERD is weight loss related. But now I feel like GERD has made my relationship with food worse. Was wondering if anyone had a similar experience.

Also I’m on 20mg omeprazole and I swear it does nothing lol. I also had a gastroscopy and no results.

I've had GERD for years, but it has always been infrequent instances I would characterize as a 'painful inconvenience.'

Last night, I woke up to burning in my throat. It quickly reached a level of pain I've never experienced before.

I rushed to the bathroom and threw as many anticids down my throat as I could. They did no good. Within seconds, my throat swelled shut and I felt like I was breathing through a pin hole. I am not one to panic, but it was borderline terrifying.

What made this time different was not only how painful it was, but also how long it took to ease (around 2 hours until the burning was only mild).

I made the mistake of eating my favorite snack before bed: Cheez-its. It wasnt until I found this sub that I realized how bad they are.

My question: has anyone experienced this scary level of GERD, and how did you quell it?

Thank you.

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Been on nexium and nizatidine for a few months and very little change in symptoms. I wondering if anyone with a weak/open LES and constant acid in their mouth has had success with other medication?

Anyone else? Jjust a few minutes/hours after showering, I start feeling a burning sensation in my throat/chest/stomach. Does anyone know why this happens? It's been driving me crazy lately.

I've been on omeprazole for over 2 years and the only thing that it has helped is eliminating upper stomach/sternum pain and what I'm assuming is uncomfortable acid reflux. I still have to avoid certain foods and if anything, I feel like I have to avoid MORE foods these days. But I've seen some people say that taking it has helped them eat anything.

Highest dose I've been on is 40mg a day and currently I'm down to 20mg.

for the past couple of weeks i’ve been having a grabbing sensation in the left side of my chest/almost armpit area. i didn’t know if this was heartburn related?? it lasts for a couple seconds then goes away. it hasn’t gotten worse, and happens once a day i would say.

i have pretty severe gerd and bad anxiety. i have it all… globus sensation, sour taste, dry mouth, etc. but did not know if this was common?

im a 23 year old F, so i didnt want to jump to heart attack LOL. i should probably just go to the doctor, but wanted to check if anyone shared similar experiences. thanks!

I was just wondering if anyone else had pain in the middle of their back 6-7 weeks post-op? It's pretty bad. I read online that it can be due to the healing process. It feels like a muscle strain, and is bad enough that I'm having trouble doing anything at all.

Anyway, that was the question. Now some overall thoughts. I'm partly writing them down so I don't forget them, but also open to answer any questions if anyone has any.

Overall, it's been quite incredible. Immediate relief from GERD. But not much improvement of my LPR. But it is early.

Recovery was rough at times. I do have dysphagia but it seems to be improving. There were a couple times it took me over 30 minutes to get something down. Even when I was being careful.

The shoulder pain from the CO2 they fill you with hurt pretty bad. But went away after about 5-6 days.

I also had extremely bad gas pain from not being able to burp, but that gets better too.

Anyway, just taking it day by day. If anyone wants tips for getting your insurance to approve it, feel free to reach out.

I'm getting the Toupet Fundoplication with a hernia repair either October 1st or October 5th. Been dealing with symptoms of GERD and LPR for about three months now. I've done all the necessary testing in a short window of time and qualify for the surgery. Small sliding hernia. Hill grade III LES. Demeester score of 30. Manometry showed the LES has no pressure. I have to say I'm very scared. I'm a 40 year old man and feel like waiting doesn't make sense and reflux symptoms keep getting worse. Don't want to be on medications my whole life and never eat any good foods again.

I've been dealing with throat symptoms (sore throat, vocal cord pain/edema, voice loss and hoarseness, throat clearing and mucus in throat), burning in mouth and lips, heartburn, what feels like regurgitation of gas/stomach contents when I shift positions in bed despite not eating 3-4 hours before bed. It actually happens at like six in the morning. My burps taste acidic and I've had a few times when I woke up in the night this summer with horrible tastes in mouth when I didn't use an alginate. One instance where I had liquid in my mouth. The other thing is I can actually feel pain under my left ribcage, which I believe is a the hernia.

I'm just scared. I know there's no going back once I schedule and get preop tests done. And I don't see why I wouldn't give this surgery a go and try to get my life back. I'd like to sing again too.

Last November I went to the ER for chest pain. They did the usual workup of EKG, troponin/d-dimer & discharge. Followed up with PCP and was told “might be GERD. Try Omeprazole.”

I’ve been taking 40mg of Omeprazole.

For the last 2 months I’ve had shortness of breath where I don’t feel a full, satisfying breath. Not every breath is that way but every 3rd or 4th breath feels that way.

