Dicyclomine and antacids

Hi all!
I’m a 39F and dicyclomine (20 mg) cured my constipation. Has anyone else had this response? It comes as a surprise since everyone who writes about this drug here and in the IBS sub says it slows gut motility.
I received this medication in the ER for bladder pain resulting from growing fibroids (yet another condition constipation impacts). I wasn’t expecting that the next morning, I would have the *urge to poop (rare) fairly quickly upon waking and the whole process would last 3 minutes. No straining, numb legs, pressing on bowels, shifting, etc. I even took an iron pill the night before. It’s a miracle!!
I no longer need decaf coffee, chicory, senna, mag. Oxide or any stimulants to feel* the need to evacuate my bowels.
The only catch is that after a few days of the medication, my acid reflux started flaring up (relaxed my LES). So, now I’m only taking one pill at night. And I’m hoping there’s a way to lower the dosage and soothing my AR (without antacids) while still pooping like a champion!
Because I prefer natural medication, I’ve tried ginger, and peppermint oil which are natural antispasmodics, but they don’t work the same. I’ve read dicyclomine is derived from belladonna (toxic), maybe I should try that from an herbalist.
Question: All this to say, if dicyclomine works for me, can I infer my lifelong constipation problem isn’t a physical (kink in the pipes) issue? Could it just be a hormonal and involuntary nervous system IBS issue? So, chemical and neurological? Even when I eat clean with 30g of fiber, I’ll go once a day, but it’s not great. I’ll feel the need to go again at 8-9 pm but I can’t and I feel my colon is impacted until the next day around 2 pm, after cups of stimulates, pressing on my bowels, will I finally poop. This all gets wonkier around ovulation & menstruation.

27 M, 5’10” 245 lbs
I went to my GP for abdominal pain, excess wind, fluffy/floating stool, frequent bowel movements (6-8 per day, sometimes 3-4 in an hour) and extreme fatigue/tiredness. Haven’t noticed any blood in my stool. I’ve probably had these symptoms for a few years but they developed slowly, thus I didn’t have a lightbulb moment until recently that I shouldn’t be feeling this way.
I’ve also dealt with extreme heartburn the past, which I had to take a lot of antacids for to get consistent relief. She put me on Protonix for which improved my heartburn drastically. She also prescribed dicyclomine HCl to see if it would help with the cramping, with mild success.
Of note I also lost about 30 lbs in 3 months at the time, but I’ve been trying to with diet and exercise.
My doctor ran some bloodwork and found slight anemia - hemoglobin at 12.3 g/dL, Hematocrit 37.8 %, Mch 26.4, Rdw - 15.1%. All else normal.
Subsequent iron tests were run a few weeks later; which were ferritin - 30 ng/mL, iron - 51 mcg/dL, iron binding capacity - 318 mcg/dL, iron saturation - 16%. My GP told me to start an iron supplement with breakfast and referred me to GI. Started to get consistent constipation about a month after starting the iron.
3 months later I got in with a GI Doc, who tested me for Celiac’s which came back negative, and ran another CBC/iron study. Results are as follows:
Hemoglobin - 12.4 g/dL, Hematocrit - 38.1%, Mcv - 79.2 fL, Mch - 25.8 pg. all else normal.
Ferritin - 51 ng/ml, iron - 54 mcg/dL, iron binding capacity - 290 mcg/dL, iron saturation - 19%.
I have an a follow up appointment with my GI specialist in 8 weeks. Should I try to get in sooner? I’m concerned that my anemia doesn’t seem to be improving despite taking the iron supplement. Worried about IBD, my understanding is that needs to be treated promptly.

Hello-
With his permission, I am posting this on behalf of my father who has been dealing with some incredibly painful stomach issues for a couple years now.
STATS: 63 YO Male, 5’9”, 185 lbs.
MEDS: metoporol 25mg, hydrachlorothiazide 12.5, atorvastatin40mg, spironolactone 50 mg, he also takes dicyclomine (bentyl) before meals and bed along with an antacid pill when still uncomfortable. KNOWN MEDICAL ISSUES: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, High BP
STORY: My dad has been generally healthy and in great physical shape all his life. He’s still a pretty active guy for 63 and regularly works out. A couple of years ago he started to develop some problems with his stomach that we can’t seem to get a resolution for. I’ve asked him to describe his main complaints and they’re as follows:
After most meals his stomach gets hard as a rock and bulges out. He gets very bad cramps and has lots of gas, releasing gas provides a short relief. He has had a CT scan, colonscopy, and endoscopy that are all clear. Doctor explained bulging and cramps are caused by top of stomach pushing down and colon pushing up, he was diagnosed with IBS. This has continued to happen after most meals. On occasion he will have such intense episodes his stomach will spasm badly.
The antacid and bentyl do not seem to be providing any relief. He has also tried different food allergy eliminations with no change.
Last night after eating a salad and a stuffed pepper his stomach began to bulge and cramp up severely. He states that this was an intense episode with stomach spasming. As this was happening he also went into AFIB. Blood Pressure rate was 174/84 and he was experiencing rapid heart beating. Unsure if that is related but feel it is important info to share considering the hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. It seems that when he has episodes of really intense stomach spasms his chest begins to feel tight and he breaks out in a sweat. This episode lasted about 45 minutes and as soon as the stomach spasm ceased his BP dropped to 120/80 and the rapid heart rate returned to normal.
I want to help my dad find some sort of relief badly! Mild bloating he can live with but these intense episodes are becoming a bit much. My step-mother travels as a corporate flight attendant, leaving him home alone often. I’m scared something may happen when he’s alone. I live many states away. Any advice is welcomed tremendously. My dad has led such a great healthy life. He just now on the brink of retirement and became a grandfather 4x over in 2 years. He’s our rock and we want him to get better soon.

Spasms been going on for almost a week, progressively worse every day. Went to the ER and did a Barium swallow to rule out tears, strictures, etc. but they said I have to see a GI to get a scope and manometer. But the earliest GI appt is in November....
Pain is 10/10, equal to a labor contraction. Can't talk through it or walk through it, can only focus on breathing through the pain. Taking all the antacids, sucralfate, nystatin, but nothing touched the pain. Got a shot of dicyclomine in the ER, didn't touch the pain.
Family friend called in procardia and it finally gave me some relief after a day. Spasms are still there but pain is down to a 5/10. So I at least feel I can make it to a GI appt if I stay on the procardia, but is it normal for spasms to last this long??? Does anyone have experience with this? TIA

24 M out of now were the upper part of my stomach started to hurt a lot
It happen two nights ago, I was just watching TV and then this pain in the upper part of my stomach started to bother me and then later on it started to cause some horrible pain nonstop like it didn't come and go, just constant pain. I went to the ER and they prescribed me antacid, mapap arthritis, dicyclomine, and pantoprazole. They do help but I still have this discomfort in my upper part of my stomach. Doctor did found gallstones but they told that it's not that big to cause blockage and that it could be indigestion. Three weeks ago my primary doctor put me on a low-fodmap diet because they might think that I might have IBS. Previously I been dealing with stomach problems since August 2022. I been getting panic attacks because I been stressing so much about what the heck is wrong with me. Like the pain, migraines, and being over weak that I'm dealing with. I need help to know what I am dealing with.

