Aciphex at night gastritis

I was diagnosed with gerd, acute erosive gastritis, and hiatal hernia three years ago. I’ve been able to manage it with flares on and off but the past ten days I haven’t been able to find anything to stop the constant gnawing and burning in my stomach. It is truly constant, never stops or wanes day or night, eating doesn’t affect it. Worst flare I’ve ever had. Things I’ve tried:
-Gastritis healing low-acid diet (been on for 10 days) -Pantoprazole 40mg taken 30 minutes before breakfast -Probiotics -60mg Famotidine a day (doesn’t touch it) -Gaviscon Extra Strength (lessens it very little) -Aloe Vera drink -Meditation -Chamomile/ginger tea
I have an endoscopy on Monday and at this point am completely terrified it’s cancer since it’s so persistent. Anyone else had anything similar? Any ideas on what else I can try? Grateful for this group.

Hello everyone, I was hoping someone could have an explanation for something. I apologize ahead of time for sloppy formatting, I’m on mobile.
In December of 2022 I had an onset of random infections, a breast abscess (retroareola) in my left breast and an ear infection that spread to the mastoid bone of my right ear. —the infection of my eabone is still festering even after a partial mastoidectomy in July 2023, but that isn’t part of this question.—
Anyway, each time I had bloodwork done during these infections my WBC was completely normal. Even before being given antibiotics. The infection of my mastoid was so bad at one point I was hospitalized for four days. How can this be possible? Aren’t WBC supposed to be elevated during active infection?
I saw an immunologist who did a million blood tests and said they all came back normal, they could not figure out why I was in an “immunocompromised state” and are not even sure if that was the case for the infections.
About me:
31F, 5’2”, 208lbs
Medications:
-Motegrity 2mg -Zofran 8mg -Pantoprazole 40mg -Pristiq 100mg -Pregabalin 100mg -Probiotic -Vitamin D3 -Monthly B12 injections -Daily methylfolate/b12 tincture -Tylenol 1000-2000mg
Other dx conditions:
-Gastroparesis -Reflux esophagitis -Intestinal metaplasia -Chronic gastritis -Inflammatory bowel disease -Interstitial cystitis -Iron deficiency -B12 deficiency -PTSD -GAD
Other general symptoms I have that aren’t related: moderate to severe fatigue, trouble sleeping, trouble losing weight, and night sweats.
I also want to note that the breast abscess started after a lump in my armpit that has bothered me for years started getting more noticeable and aching randomly. I have asked every doctor I’ve seen about looking into it and all of them say it is just an “inflamed lymph node” and won’t do anything else about it. My mom even came with me to the doctor to explain how she had to have lymph nodes removed after a severe infection and that maybe that’s my issue and they refuse to listen. I now have lumps in my neck that I am getting an ultrasound on in two days.

22 yr old male Healthy my whole life until binge drinking episode November 2021. It all started when I was laid off and drank a box of wine on night, I could always put down a lot of alcohol and drank during covid(dumb I know) freshly graduated high school and didn’t realize how serious my drinking got until I am left with this permanent change. Went to the hospital 2 days after the pain and it just kept getting worse it felt like nothing else I have felt before that day and that was also when my stool started floating and was black? Left the hospital after they said I was fine and it was gastritis. Successfully managed to quit drinking until a month later when I was laid off and stupidly it was Christmas, my family had bottles of vodka. I don’t know why or how I didn’t pass out but I kept drinking (for some reason) that day nothing no pain a couple days later, I got drunk for my last time(should have been). I drank a whole bottle of blueberry wine and woke up with back pain when the first time I was dealing with this it was in the front. But after I drank that blueberry wine I’ve been in pain ever since. After that I quit my alcohol addiction with limited success and still somehow drank because I thought it was just gastritis (it wasn’t ). Fast forward to that fall (9 months since first attack) moved out my first time and was going through the vigorous tests hida scan, endoscopy,colonoscopy all that. I had an endoscopy that summer that revealed gastritis and a small ulcer. I thought that’ was the answer to my problems but didn’t know back pain and floating stools were gastritis. So I done my very busy to elimanate the ulcer. I was on sucralfate for a year and the pack pain never went away I also occasionally drank thinking I just had gastritis and how I turned 21 and wanted to experience bar. Drank pain would reappear and so on. Fast forward a year after and it was that June I was just about to recive an EUs when the doc came and said he knows I have chronic pancreatitis and that the only way to experience no symptoms was to quit drinking entirely and that an mri would be better. I quit drinking since then and started taking kratom that fall for adhd relief. It was fine at first but the pain had returned like when I was drinking so i went to vcu for all the works finally had EUs.(clean) mri (clean)liver ultrasound (said my pancreas was atrophic and was told I couldn’t get tpiat. Scheduled me an EUs for December of this year and sent me on my way. Also discovered colitis on cat scan . This was a month ago. Since then been on prednisone

Hello everyone. I’m a mid twenties male who’s had bad chronic stomach problems ever since I got sick with a c diff infection 5 years back. I have ibs, gerd, gastritis, and in the past 6 months I’ve discovered that I also have lpr. So my gerd is out of control even with a bland diet which I still maintain to the best of my ability. Without meds I had this issue where my stomach felt like a bowling ball and pressure and it was making it very hard for me to breathe all day long. I had to force myself to yawn just to take a breath.
I started dexilant 30mg for 2 months and it helped a lot with the breathing problem. In the past few weeks I’ve been having uncontrolled lpr symptoms all day/night where the acid is going up my throat and into my mouth. This is triggering excess saliva buildup and I am spitting constantly throughout the day to the point where I have to keep a bottle next to me. The acid is also mixing with the saliva and making a horrible bitter taste in my mouth so I’m also constantly rinsing my mouth out with water. I can’t even lie down without having to get up over and over to spit otherwise I’ll choke. I didn’t realize that the ppi was making it worse so a few days ago I went up to dexilant 60mg. Now it seems even worse.
Does anyone here have any advice or possible solutions for me? My quality of life has been terrible for years now due to my various problems and now it keeps getting worse. I barely sleep so I’m always sleep deprived, I feel like garbage, I can’t function normally. I honestly can’t take the torture of these illnesses anymore and am at a loss on what to do. I’m having mental breakdowns everyday at this point. I thought the ppi was supposed to help me and it did with 1 issue but seems like it has exacerbated another issue. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

I have been struggling with a mix of constipation and lower abdomen and left chest pain for the last year. I have seen multiple doctors and to be honest, they are not super helpful. I would love any advice folks have. Here is what I have done so far:

• CT scans, MRIs, Ultrasounds - all came back clean
• Upper endoscopy - mostly clean - some mild gastritis
• Colonoscopy - clean
• SIBO breath test - clean
• HPylori breath test - clean
• HPylori antigen stool test - clean
• Stool PCR test - clean

Symptoms:

• Constipation* (see below), irregular stool
• Lower abdominal pain (100% worse at night when I sleep right from the beginning and has never changed), pain increases when I am constipated
• Left chest pain, sometimes to the side of my chest
• Lower back flank pain

What have I done:

• Exercise + Yoga 6 times a day consistently
• Kefir, fiber intake, kiwis, water intake, glutamine, turmeric, probiotic, krill oil
• Tried the low FODMAP diet - going on a carnivore diet actually helped BM quite a bit, but the pain was still there
• After going on the low FODMAP diet, apparently I am intolorent to sorbitol (eg. avocado causes a lot of pain, burning sensation and constipation), I think fructose and even garlic/onion. These foods have given me ZERO issues. I have never been intolorent to anything
• I am doing pelvic floor dysfunction PT and got a squatty potty. This has helped with my flank pain, but the other symptoms persist
• I tried Linzess 72mg - that helped with constipation, but I started getting spasms in my chest so I had to stop

The doctors just diagnosed me with IBS-C and prescribed me Linzess. It seems very odd that I would develop something like this all of a sudden. Though I will say that I was doing daily marijuana when this happened (which I have stopped cold since).
I am also confused even when constipation is better, I still have consistent abdomen pain, especially when I am sleeping.
I would appreciate any / all advice. Thank you!

