I’m looking for advice or similar experiences with methane SIBO / IMO, dysbiosis, and possible vagus nerve or gut-brain axis issues. I had perfect digestion my whole life until 2021–2022. First I had COVID, then food poisoning/rotavirus, then a neck issue around C5-C6 confirmed by MRI after a chiropractic/massage adjustment. Around the same time, I went through a lot of stress, and my digestion completely changed.
My main symptoms now are burping after almost any food, lumpy/goat-like or mushy/fluffy golden stool, weight loss/hard to gain weight, and left-sided throat tightness/pain after meals. The throat issue happens only after eating during the day. I’m fine at night and swallowing is normal. ENT said it does not look like reflux and saw no signs of acid damage. All regular blood tests, endoscopy, and ultrasound were normal. Breath test confirmed methane SIBO / IMO. GI-MAP showed dysbiosis, leaky gut, and completely absent F. prausnitzii. I believe I fixed the leaky gut, but symptoms remain. Over 3 years, I’ve tried many diets, herbal protocols, allicin, berberine, Atrantil, oregano, two rounds of antibiotics, supplements, fasting, yoga, breathing, running, swimming, and meditation. Keto was the only diet where I felt better.
The most interesting thing: antidepressants worked almost perfectly for about two weeks. I could eat almost anything and felt fine, but then the effect disappeared. Also, after eating, my HRV drops from around 50–60 to about 19, like my body switches from “rest and digest” into “fight or flight.”
Could this be post-COVID, food poisoning, methane overgrowth, vagus nerve dysfunction, C5-C6 neck issues, stress, dysbiosis, or all of them together?
Has anyone had similar symptoms, especially throat tightness after meals, HRV crashing after food, or IMO that seems connected to the nervous system?