A few months back (May), I developed ineffective esophageal motility; most likely from this condition. I cut out ANY possible triggers. Garlic, onion, anything spicy, citrus, chocolate, etc. And I’m on a liquids and soft foods diet as a result of my esophageal motility so that’s been really hard. I started sleeping elevated, don’t lay down right after eating, haven’t overeaten at all, I take a stronger PPI (dexilant), use gaviscon after dinner and before going to sleep. I also started using sucralfate to protect my esophagus. I am doing EVERYTHING I can. For a long time, I felt myself getting better. But every now and then, I still get random bouts of reflux out of nowhere. I get the phlegmy throat, the soreness, even my swallowing starts to take a hit again. But NOTHING has changed. I did just get my gallbladder out, so maybe it’s bile reflux, but there’s no metallic taste in my mouth. And it’s not consistent.

Are random bouts of reflux just inevitable? Am I just going to have periods where I still get symptoms no matter what? Or is the healing still happening? It’s been about 5 months of this, but maybe it’s going to take even longer?

I have ineffective esophageal motility in addition to my gastroparesis, so multivitamin pills are not possible for me right now. I’m even wary of the gummies since they’re more on the sticky and chewy side. Typically, I get my nutrients from ensures (in addition to some normal liquid or blended foods). But now I’m wondering if the dairy in ensures is triggering my symptoms. If I can’t reliably drink them anymore, I’d like another reliable source of vitamins and minerals. I found this dissolvable women’s multivitamin from EllaOlla, but it gets all those vitamins and minerals from a blend of various fruits and vegetables and mushrooms. It’s such a small amount of powder in each packet, but I’m so paranoid about the source of those nutrients causing issues. This might be a dumb question, but can the fact that it comes from a blend of those foods cause issues? I doubt it, but I’m paranoid. Has anyone here tried EllaOlla?

Hi, I (29F) keep getting severe gas pains, usually once a week. They come on very suddenly. It’s a sharp pain across my upper abdomen that feels like a balloon being inflated under my ribcage and someone stabbing me in my stomach. It feels like it pushes on my diaphragm making it feel like I can’t take a full breath. Laying down makes it worse oftentimes. Heat helps a little and gas-x probably helps? I don’t know. Sometimes I’ve gotten it to go away pretty fast, but the last couple times, it’s lasted 1-2 hours. Once in a while, it makes me vomit. Last night was the worst one for me. It was so incredibly painful, I thought I might ask to go to the hospital just for pain relief. But then I threw up, and about 10 minutes later, it started to slowly go away.

This gas pain has been my worst symptom and I was wondering if anyone else gets it? I’m wondering if it’s the PB2 powder in my PB and banana smoothies that I make. So far, the foods I’ve been eating are ensure original, applesauce, 2% fairlife milk, a GERD-friendly chicken noodle soup that I blend up (it has some celery and carrots, but they are cooked down super well), a cream of potato soup (literally only potatoes, no other vegetable), vanilla ice cream, popsicles, and the smoothies.

I want to figure out the trigger for this symptom because I can’t keep going on like this. It’s such a terrible pain. It’s the worst pain I’ve ever felt.

I was recently diagnosed with gastroparesis. While my symptoms aren’t as bad as many others (I rarely ever vomit. My worst symptoms are trapped gas, a feeling of fullness, and occasional nausea), unfortunately, my doc thinks it has been the root cause of my LPR/GERD. Unfortunately, I also recently developed ineffective esophageal motility, so I need to be careful with what I eat in more than one way. We’re hoping the IEM is temporary and will heal with treatment of my reflux, but it’s unsure.

So far, I’m only eating liquids like ensure or very, very soft foods like ice cream and applesauce. I am wanting to branch out more because I’m miserable, but I’m not sure what’s safe. I could do tomato soup, but that might trigger my reflux. Same with any soups that have garlic and onion seasoning. I can’t do plain rice or chicken because of my IEM. And things high in fat or fiber are probably a risk, too, for my GP. The only savory food I have is a blended up, homemade chicken noodle soup with a very special low FODMAP chicken seasoning in it as well as thyme, hing, carrots, celery, and a little bit of egg noodles.

I thought about congee or poached eggs, but it’s taking a lot to psych myself up for it. I’m so afraid it’s going to get stuck even though they’re very soft foods.

