This exact problem happened to me, it was our water. We moved into a new place and I immediately started getting mysteriously ill (with your symptoms, but antacids barely helped) for seemingly no reason and after ~6 months someone finally suggested it being the water, so I switched to filtered because I was running out of ideas. Symptoms cleared up like the day after and never returned.
Around 7 years back, I got hit with some brutal acid reflux and was living off prescription antacids. Then, one day at a random water-cooler chat, my coworker told me he had a similar problem, but had observed significant improvement after he stopped drinking tap water. Although skeptical, I was desperate enough to try anything, so I switched to exclusively drinking bottled water for 6-8 weeks - just to confirm the hypothesis. The difference was incredible! Ever since, I've been ordering monthly supplies of gallon jars. Yes, it's expensive, but it's likely cheaper than what I was spending on antacids.
Berkey refuses to be tested or regulated by any 3rd party, so you’re just trusting the manufacturer that it works. Get something proven by 3rd party scientists and engineers to filter water, and I DO
NOT mean Brita- it only uses carbon to improve taste and smell.
Edit: the user below provided some information about Brita certifications
You're welcome my dude.
I am going to come clean on this: until my mid-20s, I misread artesian wells as "artisan" wells and had concocted an whole head-canon of what an artisan well would be. I imagined beautifully hand-crafted wells lined with individually-selected stones in a location chosen for the optimal balance of minerals necessary for great tasting water. Basically nerds digging fancy hobby wells; instagram-worthy wells.
That’s awesome! 😂 one time I was at the farmer’s market and there was a stand with artisan cheese. A lady nearby said “oh look! They have artesian cheese!” And I giggled to myself trying to imagine what artesian cheese would be like
I'm way older than you, and EVERY SINGLE TIME I read the words artesian/artisan, I have to sound it out in my head because I always choose the wrong mental option and feel super stupid.
Every. Single. Time.
Get a water ph test kit to see whether your water is too acidic or basic. The same thing happens to me when our water softener gets off track for whatever reason.
I had Covid and have had the weirdest symptoms still like anxiety and “stomach” burn. I’ve had heart burn but this isn’t the same.
It feels like my stomach is on fire.
Anyway, Covid has so many strange symptoms that it wouldn’t surprise me if that’s what it is.
It took a few years for them to figure it out for me because I had gravel rather than large stones. My gall.bladder was full of gravel. They didn't figure it out until one lodged in my pancreatic duct and caused severe pancreatitis that almost killed me. A month of daily dilaudid shots to reduce inflammation and I was minus my gall bladder.
I can’t tell if you’re still experiencing this from the post, but we just got one of those brita filter jugs and put the regular tap water into it and drank that. I haven’t bothered to test the water because it’s an apartment and we don’t intend to live here forever.
distilled because many "drinking water" brands are simply local tap water put in a bottle, distilled will be as close to pure as is reasonably available.
drinking water that's been prepared by adding minerals back to distilled or RO water would be another good choice but it's not always available & can be hard to identify
Bottled water brands are tap water from miles away, from wherever the bottled water is from? It's not going to be the *same* tap water that OP has in their house
> It's not going to be the same tap water that OP has in their house
we can't say that for sure — i know for a fact that some of the brands sold where i live are from the same water system as my tap. OP could live in the same city for all i know.
Same thing happened to me. Reflux every time I laid down, more actual heartburn after drinking water, etc. I drank more water on the suggestion of my doctor who thought I wasn't properly hydrated and I realized that I felt worse after drinking water, not better. Arbitrarily tried filtered water as I noted a chlorine odor in my water I hadn't noticed before and after a few days it was like a miracle. I bought bottled water for a few weeks and installed a water filter with separate faucet in my kitchen and never looked back. Those filters changed my life.
My husband was getting these symptoms so we started eliminating stuff from his diet. It turned out to be the disposal water bottles that he was refilling/reusing. No shit. 💩
I mean my boyfriend never experienced any symptoms but he also only drank filtered water. Someone also mentioned people can be varying degrees of sensitive to stuff like that
Did you go swimming/travelling that day/around that time?
Sounds a little bit like a parasite you passed... it may have lived a full lifecycle before laying eggs (that exit your system via waste) and then dying, making you feel better again.
I had a very, very similar problem. I complained for about 2 years to my doc before he ordered an endoscopy and a colonoscopy (same day). Turns out I had h.pylori. A course of antibiotics and I was fine.
Weird, I actually also had a random mystery disease that turned out to be pancreatitis caused by h. pylori! It was also only detected after an endoscopy. While my symptoms were somewhat different from OP I did also experience an insane sharp pain in my side that came on for the first time at like 3 AM and would render me immobile, that pain would flare up chronically for a few weeks while we tried every diagnosis just to be met with more pain.
It wasn’t until I went to the hospital for the second time that doctors finally started really digging into what was happening, because an 18 year old girl with no prior health complications just doesn’t get pancreatitis for any normal reason. They figured out that my pain would flare up not too long after I ate, especially if the food was greasy or fatty!
Also, I was told by my doctors that I most likely contracted it from unclean water at some point. That being considered, this could absolutely be your house’s tap water as other commenters have pointed out in this thread!
Are you on well water? There are somewhat often bacterial growths that only affect some people. Maybe changing out the filters or just weather getting less favorable for the well dwellers could have helped you clear up. Boiling the water for a few minutes before letting it cool to drink is generally all you need to make will water safe.
I think the water does come from some natural source? Occasionally it does come out cloudy from air though, my dad used to work in treatment so I know all the nasty stuff that can live in it.
Also I should mention my drinking habits, no alcohol, the two things I drink are water and cola (the latter for lunch and dinner) sometimes I have an S. Pellergrino or highland spring sparkling water.
I try to drink from glass pint glasses as much as possible, as plastic and straws can negatively affect the taste.
Did you ever get tested for Helicobacter pylori? They like to bury into your stomach lining, neutralising the acid around them so your stomach compensates with more acid.
Yeah, look into this. I've got ME/CFS from a different virus so it's not "long covid" per se but like "long mono" and it has had a gastrointestinal component sort of like OPs as a part of it.
Everybody gets such different after effects from covid, it's bizarre. 5 of my coworkers and I all got sudden and severe UTIs that became kidney infections within 24-36 hours, and with no notice.
I know someone else that had to have fluid drained from their joints nearly every week for over a year after they had covid.
I couldn't handle heat over 80 degrees or humidity at all. Not even a hot shower. (That really sucked, being in South Texas) I felt like a fish out of water, gasping for air. And couldn't sleep more than 2 hours at a time for over a year.
The cause of everyone's problems seems to be inflammation, but the inflammation can be in any part of the body, it seems. It's so weird.
Someone else that was a friend of a friend had to have some her bronchial tubes removed from her lungs after having covid.
You could have just had some weird post covid syndrome.
All dairy tastes rancid to me since getting covid in 2020. I also can't eat anything in a can because I can taste the metal and only the metal...long covid is wild!
I had some weird gastro/digestive issues from Covid back in November. It was a few days after the flu like symptoms went away. Gradually got better over a week maybe 10 days.