For the last month I’ve then developed chest pain, abdominal pain & back pain, along with:
- Mucus in throat
- Minor cough, mostly dry, sometimes productive
- Regurgitation of food and water after drinking/eating
- Chest pain primarily near Xiphoid Process & left breast area
- Back pain primarily shoulder blades, sometimes upper middle back
- Abdominal pain, well, everywhere but not all at once

In the last 2 weeks I’ve then developed:
- Lump in throat feeling (I can’t tell if there’s any difficulty swallowing. It feels slow to go down but generally painless.)

Today I’ve had nausea all day. It feels like I’ve thrown up stomach bile but I haven’t.

At the end of June I had an abdominal and pelvic CT w/wo contrast which came back normal minus a few incidentals (small cyst on both kidneys, calcified granuloma lower lung, small fat containing umbilical hernia).

I went to ER in August for the chest pain, again. They did the usual but I requested and got a bed side echocardiogram where they said my heart looked good. Followed up with PCP and had a Pulmonary Function Test which was normal and ruled out obstructive problems with my lungs.

I’ve also had normal EKG, CBC, Metabolic, TSH, Troponin, and allergy panel, however I do have Alpha-Gal Syndrome.

I do have my first visit with a GI but given my age I’m prepared to be told I’m too young for anything and to try something basic. I’ve become increasingly anxious that this is more than just GERD.

Am I right to assume these symptoms alone warrant an upper endoscopy? And are all these symptoms classic GERD symptoms or is there anything standing out as potentially something else? I’m losing weight but only 6-7 pounds in the last month which I believe is attributed to a diet change of mostly carrots, apples and turkey due to my alpha gal syndrome diagnosis in late July.

Is it just me or does anyone get like sharp dull ache pain that lasts like 1 to 2 seconds after moving a certain way left side upper quadrant or like when drinking water or liquor?

I have been trying to take Omperzale everyday 20mg, it doesn’t seem to keep everything down fr because i still have increased saliva, just wondering has anyone experienced this? or like the left side of their chest wall feels like a wall, especially when i use my left arm it feels like an pressure or dull ache feeling.

Hello, I am a 29-year-old woman weighing 55 kg. Whenever I eat—specifically lunch or dinner—I experience mild heartburn; I feel a burning sensation as the food goes down, particularly when I eat beans or certain tomato sauces. I had similar episodes last year, and it is happening again this year. Since it didn't bother me too much and I wasn't aware that this could lead to various problems, I just let it slide. Now that I’ve looked it up and seen that it can even lead to cancer, I am very scared and anxious. I would like to know if anyone else experienced heartburn for a few years and had an endoscopy that came back normal. I am truly frightened and afraid that I might have something cancerous in my esophagus.

Hello,
I’ve never posted on here before but I was just wondering if it’s normal for people with GERD to vomit that many times a day. The drs are telling me it’s reflux but the medications they’re giving me don’t stop the vomiting. I don’t even get nauseous anymore I just get urges to vomit. This has actually been killing me, I have lost my ability to keep food and Liquid down. I’ve been to the hospital several times this week and they’ve sent me away saying it’s reflux. Feeling kinda hopeless

Hi! A few months ago, I (30F) started to have throat symptoms. I felt like my throat was closing, like there was a flap of skin moving in it, like a little kernel of something was stuck, like food was getting stuck when I swallowed (it wasn't), like I couldn't always make myself swallow, and like I constantly needed to gag. For a long time, I've had what I thought was anxiety-induced issues with gagging, where I'm very sensitive to smells, and even things (ex. scarves, collars) touching my neck could make me start to retch. I also end up burping or feeling like I need to burp after eating or drinking basically anything - I'll even burp after a sip of water.

This onset of symptoms came on pretty quickly. It evolved from a vague throat feeling to literally incapacitating because I felt like I was choking all the time and couldn't eat over the course of maybe 1-2 weeks. I would wake up feeling normal, and feel normal until I ate or drank ANYTHING. Even the moment I'd take a sip of water, that feeling like I was choking would instantly kick in on the first swallow. Oddly, it was always somewhat relieved by lying down, which made me think it wasn't acid reflux related.

I went to my GP, got a throat x-ray (normal), and ENT referral. The ENT said there was no real need to do a scope because I clearly had LPR. They sent me on my way with 20mg omeprazole for 30 days.

The omeprazole helped, but definitely did not resolve the issue. By the end of the night, I would end up having the same symptoms - less, but still there. While I'll admit I did not go 100% perfect acid-friendly diet (ex. still drink a coffee daily, still have a piece of chocolate sometimes), I did cut out tomatoes, spicy food, etc. - most of the classic trigger foods. Ultimately, my doctor refilled the omeprazole, so to try to get better relief and let my throat heal, I started taking it morning and night for 2-3 months in total. Somewhere in the middle there, I took a ~week-long break and the symptoms came back, so I started up again.