I've always been bound to death.
On my eighth birthday, a shadow strode into my house and shot me and my family dead. I remember it vividly, every detail, every angle, etched and stained and carved into my memory.
I sat very still with my knees to my chest, my gaze glued to my siblings.
Lily and PJ looked like they were sleeping, and I could almost believe it.
I didn't look at the shadow.
From the comfort of my knees, I waited for my brother to lift his head.
But his body was so limp, so still, every part of him faltering. My sister’s head was nestled in his shoulder, thick beads of red running down her face.
They're just sleeping.
I could tell myself they were— as long as I didn't look at the splatter of scarlet staining the back of the couch and pooling at their feet.
BANG.
Mom’s body dropped onto the ground.
I lunged forwards, slamming my hands over my ears.
BANG.
PJ’s head slumped forwards, a teasing smile still frozen on his lips.
BANG.
Lily gently tipped into PJ, like she was going to sleep.
Before she closed her eyes, Mom told me to run.
I can't remember how long I stayed under the shattered remnants of Mom’s favorite table. The shadow was waiting for me to move, to make a noise.
I watched booted feet crunch through glass, getting closer and closer, and slowly, fight or flight began to take over.
Making it halfway across the living room, my palms slick with my mother’s blood, I thought I was going to live.
Cruel fingers wound their way through my hair and shoved me to my knees. I remember the phantom legs of a spider creeping down the back of my neck when the shadow with no face dragged the barrel of his gun down my spine.
“Turn around.”
The shadow had a voice.
When I didn't move, the protruding metal stabbed into my neck.
“Turn around, kid!”
I did, very slowly.
Behind him, my siblings still weren't moving.
They were asleep.
Lily was still smiling, strawberry blonde ringlets stained red.
I couldn't see PJ’S face anymore.
BANG.
I didn't feel the gunshot.
I didn't feel anything.
Looking down, I glimpsed slowly spreading red blossoming like a flower.
It felt like being cut from strings.
I hit the ground, just like my mother, my body felt heavy and wrong.
Paralysed.
I remember being unable to scream, unable to cry, the salty taste of metal filling my mouth. It was like being winded. Rolling onto my side, all I could see was flickering candlelight.
The air was thick, so hard to breathe.
I rolled onto my back trying to suck in air.
The shadow took a step back, opened the front door, and bled into the night.
I don't remember the pain, and I don't remember dying. I couldn't breathe, couldn't conjure words in my mouth.
I felt warm and sticky, lying in my own blood.
I think I tried to move.
But I was so tired.
I’m not sure what death feels like, because it's like going to sleep.
I remember my last shuddering breaths, a lulling darkness beginning to swallow me up. I don't know why I wasn't afraid.
Oblivion almost felt like I was sinking into lukewarm depths on a Summer’s day.
Oblivion wasn't pain, and there was a peaceful inevitability to it.
It was endless nothing, a nothing I found myself gravitating towards. But before I could envelope myself in that darkness, it was spitting me back out.
The next thing I knew, I was in a white room, a slow beeping sound tearing me from slumber. I had a vague memory of slow spreading roses blossoming across my shirt, like summer flowers blooming.
Everything was white.
The walls, the ceiling, and my clothes.
Sensation hit me in slow waves.
Exhaustion.
I felt it tightening its grip around my brain, dragging me back onto a mountain of pillows when I tried to jump up. My Aunt May was sitting next to me on a plastic chair, her warm fingers entangled in mine. Aunt May and Mom were practically twins, with the same thick red hair and pale skin.
Mom wore her hair in a casual ponytail, while May preferred a strict bun.
I had to bite back the urge to yank my hand away.
Aunt May was asleep, used tissues filling her lap.
There was a nurse pottering around, checking my vitals and prodding my arms. My eyes felt heavy. I had to blink several times to keep myself awake.
“Charlie?”
The nurse’s voice was like wind-chimes.
I pretended not to notice her forced lipstick smile, the way she stood with her arms folded, staring at me like I was one of my cousin’s experiments. “You were in an accident, sweetie,” the nurse spoke up. I could see her trembling hands. “Just, um, try and rest, okay?”
I wanted to ask where my family was, but I already knew the answer.
I think she knew that too.
“You died, Charlie.” The nurse’s voice was eerily cold. “You were dead for thirteen minutes.”
She took slow steps towards me, her eyes growing frenzied, like she couldn't understand me, like I was a puzzle she could not solve– and it was driving her crazy. I could see it in her twitching hands, her wobbling lips that were trying and failing to appear stoic.
“In fact, I just pulled you out of the morgue, honey. I opened up your body bag that I had just zipped up, and told your aunt that you were a miracle I just… can’t understand.” The nurse sounded like she was trying to choke down a laugh, or maybe a sob.
“Charlotte, you were pronounced dead at 3:02am from a gunshot wound to the chest.” Taking a slow, sobering breath, the nurse tried to smile. “The bullet went through the right ventricle of your heart and severely damaged your left lung, rendering you unable to breathe. Your heart stopped, and after four attempts to resuscitate, we called it.”
Something slimy wound its way up my throat when she began to pace the room. “I… did all the paperwork. It took me two minutes. Your death certificate was signed, and your body was taken to the morgue to be prepped for transportation. Then I had my lunch. Tuna salad with a protein milkshake. I’m not a fan of the chocolate flavor.”
She shook her head. “Anyway, when I came back to you, you were awake inside your body bag.” Her voice was starting to break. “You were…um, alive, and asked me for apple soda.”
The nurse moved closer, and yet kept her distance.
I could feel myself moving back, panic writhing through me.
“So.” The nurse spoke calmly. “How the fuck are you still alive, Charlie?”
I think I passed out after that.
When I woke up again, my head a lot less heavier, the nurse was gone.
Slowly, my foggy brain began to find itself and connect dots.
My mouth was dry, full of cotton.
There was a sudden tightness, a sharp and cruel sting in my wrists.
Something sharp was protruding into my flesh, and no matter how many times I violently wrenched my arm, it was stuck. It didn't feel right to be able to breathe so easily.
I knew the second I woke that my Mom was dead.
Lily and PJ were dead, and it was like losing them all over again.
As clarity came over me, I found my voice, a strangled cry escaping my lips.
“Get it out.” I whispered in a shrill cry.
Tugging at the IV in my wrist, I tried to yank the needle from my skin.
“Get it out!” I shrieked, my gaze glued to the tiny spots of blood staining the insertion point.
I could see it again.
So much blood.
Mom was curled up on the floor, lying in slow spreading red that wouldn't stop, seeping across her beaded rug.
She was all over me, slick on my skin and caked in my fingernails.
I couldn't wash her off of me.
“You're okay, Charlotte.”
Aunt May’s voice came from my right, stabling me to reality.
The world started to move again, started to make sense again, when she cupped my cheeks and told me to breathe. When I opened my mouth to ask where my family were, she lightly shook her head and I swallowed my words. Aunt May handed me a glass of water, and I drained it in one gulp.
She told me I was a miracle.
Aunt May didn't say much, and when she did, she broke into sobs.
Her eyes were raw from crying, clinging onto me, her shuddery voice reassuring me that I was going to be okay.
She told me I would be living with her from now on, before wrapping me into a hug and leaving to get coffee.
Once my aunt was gone, another nurse came to prod my IV.
I tried to sleep, but the uncomfortable tightness of the needle sticking into my skin and the sterile white lights in my eyes made it impossible. I waited for grief to catch up with me, drowning me in a hollow oblivion I wouldn't be able to claw myself out of. But I didn't feel sad. I didn't feel angry.
I wanted to know why my family were dead.
I wanted to know why I was breathing, and their skin was ice cold.
Rotting.
The sudden image of maggots crawling up my brother’s nose sent me lurching into a sitting position, my stomach heaving. Reaching for my glass of water, it was empty. The sensation of throwing up felt familiar, almost comforting.
Mom was always with me when I was sick, holding my hair back and lulling my hysteria with reassuring murmurs.
I was frowning at the trash can by the door, my cotton candy brain trying to figure out if I would be able to make it in time, when a small voice drifted from the doorway, startling me.
“I don't want you to come live with us.”
My cousin was peeking through the door, hiding behind a shock of dark brown curls. Jude was the only brunette in our family. The rest of us were redheads.
I wasn't sure why he was dressed up like a ghost, draped in a white cloak that was way too big for him. Jude was a weird kid. His mother, and my auntie, had inherited the family house, so in his mind, that made him superior.
Jude made it clear he didn't like his cousins, refusing to let us play with him and banning us from family gatherings.
When the adults were drinking cocktails and losing their awareness, Jude ordered us around. The times we did play with him, our cousin showed us his spider collection, or the raccoon brain he kept in a jar. PJ was convinced our younger cousin was a serial killer. Several months earlier, he'd happily showed us the roadkill he'd been growing bacteria on under his bed.
Jude’s ‘experiments’ were worrying.
He stuffed mushrooms down my brother’s ears while he was sleeping, to, and I quote, “Recreate The Last Of Us.”
When Lily had a nosebleed during Thanksgiving dinner, Jude collected all her bloody tissues and refused to tell us where he'd put them, and what he had done with them. Fast-forward two months, and I found them under a nest of spiders. Jude was trying to adapt the spiders to be able to feed on human blood. I was surprised my cousin hadn't immediately demanded to see my siblings’ dead bodies for autopsy.
Jude stepped into the room, shuffling his feet.
“I'm sorry about Lily, PJ, and Aunt Ivy.” He mumbled, glaring at the floor tiles.
My cousin made no move to offer real sympathy, instead speaking to the floor.
“But I don't want you to come live with us.” Jude lifted his head, looking me dead in the eye. “I don't like you, Charlie. I want you to stay away.”
Before I could reply, he stepped back like I was diseased.
“You should be dead.” Jude grumbled.
He scowled at me, getting my age purposely wrong as usual before running off.
“Happy 68th birthday.”
I was six months older than him.
In Jude’s eyes, I was ready for retirement.
Still, though, my cousin was right.
I was stone cold dead, and then I was somehow alive.
Which was wrong.
Growing up, I realized Death was not so subtly attempting to fix his mistake.
It started small. I'd choke on things I wasn't supposed to choke on.
Chips.
Candy.
Ice cream.
Aunt May had to perform the heimlich manoeuvre when I choked on a piece of chicken. I thought I was just really unlucky, but then I locked myself in a freezer that didn't have a lock, and almost drowned in the local swimming pool, catching my foot in stray netting.
At the summer fair, Jude convinced me to try apple bobbing, only for my head to conveniently get stuck underwater.
It started to make sense.
I was supposed to die with my family that night, and death was out to get me.
Death started to get clever, changing his tactic. Instead of using everyday things to try to kill me, he sent reinforcements.
I turned twelve years old, and my aunt threw me a huge party, inviting all my classmates. Aunt May was rich, rich.
Mom never explained it, but our grandparents left everything to May.
The house was like a palace, a labyrinth of floors I was yet to explore, and two swimming pools.
I was in the kitchen cutting myself a slice of cake, when, out of nowhere, a dead boy came rushing at me with one of my aunt’s favorite kitchen knives.
A dead boy who I immediately recognised.
Wren Oliver.
Several years prior, he'd gone missing from his parents' yard. The town launched a full investigation, only to find his body in a ditch a week later.
So, Death had sent a footsoldier.
Hiding under a hooded sweatshirt, Wren appeared older, like he had grown up with me. But there was a startling vacancy in his expression that drew the breath from my lungs, freezing me in place. Wren’s death was announced as an accident, though his wounds suggested the opposite, dried blood smearing his right temple and a cavernous hole in his chest, his clothes painted, stained, in bright red, glued in sticky mounds clinging to him.
The boy’s eyes were wild, feral, like an animal.
His hair was longer, a mess of reddish curls matted to his forehead.
Lip split into a demented giggle.
I remember taking a slow step back, my gaze glued to the knife.
Wren’s fingers were wrapped around the handle like he knew exactly how to use it, how to plunge it into my heart and kill me for good. He moved like a predator, zero self awareness or recognition, only driven to kill me.
The dead boy prided himself in slow, intimidating steps, shoving me against the wall and dragging the blade of the knife down the curve of my throat.
His eyes confused me, writhing with hatred that was artificial, programmed into him as Death’s official soldier.
He didn't speak, only smiled, revelling in my fear. I could tell it thrilled him, my trembling hands, my sharp, heavy breaths I couldn't control. Squeezing my eyes shut, I waited to finally die.
I waited for the pain, and to lose my breath once again.
But death was playing with me.
When I opened my eyes, the dead boy was gone, and I was on my knees, screaming.
“Wren Oliver is trying to kill me!" I managed to hiss.
My aunt knelt in front of me, her expression crumpling.
*Sweetie,” She spoke softly, squeezing my hands. Aunt May was trying to appear calm for my sake, but I could tell she was scared, her frantic eyes searching mine. “Wren Oliver is dead.”
The kids surrounding me started to giggle, whispering among themselves.
In the corner of my eye, my cousin was leaning against the door, mid eye roll.
When my aunt was ushering kids back to the pool, Jude came to crouch in front of me. Ever since I started living with him, he'd made sure to keep his distance.
This time, though, Jude leaned uncomfortably close, a sparkle in his eyes I had never seen before. Inclining his head, he rocked back and forth on his heels, prodding me in the forehead.
“If you see the dead boy again, can you tell me?” His lips curved into a smile.
“I did see him.” I gritted out. “I’m not lying.”
Jude shrugged. “I never said you didn't,” he lowered his voice into a whisper, “I wanna know when you see him again.”
“Why?”
His lips curved into a smirk.
“So, I can catch him.”
My cousin got closer, his breath tickling my cheek.
“I seeeeeeee dead people.”
After that incident, death left me alone for a while.
I was fifteen, walking through the forest with a friend, catching fireflies in bell jars. Aunt May was lucky to live so close to the forest, the entrance just outside her back door. When we were littles, PJ would drag Lily and I down the trail to escape Jude’s weird experiments.
I decided to invite Jem Littlewood on a summer walk.
Jem was cute, but in a dorky way. He was chronically clumsy, and dressed like he'd been spat out of a John Hughes movie. We hiked all the way to the end of the river and had a picnic, watching the sun set over the horizon. I was having conflicting feelings for this guy.
Jem was obsessed with fireflies.
Though he seemed more interested in photographing them than me.
The guy couldn't seem to sit still, jumping to his feet to marvel at tiny specks of light dancing in the air.
“I'm just going to take photos!” Jem beamed, holding up his camera.
I had to bite back the urge to say, “Don't you have enough photos?”
I nodded, and he turned and sprinted back down the trail.
Before his footsteps ground to a sudden halt.
At first, I thought he was snapping polaroids.
When I got closer, though, blinking in the eerie dark, I caught something.
Bending down, I picked up a bell jar still spilling fireflies.
Further down the trail, Jem was lying crumpled in the dirt, his camera smashed to pieces next to him, blood running in thick rivulets down his temple. There he was. Leaning against a tree, his arms folded, was the ghost boy. Wren Oliver was growing up with me. Now, a teenager, and yet his face was carved into something else entirely, more of a monster, slight points to his ears and too-sharp teeth, eyes ignited.
Wren didn't look like a ghost boy anymore.
Death had dressed him in shackles of ivy, a crown of glass and bone forced onto his head, entangled in his curls. Death was torturing him.
Wren’s body was its canvas, and every time I got away, he was punished, painting his failures across scarred skin.
I should have been running for my life, but I was mesmerised by each symbol cruelly carved into his neck.
The boy did a slow head incline, like he couldn't believe I was standing in front of him.
His slow spreading smile caught me off guard.
I remembered how to run, stumbling over my feet.
But I couldn't move.
The burning hatred that death had filled him with, was stronger, hollowing him out completely. I managed two shaky steps, before I felt him, an unearthly force winding its way around my spine. This time, he didn't hesitate.
I watched his mouth move, a single curve of his upper lip that wrenched my body from my control, slamming me against a tree. There was something around my throat, choking the breath from my lungs, a thick fog spreading over my eyes.
Following his mouth curving into silent letters, I could feel my feet slowly leaving the ground, my legs dangling.
I was floating.
Hovering off of the ground, suspended by his words.
Through half lidded eyes, I caught the glint of a blade between his fist, but I couldn't move, couldn't scream.
He was drowning me, bleeding into my blood, spider webbing and expanding in my brain without moving a muscle.
Instead, the ghost boy stood silently, running his thumb down the teeth of his knife while he ripped my lungs apart.
It was like suffocating, sinking into that peaceful oblivion I met at eight years old.
This time, though, the darkness was starving.
“Charlie?”
My eyes found daylight, a scream clawing out of my mouth.
“Charlie, it's past curfew!”
Wren flinched, his stoic expression crumpling.
The dead boy’s lips moved again, this time in a curse.
Fuck.
“Charlotte!”
Staggering back, Wren’s eyes widened and the suffocating hold on me severed.
His head snapped in the direction my aunt was coming from.
“Charlie, answer me right now.”
He hesitated, his bare feet pivoting in the dirt, like he was considering finishing me off. Wren studied me with lazy eyes, sucking on his bottom lip. When my aunt's footsteps got louder, branches snapping under her shoes, something contorted in the boy’s face.
Fear.
I guessed the boy wasn't expecting other humans to intrude.
Wren fell over himself, shuffling on his hands and knees, before diving to his feet. When he turned and ran, I was released, slipping to the ground, trying and failing to draw in breath. I barely felt the impact, only a dull thudding pain. I could hear the ghost boy’s footsteps, his uneven, shuddery breaths as he catapulted into a run.
Under a late setting sun, I watched his dancing shadow disappear into the trees.
Mission unsuccessful, I guessed.
When I was fully conscious, Aunt May was checking over Jem, helping him sit up.
“Where did he go?” I managed to get out, scanning the darkness for Wren.
“He's okay, just concussed.” May whispered, dialling 911.
My aunt applied a dressing to Jem’s wound, ignoring the boy’s hisses.
“Keep still.” she murmured, smoothing his bandaid. “What happened, Charlotte?”
“She pushed me over.” Jem groaned, shuffling away from me. When my aunt told him to stay calm, he straightened up, leaning against the tree. “The psycho bitch tried to fucking kill me!”
When my aunt's gaze flicked to me, I shook my head.
“It was Wren Oliver.” I gritted, teetering on hysteria. I could tell she didn't believe me, but I couldn't stop myself.
I prodded at my throat, clawing for the indentations where his phantom fingers snaked around my neck, squeezing the breath from my lungs.
But there was nothing.
I could feel my mind starting to unravel. I nodded to my disgruntled classmate trying to dodge my aunt’s prodding.
“Ow, ow, ow! That stings!
“He knocked Jem out.” I managed. “Then he tried to kill me.”
Jem surprised me with a scoff. “You're seriously blaming your psychotic break on a dead kid?”
Aunt May pursed her lips, motioning for Jem to be quiet. Judging from her face, however, she agreed with the boy.
May forced a smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. “Okay. Can you, uh, describe the boy to me, Charlotte?”
“He was wearing a crown,” I said, “And he looked my age.”
Aunt May cocked her head, and I saw real worry, like she was trying not to freak out. Jem made a snorting noise.
“I'm sorry, he was wearing a crown?”
“Yes!” I insisted, getting progressively more frustrated.
I tried to jump up, only for my aunt to gently lower me back down. “I know it sounds crazy, but death has sent Wren Oliver to kill me, just like my family. He tried to kill me when I was twelve, too!”
Jem let out a bitter laugh. “Your niece is a fucking wackadoodle.”
Aunt May’s eyes darkened. She grabbed my shoulders, her nails stabbing into my skin. “Charlie, I want you to listen to me, okay?” When my eyes found the rapidly darkening sky, my aunt forced me to look at her.
“Charlotte!”
She was as scared as me, her voice shuddering.
“Wren Oliver is dead.” My aunt said firmly, shaking me. Even then, though, I wasn't even looking at her. I was trying to find his ignited eyes lighting up the dark. “Wren died at eight years old in a terrible accident, and you can't keep using him as an excuse for your mental trauma.” There was something twitching in her expression I was trying to make sense of. When I risked a look at Jem, the boy was staring at me dazedly– like I really was crazy.
Aunt May pressed her face into my shoulder, and I could feel her tears soaking into my shirt. She was trying to hold it together, trying to understand.
“Charlie, I know you lost your family,” she whispered. “But you and Wren Oliver are not the same. You survived, and he didn't.” Her voice splintered.
“You need to come to terms with that, okay?”
When I didn't respond, she pinched my chin, forcing me to look at her.
“Charlotte.”
Aunt May’s voice turned cold. “I ignored this when you were a kid, but if you continue to use this poor boy as a coping mechanism, I will have no choice but to send you to a specialist.”
When Jem was taken away by paramedics, Aunt May held my hand, squeezing my fingers for dear life.
I caught her gaze scanning the tree's around us, delving into twisting oblivion. Every little noise sent her twisting around. She was looking for something.
“I'm going to get you help.” Aunt May said in a low murmur when we were back at the house. Jude was sitting on the kitchen counter, legs swinging. I could feel his penetrating gaze burning into the back of my head.
Aunt May set a cup of cocoa on the table.
“No more fairytales.”
By the time I was eighteen, I had bitten three therapists.
They refused to believe that death was coming to reclaim my soul, and was using a dead boy to do his dirty work.
For my 16th birthday, I braced myself to come face to face with Wren Oliver’s ghost.
I wasn't even in town, staying at a friend's house.
But dead boys, and especially dead boys moulded into Death’s personal soldiers, could materialise anywhere.
I locked every door in the house, and taped up my friend’s window.
Nothing happened.
On my seventeenth birthday, I was sick in bed with gastritis.
Still no ghost boy.
Death seemed to have finally left me alone.
On my eighteenth birthday, I was stuffing books in my locker when my cousin popped up out of nowhere, scowling as usual. After an unexpected growth spurt and losing a tonne of baby fat, my cousin had scaled the high school hierarchy, swapping his weird experiments for a varsity jacket and experimenting with his sexuality.
The two of us had come to an unspoken truce.
I kept quiet about his spider collection to his popular friends, and he tolerated my existence until I left for college.
“Your surprise party is cancelled.”
Jude leaned against my locker, running a hand through thick dark hair tucked under a baseball cap. Jude never admitted it, but he was definitely embarrassed of being the odd one out.
My siblings may be dead, but they were still redheads.
I pulled off his cap with a smile, throwing it in his face. “Sure it is.”
My cousin’s eyes widened. He lost his slick bravado, grabbing for his cap.
“Hey!”
According to my cousin, my party was unexpectedly cancelled every year.
I wasn't sure if it was his weird superiority complex, or just plain jealousy, but it was getting exhausting.
Jude followed me down the hallway, matching my stride.
“Can you just not come home tonight?”
I quickened my pace. “It's only a party. I'm having some friends over, and no, we won't go anywhere near your room.”
“No, I mean.” Jude stepped in front of me, and for the first time in a while, he wasn't trying to hide disdain for me.
His dark eyes pinned me in place for a moment, the world around us coming to a halt. Sound bled away, and all I heard were his slow breaths. There was something there, an unexplainable twitch in his eyes and lips, that twisted my gut.
Jude stepped closer, his lip curling. He shoved me back, losing his facade.
“Stay the fuck away from the house tonight.” He said, and his voice, his tone, was enough to send shivers creeping down my spine. Jude had always hid behind a ten foot wall in his mind. It was jarring to see something in him finally start to splinter. Fuck. I thought.
This kid had serious Mommy issues.
I blinked, and the world resumed, kids pushing past us.
Jude seemed to catch himself, slipping back under his mask.
“I'm having friends over,” he rolled his eyes, “Your presence will ruin the vibe.”
“It's my birthday?”
He groaned, tipping his head back. “Yes, I know. But–”
“I think you can deal with the attention off of you for one night, Jude.”
“Will Wren Oliver be there too?” Jem Littlewood hollered.
Jude didn't respond for a moment, his lip curling.
“Shut the fuck up.” He spat at Jem, who immediately backed down. With an audience this time, Jude forced an award winning smile. “Fine.” His lips split into a grin I knew he hated. My cousin clamped his hand on my shoulder, hard enough to hurt. I could feel his fingers pinching the material of my jacket. “Have it your way, dude.”
Jude backed away with a two fingered salute.
“Happy 78th birthday!”
In a sense, I wish I listened to my cousin.
My party was a success, sort of.
Four of us, a crate of beers, and no sign of my cousin.
I was mildly tipsy, sitting on the edge of the pool, dangling my legs in the water when my friend demanded more beers.
I was also hungry for cake, so I stumbled inside in search of the goods.
The house was dark, lit up in dazzling blue from the pool's lights reflecting through the windows. Aunt May was in her office on the ground floor, and Jude was getting high in his room. In my drunken state, I found myself marvelling my aunt's house, and how much of it was left unexplored.
For example, in the foyer, past the spiral staircase she’d had custom made, was an elevator I had never questioned.
There was a girl my age standing on the staircase.
She was frozen, mid run, dressed in ragged jeans and t-shirt.
Everything about her stuck out to me, bringing me to a sobering halt.
The girl reminded me of my sister– or at least, if my sister had ever grown up.
I wasn't sure if I was drunk or hallucinating.
Her flower crown was pretty…
Lily had grown wings.
I was slowly moving towards her, a sudden bang sounding from the kitchen.
The bang of something shattering on the floor.
Twisting around, I found myself gravitating towards warm golden light.
The first thing I saw was the refrigerator door hanging open, and someone, no, something, rooting around inside it.
Glued to the spot, I dazedly watched them grab milk, guzzling it down, and then soda, cracking open each can and sucking them dry, before carving their fingers into my birthday cake.
But I wasn't looking at the spillage of food seeping across the floor. Instead, my gaze found a crown of antlers, both human and animal bone entangled with dead flowers and human remains glued to a head of familiar matted brown curls. There was something sticking from battered and bruised flesh, twin gaping slits sliced through a torn shirt resembling glass wings that were not yet formed, reminding me of a butterfly.
Wings.
But not the wings I dreamed of as a kid. These things were unnatural mounds that both did and didn't make sense on a human boy. I could see the trauma of them slicing through his flesh, monstrous, looming things protruding from what was left of a human spine.
Human, and yet I couldn't call his beautifully grotesque face human.
Wren Oliver had grown up with me, now an adult.
Eighteen years old.
His clothes confused me, a single white shirt and shorts.
Wren’s feet were bare, battered and bruised, blood smearing my aunt's tiles.
Angel.
Death had turned his footsoldier, and my future killer, into an angel.
But there was nothing angelic about the dead boy, his body and mind sculpted and moulded into Death’s own.
The boy no longer resembled a human, feral eyes and a manic smile, choking down pieces of cake. His face had been contorted into a monster, gnashing teeth and sharp points in his ears, a sickly tinge to malnourished skin.
And that's when it hit me, watching him stuff himself with food.
Something slimy inched its way up my throat.
The boy didn't move. I don't even think he'd noticed me, gorging himself on anything he could get his hands on.
Chicken, raw bacon, leftover salad.
When he moved onto cupcakes, licking frosting from his fingers, I glimpsed markings on his arms, a language I didn't understand, carved into him.
His wrists were shackled, bound, in entangled iron and vine, iron that was ingrained into his skin, vines and flowers and ivy entangling his bones, that were part of him, polluting his blood. Slowly, my eyes found stab wounds splitting open his torso.
Raw flesh, where his skin had been torched, melting, and then merging, ripped apart and put back together over and over again.
I found his heart, the gaping cavern in his chest where it should be.
And it was.
Marked, carved, and branded with a symbol resembling an X.
Wren Oliver was not dead.
But, just like me, he should have been.
I remember saying his name, my voice slurred slightly.
I didn't drink that much, but I could barely coerce words, my head spinning.
Wren’s neck snapped towards me, his eyes narrowing with resentment I couldn't understand, hatred that seemed to puppeteer him. Slowly tilting his head, the boy’s lips split into a grin, eyes filled, polluted, with mania.
I could see where his lips had been stitched shut, and then ripped open.
“Hi.”
He held up his hand in an awkward wave.
When one of my friends stumbled into the kitchen, Wren reacted on impulse.
He picked up a knife from the counter, throwing it like a dart, straight through the guy’s throat.
Something shattered inside my mind.
Ignoring my friend bleeding out, Wren stumbled over himself, abandoning his feast. He took a single step towards me, backing me against the wall, coming so close, close enough for me to feel his very real breath grazing my cheeks. Just like when he was a kid, he traced the teeth of his blade down my throat. I wasn't expecting him to burst out laughing, trembling with hysteria.
His eyes were wild, feral and wrong, almost euphoric.
With what all I could only recognise as relief.
BANG.
I was barely aware of the gunshot.
The bullet went straight through his head, the winged boy hitting the ground.
Dead.
I saw the blood stemming around him in a halo before the bleeding pool faltered, seeping back inside his head.
Like rewinding a VCR.
Wren was dead, and then he was alive.
Wren’s body contorted, his chest inflating.
His gasp for air was painful, strangled, eyes opening wide.
Terrified.
“You fucking idiot.”
Jude’s voice sent me twisting around.
My cousin stood in the exact same robes he wore as a child.
The world tipped off kilter, and I was on my knees, then my stomach.
I sunk to the floor, my thoughts swimming.
Jude’s murmur followed me, creeping into the dark.
“I told you not to come home.”
I can't remember how long I was unconscious for.
When I woke, I was dressed in an evening gown, a dress that used to be my mother’s.
My vision cleared, and I found myself sitting in an unfamiliar room resembling an abandoned swimming hall.
The pool itself was empty, the bottom stained revealing scarlet.
There were symbols carved into each tile.
Like a game.
“Sit up straight, Charlotte.”
I was sitting at a banquet.
Jude was in front of me, sipping on wine.
He caught my eye for half a second before averting his gaze.
At the far end of the table sat my aunt May.
Kissing the rim of her glass, her smile was twisted.
“I've been waiting so long to give you your birthday presents, Charlotte. Your memories should be returning soon.”
“Mom.” Jude muttered, hiding behind his glass. “Calm down. You're embarrassing yourself.”
Ignoring my cousin, May tapped her glass with a fork, and in walked my birthday presents.
No, dragged.
By their hair.
Wren Oliver, the dead boy, was in fact my aunt's prisoner.
Behind him, was the girl who looked so much like Lily.
I think that's why my aunt chose her.
Aunt May cleared her throat.
“For a long time, our family has lived among creatures who live in the forest you played inside. In exchange for keeping this town safe, they only ask for small favors. Wayward children who disappear into the woods are good enough payment. Charlie, you and your siblings do not share our inheritance. Your mother never wanted fae children. She wanted you to be human.”
Aunt May’s smile faded.
“After losing my sister, and my niece and nephew, I made a deal to give my last surviving niece 100 years of life.”
Her words were white noise, my gaze glued to my birthday presents. I couldn't call them human anymore.
I couldn't call Wren human, when his face was so beautifully grotesque, painfully hypnotising.
The monstrous things sticking from twin slits in his back were supposed to be wings, except they looked wrong, cruelly protruding from his exposed spine. Under the influence of alcohol earlier, the girl made me smile.
Her wings, to me, looked like one of a real fairy.
In reality, they were torn and shredded apart, bigger than the girl herself.
When she dropped onto her stomach, she was dragged back to her feet, her knees buckling under the weight. Her tiara of flowers and bone looked pretty to me when I saw her on the stairs.
Now, though, I could see the pearly white of a human child's skull forced onto her head, dead flowers threaded through cavernous, gaping eye sockets.
The two of them were violently shoved into the empty pool.
“Jude. Please demonstrate, sweetheart.”
Jude stood, pulling out a gun, and aiming it at the winged girl.
BANG.
The girl’s body hit the tiles, her blood seeping across stained white.
“Now, of course, our king did not give you life for free.” May continued.
“The King demanded a debt, as well as two heirs to join him in his court once your hundred years were complete.”
Her lips quirked into a smile.
“The king is smart. If a child cannot be stolen from the human world, they can, however, be made, moulded and shaped from their human forms, skinned of their humanity through their suffering, leaving a hollowed out shell in the child's place.” She was speaking so casually, ignoring Wren’s whimpers.
“The conversion takes a while. 100 years to birth a fully blooded fae heir, who will lose their human memories, in preparation to join their new family.”
Jude shot Wren in the chest, his eyes empty.
This time, he dropped his weapon, using finger-guns instead.
“Bang.” He deadpanned.
Then the neck.
I watched Wren come back to life, and then die.
Over and over again.
I think at one point, he screamed and cried.
But not now.
He was their puppet on display, dancing for their entertainment.
Half lidded eyes drowned in oblivion found mine, and I understood his hatred.
Before he was shot again.
Stabbed.
Branded and burned, and ripped apart.
At some point, I screamed at them to stop. I couldn't breathe, slamming my hands over my ears and begging them.
Aunt May didn't listen, ordering for my hands to be tied down.
“The King required two human sacrifices to suffer in your place.” She concluded. “For one hundred years.”
Aunt May’s smile was suddenly sad, and she lifted her glass in a toast.
I was watching their blood trickle down each tile in the pool, like every death, every time they suffered, my body became progressively less human.
I felt disgusting. I wasn't supposed to be alive. Every single year of my life, every breath I had taken, was stolen.
Aunt May nodded at me, her lips forming a proud smile. She stood up, and was handed a sacrificial knife.
Climbing into the swimming pool herself, she strode over to Wren.
The boy slumped to the floor, trembling, his knees against his chest.
Aunt May grabbed him by the hair, forcing his head up, and sliced the blade across his throat.
His eyes flicked to me, and I swore he smiled.
Spots of red dotted yellowing tiles, a river trickling under my aunt's heels.
“Happy 78th birthday, Charlotte.”
Last night ended with me being locked in my room.
It's been almost 15 hours, and the door is still locked. Please help me. I'm fucking terrified of what my aunt is planning.
I can't stop shgajing. FycjbfucibFUCK
If she is telling the truth, I shouldn't be here, right??
And I can't stop thinking.
Is Wren Oliver trying to kill me, or himself?