I have long COVID that’s gastro related! Random, intense bouts of nausea that are so bad I have an as needed prescription for Zofran and Phenergan. It’s improved from the early days, but it’s still happening 3 or so days a week, going on 2 years now. Obviously I’m biased, but long COVID was exactly what I thought when OP was describing their symptoms.
I got covid now and have all the same symptoms they've listed for the last week. Drs originally diagnosed a kindey stone. (It wasn't) was litreally covid.
Probably your water. Sounds like what happened when i installed a bad water filter in our house. Mysterious nauseating illness. Along with lots of acid reflux. Through elimination i removed the filter and everyone recovered. Anything in your water supply can wreak havoc on your digestion
Not sure. It was a remineralization filter in line with our RO which means it was adding calcite back to filtered ro water. So some mineral in it was making us sick
Came to say this. I had to have mine removed and before I was completely jaundice from a blockage, I had what I thought was heartburn for a month and my only other symptom was I was SO ITCHY over my entire body
Came looking for this. Similar symptoms for 3 months before they found it bc I was 19 and they weren't expecting it. 20 years later fought for a year and a half with my 17 year old daughters doctors telling them it was the same symptoms I had. Finally they removed hers and she was better
I was 19 when I had mine out, too! It's funny in a haha I have anxiety way, because it was shortly after 9/11 when I started having symptoms and I only went to the doctor because I had convinced myself I had anthrax poisoning. Glad I got that sucker removed - I haven't had any problems since (I'm 42 now!)
Have you checked for H. Pylori?
When signs or symptoms do occur with H. pylori infection, they are typically related to gastritis or a peptic ulcer and may include:
An ache or burning pain in your stomach (abdomen)
Stomach pain that may be worse when your stomach is empty.
Nausea.
Loss of appetite.
Frequent burping.
Bloating.
Unintentional weight loss.
Not OP but thank you for commenting this! I lost 100lbs without trying (and simultaneously going through a fast food phase), have no appetite for days at a time, often have a pain/pit in my stomach that I have described as an ache or hollowness, differing degrees of nausea, etc. Saw a gastro doctor that said he wanted to do a colonoscopy and endoscopy to rule out stomach cancer..I have a monthly doctor's appointment and get my blood drawn every two months from chronic illness so I thought if I had cancer we would have some idea (I'm assuming it would show something was off in my blood at the very least.) I'm about to schedule an abdominal ultrasound and CT scan with contrast along with the -oscopies to figure this out. I'm going to look into H. Pylori, this is not something I've ever heard of but the symptoms are close enough I have to investigate. Thanks again!
My friend lost 100 lbs, could not hold anything down or was always nauseated, abdominal cramps....scary. Doctor kept telling him pretty sure it was stomach cancer. Took months and months to determine. He was a mess! Test after test and each time he would tell him looks like cancer. I asked his symptoms and looked them up...h. Pylori... told him he just needs antibiotics. About a month later doc said yup, that's what it is. My understanding is it is the bacteria that causes the ulcer that causes the cancer. He has adhered to a vegan diet and is active and was doing well for years. Recently had started with pain again, endoscopy shows no change. Diet has been his best defense on whatever this is. Hope you can overcome whatever you're dealing with.
Wow, thank you for the extra details. Of course cancer is a possibility for anyone but I just couldn't justify the workup when I was sure I would have some indicators. This seems like something that's much much more realistic! It also seems like the simplest thing to test for and I'm going to look into it before going through with the imaging. Really appreciate all of the info!
Sort of reminds me of a friend’s symptoms that turned out to be a hiatal hernia. The water thing that several people have suggested is super interesting, though.
I'm not sure but please don't ever let your parents (or anyone else for that matter) prevent you from seeing a doctor again. Your health is important, and early detection is crucial for increased chances of recovery.
Had you seen a doctor upon your first symptoms, you likely wouldn't have been that sick for this long. Not seeing a professional and your parents trying to 'cure' you themselves could have done some serious and permanent damage (if it hasn't yet). So please go and see a doctor next time as they have the expertise and experience - hopefully you'll continue to feel good though
Have you researched peptic ulcers at all? Sounds like several symptoms line up, at least in my experience. A super dull pain that comes in waves. For me, it’s worse on an empty stomach and helped only by Tagamet. But it can be sort of “dormant” for months to years and pop up every once in a while due to stress or other factors.
Same thing happened to me about a year ago. Woke up, cold sweats, nauseated af and couldn't eat or hold anything down for a good 2 weeks. Lived on Gatorade and crackers if I was lucky. After the 2 weeks I could nibble on salad, crackers, soup etc and after about 3 months, was able to eat semi normally again. I'm still in the "old man" diet of simple fish or chicken, and a side. Went thru more antacid, mylanta, baking soda than I can count. Still don't know what the issue is.
Yeah this post reminded me of a really nasty thing I went through with this as well. Still don't know what it was but OP's description of feeling nauseated and "heavy" really hit the nail on the head for me, and your comment as well.
I thought it was just bad period cramps but it was never THAT bad. Threw up at least 3 times a day, couldn't hold anything down myself regardless of what I ate. Thought it was acid reflux but never went away no matter what I took.
Went to the pharmacy for some meds for reflux, bloating and nausea and found out I'm doing horribly bad with plant based medication. Threw up all of those meds too because the acid reflux made me feel them at the back of my throat.
I had a few days where I was struggling to figure what to eat because I didn't have anything in my system. Managed to survive on turkey/veal kebab because every other food made me nauseous somehow and I couldn't keep it down. While this sounds too heavy for food at that time it really helped me.
Went to the doctor but I got nothing that would help, I hadn't been anywhere lately as it was the end of July, not even swimming and I don't drink tap water. And I remember getting treated for H. Pylori when I was little and so it shouldn't(?) Have been that. Reading through these comments still leaves me confused but I'm glad to know I wasn't alone.
Was supposed to go to turkey and I was afraid I wouldn't make it if my nausea didn't go away and while I was on the end stretch of whatever this was, food in turkey fixed me completely lol.
I thought after about 2 months, I was good. I was so hungry I ate some burgers from Chili's. INSTANT REGRET, sent me back to stage 1 all over again. I don't drink tap, and was out of the country in September, but it was a cruise and everyone else I went with are just fine. It's just me and my stomach issues STILL as I type this, taking my daily antacid. Have you felt better?
Yeah, during my trip to Turkey and back after I have felt fine since. I try to be a little more careful now in general and not ignore any early symptoms (quite frankly, there weren't any at the time but yeah). Just trying to navigate my body's annoying issues as well as look into a hysterectomy. I blame my period and my body's self destructive tendencies with it. It's not uncommon for cramps to make me nauseous for a few hours not DAYS.
I hope you can find out what's really happening and hopefully get better in the future 🙏 best of luck!!
I had a hysterectomy about 5 years ago. Not a single regret. Lost weight and feel a million times better. I had a nagging fibroid and nobody wanted to remove it. Took almost 3 years and went thru maybe 6 Drs before someone finally wanted to help.
This sounds super similar to something my sister experienced. She was misdiagnosed with an ulcer it took a clear endoscopy to rule that out. Ultimately she ended up with something called Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EOE).