Have had mostly neurological/headache issues for a year but the abdominal pain/burning was always there but very mild. The past month or two it’s ramped up very quickly and has become real severe. It burns so damn bad, like a fire is lit in my lower right abdomen. Causes a lot of nausea too. I take antacids, dicyclomine, and famotidine, but that only provides minimal relief. Went to the ER for it a couple weeks ago and they did a CT scan with contrast and saw nothing at all. A little over a year ago I had a colonoscopy done and they found a lot of inflammation in my colon but no obvious cause for it, I stopped following up on the issue because shortly after, my nonstop headache started and the abdominal issue seemed to subside so the headache issue became the priority. Only in the last month or 2 has the abdominal issue gotten so bad, it’s been about a year since it was an issue, though it never fully went away, only became more mild.

Hey everyone! I have a couple questions abour medication response, based on previous responses to medication.
I just had my first two ketamine infusions, one being 0.4mg/kg, and the one this morning being 0.5mg/kg. I’ve has the strongest response from this treatment than from any i’ve had at all. This morning i went through an event after my infusion that reminded me of a traumatic event, it really scared me, not knowing why i was upset because of the effect of the ketamine.
My psychiatrist walked into the room and saw me crying, and i told her the situation that had occurred, she started to ask me a few questions, ending in a realization it made me remember a traumatic event, and since she helped me through it during, and made my reaction seem normal, i think it’s not going to bother me anymore.
I’d usual get mad at a person not involved in what triggered me, but rhis time i had a natural reaction and cryed, feeling pure pain without a hostile reaction. I’m so proud of myself and i’m so happy ketamine is working for me. Yes i’m on a fairly low dose, but it’s already working very well. It’s helping with my anxiety, depression, and drug cravings since the first infusion, and now trauma.
My question is, is there any medications that you can take daily that working on the same receptors as ketamine without the psychoactive effect? Anything that i could use so the periods between infusions where my symptoms come back, or somerhing i could use for maintenance so i wouldn’t have to get infusions as regularly as the usual one month?
I’m thinking about maybe selegiline, patch form, 6mg so no dietary restrictions or hypertensive crisis (yes i know it’s not that bad but i’d rather not go through it or risk it), if you have any recommendations please share!
Diagnosis i have: • Treatment Resistant Generalized Anxiety Disorder • Traatment Resistant Depression • Social Phobia • Panic Disorder • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder • Substance/Opioid Use Disorder • Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder Type 2 • Chronic Insomnia • Irritable Bowel Syndrome Type M • Gastroesophageal Reflux Disorder • Gilbert’s Syndrome • Was Misdiagnosed With Bipolar 1 Disorder During Substance Abuse, Now Not Diagnosed
I’ve trialed 30 medications as of now. Those being: • Benzos: 2mg qd + 2mg did Lorazepam (Ativan), 0.25mg prn Alprazolam (Xanax), 0.25mg qd + 0.5mg did Clonazepam ODT (Klonopin Wafers), and 1.75-5mg a day Clonazepam (Klonipin) • Z-Drugs: 5mg Sonata (Zaleplon) • Gabapentinoids: 300-3,600mg a day Neurontin (Gabapentin) • Antidepressant: 5-20mg qd Escitalopram (Lexapro), 30-60mg qd Duloxetine (Cymbalta DR), 12.5-50mg qd Trazodone (Desyrel), 150mg qd Bupropion (Wellbutrin XL), and 7.5mg qd Mirtazapine (Remeron) • Antipsychotics: 25-400mg qd + 25mg tid Quetiapine (Seroquel), 300mg qd Quetiapine ER (Seroquel ER) 5mg qd Olanzapine ODT (Zyprexa Zydus), 2.5-10mg a day Asenapine Maleate (Saphris) • Mood Stabilizers: 250-750mg a day Sodium Valproate DR (Depakote DR), 1,000mg qd Sodium Valproate ER (Depakote ER), 300mg did Lithium Carbonate ER (Lithobid) • Stimulants: 20-30mg qd Mixed Amphetamine Salts ER (Adderall XR), 7.5-15mg qd Mixed Amphetamine Salts IR (Adderall IR), 20-35mg a day Dextroamphetamine Sulfate SR (Dexedrine Spansules) • Medication Assisted Treatment: 25mg qd Naltrexone (Revia), 2-12mg a day Buprenorphine/Naloxone (Suboxone), 8.6/2.1mg qd Buprenorphine/Naloxone (Zubsolv) • Atypical Anxiolytics: 187-266mg a day Medical Marijuana, 50mg tid Hydroxyzine HCL (Atarax), 10-40mg qd Propranolol (Inderal), 5mg did Buspirone (Buspar), 50mcg qd Clonidine (Catapres) • Dissociative Anesthetics: 0.4-0.5mg/kg Intravenous Ketamine (Ketalar)
As well as these medications for anxiety-related ibs: Antiemetics: 4-12mg tid Ondansetron (Zofran), 2-4mg a day Lorazepam (Ativan), 4-8mg tid Ondansetron ODT (Zofran ODT), 25mg did Promethazine (Phenergan), 1mg did Granisetron (Kytril), and 300mg qd Trimethobenzamide (Tigan) Antacids: 1g did Sucralfate (Carafate), 40mg qd Omeprazole (Prilosec), and 40mg qd Famotidine (Pepcid) Gut Antispasmodics: 20mg did Dicyclomine (Bentyl), and 0.125mg did Hyoscyamine Sulfate (Levsin SL)
I’m currently on the following: 20mg Dexedrine Spansules q8am 15mg Dexedrine Spansules q12pm 8.6/2.1mg Zubsolv q3pm 50mcg Catapres qhs 40mg Famotidine qhs
I currently have these meds as prn: 0.125mg Levsin SL did 300mg Tigan
“Recreational” Drugs I Use: Caffeine Vaping Smoking (Cigarettes)
Drugs I Mainly Used When I Active Abused Drugs: (Three Months Sober Tomorrow • Fentanyl (Smoked) (Daily) • Meth (Smoked) (Daily) • Cocaine (Insufflated) (Daily) • Weed (Smoked/Vaped/Oral) (Daily) • Klonopin (Insufflated) (Daily) • Alcohol (Oral) (Daily) • Dilaudid(Insufflated) (Weekly) • Opana (Insufflated) (Weekly) • Phenobarbital (Oral/IN) (Weekly) • Propylhexedrine (PO) (Weekly) • MDMA (Snorted/Bombed) (Biweekly) • LSD (Sublingual) (Biweek/monthly)
Drugs I Used When I Started Using: • Soma (Oral) (Daily) • Flexeril (Oral) (Twice Weekly) • Hycodan (Oral) (Every Other Day) • Ultram (Oral) (Every Other Day) • Oxycodone (Oral) (Daily) • Meth (Insufflated/Smoked) (Weekly) • Vyvanse (Oral) (Weekly) • Ambien (Oral) (2-3x Weekly) • Weed (Vaped/Smoked/Oral) (Daily) • Alcohol (Oral) (Weekly) • Xanax (Oral/Ate) (Daily) • LSD (Sublingual) (Every 2 Months)