Should I just take my chance with these soups that have common reflux triggers like tomato? Or maybe try to make altered versions on my own?

I would appreciate any advice. It might be a bit until I can get on a GP medication like domperidone or motegrity.

EDIT: again, I must emphasize, I have ineffective esophageal motility 😅 I need to be careful about what I swallow. During my manometry, I had 40% failed peristalsis and 60% weak peristalsis.

I (29F) have had LPR/GERD for a while. I was taking omeprazole for a long time, but I think it stopped working as well. I developed ineffective esophageal motility and now also have been diagnosed with gastroparesis. My doc wanted to try a new PPI so I asked for Dexilant since I’ve heard good things about it. I take 60 mg a day. I sprinkle it over applesauce since swallowing pills is kind of iffy right now.

But I’ve noticed that shortly after taking it, I get a phlegmy throat for a little bit. It goes away not long after, but I do have to clear my throat for a bit. I have dealt with phlegm and post nasal drip from LPR, but it doesn’t happen as much anymore outside of taking my medication. I’m worried it’s a reaction to the medication but that doesn’t make much sense, does it? Is it just because it’s technically the first thing my stomach gets in the morning? I’ve been taking it for about a month or so now. Hoping that it’s just my body still adjusting.

I (29F) have had LPR/GERD for a while. I was taking omeprazole for a long time, but I think it stopped working as well. I developed ineffective esophageal motility and now also have been diagnosed with gastroparesis. My doc wanted to try a new PPI so I asked for Dexilant since I’ve heard good things about it. I take 60 mg a day. I sprinkle it over applesauce since swallowing pills is kind of iffy right now.

But I’ve noticed that shortly after taking it, I get a phlegmy throat for a little bit. It goes away not long after, but I do have to clear my throat for a bit. I have dealt with phlegm and post nasal drip from LPR, but it doesn’t happen as much anymore outside of taking my medication. I’m worried it’s a reaction to the medication but that doesn’t make much sense, does it? Is it just because it’s technically the first thing my stomach gets in the morning? I’ve been taking it for about a month or so now. Hoping that it’s just my body still adjusting.

I was recently diagnosed with gastroparesis and ineffective esophageal motility. I’ve also struggled with acid reflux, chronic pain and fatigue, and many other life-interrupting symptoms. I’m only eating liquids and even that’s hard. I wonder some days if I’ll die from wasting away. I have barely any energy to see my loved ones or do the things I used to enjoy. I even had to quit work. I have my husband, and he loves me so much, but I feel like such a burden to him. I know we all have trials, and that this is just the result of being mortal, but sometimes I pray and wonder, “Will I always be suffering? Is this my life now? Will I never be happy again?”

Death scares me. But I’m also terrified of living and never knowing joy again. I have seen blessings in my life (even with this; I got my diagnosis very quickly), and yet I still feel so hopeless. I feel alone. And I feel guilty over that because I’m worried I’m appearing ungrateful and faithless. I don’t want to be doomed to a life of misery and pain. I worry that I’ll only find relief when I’m dead. This health crisis has also made me think a lot about the afterlife. I hope so badly for it all to be real, because I’m terrified of the thought that this life is all I get.

How can I know joy again? How can I strengthen my faith and not be so full of fear?

I (29F) was just diagnosed with gastroparesis. It came on suddenly it feels like. I had to quit work back in April because of it. My GI doc dared claim it was mild even though it doesn’t feel mild. I had delayed emptying at 3 and 4 hours (24% retained after 4 hours) and that was with the LIQUID study. I can’t swallow solids right now without feeling like I’m playing Russian roulette. I have ineffective esophageal motility that may or may not be caused by the gastroparesis. I also have bad GERD/LPR.

I tried asking him about Prokinetics, but he says that one med is not FDA, and two others may only work a little bit for a short time (but aren’t there way more than those three?). He wants me to change my diet first, but I have already changed it as much as I can because I am on a liquid diet and he knows this! I told him (in a message because he hasn’t been meeting with me, just talking to me over the online portal) I am only eating applesauce, Boost and Ensure drinks, a homemade peanut butter and banana smoothie sometimes, and a blended up version of chicken noodle soup that I make myself without reflux-triggering ingredients. I also sometimes drink apple juice or Naked Juice (only the Blue Machine). I am still losing weight because it is too hard to get my daily minimum of calories needed to maintain my weight. I can maybe get close to 1200 a day. But not being able to eat solids and then having my symptoms of nausea, occasional vomiting, gas pains, bloating, and diarrhea/constipation on top of that makes eating hard. I get full easily and if I try to force myself to eat more, I might get reflux.