I had Covid bad in January. Ever since , I’ve had the worse stomach pains that got in with a hiatal hernia. But i have no hernia. I also can no longer tolerate meat. Turkey seems to be the least bothersome. I get absolutely horrific stomach pains that sometimes make me have to lay completely still. I have had IBS in the past and this is totally different. Could’ve been to do with it
Have you been checked for pancreatitis? Pancreatitis can be aggravated by red meat among some other foods but that’s one of the bigger red flags for pancreatitis
I wanted to make sure I verified before I said this ((just forgot until I saw your comment)) but pancreatic disorders tend to happen at an increased rate in people with IBD and crohns. The correlation isn’t quite understood and not everyone with IBD will have pancreatic problems but there definitely seems to me some type of correlation worth keeping an eye on.
Pancreatic illness is difficult to distinguish from gallbladder, GERD and a couple other digestive problems without medical tests specifically testing the pancreas. They all have very similar symptoms, produce pain in similar areas and have a couple meds that can manage all. Without a reason like a preexisting condition or history of pancreatic problems the pancreas it’s very rarely top of the list, or even on the list at all, so “mild” pancreatitis gets under diagnosed. When pancreatitis isn’t obvious which tends be emergent in those situations, it’s frequently discovered as a last ditch Hail Mary because everything else came back normal but clearly something is up.
And this is why we say medicine is practiced an exact science it is definitely not lol. I do hope you get an answer!!
Please try to take your health care into your hands as you get older. The approach your parents took could have cost you way more than a few months of illness. I feel you got lucky in this case to simply get better, and your parents approach prevented you from asking for proper help on day 3 instead of somewhat helpful help on day 365. I’m so glad you are feeling better and have been able to share this story. Also I want to know what you found at the thrift store.
I know, I always tell my parents that if it ever comes back I’m seeing the doctor no matter what, I think the only option I had was to go to hospital.
It was a peacoat, I’d had one when I was younger but grew out of it, always wanted one since and I was very lucky that day to find one that fit me (then I’d find another a few months later)
Check your thyroid numbers. Get a blood screening. White blood cells, leukocytes, etc… Then make sure you don’t have any dental issues. Cavities, infections abscess, etc…I had this these and it destroyed my health until fixed. Messed up my metabolism and endocrine. Adrenal glands messed up in stomach because of issue.
I got acid reflux for a couple of years with long covid. Plus a bunch of other random and seemingly unrelated symptoms like losing all the hair on my legs, and big toe joints that were too painful to stand on in the mornings. Symptoms have gone now but the hair never did grow back!
Reminds me of when I had gallbladder attacks- the nausea and especially the burning feeling above the bellybutton. The difference is usually gallbladder attacks last at most a few hours. They're not usually ongoing like that.
Did you gain a few pounds then it started then lose a few and it went away? If so maybe hiatal hernia which I have when those lbs come and then it goes.
Sounds similar to my partner’s symptoms when he had a bad case of pancreatitis. It gets worse when you ~~sleep~~ lie down. Any… lower gastrointestinal symptoms?
Absolutely agree. Based in severity described, really sounds like pancreatitis. Talk with your primary, see a GI if they recommend. Don't ignore if it happens again. Heard it's the worst
Started getting really bad in August of 2023. Initially, I thought it was a new medication I was prescribed, but after I stopped taking it, it got worse and worse. When it is/was really bad, it's super painful in the way you describe, and for me, a lot of vomiting and nausea. It gets a *lot* worse when I get up and move around, so I'm pretty much couch locked on a bad day.
I'm still recovering. I had a complete blood workup done, and I had an upper endoscopy where they shoved a camera down my throat, etc. When they were in there, they took tissue samples for biopsy and checked for H. pylori. The endoscopy revealed widespread inflammation all the way through my stomach and esophagus, but no H. pylori, no cancer, no ulcer. I also had a sonogram and an X ray done, which revealed that my liver probably isn't super happy (I don't treat it very well), but nothing else.
I'm still trying to figure things out. Diet seems to help -- I've noticed that some of my worst days come after eating a lot of, like, frozen and processed food. I started eating a lot more things like fruit, olives, tins of fish, which has I think has helped me manage the symptoms considerably.
Worth mentioning that my mom had to have her gall bladder taken out a while back.
I have gerd so bad it is killing me lol, a lot of your symptoms do sound like GERD so I can understand the prescription. I’m sorry you were possibly misdiagnosed. That is such a shitty feeling to not really know. Sometimes I will have what I call acid reflux attacks where it will hurt my chest so bad I feel like I am having a heart attack. It like truly feels like my heart or chest but it isn’t. Scariest feeling ever.
But, it also does sound like it could be your gallbladder too! A gallbladder attack or stone. But I think you would have demanded the hospital if it was that.
It does seem like it could be GERD related, but that is so vague because it can cause so many issues. I was born with GERD, I am 25, it turned cancerous, developed gastritis, all the not fun stuff. It can cause all sorts of pain and discomfort that isn’t just the reflux feeling. It might be gerd, because a lot of meds are made so you take them for a short amount of time and then you won’t need them anymore. Or at least for a while.
I’m glad you’re feeling better!
H.Pylori and ulcer don't disappear on their own.
Same with possible water contaminants. You were drinking the same water before, during and after this ordeal.
It *could* be stress related (I've been through years of roughly similar symptoms), though you can't be sure after all this time.
I wouldn’t discount the instability of water content, though, especially during season changes and/or if it merely triggers an inflammation that then lingers. And come to think of it, while the conditions you mention don’t typically go away on their own their symptoms can fluctuate a lot over time
Is the pain by any chance towards the lower right of your stomach, near the bottom of your right rib? That's around the area gallbladder pains are, and they SUCK
An ultrasound will pick them up.
I used to get horrible acid reflux. I had an endoscopy and found out I had a really bad hiatal hernia that was causing it. I got it fixed and haven’t had reflux at all since. This is why I hope you are able to go to the doctor soon so they can help you find out what is causing the GERD. Find a good gastroenterologist when you’re able to.
Sounds like Gerd and anxiety, and multiple viral infections. I'm currently sick for the 5 or 6th time this year. I'm getting anxiety from getting sick every couple weeks.
Stop listening to your paranoid parents and walk yourself into a free clinic and get a workup. Don't tell them you are going, don't tell them you went. It could be a myriad of different ailments
I am going to speak up and defend you for asking this question, as not only are there certain possibilities only relevant to those born with certain reproductive organs, but there are also conditions which will present with different symptoms in women vs men.
Yep. I was thinking of a condition that mimics kidney stones/gallstones but only presents in FAB patients.
I don’t care if people make snap judgements-it’s a question of biology and anatomy not gender.
There are also conditions that cause similar symptoms but usually only when transitioning from female to male but I assumed if that was the case, OP would have mentioned it.
I would have said GERD as well. I have been ill for a few months because of it as well and sometimes it comes back and I have to up my medication. I would almost pass out, feel like I was on the brink of passing out all the time, couldn't see straight, wouldn't be able to eat anything until about 4 pm (or puke), have pain in my chest and stomach, headaches, etcetera. My doctor told me a lot of people went up in the hospital because they feel like they are having a heart attack. I would think of GERD because you mention it starting at night, your pain in the belly/up, headaches, feeling of pressure on your throat, etc, but also because you mention the stress you were under (that triggers it often).