Hello — I joined this Reddit group a few months ago after my diagnosis, but have been hesitant to post questions for the mere thought “maybe my gastroparesis isn’t bad enough to post and might be insensitive”. While I am struggling I do want to preface my questions may not be the typical.
I was officially diagnosed with GP March 2024, after conducting a study and having over 30% at 4 hour mark, so technically a moderate case. However, I know I’ve had this since 2018 when I first found out I had H pylori and gastritis, but only took care of the H.pylori. It never really because an issue I couldn’t manage until last year 2023. I suffered, what I now know as gallbladder attacks for 6 months until lNovember 2023. I underwent emergency surgery to remove my gallbladder (my liver enzymes were through the roof and extremely swollen gallbladder and severe pain). Then, my GP came back with vengeance. However, my doctors and I didn’t know this - I just knew that I was severely constipated and had opposite expected symptoms from gallbladder removal (didn’t have extreme diarrhea etc.). I still had abdominal pain. So my doc started prescribing me Linzess, Bentyl, Protonix to manage systems. Didn’t work. Stopped Linzess as I couldn’t leave the restroom all day. Took Bentyl only for emergencies. Zoltan for those quest days. I finally Had a study done (the radioactive eggs and toast) and had elevated levels at the 2 & 4 hour mark. I was the prescribed Mirtazapine for nighttime. Three months later I’ve gained all the weight I lost from gallbladder surgery. I’m almost obese category. I cannot find anything material or Reddit subgroups that align with what I’m going through. I have no energy. I am ravenous at night. I feel sick the following morning like hung over. The only thing that helps is my daily ADHD meds (Vyvanse) which makes me go and empties my stomach.
I’m tired of taking all the meds. Is anyone going through this? Feeling full and bloated but have pills to make you feel better, only to eat more or pass you out? I hate it. I’m a single mother and losing quality time with her. I can’t keep up.
Full meds I take
Morning: Protonix, Vyvanse, Wellbutrin
Day: Zofran and/or Bentyl for severe pain
Night: Mirtazapine (or clonazepan when I’m feeling anxious)
Weight:Nov 2023 130 pounds Weight: May 2024 155 pounds Height: 5’0