I am miserable. Every day is a living hell for me because I miss solid food so much and because my symptoms don’t feel mild at all. And I don’t have much energy to go out and do the things I did before. I just want to try all that I can, like the Prokinetics. If that doesn’t work, fine. But he won’t even give me a chance to try them. I know Reglan can have its issue, but there are way more options to try. Should I try to find a new GI?

FINDINGS: Gastric emptying is:
29% at 58 minutes (normal is greater than
10%), (usually less than 50%).
42% at 119 minutes (normal is greater than
40%), (usually less than 90%).

62% at 178 minutes (normal is greater than
70%).
76% at 243 minutes (normal is greater than
90%).

If this doesn’t get me a diagnosis, I don’t know what will. What do you think?

I had my GES today, but it was a liquid version. I have ineffective esophageal motility, so solids are a big risk. I had 40% failed peristalsis during my motility study, and 60% weak peristalsis. Before I went on my liquid diet, I thought I would choke on food, that’s how slow and uncomfortable swallowing solids was. I had a strong feeling that eating eggs and toast with no drink in under 10 minutes was going to be an issue. So they let me drink a Boost shake instead.

The thing is, they still seem to be measuring the emptying the same way they would with solids. It was a 4 hour test, but don’t liquids empty out faster? I’m worried they’re going to reference the values of a solid test, not a liquid one.

But funny thing is, when I was looking at the scans, by the 4th hour, I could still see some trace liquid in my upper and lower stomach. Not sure how normal that is.

It’s upsetting to know that the liquid test is less reliable (from what I hear). Not sure how I’m supposed to know if I have gastroparesis or not when I can’t do the normal test.

I guess I should wait until I get the results, but should I be worried that they’re going to use the wrong reference for the results?

I (29F) had an esophageal motility study last week, and I finally got the results back! I have ineffective esophageal motility (IEM). Which sucks, but it’s progress towards an answer. So I’m both relieved and saddened. But now I’m wondering what could be causing this.

100% of my swallows were ineffective. 40% failed peristalsis, and 60% weak peristalsis. I’ve also had an endoscopy and chest CT, but there were no signs of EoE, cancer, strictures, Barrett’s esophagus, schatzki ring, etc. Just some signs of gastritis in my stomach. I already know I have GERD/LPR. I’ve been on omeprazole 40 mg once a day for a couple of years.

But about a year and a half ago, I had two separate ANA 12 plus profiles done. Both came back abnormal. I was reading about sclerosis/scleroderma (since it’s a potential cause of IEM), and I thought back to those tests. My rheumatologist brushed them off at the time, but now I’m wondering if it’s a genuine possibility.

Doc is going to schedule a gastric emptying test, is prescribing me nexium twice a day, and ordered some lab work. But I think I’m also going to ask about autoimmune disorders.

To anyone here officially diagnosed with IEM: do you know what caused/causes it? Do you have any advice to share?

I’ve had bouts of dysphagia much of my life, but they were not as severe and it would just occasionally show up as food going down slowly. Got more frequent as I got older. Then it suddenly got so bad close to a month ago, that I’ve been on a liquid/puree diet since. But even blended soups feel like they go down very slowly. It’s torture. I hate eating now because of it.

I (29F) have struggled with random, brief moments of dysphagia all my life where food would suddenly go down very slowly and it affected my breathing until it passed. I didn’t think much of it because I always saw it happening to my dad and the bouts were so short-lived. As I got older, I got diagnosed with LPR. Omeprazole helped for a little while, but then my acid reflux got bad again after a stressful time in my life. I tried to treat the root issue and things seemed like they were getting better. But around the end of April, I noticed swallowing was starting to feel…wrong. I was afraid to eat anything I could choke on when alone, so I always waited to eat solid stuff until my husband was home or I was around coworkers.