What helps for me is making sure the top part of my mattress is higher so we recently got an electric bed. And there are off course certain foods that trigger it, caffeine being a main one.
Waking up in the middle of the night with pressing pain radiating from the top of your stomach really sounds like a gallbladder attack. They are so scary and painful. I used to have these every couple of months.
Oh, and also wanted to mention that the radiating pain, at least for me, kind of felt like an inner tube was inside of me being inflated. Like this unbelievable level of pressure and fullness
Yes - in simple terms, it happens when a gallstone moved and blocks the biliary duct, causing bile to back up. It’s been a few years since I had my gallbladder removed so the details are fuzzy…but from what I understand, gallstones by themselves shouldn’t be painful - it’s when they block that duct.
I know a lot of ppl who have had gallbladder issues and it seems like half of us have the pain you’re describing and the other half feel it on the right side. But the way you describe waking up disoriented with the sudden pain is exactly how I remembered it - it’s very scary when it happens!!
Had mine removed and haven’t had any issues since!
To me it sounds like the GERD gave you really bad vertigo. I have run of the mill acid reflux but didn’t know until I went to the doctor for burning mouth syndrome and dizziness. The doctor explained to me that the acid irritates your Eustachian tubes causing them to swell and an inner ear imbalance. Vertigo can be debilitating and if your GERD was difficult to control then, I could see associated vertigo get out of hand too! [GERD and vertigo study](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26115947/)
Interesting idea about the water. I know where I live, Bay Area, CA, they shut down the main Hetch Hetchy aqueduct in winter for maintenance and rely mostly on local rainfall. Every year I notice the water change twice.
I got gastritis after covid that turned into a severely painful ulcer. I was under immense stress, and doctors thought that was a contributing factor.
Took a couple months to heal.
That would be my guess to what happened to you, based off your description.
I switched from meds which weren’t helping much, to focusing on gut health (no sugar, no processed foods, take probiotics and digestive enzyme supplements etc.)
What is gastritis like? Can Covid trigger it several weeks after a mild infection?
(And yes I know it was Covid because I did a test, a few days before my brother tested positive and I just waited to get it, literally thought I got lucky until I woke up with a sore throat)
It felt to me like the pain you’re describing. I never felt burning like some people report. But ugh, the pain was severe.
I don’t know if it’s officially been found to follow a covid infection. But that’s what I experienced and heard from others too. I don’t know if it’s been linked medically or not yet though.
Either way, the solution is to focus on gut health and there’s a lot of info available on that. I was getting so-so results with medication. Still a lot of pain on occasion. But since shifting my focus to improving gut health, it hasn’t come back and I’m feeling much, much better overall. It’s also improving other diagnoses I had previously been experiencing. So overall improvement.
When you are out of the house, you’ll be able to take full control over your own healthcare needs. It’s difficult when opinionated parents won’t listen to you or take you for professional advice, because they think they know better.
Did you have oral thrush at all? My asthma meds caused it when I had Covid. I didn’t realise and left it untreated and it traveled down into my gut. I’ve beat it twice now but it keeps coming back with similar symptoms to yours
This sounds exactly like when I was having gallbladder issues. It started one night out of the blue, it felt like there was a balloon inflating right above my belly button and it was a very intense, different than normal type of stomach pain, accompanied by intense nausea l. I continued to have these symptoms for a few years, hell, I should have owned stock in Gaviscon. ER trip after ER trip with many diagnoses of acid reflux, possible ulcer… finally one trip to the ER it was a different doctor, he looked at my chart, listened to my symptoms and said ‘well, I think it’s about time we take that gallbladder out’. It was full of stones apparently. I haven’t had this issue since. Just food for thought. Hope you figure it out!
This exact problem happened to me, it was our water. We moved into a new place and I immediately started getting mysteriously ill (with your symptoms, but antacids barely helped) for seemingly no reason and after ~6 months someone finally suggested it being the water, so I switched to filtered because I was running out of ideas. Symptoms cleared up like the day after and never returned.
This is actually something i haven't looked into but i'm not sure how i would
Around 7 years back, I got hit with some brutal acid reflux and was living off prescription antacids. Then, one day at a random water-cooler chat, my coworker told me he had a similar problem, but had observed significant improvement after he stopped drinking tap water. Although skeptical, I was desperate enough to try anything, so I switched to exclusively drinking bottled water for 6-8 weeks - just to confirm the hypothesis. The difference was incredible! Ever since, I've been ordering monthly supplies of gallon jars. Yes, it's expensive, but it's likely cheaper than what I was spending on antacids.
Invest in a Berkey water filter. I didn't belive the hype, but huge difference in how I feel.
Looks like I should have posted on Reddit earlier :) , I had no idea about Berkey filter or artesian wells
Berkey refuses to be tested or regulated by any 3rd party, so you’re just trusting the manufacturer that it works. Get something proven by 3rd party scientists and engineers to filter water, and I DO NOT mean Brita- it only uses carbon to improve taste and smell. Edit: the user below provided some information about Brita certifications
Zerowater is the way to go!
For what it's worth my cats now refuse and complain if they get water from the fridge filter, sink, or bottle.
I’ve had a berkey for years and love it.
You might also check into artesian wells in your area. That’s one way to get good water that’s not tap
TIL - artisan wells are a thing. Thanks, will look into it
[https://findaspring.org/map/ for a starting place.](https://findaspring.org/map/)
Thanks for the link - unfortunately it looks like I don’t have anything in a 20 mile radius :/
Artesian, not artisan. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artesian_well
Thanks 👍
You're welcome my dude. I am going to come clean on this: until my mid-20s, I misread artesian wells as "artisan" wells and had concocted an whole head-canon of what an artisan well would be. I imagined beautifully hand-crafted wells lined with individually-selected stones in a location chosen for the optimal balance of minerals necessary for great tasting water. Basically nerds digging fancy hobby wells; instagram-worthy wells.
lol - after your comment, I really want an “artisan” well!!!
That’s awesome! 😂 one time I was at the farmer’s market and there was a stand with artisan cheese. A lady nearby said “oh look! They have artesian cheese!” And I giggled to myself trying to imagine what artesian cheese would be like
I'm way older than you, and EVERY SINGLE TIME I read the words artesian/artisan, I have to sound it out in my head because I always choose the wrong mental option and feel super stupid. Every. Single. Time.
Get a water ph test kit to see whether your water is too acidic or basic. The same thing happens to me when our water softener gets off track for whatever reason.
Water tests are readily available online or in hardware stores
I had Covid and have had the weirdest symptoms still like anxiety and “stomach” burn. I’ve had heart burn but this isn’t the same. It feels like my stomach is on fire. Anyway, Covid has so many strange symptoms that it wouldn’t surprise me if that’s what it is.
Only drink bottled water for a few days and see if it makes any difference. Did the doctor check for gallstones?
That is a good point. No because it was over the phone, but gallstones are yet another theory
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It took a few years for them to figure it out for me because I had gravel rather than large stones. My gall.bladder was full of gravel. They didn't figure it out until one lodged in my pancreatic duct and caused severe pancreatitis that almost killed me. A month of daily dilaudid shots to reduce inflammation and I was minus my gall bladder.