TLDR Meloxicam caused my gastritis but testosterone made sure it didn’t go away. Let me explain.
I was prescribed meloxicam for an injured shoulder. Within two days, I started having symptoms at night of severe burning that didn’t stop for eight months. I quit the meloxicam after those two days and within two months went to see a gastroenterologist, and he performed a endoscopy and took a sample of my gastritis where he said it was mild. I suffered every day every hour every minute. I have been on testosterone for more than 12 years. While I was suffering, I took myself off of every medication that I have been prescribed except testosterone. I never thought TRT would have caused or exacerbated stomach issues. I went to three different doctors who looked at my medication’s and never said one word about testosterone. At the end of eight months I was suffering panic attacks, thoughts of self harm and at the end of my rope. One night I took it upon myself to look up testosterone as that was the only medication I had not tried to get off and found an NIH study about how testosterone spikes DHT and estrogen levels which can cause severe stomach issues and acid levels. Mind you, I religiously took this medicine every day. The next day, I did not take the testosterone and felt better. The day after I did not take it and I felt wonderful. I have been off three weeks and have not had a recurrence of pain. my hope is that this thread will serve just one person who’s on TRT and maybe give them some information on how to help themselves. Please talk to your doctor as this is not medical advice.
I will tell you during the eight months I tried all natural remedies, pharmaceutical remedies and hocus-pocus that you could think of. I will tell you what ended up working for me at least alleviated some of the nausea and gave me a little bit of comfort again this is not medical advice , but I was taking 40 mg of omeprazole in the morning and 40 mg of omeprazole in the evening and two hours before bed 40 mg of Pepcid AC. Also, and I swear by this I bought aloe vera, which had the inside pulp and juice not the leaf right before bed and settled any indigestion I could’ve had so I could at least fall asleep. Before I started taking Pepcid AC and aloe vera I would try to go to sleep horizontal and the pain was so intense, I would have to try to fall asleep at a 90° angle until my stomach settled down.
I just want to give a PSA about omeprazole and the fact that most people take this medication wrong. You have to take this medicine on an empty stomach and 30 min to 1 hour you must eat something. My family has had Gerd forever as long as I can think of and not one doctor ever told me how to take this medicine correctly or explain how it acts in your stomach. Does not like H2 medicine where it binds to acid, but it must go into your bloodstream where it makes its way to your stomach and shuts off the little valves that create acid. That’s why you must wait to eat so that your stomach pumps are creating acid at their peak and the stomach pumps are open. The medicine goes in like a brigade and shut them down. You already know how this medicine works, but just on the offset someone does not here’s the explanation.
As many have said, gastritis is a symptom and not the cause you must find the right doctor that is willing to listen to you to find the cause .
Stay strong and my sympathy is with you all .