Is anyone else on dicyclomine and lubiprostone?
I was put on both of these medications back in April after my colonoscopy after they ruled my stomach issues out to be ibs c. Even though sometimes I feel like they didn’t do anything else to help except put me on meds…
but anyway, does anyone else take these and also feel like absolute garbage? I get heartburn regularly but since I’m on dicyclomine I can’t take antacids along with it and my heartburn has been worse since starting these meds. Not to mention that I constantly have a churning stomach ache along with being lethargic and feeling almost like I’m in a daze.
Wondering if anyone has advice on what I should do in the realms of diet change, prescription change, exercise change, water intake, or if I should bring this up to my doctor again..
Thank you all!

So I've been dealing with a bunch of GI issues for years now. I got diagnosed with ulcerative proctitis march of last year, but apparently that's in remission as of recent colonoscopy. I was still having symptoms (urgency, diarrhea) so my doc diagnosed me with IBS too and recommended me IBguard. It's helped those symptoms out immensely, but I've been having worsening acid reflux. Started taking one 15mg lansoprazole in the morning, then that turned to two, and now I'm taking two 15mg lansoprazole in the morning along with famotidine at night. Most annoying thing though is this constant pain that I can only describe as a pinching/bruised feeling in the middle of my stomach. It comes and goes throughout the day but it's been happening every day. After an endoscopy they found some sort of small lesion around there, but they're still running a biopsy. In the meantime my GI recommended to take dicyclomine as needed for the pain, as she thinks they're spasms. Just took my first pill today to see if it'd help and hours later, literally no difference. Little frustrated and dejected as it seems like everyone else's experience with it was that it helped, so I'm not sure if I just need to keep taking it, like it's too early for it to start working?? :// **Btw I've heard and read that antacids can mess with dicyclomines effectiveness, so I've been spacing those meds hours apart

I feel like I finally see an ending to my stomach issues. Sorry for the wall of text ahead, and maybe tmi about bowel movements (but I'm sure we're all pretty familiar with that here haha).
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TLDR; Amitriptyline is a miracle drug!
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For context, I have never had stomach issues beside lactose intolerance that I discovered over 10 years ago.
In the first week of August 2020, I was struck with a horrible stomach ache, the kind that nothing would help. For months (Until December 23, 2020), I suffered like this every day with bloating, diarrhea, weird stool, and pain. My intestines were so inflamed/constricted, gas couldn't even get out unless I was trying to use the bathroom. During those few months, I tried a couple stomach medicines prescribed by my doctor, as well as tums, pepto, antacids, and natural remedies, but they didn't help my stomach. In fact, the prescribed meds (I think one was called dicyclomine) made me feel stoned so I could barely get off the couch for a few days.
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On Dec 23rd, I found a GI doctor that recommended I try the low FODMAP diet. Over the course of a couple months, I found the only thing that would stop the pain and the constriction was sticking to that diet. Every food that I tried to introduce back into my diet was rejected by my body, besides white rice and small amounts of ketchup. Even sticking to that diet, my stool was still really messed up and food would often come out whole or barely broken down. I lived on this limited diet until about 2 months ago when FINALLY, after a couple follow ups with the GI and having nothing new to report, she scheduled me a gastric emptying scan. For those that haven't heard of it/don't know, it's when you eat a mildly irradiated food and lie inside a machine that takes pictures and videos of your GI tract at work. For the first hour, you just lie there, but after that you have to sit in the waiting room and have a photo taken once an hour for 4 hours. After the first hour, the radiologist came out and told me my stomach had passed the oatmeal through to my intestines 3ish times as fast as it should... which completely explained all the undigested food coming out the other end, as well as the pain. Undigested food was fermenting in my intestines instead of being broken down before!
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Although she couldn't diagnose me or prescribe me anything, the GI said it was something that she had seen many times before in all her years of work (she was an older woman, seasoned in her field) and that there were medications that could slow my stomach. For the first time, I felt hopeful. Within days, my GI doctor had prescribed a 10 mg dose of Amitriptyline. She explained that it was an 'old-school anti-depressant' that was really mild compared to most current anti-depressant drugs (which I'm quite familiar with, as recently as last winter).
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The night of my first dose, I went online to research the drug and came across some message boards of people with IBS. Many of the comments were praising it's effects. Some were saying they were taking higher doses (authorized by their doctors) and that it worked even better. I could tell after the first couple of doses that it was definitely working for me. I couldn't expand my diet, but I no longer had to run to the bathroom first thing upon waking or in the middle of eating breakfast.
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After a few weeks of 10 mg, we upped it to 25 mg. Did that for a few weeks with even better results. I was able to reintroduce some foods and my bowel movements were better. Finally, my doctor agreed that 50 mg would be safe and effective for me, so now here I am, eating whatever I want with no pain, bloating, and minimal digestive issues. I feel so happy to be able to eat my favorite foods again. My overall mood has improved because of that, and probably because of the meds affect on my brain as well.
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So far my only side affects have been a sort of thick feeling with my throat, usually during the evening a couple hours before i take my dose, and some weight gain. But honestly, I'm pretty sure the weight gain was from all the junk eating I was doing right before the meds worked. I was so tired and frustrated about my limited choices that I often ate large meals of potatoes, potato chips, brown rice pasta, and white rice with oils added. Now to working on dropping that 10 pounds I gained! :)
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I hope this post might inspire someone to ask their doctor about a gastric emptying scan or trying amitriptyline. It really helped me!