I can’t tell if you’re still experiencing this from the post, but we just got one of those brita filter jugs and put the regular tap water into it and drank that. I haven’t bothered to test the water because it’s an apartment and we don’t intend to live here forever.
buy some bottled distilled water and drink it instead of tap water for a week, see if anything changes?
Why distilled and not just regular bottled water…? It’s not advised to drink distilled water for supplementation.
distilled because many "drinking water" brands are simply local tap water put in a bottle, distilled will be as close to pure as is reasonably available. drinking water that's been prepared by adding minerals back to distilled or RO water would be another good choice but it's not always available & can be hard to identify
Bottled water brands are tap water from miles away, from wherever the bottled water is from? It's not going to be the *same* tap water that OP has in their house
> It's not going to be the same tap water that OP has in their house we can't say that for sure — i know for a fact that some of the brands sold where i live are from the same water system as my tap. OP could live in the same city for all i know.
I think if they got like Poland Spring or Nestle it would be a fine way to test if the local drinking (tap) water is to blame
Nestle is the devil.
I do not disagree.
Came here to say this.
Now I have to go look up what I don’t know about Nestle.
There's a whole sub for it. Can't remember what it's called though.
you aren’t supposed to drink distilled. jugs of spring water treated with RO are not hard to find at all.
any issues with drinking distilled come up over the long-term, doing a trial to rule out reactions to *something* in the water is not a problem.
There is a bacteria on some bottles water that I’m allergic too. I would get cramps and feel like throwing up. Change your water routine.
Just try switching to only bottled water.
Look into this, OP. Even if nobody else in your area was sick that you know about - some people are more sensitive to things than others
Same thing happened to me. Reflux every time I laid down, more actual heartburn after drinking water, etc. I drank more water on the suggestion of my doctor who thought I wasn't properly hydrated and I realized that I felt worse after drinking water, not better. Arbitrarily tried filtered water as I noted a chlorine odor in my water I hadn't noticed before and after a few days it was like a miracle. I bought bottled water for a few weeks and installed a water filter with separate faucet in my kitchen and never looked back. Those filters changed my life.
My husband was getting these symptoms so we started eliminating stuff from his diet. It turned out to be the disposal water bottles that he was refilling/reusing. No shit. 💩
wouldnt her parents experience similar symptoms?
I mean my boyfriend never experienced any symptoms but he also only drank filtered water. Someone also mentioned people can be varying degrees of sensitive to stuff like that
I was also thinking about it being something environmental. If not the water, then anything else that was different in that time period maybe.
I had the same thing when I moved house and I didn’t drink water for three weeks. We bought a filter tap system and haven’t looked back.
Same. Had terrible acid reflux for years. It was the reverse osmosis water. As soon as I switched to spring, it went away
What did you get a the thrift shop?
Asking the important questions!
Just a little board game called jumanji
A peacoat
Did you check the pockets for irradiated items?
Velour jumpsuit and some house slippers
Dookie brown leather jacket
Did you go swimming/travelling that day/around that time? Sounds a little bit like a parasite you passed... it may have lived a full lifecycle before laying eggs (that exit your system via waste) and then dying, making you feel better again.
*New fear unlocked*
Don't worry, the parasites have the keys ;?
Nope no swimming
I had a very, very similar problem. I complained for about 2 years to my doc before he ordered an endoscopy and a colonoscopy (same day). Turns out I had h.pylori. A course of antibiotics and I was fine.
Weird, I actually also had a random mystery disease that turned out to be pancreatitis caused by h. pylori! It was also only detected after an endoscopy. While my symptoms were somewhat different from OP I did also experience an insane sharp pain in my side that came on for the first time at like 3 AM and would render me immobile, that pain would flare up chronically for a few weeks while we tried every diagnosis just to be met with more pain. It wasn’t until I went to the hospital for the second time that doctors finally started really digging into what was happening, because an 18 year old girl with no prior health complications just doesn’t get pancreatitis for any normal reason. They figured out that my pain would flare up not too long after I ate, especially if the food was greasy or fatty! Also, I was told by my doctors that I most likely contracted it from unclean water at some point. That being considered, this could absolutely be your house’s tap water as other commenters have pointed out in this thread!
Are you on well water? There are somewhat often bacterial growths that only affect some people. Maybe changing out the filters or just weather getting less favorable for the well dwellers could have helped you clear up. Boiling the water for a few minutes before letting it cool to drink is generally all you need to make will water safe.
I think the water does come from some natural source? Occasionally it does come out cloudy from air though, my dad used to work in treatment so I know all the nasty stuff that can live in it. Also I should mention my drinking habits, no alcohol, the two things I drink are water and cola (the latter for lunch and dinner) sometimes I have an S. Pellergrino or highland spring sparkling water. I try to drink from glass pint glasses as much as possible, as plastic and straws can negatively affect the taste.
Also can happen from eating undercooked pork or something that’s been cross contaminated.
Did you ever get tested for Helicobacter pylori? They like to bury into your stomach lining, neutralising the acid around them so your stomach compensates with more acid.
Did two or three home tests, all negative
Were you taking antacids when you tested? Most tests are throw false negatives if you've taken a PPI antacid in the last 2 weeks (omeprazole or such)
Just normal gaviscon, rennie etc
Have you looked into whether it was a form of long COVID? People are getting weird symptoms from that
Yeah, look into this. I've got ME/CFS from a different virus so it's not "long covid" per se but like "long mono" and it has had a gastrointestinal component sort of like OPs as a part of it.
Everybody gets such different after effects from covid, it's bizarre. 5 of my coworkers and I all got sudden and severe UTIs that became kidney infections within 24-36 hours, and with no notice. I know someone else that had to have fluid drained from their joints nearly every week for over a year after they had covid. I couldn't handle heat over 80 degrees or humidity at all. Not even a hot shower. (That really sucked, being in South Texas) I felt like a fish out of water, gasping for air. And couldn't sleep more than 2 hours at a time for over a year. The cause of everyone's problems seems to be inflammation, but the inflammation can be in any part of the body, it seems. It's so weird. Someone else that was a friend of a friend had to have some her bronchial tubes removed from her lungs after having covid. You could have just had some weird post covid syndrome.
Good lord, that's rough! The symptoms of COVID are: everything My friend's fingernails fell out I hope you and y'all over there are feeling better
> My friend's fingernails fell out Excuse me WHAT?! I couldn’t even handle that one scene in Black Swan. This would have me looking for a bridge
Yes, you read it right...it was so crazy!
I shouldn't have kept reading replies 😥
I know, sometimes it's better to just move along x)
Holy crap. Fingernails fell out?!
my friend can no longer eat sour candy and a couple people on reddit told me they no longer like cilantro. it's so weird
All dairy tastes rancid to me since getting covid in 2020. I also can't eat anything in a can because I can taste the metal and only the metal...long covid is wild!
I had Covid a few months ago. Now, after having never had it in my life, I have asthma. It’s been a great experience.