Male in late 30s. About 10 days ago I ate lunch and have not been the same since. Stomach and guts feel like they seized up, back hurts. Been eating better for 2-3 days on PPI for suspected GERD/GASTRITIS. Been waking up at 3-4 with night sweats.
Biggest concern is I have lost 12-15 lbs since, I feel weak and shaky and the weight seems to be coming off fast. I have seen 5 doctors. Done 3 blood panels and urinalysis, that are normal, had an abdominal ultrasound (normal), awaiting colonoscopy and endoscopy. Everyone thinks this is going to resolve.
Last few weeks, urine had been darker yellow (not orange or brown), but I am not one to drink a lot of water, so I started drinking more. I had a bout of sore crampy leg muscles and since hydrating more it went away.
I have a feeling of impedning doom and that something was missed on the ultrasound. Is it likely something like pancreatic or liver cancer that would make me lose so much weight and feel so sick would be missed on an abdominal US and bloodwork?
I had a similar episode a few months prior, but after 2-3 days of stomach cramps and pain everything went back to normal. I did travel to a south destination and my first incident like this was a week after that travel.
Stool has never been grey or clay, I have no jaundice on my skin or in my eyes.
I am shaky and feel weak. When I initially got US results, I felt better and had a good day, but was not well again overnight. No vomiting or diarrhea.
I did swallow a nicotine pouch about a month prior by accident. Is it possible that that has really messed up my system? Not sure why it took so long to cause issues.
At the moment I am shaky, thirsty, losing weight and waiting for my stomach and back to feel better. Not sure it ever will.
Doctors don't want to seem to do more, I felt I would have benefited from a CT scan.