heeeey everyones favorite dicyclomine glory story kid here.
i was wondering, for other dicyclomine/bentyl users, if (severe) acid reflux is experienced frequently? this isnt marked anywhere as a side effect, but since i began taking it, my acid reflux has been god awful. its better than ibs, though, so of course im still gonna take dicyclo.
for me this may just be a combination of my taking it and family history, but id love to know if anyone else is dealing with this. i wish i knew a way to report side effects, but this really doesnt seem to be a thing people can do?
what sucks about this is dicyclo users cant take antacids. they nullify the effects of the drug, and you can really only take em around an hour after u last took a dicyclo. mind you, i dont know the exact science on how antacids and dicyclo interact, but doctors, the bottle, and sites will warn not to combo them.
tl;dr: dicyclomine/bentyl users (for ibs), did you start to suffer from bad acid reflux after beginning the drug?

Short version of symptoms:
Esophageal dysmotility (0% motility, swallowing intact), Diaphragm spasms (severe debilitating hiccups), Excessive stomach acid, Esophageal ulcer, Erectile dysfunction, Dizziness, Shortness of breath, Chest tightness
Full story:
36 years old, 6', 180 lbs, active, healthy eating habits, non smoker
For 20+ years, I have had sporadic episodes of severe intractable hiccups, usually triggered by carbonation, alcohol, or excessive laughter. They were often accompanied by stomach acid. Episodes ended when I went to sleep for the night.
Stopped all carbonated beverages 15+ years ago. Stopped all alcohol 3 years ago.
Starting 1 year ago, I had an episode of severe hiccups/diaphragm spasms with acid coming up. But it never stopped. It's been happening almost every day since. It often happens in the second half of the day. It has never involved vomiting or actual food coming up. The only thing that reliably calms the spasms is laying flat on my back. This is notably the opposite of how acid reflux works. Most, but not all, mornings are ok. Once it starts for the day, it continues until bedtime.
The spasms can be set off by acidic or spicy foods, bending down, or strenuous movement, but usually are not. On most occasions, there is no discernable trigger. I avoid acidic and spicy things. I do not use any drugs or alcohol. I have fasted completely from all food and water, and still had spasms occur. I attempt to exercise to stay healthy, including 10 minute cardio and muscle-group HIIT routines. These do not trigger spasms, but if I'm already having spasms, I can't do them.
The spasms temporarily calm during sex. If I'm having them, but manage to be intimate with my wife, the spasms stop during the activity, and return after. This makes me think there is a neurological issue, possibly enteric. But I'm not a doctor.
I had an esophageal manometry that showed 0% motility of the esophagus, including the sphincter that separates esophagus from stomach. I was put on strong antacids. They sort of helped. I was on pantoprazole for several months but symptoms worsened. I accidentally missed a dose and felt better. The gastroenterologist concluded I may be allergic to pantoprazole and switched me to something else. I've been through a bunch of medicines, currently on Nexium. None of them have solved the spasms, but sometimes they ease them, sometimes not.
The gastroenterologist has no idea what I'm talking about when I describe the spasms. Neither does my regular doctor. They understand acid issues related to the dysmotility, but not the spasms.
I went to a rheumatologist, and auto-immune diseases were ruled out. Systemic sclerosis was ruled out.
For 2 years, I have been struggling with erectile dysfunction. At first, it seemed due to Risperdal, which I was taking for bipolar. (I have been mentally stable for 2 years.) I had unusually high prolactin and low testosterone. The medicine was stopped, hormone levels normalized, function returned. But the over the last year the dysfunction has intermittently returned. Over the last 4 months, severely. I've been to two urologists. I've been on 20mg daily cialis for a while. I have tried viagra too. Nothing has consistently worked.
It is NOT psychological. I've been in therapy for 3 years, have worked extensively on this. I've had instances where I had no psychological confidence, was sure it wouldn't work, and performed incredibly well. I've had instances where I had all the confidence in the world, and failed completely. It is not an attraction issue - my wife is stunning. I sometimes cannot even masturbate, so the problem is pervasive. Overall it seems the problem is worsening.
Two months ago I was given baclofen and dicyclomine, nerve/muscle relaxants. They assist the spasm problem but don't solve it. I recently tried going off almost all meds, to see if erections came back. They did not.
Over the last 6 months, I've had dizziness, often on standing, but sometimes generally. I also have tightness in the chest and shortness of breath, usually when spasms are happening, but not always. EKG and cardiac ultrasound came back clean.
I have slightly low iron and vitamin D.
My current meds are:
Welbutrin Buspar Baclofen Dicyclomine Nexium Carafate Iron Vitamin D
I also take supplements that are supposed to help erectile dysfunction, like L-arganine, horny goat weed, maca root, ginseng, tribulus, etc.
History:
7 years ago I had shingles. It was a two-zone case, in two adjacent areas of the lower spine. I don't know if this has any bearing on current problems.
9 months ago I had covid. Most of these problems existed before the virus. Dizziness, chest tightness, and shortness of breath have happened several months after recovering from covid. My covid symptoms were fever, low temperature, soreness, aches, and severe headaches that continued for about two months. I was not hospitalized. I was vaccinated (pfizer) 5 months ago. I have strong antibodies, according to blood tests.
I am scheduled to see a neurologist soon.
All the doctors I've seen are mystified and don't know what to make of this constellation of symptoms. The strain on my marriage is intense, and the spasms make playing with my kids often difficult. I want my life back. Any thoughts are greatly appreciated. Thank you so much.