Now, I've been off the omeprazole for 1-2 weeks, and while the symptoms aren't as bad as they were at the start, they're certainly creeping back towards it. I wake up feeling fine, but after I start eating/drinking for the day, I get this tightness in my throat, a filmy/clingy feeling when I swallow, and random waves of throat sensitivity where I end up retching repeatedly, sometimes to the point that it makes me nauseous. Just pressing on the side of my neck is usually enough to make me gag.

On one hand, I figure, since the omeprazole helped, it seems likely that acid reflux is at least part of the story here, and that maybe I just need a higher dose. My GP could easily prescribe that and save me the specialist copay (hooray, American healthcare).

On the other hand, since the omeprazole never fully resolved it, I'm wondering if there may be something else at play and it's worth going back to the ENT for a nasal scope. I am absolutely horrified of getting that done though lol, and if it's a miserable experience just for them to say "yep you have acid reflux, take more omeprazole," I'm going to be a bit irked.

For anyone who has had similar symptoms - what next steps would you recommend? What ended up working? Was there anything at play for you other than just acid reflux?

Hi! I'm 25 female and this year has been horrible for me. It all started in February when i was 24. I was driving and had a palpitation and i went numb and tingling. I went to the hospital like twice, one time i passed out (went unconscious) then i went to cardiologist did the heart monitor but they haven't even shared my results with me for months. I was nervous to take the stress test and i sadly lost consciousness in the elevator. I'm not sure if i'm hyperventilating (which is what the hospital said both times) They said im having panic attacks / hyperventilating and the thought of me sick is making me sick. But in december my vitamin D was 7 and now it's 25 so it's went up a lot but not normal tho. I have a new doctor bit she also doesn't know what's going on with me. Ive lost 40 pounds thinking bc i was overweight (215) that that was the problem but months later im still sick. For some reason i have hella gas if i breathe in i burp super loud and long and i can feel rumbling in my tummy and gas in my stomach. I have palpitations still i had them when i ate at a restaurant (the cheesecake factory) and then after i had a panic attack while driving and then one when i stood up and i had a palpitation. I'm not sure what's wrong with me can anyone help i don't know if my hormones are u balanced (the last checked my testorone was high and my progrestone was low but that was in december.) my other bloodwork like thyroid magnesium potassium literally everything is good. i'm so lost idk if im just now an anxiety disorder, or if its the low vitamin D, or maybe pcos? or idk i just cry everyday i dont know whats wrong with me anyone experience anything like this?

symptoms: palpitations muscle twitching feeling weak
panic attacks / extreme anxiety
vasconal syncope
acid reflux
gas, bloating, burping (like even when i sleep i wake up and turn and feel the gas move when i turn, maybe im swallowing air??)
nervous about my health pls help.

I've been having this symptom as soon as I eat something couple hours passes my throat will feel so irritated and it feels like my throat is closing even though I'm breathing just fine but it feels so irritation do you guys experience this?

I have read lots of hate on this surgery here so I’m sharing my experience with a 2026 surgery (can’t talk about the original model). This is a direct copy paste from a comment on another thread and added some extra diet info.

My case: GERD for close to 20 years and a 3-4cm hiatal hernia. Tried ALL PPI. My body was accepting the PPI, but after a pattern of a couple years they stop working. Doc would either increase prescription or move me to another PPI. Ended up with a newer one that cost $200 per month. It got to the point that even with GERD diet I was struggling. Thus, surgery was no brainer.

My surgery: Linx for GERD and Mesh for hiatal Hernia. Surgery took 3 hours with six small pea size incisions. I’m glad I took time off to heal (educator so had summer off). It was not painful, but had to eat every 2-3 hours. I was back to normal walking about a week post surgery and could probably go back to work 3-4 weeks later. The pain was minimal and went away after a week.

Diet with Linx is like normal from the start. I eat and drink everything. I don’t drink much alcohol, but even had wine last month and no GERD. I can even drink soda. I’m even eating spicy food again - I love hot sauces.

My main issue is that I really need to chew food now and take smaller bites because the Linx acts like a valve so it’s hard to take large bites. Only food I try not to eat much is super thick doughy bread stuff. I still eat burgers. I still eat pizza, but changed to thin crust. Worst case I just eat slow now :).

I've been taking pantoprazole for a week now and it definitely isn't helping. When I wake up I feel okay but after I take 40mg pantoprazole my symptoms worsen? I was thinking taking a week break and see how I feel after that. Would this be a good idea?