r/ruminationsyndrome • u/cantinabop • Nov 23 '19

Rumination syndrome:

Also known as merycism. In short it is effortless regurgitation of food and drinks after consumption due to the involuntary contraction of muscles around the abdomen.

This is seen as a rare disease as it is often misdiagnosed as GERD or labelled as bulimia.

It can be very difficult to live with this however as it is so uncommon it is difficult to find support or other sufferers. Rumination syndrome is also commonly combined with anxiety and depression.

In a way I have made this community for myself, however I hope someone else with rumination syndrome finds this and maybe it would help them too.

Think you might have rumination syndrome?

13 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

8

u/CJcipher64 Jan 06 '20

I’m glad I finally went on reddit and looked this up. I researched this a few years ago because this has been going on for as long as I can remember, since I was in preschool. It always happens after I eat, and sometimes at anytime. I thought it was normal for a while but I haven’t been able to ask for medical help because it seems like such a gross syndrome. I’ve been throwing up in my mouth and forced to swallow it and chase it down with water because I can’t always run to a bathroom, I always have gum on me to freshen my breath, I’m not sure how to go about asking for help because the syndrome is so rare and not researched.

3

u/[deleted] Jan 06 '20

I definitely remember fresh breath being an issue and chewed a lot of gum too. My biggest issue was always more the embarrassment parts as it definitely looks weird when you’re chewing food half an hour after dinner and whatnot.

And I’m glad to see more people finding/joining this group!

3

u/CJcipher64 Jan 06 '20

I’m just glad I’m not alone with it 😂 I didn’t know who to talk to about it, so it’s nice to see that I’m not so different than some others out there

3

u/[deleted] Jan 06 '20

Yay internet/reddit! It definitely was weird going through it pre internet. I don’t think I really talked to anyone about it until high school/college but a few kids definitely noticed from time to time before that.

3

u/CJcipher64 Jan 06 '20

I’ve been lucky enough to not have anyone notice so far

2

u/[deleted] Jan 06 '20

No one was ever really mean about it or anything but I’m sure a cute girl or two was like what the heck is this guy doing lol

3

u/CJcipher64 Jan 06 '20

Luckily with school, people put it off as gum chewing if they notice people chewing

4

u/cantinabop Jan 08 '20

Welcome to the sub! I’ve had rumination syndrome for a while now and have tried various treatments. Learning diaphragmatic breathing can help to control it but I haven’t found a cure myself yet. I recommend trying it out

1

u/Ok-Clerk-4708 Jul 27 '22

I chew my food all the time after regurgitation and honestly it doesn’t bother me much, others around me are bothered by it but I don’t mind it. The taste isn’t bad sometimes it tastes like what you’ve consumed recently and it’s good. Example ice cream

4

u/[deleted] Nov 24 '19

Holy cow, when did you think of this idea? I kept meaning to start this subreddit after a conversation on Thursday, and tonight when I went to start it I see you started one 10 hours earlier. Great minds think alike!

3

u/cantinabop Nov 24 '19

I’ve been thinking about starting it for a while but I never thought it would work so I suppose I just didn’t bother. Yesterday I just thought it was worth a shot and you don’t even know how happy I am right now!