Short version of symptoms: Esophageal dysmotility (0% motility, swallowing intact) Diaphragm spasms (severe debilitating hiccups) Excessive stomach acid Esophageal ulcer Erectile dysfunction Dizziness Shortness of breath Chest tightness
Full story: 36 years old, 6', 180 lbs, active, healthy eating habits, non smoker
For 20+ years, I have had sporadic episodes of severe intractable hiccups, usually triggered by carbonation, alcohol, or excessive laughter. They were often accompanied by stomach acid. Episodes ended when I went to sleep for the night.
Stopped all carbonated beverages 15+ years ago. Stopped all alcohol 3 years ago.
Starting 1 year ago, I had an episode of severe hiccups/diaphragm spasms with acid coming up. But it never stopped. It's been happening almost every day since. It often happens in the second half of the day. It has never involved vomiting or actual food coming up. The only thing that reliably calms the spasms is laying flat on my back. This is notably the opposite of how acid reflux works. Most, but not all, mornings are ok. Once it starts for the day, it continues until bedtime.
The spasms can be set off by acidic or spicy foods, bending down, or strenuous movement, but usually are not. On most occasions, there is no discernable trigger. I avoid acidic and spicy things. I do not use any drugs or alcohol. I have fasted completely from all food and water, and still had spasms occur. I attempt to exercise to stay healthy, including 10 minute cardio and muscle-group HIIT routines. These do not trigger spasms, but if I'm already having spasms, I can't do them.
The spasms temporarily calm during sex. If I'm having them, but manage to be intimate with my wife, the spasms stop during the activity, and return after. This makes me think there is a neurological issue, possibly enteric. But I'm not a doctor.
I had an esophageal manometry that showed 0% motility of the esophagus, including the sphincter that separates esophagus from stomach. I was put on strong antacids. They sort of helped. I was on pantoprazole for several months but symptoms worsened. I accidentally missed a dose and felt better. The gastroenterologist concluded I may be allergic to pantoprazole and switched me to something else. I've been through a bunch of medicines, currently on Nexium. None of them have solved the spasms, but sometimes they ease them, sometimes not.
The gastroenterologist has no idea what I'm talking about when I describe the spasms. Neither does my regular doctor. They understand acid issues related to the dysmotility, but not the spasms.
I went to a rheumatologist, and auto-immune diseases were ruled out. Systemic sclerosis was ruled out.
For 2 years, I have been struggling with erectile dysfunction. At first, it seemed due to Risperdal, which I was taking for bipolar. (I have been mentally stable for 2 years.) I had unusually high prolactin and low testosterone. The medicine was stopped, hormone levels normalized, function returned. But the over the last year the dysfunction has intermittently returned. Over the last 4 months, severely. I've been to two urologists. I've been on 20mg daily cialis for a while. I have tried viagra too. Nothing has consistently worked.
It is NOT psychological. I've been in therapy for 3 years, have worked extensively on this. I've had instances where I had no psychological confidence, was sure it wouldn't work, and performed incredibly well. I've had instances where I had all the confidence in the world, and failed completely. It is not an attraction issue - my wife is stunning. I sometimes cannot even masturbate, so the problem is pervasive. Overall it seems the problem is worsening.
Two months ago I was given baclofen and dicyclomine, nerve/muscle relaxants. They assist the spasm problem but don't solve it. I recently tried going off almost all meds, to see if erections came back. They did not.
Over the last 6 months, I've had dizziness, often on standing, but sometimes generally. I also have tightness in the chest and shortness of breath, usually when spasms are happening, but not always. EKG and cardiac ultrasound came back clean.
I have slightly low iron and vitamin D.
My current meds are: Welbutrin Buspar Baclofen Dicyclomine Nexium Carafate Iron Vitamin D
I also take supplements that are supposed to help erectile dysfunction, like L-arganine, horny goat weed, maca root, ginseng, tribulus, etc.
History: 7 years ago I had shingles. It was a two-zone case, in two adjacent areas of the lower spine. I don't know if this has any bearing on current problems.
9 months ago I had covid. Most of these problems existed before the virus. Dizziness, chest tightness, and shortness of breath have happened several months after recovering from covid. My covid symptoms were fever, low temperature, soreness, aches, and severe headaches that continued for about two months. I was not hospitalized. I was vaccinated (pfizer) 5 months ago. I have strong antibodies, according to blood tests.
I am scheduled to see a neurologist soon.
All the doctors I've seen are mystified and don't know what to make of this constellation of symptoms. The strain on my marriage is intense, and the spasms make playing with my kids often difficult. I want my life back. Any thoughts are greatly appreciated. Thank you so much.

Currently 28M, have had diarrhea/constipation randomly over the years, maybe would last for a couple days. Have also had a few instances of fresh blood appear after a BM, stubborn me never investigated it.
Going on 2 months ago I started feeling sharp pains in the center of my abdomen that cripple my activity. Have had nausea most days coupled with that. Stools have been strictly diahrrea since this all started. Have been to ER 4 times and have been prescribed dicyclomine/zofran/antacid drugs to care in the meantime. Have an endoscopy/colonoscopy scheduled for June to see what might be causing this.
This is all new to me, I've been trying to follow low fodmap, but I'm confused considering I've never felt like I've had issues with any particular food before.
Does anyone have a similar experience with how this started?
Also, how frequently should I take dicyclomine? I've been trying 1 tablet a day which does nothing and my pains always start around 5pm lasting late into the night.

Hello, this post is going to be quite lengthy but it will share a lot of really good information regarding progress I have made on this issue.
I am a 21M and I have ALWAYS dealt with BM (bowel movement) problems. I feel like for the last 10 years of my life I have also dealt with waves of reflux flares. However, in the summer of 2019 I went through the worst flare up I could imagine. I couldn't eat. At all. Eating anything would trigger my reflux horribly. That flare up waned off, and then this past summer it came back. And since then it hasn't left.
I am also an avid reader on ibs as I have IBS as well. GERD and IBS correlate heavily, because backups in your digestive tract can trace up and give you GERD and all the amazingly lovely symptoms that come with it.
Here is a list of all of the symptoms that I have almost constantly:

• Nausea and heartburn
• Bloating
• Gas
• Sore throat and lump in throat
  • especially in the morning
• Excessive amounts of gas expulsion (you know what I'm talking about)
• Shortness of breath
• Heart palpitations
• Extreme anxiety
  • PANIC ATTACKS (dang near a hypochondriac at this point)
• lightheadedness when working out
  • felt malnourished
• Chest pain
  • Chest tightness
• Constipation
• Cramping Poops
• Filling up extremely fast
• Post nasal drip
• Headaches
  • these headaches always stem from my lymph nodes, which agitate very easily
• Stank breath

What medications have I taken for all of this?