Me (23) and my girlfriend (23) first met when we were in 8th grade, we instantly felt as if we knew each other from somewhere before. She was dating my best friend from that time but we clicked as best friends. We started teasing and making jokes to each other. They broke up soon afterwards and for some reason my friend (her ex) thought we would be a great match. He got us talking and we blew off. We were little kids but loved each other like nothing else in the world, at eight grade my life revolved around her and her’s around mine. We were obsessed. Her mom didn’t let us go to dates cause thats a grown up thing, so we resorted to parties. I am not kidding you, we did nothing but kiss and cuddle those entire nights, people mocked us but we didnt care, we were enjoying each other. We were obviously very immature and our relationship got a bit toxic and we ended up breaking up. We lasted a year and three months.
After I graduated HS, I got into a fire accident and posted a picture of my burns on insta. She wrote to me asking if I was ok and we talked about the incident. I told her that Ive been thinking about her throughout the years and wanted to let her know about my life and know about hers but she had another boyfriend and I didnt want to be that guy. She told me she also has been wanting to do the same but didnt dare to do so.
We met up the next day and it felt as if time hadn’t passed, it felt like we were together all that time, like we never became strangers. We had sex in her car and after that we kicked it off again, it felt like we were kids again, everything was beautiful.
Pass 5 years and we’re still together, we were still at our parents house be we basically lived together. We couldnt be apart for more than 2 days and when it happened we both got sad and a bit desperate without each other. She was my whole world, the only plans that I had figured out was her, we planned buy a house together, to marry at 30, have kids at 32. She was gonna become an interior designer and I am working to make and direct movies. Everything seemed surreal with how much love we had for each other.
On Wednesday, May 8th, she woke up with a hangover cause she was drinking with her coworkers. She had a terrible gastritis because she hadnt eaten before drinking. I was at home and she called me that she was hurting. A lot. I went to her house to nurture her, make her get hydrated and tried to feed her some food. Everything that she ate or drank made her hurt more but I kept trying because usually thats what makes a hangover better. Her hands started getting stiff because of the dehydration and just there her mom arrived. We took her to the hospital and they took like 5 hours to get her in, when she got in, me and her mother went quickly to her house to get pillows and blankets. We didnt take more than 10 minutes. Her mom went straight back and I went to get me and her some food. As Im in line, her mother calls me crying telling me my gfs is seizing. I panicked and rushed to the hospital and when I got there my girlfriend, my beautiful Kiana had died. I collapsed, I wanted to kill myself. I thought it was unfair that she left and I was there all alone.
Four days have passed and I haven’t been able to eat anything, my family is forcing me to drink watwr and pedialyte. I havent been able to do much but lay in bed and smell her clothes. I wonder if I couldve done anything different to save her. I wished I would’ve appreciated her more and I wished I wouldve gave her the world. Im not sure if she died knowing how much I love her and how much I would do for her. I just wish I was there the moment it happened.
She was my whole world and I dont know how to keep going without her. Eating feels guilty, drinking feels guilty, writing feels guilty, anything that isnt me dreading absence feels guilty.
Sorry for the long post, I just wanted the world to know how much I loved her.
Edit: thank you everybody for your kind and comforting words and stories. You have helped me cry and get it out today. It feels good to know Im not the only going through this and feeling all these shitty feelings.
Edit 2: your messages made me feel a lot better guys. It was the first that I willingly got off the bed, I took a shower, and its the first day I’ve eaten since everything happened. I asked my mom to get me her favorite sushi and ate the entire roll. I had no idea that the words from strangers could do so much. Thank you everybody.