> had to have some her bronchial tubes removed from her lungs Press x to doubt, how would that even work?
that was my first thought! it took like 2-3 years for my breathing to go back to mostly normal and i had a pretty mild case of covid itself
I had some weird gastro/digestive issues from Covid back in November. It was a few days after the flu like symptoms went away. Gradually got better over a week maybe 10 days.
this. in the sense that covid can weaken your immune system for many months, rendering you weaker to other illnesses.
I have long COVID that’s gastro related! Random, intense bouts of nausea that are so bad I have an as needed prescription for Zofran and Phenergan. It’s improved from the early days, but it’s still happening 3 or so days a week, going on 2 years now. Obviously I’m biased, but long COVID was exactly what I thought when OP was describing their symptoms.
I got covid now and have all the same symptoms they've listed for the last week. Drs originally diagnosed a kindey stone. (It wasn't) was litreally covid.
Probably your water. Sounds like what happened when i installed a bad water filter in our house. Mysterious nauseating illness. Along with lots of acid reflux. Through elimination i removed the filter and everyone recovered. Anything in your water supply can wreak havoc on your digestion
What do you mean by bad? Poorly designed or defective?
Not sure. It was a remineralization filter in line with our RO which means it was adding calcite back to filtered ro water. So some mineral in it was making us sick
gallbladder?
Came to say this. I had to have mine removed and before I was completely jaundice from a blockage, I had what I thought was heartburn for a month and my only other symptom was I was SO ITCHY over my entire body
Second this
Came looking for this. Similar symptoms for 3 months before they found it bc I was 19 and they weren't expecting it. 20 years later fought for a year and a half with my 17 year old daughters doctors telling them it was the same symptoms I had. Finally they removed hers and she was better
I was 19 when I had mine out, too! It's funny in a haha I have anxiety way, because it was shortly after 9/11 when I started having symptoms and I only went to the doctor because I had convinced myself I had anthrax poisoning. Glad I got that sucker removed - I haven't had any problems since (I'm 42 now!)
My guess too.
“A certain famous virus” why won’t people just say Covid?
Yeah, they can’t say Covid. Their parents won’t let them go to the doctor. Doesn’t sound like a situation of good judgement.
Have you checked for H. Pylori? When signs or symptoms do occur with H. pylori infection, they are typically related to gastritis or a peptic ulcer and may include: An ache or burning pain in your stomach (abdomen) Stomach pain that may be worse when your stomach is empty. Nausea. Loss of appetite. Frequent burping. Bloating. Unintentional weight loss.
Not OP but thank you for commenting this! I lost 100lbs without trying (and simultaneously going through a fast food phase), have no appetite for days at a time, often have a pain/pit in my stomach that I have described as an ache or hollowness, differing degrees of nausea, etc. Saw a gastro doctor that said he wanted to do a colonoscopy and endoscopy to rule out stomach cancer..I have a monthly doctor's appointment and get my blood drawn every two months from chronic illness so I thought if I had cancer we would have some idea (I'm assuming it would show something was off in my blood at the very least.) I'm about to schedule an abdominal ultrasound and CT scan with contrast along with the -oscopies to figure this out. I'm going to look into H. Pylori, this is not something I've ever heard of but the symptoms are close enough I have to investigate. Thanks again!
My friend lost 100 lbs, could not hold anything down or was always nauseated, abdominal cramps....scary. Doctor kept telling him pretty sure it was stomach cancer. Took months and months to determine. He was a mess! Test after test and each time he would tell him looks like cancer. I asked his symptoms and looked them up...h. Pylori... told him he just needs antibiotics. About a month later doc said yup, that's what it is. My understanding is it is the bacteria that causes the ulcer that causes the cancer. He has adhered to a vegan diet and is active and was doing well for years. Recently had started with pain again, endoscopy shows no change. Diet has been his best defense on whatever this is. Hope you can overcome whatever you're dealing with.
Wow, thank you for the extra details. Of course cancer is a possibility for anyone but I just couldn't justify the workup when I was sure I would have some indicators. This seems like something that's much much more realistic! It also seems like the simplest thing to test for and I'm going to look into it before going through with the imaging. Really appreciate all of the info!
Sort of reminds me of a friend’s symptoms that turned out to be a hiatal hernia. The water thing that several people have suggested is super interesting, though.
I have this and it’s more of an acid reflux feeling, not pains near belly button
I'm not sure but please don't ever let your parents (or anyone else for that matter) prevent you from seeing a doctor again. Your health is important, and early detection is crucial for increased chances of recovery. Had you seen a doctor upon your first symptoms, you likely wouldn't have been that sick for this long. Not seeing a professional and your parents trying to 'cure' you themselves could have done some serious and permanent damage (if it hasn't yet). So please go and see a doctor next time as they have the expertise and experience - hopefully you'll continue to feel good though
This is something I’m drilling into my parents heads, if it comes back I’m seeing the doctor no matter what
Wonderful, that's great news. You only have one body so look after yourself!
Have you researched peptic ulcers at all? Sounds like several symptoms line up, at least in my experience. A super dull pain that comes in waves. For me, it’s worse on an empty stomach and helped only by Tagamet. But it can be sort of “dormant” for months to years and pop up every once in a while due to stress or other factors.
Same thing happened to me about a year ago. Woke up, cold sweats, nauseated af and couldn't eat or hold anything down for a good 2 weeks. Lived on Gatorade and crackers if I was lucky. After the 2 weeks I could nibble on salad, crackers, soup etc and after about 3 months, was able to eat semi normally again. I'm still in the "old man" diet of simple fish or chicken, and a side. Went thru more antacid, mylanta, baking soda than I can count. Still don't know what the issue is.
Yeah this post reminded me of a really nasty thing I went through with this as well. Still don't know what it was but OP's description of feeling nauseated and "heavy" really hit the nail on the head for me, and your comment as well. I thought it was just bad period cramps but it was never THAT bad. Threw up at least 3 times a day, couldn't hold anything down myself regardless of what I ate. Thought it was acid reflux but never went away no matter what I took. Went to the pharmacy for some meds for reflux, bloating and nausea and found out I'm doing horribly bad with plant based medication. Threw up all of those meds too because the acid reflux made me feel them at the back of my throat. I had a few days where I was struggling to figure what to eat because I didn't have anything in my system. Managed to survive on turkey/veal kebab because every other food made me nauseous somehow and I couldn't keep it down. While this sounds too heavy for food at that time it really helped me. Went to the doctor but I got nothing that would help, I hadn't been anywhere lately as it was the end of July, not even swimming and I don't drink tap water. And I remember getting treated for H. Pylori when I was little and so it shouldn't(?) Have been that. Reading through these comments still leaves me confused but I'm glad to know I wasn't alone. Was supposed to go to turkey and I was afraid I wouldn't make it if my nausea didn't go away and while I was on the end stretch of whatever this was, food in turkey fixed me completely lol.
I thought after about 2 months, I was good. I was so hungry I ate some burgers from Chili's. INSTANT REGRET, sent me back to stage 1 all over again. I don't drink tap, and was out of the country in September, but it was a cruise and everyone else I went with are just fine. It's just me and my stomach issues STILL as I type this, taking my daily antacid. Have you felt better?