• Omeprazole
• Ranitidine (may he rest in peace)
• pantoprazole
• Magnesium Supplements
• Probiotics
• mira lax (every day baby)
• meta mucil
• antacids
  • tums
  • gaviscon
  • gaviscon advance
• dicyclomine
  • also known as Bentyl

Does ANY of this sound familiar. Yes. It should. Everyone on this subreddit knows the deal. Obviously, I feel better when I eat right. Most of the time. It seems like this problem was never consistent. Id eat a spinach leaf and want to die, but a week later would eat an entire pizza and feel nothing. ANNOYING.
The GERD symptoms are really what caused all of my anxiety and really made this become an issue in my life, because they are flat out brutal.
SO. What am I getting at. I recently had a doctors appointment with an office in my local area that had AMAZING reviews. Why did they work so well? When you exhibit these symptoms, they give you what's called a GI map. A GI map is when you ship in your poop, and they test for a BUNCH of stuff. Its a little pricy, but boy was it worth it for me.
My follow up to talk about my GI Map unloaded an insane amount of things on me. Basically my intestines and stomach are MESSED up. Just want to preface that I am not an expert on any of this, but these are my basic understandings on them. Here is all of the things that the GI map has showed:

• H. Pylori
  • I did a blood test for this months ago, showed negative. Apparently a GI test for it is much more accurate and sensitive.
• Low Clostridia (good guy bacteria)
  • clostridia is a healthy gut bacteria that helps with immune system function and killing of pathogens, and helps reduce stomach lining inflammation
• Low Bacteroidetes (good guy bacteria)
  • these help produce metabolites
• High in all of these bad bacteria (which can LOWER STOMACH ACID)
  • Bacillus spp.
  • Staphylococcus spp.
  • Methanobacteriaceae
    • these release methane gas (why I smell like im dying on the inside)
  • Prevotella spp.
• Candida
  • Yeast infection in my gut
• A PARASITE
  • Blastocystis hominis
• Low elastase-1
  • shows that I have a pancreatic insufficiency and am not absorbing my nutrients fully
• Immune System
  • Low secretory IgA
    • Lowers immune response, more prone to infections
  • High Anti-Gliadin
    • very sensitive to gluten

Holy Hell is right. Thats a lot. All of these things cause all of the symptoms that I have been having for so long not. And I now have 9 bottles of pills to take every single day (28 capsules daily). The good thing? They're all supplements. And they're all specifically catered to fix the actual problem.
I learned I have Low stomach acid, and my gut works slowly. Thats why I experience all of the GERD symptoms, because my stuff is backed up into last week. Antacids and PPI's give relief, but they make the problem worse. Because they reduce my stomach acid, which is already low.
So, if you read this all the way to this point and you also deal with digestive problems on top of your GERD, you may look into the fact that it is your GERD that is on top of your digestive problems. I would highly recommend to anyone dealing with both of these to get a stool sample done, because it has showed me an ungodly amount of problems that I had no idea were there. It is a big relief to actually find something to attack and cure, rather than constantly bandaging a problem so you can have some sort of quality of life.
I am not screaming to everyone with GERD to go get a GI map, because with these tests appointments and supplements, the cost is VERY HIGH. But my symptoms lined up, and it is a cost I know I and many others are willing to pay.
I am only on day 1 of the supplements, and plan on posting a update on my progress in about a months time.
Hopefully this shed some light for some of you that GERD can often be the result of an issue much deeper in your gut and intestines.

Was diagnosed with IBS m by the GI and was given some dicyclomine and told to drink a lot of water with fiber to help me go poo. Months after that nothing helped, I think the medicine even loosened my stomach to where I got gerd because after the visit to the GI I got worse. Foods started to get to me, acid reflux like to the point eating a banana was having me burp, try to burp trapped gas (big factor with this I hate it) and even had thick slimy saliva coming up. My chest was tight and pressured, but my primary care doc just put me on omeprazole. Been on 40mg everyday, first thing in the morning which it has helped with the severe gerd I was dealing with but I still can’t eat much. Shakes and oatmeal have been the only things safe and I call my primary care doctor all the time updating how I feel and not getting better but seems like he doesn’t care and wants me to come in a few days. I already know he isn’t going to know shit and I will ask for referrals to another GI, get an endoscopy cause I literally don’t know what to do anymore. I wanna rule out cancer for sure, but I’ve also had done diet changes. Tried the candida diet just in case I have some yeast over growth happening but nada. Things are so much harder cause this covid happening which is what kept me from going to the doc but now I’m just saying fuck it and just go cause I am so hungry. Feels like I have no energy, the trapped burps happen for ANY reason which is so uncomfortable. I’ve tried antacids (maybe too many?) used laxatives in the past (maybe took too much and fucked up my stomach?) I’m just really puzzled by it and to add I haven’t smoked but noticed when I do smoke weed I feel a bit better? Have an appetite and can eat with no reflux buuuut I suffer from wheezing or a tight chest sometimes from smoking so that’s why I stopped. I know this is getting long but in short I don’t know what tests to run or get referrals for, don’t know what other diets to give a try, I just don’t wanna keep starving myself to feel normal, tired of worrying what I eat will upset me or not and I know it can be in my head but when you’re wheezing, tight chest, mucus in stool, coughing up thick slimy saliva, trapped gas (seems like all foods do this somehow), acid reflux, makes it hard to believe that it’s just in my head.
Any advice helps or even knowing other people are dealing with this would make me feel less alone, thnx