Like a few people on this sub, I've ordered those Panaxea supplements. After seeing several people report no changes, I felt discouraged but I didn't want my money to go to waste so I gave them a shot anyway. I started taking them Monday night and have been taking 3 during the day and another 3 in the evening. I've been taking them with meals since I didn't feel comfortable taking them on an empty stomach. I think it reduced the severity of my bb!
I am not exaggerating when I say I had room filling bb. One of my low points was when I was just taking a walk outside in my neighborhood when a guy with his dog who were walking at least 15 feet behind me and he gave me this disgusted look on his face like "What's that smell?!" I know he finds me repulsive because I ran into him twice (the neighborhood is in a series of cul-de-sacs) and he straight up took his dog to turn around! I also once had a group of strangers in a subway car yell "it smells like sh!t in here!" and one of the women sprayed perfume in my direction.
Anyway yesterday I went to a new primary care office to meet my new provider. Where I live, no one wears masks anymore so I kept my distance when speaking to the receptionist, fearing I'd get treated badly as usual. Instead, she was so warm, friendly and no reactions! It was a very busy office so other patients kept coming in and people were able to sit near me without making disgusted faces at me. There was a mother with her young toddler daughter who sat about 5 feet in front of me and we all know how brutally honest children can be. None of them seemed to notice me. I get called by the medical assistant and she had to take my height where I had to stand with my back against the wall/ruler and she had to get real close to me to read the measurement - no reaction. Maybe she was just very polite but then again, I've worked in a hospital before (prior to getting kicked out) and some medical professionals are not always polite.
Today, I had to go to Target (it's a big box store that sells clothing, some grocery items, over-the-counter medicine, general house supplies, etc for those of you who live outside the US) and when I was using the self-checkout, this lady with who I assume is her boyfriend used the self-checkout machine directly next to me when literally all the other machines are free and not out-of-order. I thought if I still had my room-filling bb, they would use a machine that is furthest away from me.
I know we all have different sources of what is causing our bb. I was previously diagnosed with gastritis (took all kinds of PPIs and they didn't work). My old dentist had me do a saliva test and she confirmed that my oral health is great; the bad bacteria was coming from my gut. I've been on a strict vegan diet previously for 4 months, ate zinc tablets, drank alkaline water, chewed on cloves which only gave me bad headaches and those didn't help with my bb. Anyway I just wanted to say that there is hope!

My first post from a couple months ago is my last post made on my profile (reddit mobile wouldn't let me link)
31F, 5'4", 110lbs, white.
Medications: 150mg Bupropion(wellbutrin) & 5mg escitalipram(lexapro) daily in the am
Diagnosed with IBS about a decade ago, cut out gluten to try to help it. I poop every morning, regularly. Sometimes a bit constipated if I eat a lot of junk. But always at least 1 daily normal poop.
Last night I started having pretty bad lower abdominal cramps. It was the last day of my period (so just spotting - period cramps on any day but my first 2 is unusual), which also came a week early - also very unusual as I track my cycle and it's always very consistent. The cramps began around 9pm, steadily got worse to the point I was doubling over and struggling to walk. I tried to just sleep it off around 11pm, but I woke up to the extreme pain being much worse at 1245am. I had to crawl myself to my bathroom because I thought I might vomit. (I didnt) while I was crawling, I somehow passed out as well. I think for only about 10 minutes or so, because when I came to I was drenched in sweat, my hands and feet were pins & needles, I felt like I was going to vomit still, and it was 1255am.
My body was screaming that something was wrong, and since I live alone I called 911. They all immediately figured it was my appendix bursting. I thought so too. I was having severe contracting-like pain coming in waves in my entire pelvic area below my bellybutton. Any type of movement, especially of my legs or bending at the knee would send shooting pain all over my abdomen. I am not pregnant, that's impossible. I did have sex the night before, however it was not painful or anything like that. I've also been getting several bruises all over my legs that are unexplained over the last week or two. Not sure if that's relevant.
I got to the hospital, they took blood, urine sample, CT scan. Nothing on ct scan that signified my appendix was inflamed (or anything else for that matter). Blood came back with just white blood cell count at 15 (that's what the doc said, idk what that means though). Urine was normal.
So they sent me in for an ultrasound of my ovaries - full transvaginal ultrasound as well. My ovaries are perfectly fine, apparently. They found nothing unusual.
So they basically slapped a pain med prescription on me like a bandaid and told me good luck 🤷‍♀️ I didn't want to stay longer because of how expensive hospitals are, so I went home. I was drugged up enough to walk at the time, and had a friend pick me up. I was in the hospital from a little before 2am until 7am when I got picked up. I got home and slept from 730am until 430pm, and the pain isn't coming in shooting waves, it's just consistently there. Especially if I walk or move too fast it hurts more. I can't take a deep breath without it hurting.
Some info from my previous post - I had a colonoscopy and upper endoscopy, they found nothing aside from a little bit of gastritis in my stomach. I got this because the first day I went to the ER was for severe pain in my upper right abdomen just below my ribs that went down go my hip area and I was also bleeding bright red blood in my stool. We never got any answers about that, but that bleeding stopped only a couple weeks ago (first er visit was 1/25/24, colonoscopy was on 3/6/24). As for the side pain, they took a ct scan and couldn't find my appendix (idk, that's just what they told me). Scan came back normal then as well.
I don't know what I'm supposed to do now. I'm frustrated as all hell. I'm struggling to eat big meals without feeling nauseus right after. Since my first er visit, I weighed about 120lbs. Now I'm at 106lbs. It's very hard for me to gain weight, but I've been at 115lbs for the last like 7 or 8 years so this is also unusual for me. Idk where to go from here...

BACKGROUND:

• Mid 30s.
• Healthy, slim male. Non- smoker. Enjoy exercise.
• Originally diagnosed with gastritis 2 years ago after abusing NSAIDs with alcohol.

CURRENT SITUATION:
Since then I was on PPIs for around a year and a half, and have had stomach pain and discomfort which usually around 2 hours after eating, causing most pain at night, and early morning, especially when lying down. (I'm currently OFF the PPIs, though I still get pain, and regularly wonder If i should start taking them again..?)
Despite cutting out the obvious triggers (spice, alcohol, chocolate, etc), I still get daily discomfort...
I have had scans which show no problems with organs.
I’ve had 2 endoscopies, both times showing no ulcers, and the most recent one showing that my gastritis has now gone….. which begs the question: what the hell is wrong with me..?!
I’ve also had H pylori tests (both while on AND off the PPI medication) both show a negative result.
The only thing I'm sure of is that most pain occurs more after consuming fat content, and…. POSSIBLY carbohydrates. Even though I try to my very best to avoid fat content, it sometimes seems impossible to avoid it completely…
Yesterday I took the Hydrogen Breath test and it score 62 towards the end (after around the 3 hour mark of being there - the final score was around 50)
So, what is it…? What on earth is wrong with me..? Is it SIBO? What are my next steps??
Please help me. Any insight would be much appreciated 🙏

This is gonna be a longer post, so apologies. But I’m going to document my journey here for the foreseeable future, because I finally feel hopeful that I’m going to see myself get better.
• Back story •
I’ve been trying to start wegovy for over a year. I’m 25 (f) and have a slew of health problems. I was diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome in 2020 after suffering a career ending injury of my dominant hand. Shortly after was also diagnosed with spinal disc compression and hernias, eosinophilic esophagitis, chronic gastritis, IBS, and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. With all of that I also suffer from a few fun mental health disorders, insomnia etc.
In 2018 I was 160lbs and lost 30lbs from diet and exercise and was in the best shape of my life- though I preferred myself between 140-150lbs for sustainability. But after my injury in 2020 I jumped up to 180lbs and my highest was 205lbs.
Without failure, every time I’d dive into a healthy regiment of attempting to add exercise to the very healthy diet I was on, I’d end up with some major new health issue. First was the EOE in 2022 and then in 2023 I had chronic exertional compartment syndrome from running. And now 2024, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. It’s like my body wants me to just give up lol.
I discussed my struggles with my physician and tried to approve me for wegovy- where I was told I needed to try 2 other options first. I tried Contrave- which I didn’t necessarily lose weight on but the food noise finally left me alone. I started that in July 2023 and stopped in December 2023. And then it started making me menstruate every 2 weeks through my birth control that skips periods… fun times. Then Alli in February 2024- but my GI said no pretty quickly. Finally after a YEAR I was approved for wegovy in April 2024.
• Present Day •
I took my first dose of 0.25 on April 30 and my second on May 7. I’m down from 185.8lbs to 179.2 as of this morning. One more pound and I’ll be at my lowest weight since 2021.
Per the many hours of research I did, I opted to do my injections at night to avoid any day of symptoms. And thankfully I haven’t noticed any major side effects that are different than my normal. The food noise is completely gone. I’m full after only a few bites. The only food that’s appealing is salads and fruits and meats. I no longer wake up at 3am feeling like my stomach is trying to eat itself. I feel my energy back again. I’m starting to feel like the me before my life took a hit.
I’m excited for the next chapters.
I’ll continue to update as I continue my journey. Cheers!