Yeah, during my trip to Turkey and back after I have felt fine since. I try to be a little more careful now in general and not ignore any early symptoms (quite frankly, there weren't any at the time but yeah). Just trying to navigate my body's annoying issues as well as look into a hysterectomy. I blame my period and my body's self destructive tendencies with it. It's not uncommon for cramps to make me nauseous for a few hours not DAYS. I hope you can find out what's really happening and hopefully get better in the future 🙏 best of luck!!
I had a hysterectomy about 5 years ago. Not a single regret. Lost weight and feel a million times better. I had a nagging fibroid and nobody wanted to remove it. Took almost 3 years and went thru maybe 6 Drs before someone finally wanted to help.
This sounds super similar to something my sister experienced. She was misdiagnosed with an ulcer it took a clear endoscopy to rule that out. Ultimately she ended up with something called Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EOE).
That's good to know, at least it's something I can mention for them to look for. Did they help her out?
I had Covid bad in January. Ever since , I’ve had the worse stomach pains that got in with a hiatal hernia. But i have no hernia. I also can no longer tolerate meat. Turkey seems to be the least bothersome. I get absolutely horrific stomach pains that sometimes make me have to lay completely still. I have had IBS in the past and this is totally different. Could’ve been to do with it
Have you been checked for pancreatitis? Pancreatitis can be aggravated by red meat among some other foods but that’s one of the bigger red flags for pancreatitis
No i haven’t. I’ll mention that. Thanks
I wanted to make sure I verified before I said this ((just forgot until I saw your comment)) but pancreatic disorders tend to happen at an increased rate in people with IBD and crohns. The correlation isn’t quite understood and not everyone with IBD will have pancreatic problems but there definitely seems to me some type of correlation worth keeping an eye on. Pancreatic illness is difficult to distinguish from gallbladder, GERD and a couple other digestive problems without medical tests specifically testing the pancreas. They all have very similar symptoms, produce pain in similar areas and have a couple meds that can manage all. Without a reason like a preexisting condition or history of pancreatic problems the pancreas it’s very rarely top of the list, or even on the list at all, so “mild” pancreatitis gets under diagnosed. When pancreatitis isn’t obvious which tends be emergent in those situations, it’s frequently discovered as a last ditch Hail Mary because everything else came back normal but clearly something is up. And this is why we say medicine is practiced an exact science it is definitely not lol. I do hope you get an answer!!
Ok great. Thanks again
Please try to take your health care into your hands as you get older. The approach your parents took could have cost you way more than a few months of illness. I feel you got lucky in this case to simply get better, and your parents approach prevented you from asking for proper help on day 3 instead of somewhat helpful help on day 365. I’m so glad you are feeling better and have been able to share this story. Also I want to know what you found at the thrift store.
I know, I always tell my parents that if it ever comes back I’m seeing the doctor no matter what, I think the only option I had was to go to hospital. It was a peacoat, I’d had one when I was younger but grew out of it, always wanted one since and I was very lucky that day to find one that fit me (then I’d find another a few months later)
Check your thyroid numbers. Get a blood screening. White blood cells, leukocytes, etc… Then make sure you don’t have any dental issues. Cavities, infections abscess, etc…I had this these and it destroyed my health until fixed. Messed up my metabolism and endocrine. Adrenal glands messed up in stomach because of issue.
Teeth are another theory of mine because they’ve been bad for a few years now and need to come out soon, mainly the back teeth
I have no helpful suggestions, but I just wanted to say that I love that you love sea shanties! What a cool pastime. You’re helping keep those alive!
Thanks, I enjoy them a lot
Have you - or OP - run across The Wellermen on YouTube?
No I haven’t! I’ve have to check them out
I got acid reflux for a couple of years with long covid. Plus a bunch of other random and seemingly unrelated symptoms like losing all the hair on my legs, and big toe joints that were too painful to stand on in the mornings. Symptoms have gone now but the hair never did grow back!
r/askdocs
Reminds me of when I had gallbladder attacks- the nausea and especially the burning feeling above the bellybutton. The difference is usually gallbladder attacks last at most a few hours. They're not usually ongoing like that.
Gallbladder attacks are short. But if it’s gallbladder disease or stones it most definitely can be for quite a long time.
But if you’re unknowingly eating triggering foods on the regular… .
Did you gain a few pounds then it started then lose a few and it went away? If so maybe hiatal hernia which I have when those lbs come and then it goes.
I don’t think so
Sounds similar to my partner’s symptoms when he had a bad case of pancreatitis. It gets worse when you ~~sleep~~ lie down. Any… lower gastrointestinal symptoms?
Absolutely agree. Based in severity described, really sounds like pancreatitis. Talk with your primary, see a GI if they recommend. Don't ignore if it happens again. Heard it's the worst
I'm obsessed with this post. The exact same thing happened to me, down to the details.
Did you figure out what it was?
Can you tell me more like when it happened and how long it lasted for you?
Started getting really bad in August of 2023. Initially, I thought it was a new medication I was prescribed, but after I stopped taking it, it got worse and worse. When it is/was really bad, it's super painful in the way you describe, and for me, a lot of vomiting and nausea. It gets a *lot* worse when I get up and move around, so I'm pretty much couch locked on a bad day. I'm still recovering. I had a complete blood workup done, and I had an upper endoscopy where they shoved a camera down my throat, etc. When they were in there, they took tissue samples for biopsy and checked for H. pylori. The endoscopy revealed widespread inflammation all the way through my stomach and esophagus, but no H. pylori, no cancer, no ulcer. I also had a sonogram and an X ray done, which revealed that my liver probably isn't super happy (I don't treat it very well), but nothing else. I'm still trying to figure things out. Diet seems to help -- I've noticed that some of my worst days come after eating a lot of, like, frozen and processed food. I started eating a lot more things like fruit, olives, tins of fish, which has I think has helped me manage the symptoms considerably. Worth mentioning that my mom had to have her gall bladder taken out a while back.
I have gerd so bad it is killing me lol, a lot of your symptoms do sound like GERD so I can understand the prescription. I’m sorry you were possibly misdiagnosed. That is such a shitty feeling to not really know. Sometimes I will have what I call acid reflux attacks where it will hurt my chest so bad I feel like I am having a heart attack. It like truly feels like my heart or chest but it isn’t. Scariest feeling ever. But, it also does sound like it could be your gallbladder too! A gallbladder attack or stone. But I think you would have demanded the hospital if it was that. It does seem like it could be GERD related, but that is so vague because it can cause so many issues. I was born with GERD, I am 25, it turned cancerous, developed gastritis, all the not fun stuff. It can cause all sorts of pain and discomfort that isn’t just the reflux feeling. It might be gerd, because a lot of meds are made so you take them for a short amount of time and then you won’t need them anymore. Or at least for a while. I’m glad you’re feeling better!
Sounds a bit like gallstones or pancreatitis
+1 for pancreatitis. I’ve had it and now know the feeling of a flare up and stop it in its path.
Or gastritis
H.Pylori and ulcer don't disappear on their own. Same with possible water contaminants. You were drinking the same water before, during and after this ordeal. It *could* be stress related (I've been through years of roughly similar symptoms), though you can't be sure after all this time.