I had a previous post here. I can't see a doctor again for at least a few weeks due to the pandemic, so I thought I would ask for an informal second opinion. Is there anything I can do while I'm stuck at home? Should I be worried or am I ok to just wait this out until May/June when I can see a doctor again?
Age: 30
Sex: f
Height: 5’0
Weight: 90 lb, was 110 when this started
Race: Caucasian, Ashkenazi Jewish background
Duration of complaint: 3-4 months, but had mild digestive issues for years beforehand.
Location: Washington DC
Any existing relevant medical issues (if any): E Coli infection, which has been treated. Acute hepatitis.
Current medications (if any): dicyclomine as needed, Flonase daily, probiotic supplement daily. Previously, I was on Seasonique birth control for 10+ years, Xanax as needed, and took otc antacids and antidiarrheal meds a few times a week.
Family history: Father has thalassemia and hashimoto’s (I tested negative for both), and throat cancer (he's recovered). Mother had rhabdomyosarcoma. She also had IBS. My uncle also has thalassemia and I have a cousin on dad’s side with colitis but I don't know what type.
tl;dr symptoms: Cramping pain in lower left pelvic area, bloating, noisy digestion, irregular BMs
Story: I thought I had IBS because I had diarrhea and indigestion whenever I got nervous, ate a big, fatty meal, or sometimes at random. Then I had what was probably food poisononing over Christmas and even after recovering I started having diarrhea every day, along with abdominal pain, tenesmus, nausea, fatigue, and lack of appetite. I lost weight rapidly because I could barely eat. I went to the doctor, got blood tests and found that my liver enzymes were very high (625 ALT/200 AST). I had a clear ultrasound and negative blood tests for anything affecting the liver. Then I had a stool test and was diagnosed with E. Coli, which I should have recovered from on my own but never did for some reason. I took antibiotics, stopped other medications and my liver enzymes went back down to normal.
It's been about 6 weeks since then, and I still have some symptoms. Primarily abdominal pain. I have an acute, crampy pain in the lower left side of my pelvis, below the bellybutton, that varies in intensity throughout the day but is always there on some level. It sometimes gets worse after I eat, or better after a BM, but never goes away completely. I often feel nauseaus and bloated a while after I eat but it fades after an hour or two. I am gassy all the time, and my guts make loud noises all the time, ranging from light gurgling to loud dying whale sounds. The sounds come from both my stomach and bowel area. I also get a feeling of pressure in my rectum sometimes, especially after physical activity. I still have diarrhea a couple of times a week, but have managed to start having normal BMs again. (Also, I haven't gotten my period since I stopped the Seasonique 2 months ago but I think that's normal for now?)
My doctor was concerned about the pain and sent me for a CT scan. The scan found a “small low density focus point” on my liver that they labeled as a hemangioma, and a minimal amount of free pelvic fluid. I was freaked out about the hemangioma, especially since the previous ultrasound missed it, but my liver specialist says it's not anything concerning. I am supposed to go back for another liver function test when I can get into the office. He said there is no explanation for why my liver enzymes were so high.
My doctor determined there's nothing in the CT to explain my symptoms, so he basically said he can't diagnose me with anything and to wait and see if I feel better. I'm scheduled for a SIBO test next. He also offered to do a colonoscopy but said it's probably not necessary since my calprotectin and other inflammatory markers were all negative. Right now all procedures are pushed back by at least 8 weeks anyway. I'm just frustrated that there's no explanation tying everything together, and I'm tired of living in chronic pain. Is it still possible I have a disease or is this just adjusting after all the stuff my body went through earlier this year?

Using a throwaway here for privacy reasons.
First time posting here, so here's my brief story:
I have had achalasia since I was 7, and diagnosed when I was 12. I found a fantastic doctor, Dr. Samuel Nurko, at Boston Children's Hospital who I have been with since diagnosis. My achalasia is not as terrible as some of the other stories I have read on this sub, especially in terms of food getting stuck. After I was diagnosed, I was prescribed an antacid I take regularly, and have gotten dilation procedures every year or two since then. This has helped tremendously, and I rarely notice food getting stuck anymore. I still need to constantly drink with food. Only water helps. Sodas or juices actually create the stuck feeling as well. Acidic foods like fruits/berries are painful to eat, but not too bad.
Although the food getting stuck does not give me much issue, spasms/reflux are a constant and horrible problem. The spasms cause the worst pain I have ever felt in my life, like having a really bad heart attack for hours. I believe reflux is the same, but I have a lot of trouble distinguishing between the two. It feels like one always accompanies the other, and that maybe reflux agitates the muscle and causes the spasm.
Does anyone else have an experience like this? Spasms and reflux are by far the worst part of my achalasia. When they occur, I take dicyclomine or hyoscyamine, however they don't seem to help too too much. Sometimes baking soda mixed with sugar in water can neutralize some of the acid. I was also reading here that warm water or milk helped someone with their spasms. Do any of you have any tips or methods you use to reduce the pain from the spasms or reflux?

I've been having an issue lately, and it's getting more frequent, where I throw up everything I've eaten, then continue to throw up until I'm dry heaving and coughing up foam. This usually is accompanied by severe upper abdominal pain and constant frequent burping. I've tried all the remedies; tea, ginger, antacids, bismuth, acupressure, ginger ale, saltines etc and absolutely nothing seems to help in the least. I was also prescribed ondansetron and dicyclomine by a doctor but those don't help either. The doctor told me I should see a specialist but I currently don't have health insurance and so it would be costly. It doesn't seem to matter what I do during the day or what I eat. This is really making me miserable, it's at the point where I'm afraid to eat anything. Does anyone have an ideas as to what this could be and maybe some solutions I haven't tried yet?
UPDATE - ENDOSCOPY RESULTS: I've just had my endoscopy. It turns out I have multiple things wrong with my stomach. I not only have a hiatal hernia, but a peptic ulcer that was bleeding, along with a polyp. The GI was able to remove the polyp and put an endoclip on the ulcer to stop the bleeding. My blood work and cardiovascular health all came back with good results. I'll be going back in 2 months for another endoscopy to see how this affects my progress. I'll keep you all updated on that. For now I'm just glad it's not something worse. Speculating on how I developed all these problems, I ate very unhealthy foods daily up until recently and I also was a chronic nail biter; nail biting can lead to h pylori infections, which can create ulcers. The hernia I believe may be related to my weightlifting, as I have been putting significant pressure on my core and hernias aren't uncommon among weightlifters. Hopefully I can help people facing the same problems get some ideas on what they might have and what may have caused it.
UPDATE 2 - BIOPSY RESULTS: There was no H pylori infection and no cancer found in the ulcer or polyp. They did find gastric intestinal metaplasia, which can be a pre-cancerous condition.