Please tell me it will get better. I was on a PPI (40mg of omeprazole) for 3 months due to mild chronic gastritis. I got off because of side effects, they didn’t really help me anymore, and I was healing. My symptoms were always stomach pain. I never struggled with acid reflux. I tapered off for 2 weeks. The taper and the first two weeks were great! I had some mild symptoms but very manageable. Week 3, I get the terrible stomach pains again. Week 4, the stomach pain is better, but I am struggling with terrible acid reflux specially at night. I’m doing everything right and have tried every antacid but nothing helps. I’ve also been taking an H2 blocker this entire time. I know the rebound is common, but I am so frustrated. The PPI was helpful in the beginning, but now it seems that I have even more issues.

Im having bad flareups with erosive gastritis lately. Im on ppi's and sucralfate. Ive been finding that in addition to eating a bland diet, its more important WHEN I eat -- if I let my stomach get empty, I start getting waves of pain. I had to fast for a procedure last week and Im STILL recovering from the effects of an overnight fast.
Next month I have an international trip. there will be a 10 hr time difference.
Im worried about the jet lag. Usually when I have jetlag, I wake up in the middle of the night starving. Ive read that this is caused by your circadian rhythm telling your stomach its time to eat. your stomach makes acids and whatnot in antipation of a meal
Given that Im still healing from a bad flareup, Im afraid Im going to wake up in ultra-pain if my stomach thinks its lunchtime at 3am.
My last flare-up began while on an international trip. Over the course of a week I had increasing stomach pains until I finally realized it was a gastritis flareup and needed meds. I ended up having to cancel my trip and come home early because I became too sick. I dont know what could have started that flareup other than the physical stress of the timezone change (8 hours).
Does anyone have any experience with this? Are there tricks to manage gastritis with jetlag? Or should I cancel my trip?

Where to begin? Sorry for the long post! I need help with my daughter, please! Volleyball, Basketball, and track are her passions.
In March 2023, Taylor at the age of 16 developed a rash that could not be explained along with losing about 15 pounds. At first the headaches were just that headaches and then they got worse. 24/7 headaches that on a scale of 1-10, on a good day would be a 5 and on a bad day lock her in cool dark room with no noise 10. Then came the stomach pains along with vomiting and major fatigue, dizziness. All these symptoms developed over about 2 months time frame, she was a very healthy active teenager to barely functioning on days. She went through every test our local doctor could think of: tick disease, parasites, thyroid, autoimmune testing, allergy testing, etc. The local doctor referred her to le Bonheur's Children's hospital in Memphis, TN. She has seen allergy specialist and released, rheumatologist and released. Currently still seeing GI and Neurologist. She has had upper and lower scopes with GI and diagnosed with IBS, gastritis, and lactose intolerant. Neurologist has diagnosed her with chronic migraines with no cause. I was pushing for a MRI and they stated it was not necessary(think the insurance was giving push back). Anyway, after a year of constant stomach pain and headache/migraine 24/7 she has learned to cope with the pain and still somewhat function as a teenager(doing the sports she loves just not excelling anymore at it). I have not been happy and have still pushed for more answers because everything started at once there must be a reason for it (What caused it?) My answer from the doctors have been she has several issues and they are all separate issues not related to each other. I contacted a private company for a MRI and the neurologist said they would look at her scans if I took her to have it done.
So 1 year and 2 months after the start of this mess, I took her to a private company not associated with a hospital to have a MRI done. Within 5 minutes of the start of her scans, the tech was asking questions about her headaches and stated to me: that she was just a tech not a doctor but that I should ask about chiari malformation and get the scans to her neurologist for proper reading. This was yesterday, last night and today I have been researching everything I can about this and waiting to hear from the neurologist to take the scans in and be read. So no doctor has diagnosed her yet only a tech at the private company.
So, what do you think? Any similarities in your case? Do you relate? Any information would be so appreciated. Still searching for answers for my daughter!
https://preview.redd.it/90nqf4ngm2zc1.jpg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=385efea7ffd80ab56e89a46311c45785be034b05
https://preview.redd.it/5cjgrffhm2zc1.jpg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e532d7028fb6d5a3b14b57869e1b847b610ff9fe

Okay, I wanna give you the full picture, so sorry if this gets a little long -- I'm a 33 year old female. I had an upper respiratory infection back in November. Ever since then I've had chest pain. I know I've had some issues with acid reflux/GERD for the past 2 years, but it was never that bad until after I got sick in November. I had been meaning to set up a GI appointment for a while now. I also suffer from dysphagia and that burning in the back of the throat after a night of red sauce and wine -- classic GERD/acid reflux symptoms. I also have always had issues with constipation, but that's a tale for another day! ANYWAY, so I cut out dairy and gluten at the beginning of the new year to see if it would help with anything and also my husband is DF/GF. So it was kind of a seamless transition. And that did help kindaaa. I've been to several doctors since January. I've had chest X-rays. They saw nothing. Finally got in to see a GI doc back in March and they gave me an endoscopy. They said I have chronic inactive gastritis and chronic inactive esophagitis. Tested negative for H-pylori. So the doctor put me on 40mg Omeprazole and he said the chest pain was from the esophagitis. The first 30 days of omeprazole were good I THINK?? I really just don't know if it's working or how I'd feel if it was working. I've had this dull ache on and off for 6 months now. The chest pain comes back and I just don't always know the rhyme or reason. Sometimes I know it's because I had something fatty or maybe there was too much spice in something. Sometimes it just feels random. I'm on day 4 of trying mastic gum as well and I don't think it's doing anything, but again it's only day 4. I guess I say all this to say is -- this chest pain -- I have no idea what it is exactly. Is it heartburn? Is that what heartburn is -- a soft pinch in my chest? I always associated heartburn with more burning. Is it a bruise in my esophagus? Does anyone experience this with gastritis or esophagitis? Will it eventually go away after I'm on omeprazole for 2-3 months instead of just one month? And let me be clear, I have HELLA health anxiety. I'm a bit of a hypochondriac at this point, but I can at least be objective about the pain -- it's really not that bad. It's just concerning since I didn't feel it so consistently before November 2023. It's a very dull ache that I feel occasionally throughout the day. And I've had weeks and days where it really went away, but then of course it came back for whatever reason! Like an old terrible friend. I've also been trying to limit acidic foods like spicy foods, tomato sauce, red meat, extra fatty foods, coffee and alcohol. It's been difficult, but I'm trying. Mostly the alcohol part has been hard. I'm going through serious financial difficulty on top of the health issues so I'm always in the kind of mood where I need a stiff one. ANYWAY... I'm sorry this post is all over the place. I just wanna know if anyone else has experienced this kind of esophageal-related ache in the chest for long periods of time after an illness like I have. I turned 33 back in December, is this just my new normal as a person venturing into my mid thirties? Any and all thoughts are much appreciated. Thank you so much.
TLDR: 33 year old. Female. Was diagnosed with chronic inactive gastritis and chronic inactive esophagitis. Doctor says I have chest pain from esophagitis. I just wanna hear about other people who might experience this and what you all do for instant relief. Also, it's not extremely painful. My chest pain is more like a dull ache that comes and goes when it pleases. Feels like someone is gently poking my sternum randomly throughout the day. Any and all advice is much appreciated. Thank you!

Does gastritis affect how you enjoy things in life ? Does it make you feel not happy? Does it gives you back pain? Does it make your weist feel bad sometimes? Do you feel burning at theback of head and neck After you sleep and wake up at night do you feel dizzy and like you dieing?

I was diagnosed with gastritis last month and put on 40mg of omeprazole a day. Last night I came down with intense stomach cramps and nausea/diarrhea. My kids were ill with norovirus a few days ago so it seems I now have it too ☠️
This may sound like a silly question but do I still need to take my omeprazole as usual? I’ve never gotten ill while being on prescribed medications before and I’m vomiting and having diarrhea so it seems a bit pointless? Also the stomach cramps are awful and I’m scared of my meds making it worse somehow but also worried about NOT taking them. I’ve managed to keep a bit of toast down this afternoon and haven’t vomited since 4am but the cramps are still bad at the moment. Anyone else had a stomach flu while on omeprazole. What did you do?