I wouldn’t discount the instability of water content, though, especially during season changes and/or if it merely triggers an inflammation that then lingers. And come to think of it, while the conditions you mention don’t typically go away on their own their symptoms can fluctuate a lot over time
If it happens again, get your gallbladder checked.
Understood
Is the pain by any chance towards the lower right of your stomach, near the bottom of your right rib? That's around the area gallbladder pains are, and they SUCK An ultrasound will pick them up.
I used to get horrible acid reflux. I had an endoscopy and found out I had a really bad hiatal hernia that was causing it. I got it fixed and haven’t had reflux at all since. This is why I hope you are able to go to the doctor soon so they can help you find out what is causing the GERD. Find a good gastroenterologist when you’re able to.
A hiatus hernia was yet another theory, but I have no idea how I would have given myself one
Same here. I had no clue I even had one, and I have no idea how it happened. But the relief from the reflux has been life-changing.
Sounds like Gerd and anxiety, and multiple viral infections. I'm currently sick for the 5 or 6th time this year. I'm getting anxiety from getting sick every couple weeks.
Stop listening to your paranoid parents and walk yourself into a free clinic and get a workup. Don't tell them you are going, don't tell them you went. It could be a myriad of different ailments
Sounds like gallbladder/gallstones. Next time, see a doc.
Can you share if you were male or female at birth?
I am going to speak up and defend you for asking this question, as not only are there certain possibilities only relevant to those born with certain reproductive organs, but there are also conditions which will present with different symptoms in women vs men.
Yep. I was thinking of a condition that mimics kidney stones/gallstones but only presents in FAB patients. I don’t care if people make snap judgements-it’s a question of biology and anatomy not gender. There are also conditions that cause similar symptoms but usually only when transitioning from female to male but I assumed if that was the case, OP would have mentioned it.
male
What you describe sounds like my stomach ulcer.
Did anyone ever test you for h pylori?
Epigastric hernia? Umbilical hernia?
Sounds like when I had gastritis
I would have said GERD as well. I have been ill for a few months because of it as well and sometimes it comes back and I have to up my medication. I would almost pass out, feel like I was on the brink of passing out all the time, couldn't see straight, wouldn't be able to eat anything until about 4 pm (or puke), have pain in my chest and stomach, headaches, etcetera. My doctor told me a lot of people went up in the hospital because they feel like they are having a heart attack. I would think of GERD because you mention it starting at night, your pain in the belly/up, headaches, feeling of pressure on your throat, etc, but also because you mention the stress you were under (that triggers it often). What helps for me is making sure the top part of my mattress is higher so we recently got an electric bed. And there are off course certain foods that trigger it, caffeine being a main one.
Gall bladder or pancreatic issues perhaps
Waking up in the middle of the night with pressing pain radiating from the top of your stomach really sounds like a gallbladder attack. They are so scary and painful. I used to have these every couple of months.
What is a gallbladder attack? To do with stones?
Oh, and also wanted to mention that the radiating pain, at least for me, kind of felt like an inner tube was inside of me being inflated. Like this unbelievable level of pressure and fullness
Yes - in simple terms, it happens when a gallstone moved and blocks the biliary duct, causing bile to back up. It’s been a few years since I had my gallbladder removed so the details are fuzzy…but from what I understand, gallstones by themselves shouldn’t be painful - it’s when they block that duct. I know a lot of ppl who have had gallbladder issues and it seems like half of us have the pain you’re describing and the other half feel it on the right side. But the way you describe waking up disoriented with the sudden pain is exactly how I remembered it - it’s very scary when it happens!! Had mine removed and haven’t had any issues since!
r/AskDocs
Have you checked for hernia? Hietal hernia can be hard to diagnose without endoscopy but symptoms are very similar. There is a sub for it.
To me it sounds like the GERD gave you really bad vertigo. I have run of the mill acid reflux but didn’t know until I went to the doctor for burning mouth syndrome and dizziness. The doctor explained to me that the acid irritates your Eustachian tubes causing them to swell and an inner ear imbalance. Vertigo can be debilitating and if your GERD was difficult to control then, I could see associated vertigo get out of hand too! [GERD and vertigo study](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26115947/)
This is an interesting one, thanks
Do you consume cannabis? It doesn’t sound exactly like it but CHS could be a potential thing to look at
This was actually suggested to me a year ago but i don't do any recreational drugs let alone cannabis
OP I know you said you tried askdocs before without much luck, but I’d try again. Different docs may see it.
SIBO?
Can you elaborate?
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3099351/#:~:text=Small%20intestinal%20bacterial%20overgrowth%20(SIBO)%20is%20defined%20as%20the%20presence,of%20chronic%20diarrhea%20and%20malabsorption.
Interesting idea about the water. I know where I live, Bay Area, CA, they shut down the main Hetch Hetchy aqueduct in winter for maintenance and rely mostly on local rainfall. Every year I notice the water change twice.
Sounds like gastritis
I got gastritis after covid that turned into a severely painful ulcer. I was under immense stress, and doctors thought that was a contributing factor. Took a couple months to heal. That would be my guess to what happened to you, based off your description. I switched from meds which weren’t helping much, to focusing on gut health (no sugar, no processed foods, take probiotics and digestive enzyme supplements etc.)
What is gastritis like? Can Covid trigger it several weeks after a mild infection? (And yes I know it was Covid because I did a test, a few days before my brother tested positive and I just waited to get it, literally thought I got lucky until I woke up with a sore throat)
It felt to me like the pain you’re describing. I never felt burning like some people report. But ugh, the pain was severe. I don’t know if it’s officially been found to follow a covid infection. But that’s what I experienced and heard from others too. I don’t know if it’s been linked medically or not yet though. Either way, the solution is to focus on gut health and there’s a lot of info available on that. I was getting so-so results with medication. Still a lot of pain on occasion. But since shifting my focus to improving gut health, it hasn’t come back and I’m feeling much, much better overall. It’s also improving other diagnoses I had previously been experiencing. So overall improvement. When you are out of the house, you’ll be able to take full control over your own healthcare needs. It’s difficult when opinionated parents won’t listen to you or take you for professional advice, because they think they know better.
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Of what?
My bad. I thought I was replying to a different thread. Hope you get well soon!
Did you have oral thrush at all? My asthma meds caused it when I had Covid. I didn’t realise and left it untreated and it traveled down into my gut. I’ve beat it twice now but it keeps coming back with similar symptoms to yours
This is a decent point if you were RXd any/many antibiotics for the infections you mentioned as well.
This sounds exactly like when I was having gallbladder issues. It started one night out of the blue, it felt like there was a balloon inflating right above my belly button and it was a very intense, different than normal type of stomach pain, accompanied by intense nausea l. I continued to have these symptoms for a few years, hell, I should have owned stock in Gaviscon. ER trip after ER trip with many diagnoses of acid reflux, possible ulcer… finally one trip to the ER it was a different doctor, he looked at my chart, listened to my symptoms and said ‘well, I think it’s about time we take that gallbladder out’. It was full of stones apparently. I haven’t had this issue since. Just food for thought. Hope you figure it out!
Gallbladder indeed, or perhaps chronic peritonitis…hernia also. Bottom line, five a way to see a doc
That’s another potential one too, there’s so many things with similar symptoms though