I am so young and yet, try to live my life fully with these issues, but still searching from a solution. I could use some more help.
---Age: 23
---Sex: M
---Height: 5' 7"
---Weight: 106 lb
---Race: Caucasian
---Duration of complaint: ~8 years
---Location (Geographic and on body): South Florida, US. GI issues.
---Symptoms: Nausea/silent reflux(~8 years), loss of appetite(~8 years), inability to gain weight(my whole life but moreso when everything started), feeling of throat being narrowed and stomach itself full of aielevated into chest.(~8 years), IBS(since college[4-5 years ago] but now pretty much have the diarrhea under control.), sore throats mainly when i wake up(but rarely, if ever, have traditional heartburn), belching, post-nasal drip, chronically fatigued, chronic trouble breathing, trouble swallowing, loss of concentration/focus, fogginess
Also, I don't know if this could be related at all but I'll mention it anywany. I get extremely painful exertional migraines when lifting weights, even when it isn't that much weight, but moreso when it is really heavy. I also have a painful sensation in my neck about 2-3 times per week if I turn my head, I get a terrible shooting nerve pain to the side of my spine in my neck and then get a headache.
---Current medications: Occasionally Betaine HCL, apple cider vinegar, digestive enzymes, l-glutamine, and Zofran if my nausea gets really bad, probiotics as well consistently
---Past tried medications: Nexium, Prilosec, OTC Omeprazole, Prevacid, Lexapro, Protonix, Xanax, Dicyclomine, herbal supplements
---Procedures and tests: stool sample, 2 endoscopies, 1 sigmoidoscopy, 2 barium studies, 1 barium swallow study, 2 gastric emptying tests, many blood tests, the ALCAT blood test for food sensitivities, a traditional skin prick allergy test
I am allergic to cats and chlorhexiderm. I also woke up one night covered in hives but have no idea why. Never happened again.
Hey everyone, let me start by saying I have been to 3 general practioners, 3-4 gastroenterologists, 1 ENT, and 1 naturopathic doctor. Nothing has seemed to work. I have been dealing with reflux since i was around 14-15 years old. This all started in high school(I personally think it was sometime after the worst food poisoning of my life that it all started but not 100% sure). I would randomly get nauseous after eating when I was in high school and I didn't know why. One thing I remember is going to school in the morning and I had a chocolate Boost shake, I was trying to gain weight at the time because I was(and still am) underweight for my height. I felt extremely nauseous and actually went home because of it. There were many more times I got this nauseous in high school. My mother recalls me needed to sit out during my soccer games because was so nauseous during that time as well. Throughout high school, I went to 2 or 3 gastro docs and they put me on PPIs and antacid trials, they did not give relief. I was actually diagnosed with Gastroparesis but then later from another doc said it wasn't for SURE gastroparesis the second time I got the test because it was slightly below the threshold of gastroparesis. The doc from the first test also diagnosed me with IBS in college. It was all mainly nausea in high school, and I didn't find out until later that I grew accustomed to having narrow throat and "hard" stomach that always felt inflated, inflamed, and sensitive. In college, I was on the typical college meal plan and it wreaked havoc on my digestive system. I developed IBS-D for the next 4 years. But now I will get diarrhea only a few times a month now which is leaps and bounds better than it was. I used to have to sprint to the bathroom upon waking and would be on the toilet an average of 3 times every single morning - ONLY in the morning for some reason, and sometimes with extremely painful cramping. There were also many times in college when I would have a meal and literally need to sit immobile for 3-5 hours on my computer or watching tv because I truly felt that if I moved, I would vomit. The interesting thing is that I have only vomited from this feeling a couple times over the span of 8 years. So, it wasn't like I would vomit and then feel better or anything. I would try my hardest to not vomit, as to not damage my throat further. After lowering my sugar and fat intake, I have felt better. I never need to sit immobile anymore but I still have lots of nausea and silent throat-only reflux. I have also been on a trial of Lexapro, and then dicyclomine and both made problems worse with no slight improvement. Lexapro gave me panic attacks so the doc told me to stop and so did the panic attacks. Dicyclomine made me dizzy and gave me more diarrhea lol. I also developed a strange fogginess in college that has only gone away once since then, which is one of the 3 greatest moments of my life.
There were moments later in which I woke up in the middle of the night vomiting and have severe diarrhea, much like you would see with food poisoning. This had seemed to happen mainly when I had meat. It first happened on days that I had chicken, then when I had beef, and eventually I just cut out meat and started taking betaine hcl when I eat protein and haven't had that happen since. I never even noticed I grew accustomed to the tense stomach, throat narrowing, or fogginess until these moments I will describe as the 3 greatest feelings/moments of my life:

1. Throat opening!!!!! A few years ago, I came home from the gym and walked into my room. I was just texting or something and all of the sudden, MY THROAT FELT LIKE IT OPENED!!!! I had no idea what happened but I felt like I could take on the world. There has been no better feeling. 5-10 min later, it was closed again and I do not remember what happened to cause it or even if there was a cause.
   
2. My stomach felt like it dropped!!! 2 years ago I ended up in the hospital for extreme nausea and diarrhea, which I can only describe as some sort of crazy shock my system went into and I could not figure out why. I thought it was something to do with marijuana because I was using it to quell nausea at the time but even the doctors said that didn't make sense because I have used it before for nausea. They sent me home after being in the hospital for 4-5 days without eating much at all other than bananas, pretzels, and crackers because of my nausea. They were giving me Protonix, zofran, and probiotics at this time. They sent me home with those medications and the lowest dose of xanax possible because I asked if all of this could be from anxiety. A day or two later I had HALF of the LOWEST dose of xanax possible and midway through my meal, my stomach felt like it dropped and I thought I could eat a whole horse. After I finished eating, my stomach never returned to that feeling again. I tried to recreate what happened with the same 1/2 xanax dose, then tried 1 whole xanax, and then even tried 2 low dose xanax as well(that time my head felt funny. didnt like the feeling at all.) but it never happened again and I couldn't recreate it. I did notice I could usually fit more in my stomach without nausea happening when I took the xanax though. I stopped xanax after 2 weeks of trying it and never tried it again.
   
3. My head fog cleared!!!! As described above, I had a few moments when I would throw up in the middle of the night and have diarrhea which both resembled food poisoning but were not actually food poisoning(family members eating same foods and such.) One of these nights it happened all the way into the early morning, so once I was done and everything emptied from my system, I had diarrhea one last time but my stomach was starting to feel a bit better because it was a while since I threw up. I left the bathroom and started walking to the kitchen, and all of the sudden, my head cleared!!! I felt like I could think clearly again! It was amazing, so I went to eat something small and something I could stomach. I think I had a plain rice cake with peanut butter on it(I don't remember if I put honey on it or not. I don't think I did because I was recently throwing up.) After I ate that, my fogginess began to come back and since then, my head hasn't cleared.
   

SO, those three moments were very confusing to me because they were all SO SUDDEN. It wasn't like I started feeling better gradually. I felt like shit, then BAM shitty feeling went away, and then it came back later. I have not been able to recreate these things since. I figured this could be food issues because the time my stomach "dropped" I just got out of the hospital where I was barely eating for a week, and the fogginess lifted when I basically emptied out my entire system of all foods and toxins but it only happened that once. The throat thing has me baffled entirely.
Could it be:
-Food intolerances? -nerve issue? (vagus, or some other nerve?) -anxiety? (even though I have done yoga and meditation for 8 months-1 year at a point and I never feel anxious and my symptoms are 24/7[except those 3 great moments]) -lack of stomach acid? -indigestion? -no idea!?!?
If my throat opens, stomach drops, and fogginess clears, THAT is what normalness feels like and I don't remember how it will even feel. I want to recreate these moments but haven't had any success.
TL;DR : Years of GI distress, starting with nausea, then progressing to other problems. Nausea is better than it was but still prominent, IBS nearly gone. All other symptoms still remain.
I apologize for the length, but please help if you can. Any advice, comments, questions, or concerns or welcome.