Then, on May 2nd, I noticed even scrambled eggs felt hard to swallow. At best, very uncomfortable. I took my two mental health pills that night and they must have gotten stuck at one point, because I was in serious pain for hours after. I went to the ER because I thought something was stuck. They did a chest Xray, gave me some lidocaine and sucralfate to swallow, as well as some morphine through IV. I went home feeling slightly better. After this, I stopped eating solids altogether. I stopped even taking my pills (it’s okay, they were the lowest dose of antidepressants; and I’m not a suicidal person). I only take omeprazole by opening the capsule and sprinkling it over applesauce. I went to the ER again a week later because I felt like I wasn’t getting enough nutrients, but my blood tests said otherwise. One test showed that I had a high WBC, RBC, and Neutrophil count (among a few other things), but they didn’t really address that. I also got a chest CT scan, which showed no issues.

I was fortunate enough to get an endoscopy this past Monday (I kept begging for my GI doc to get me one as soon as possible). The doc said everything LOOKED fine, save for signs of gastritis in my lower stomach. They still took biopsies for EoE and H Pylori. And I have a motility test scheduled for June.

While I wait for the results, I started worrying about something. As I read about EoE, I started eliminating the most common allergens for this condition a couple days after my first ER visit (the 2nd). I stopped consuming things with milk (although I had a sip of a milk-based drink on the 7th), eggs, nuts, and wheat. Again, my endoscopy was on the 11th. I worry that eliminating these things will make it too difficult to detect the EoE. Is it the case? Or does EoE remain detectable for longer than I’m thinking?
Also, I have eczema, so I highly suspect EoE. But I’m so confused as to why the doc said things look normal.

I (29F) have struggled with acid reflux for several years. It was very manageable once I got on a PPI. But in the last 6 months, it’s worsened. And this last week, it’s slowly gotten harder and harder to swallow solids. Even liquids aren’t comfortable, but much more bearable than solids. I can’t even eat scrambled eggs without feeling like it’s getting stuck. I can’t see my GI until the 20th. I’m already losing weight fast. How do I keep myself well nourished enough? I’m so afraid of starving. I’ve been drinking/eating Ensure, lactose-free milk, applesauce, Metamucil (for fiber), and yogurt. What else can I do? I can’t even go to work because it requires energy I just don’t have right now as a result of this.

A month ago, a woman rear ended me and left some nasty dents in my trunk. She was driving a Turo rental and I guessed her and her boyfriend denied coverage. I also found out she wasn’t even authorized to drive it (I assume only her boyfriend was). The insurance connected to Turo won’t cover the damage as a result, and neither will my insurance (probably because I picked the minimum coverage). I don’t know what to do now. Do I go to the woman and her boyfriend directly? Do I bug the company some more to try and get them to pay for the damage?

My acid reflux has never been this bad, but I’ve gotten to a point where it feels like my throat is closing up. Eating is torture. I feel like it’s going to get stuck or come back up and choke me or make me throw up. Even just drinking nutrition shakes hasn’t been great. I’m losing weight fast because of it. I have an appointment with a GI doctor on the 20th of this month, but I’m worried about what will happen in the meantime. I can barely eat at work which makes it difficult to focus and have the energy I need. I have constant anxiety around this. I’m afraid of wasting away. This globus sensation and tight throat feeling are killing me. I’m even afraid to take gaviscon or reflux gourmet because that requires swallowing pretty thick substances.

I take omeprazole every day and I’ve also been taking famotidine in the evening when I really need to. I’m cutting down on so many different foods, sleeping elevated, but I’m still worse than ever. I was doing alright for a little while, and then suddenly my dysphagia worsened significantly. I just ordered some alkaline water and I’m hoping it will help, but I don’t have much hope. What do I do?

I (29F) had a turbinate reduction and valve repair in addition to my septoplasty back in July 2025. My right nostril has been working great, but my left nostril (more so now than before) just isn’t working how it should. I am constantly having to blow snot out of it, and sometimes it feels like it sticks together when I sniff hard enough. There is also this weird bump where my valve is. I thought it was swelling, but it has never gone down. It feels like a hard pimple on the inner wall of my nostril. This didn’t happen to my right nostril. It blocks some airflow and constantly gets boogers stuck behind it. When I met with my surgeon last, he said he could either remove the cartilage/graft he used to repair the valve, reduce my left turbinates further (because I guess they’re still kind of big), or do both. The problem with removing the graft is it COULD lead to that valve collapsing again whenever I breathe in.

Has anyone had this experience? I can’t seem to tell what the true source of the problem is. I often lift open my left nostril now to get it “unstuck” (it doesn’t completely close up, of course, but it’s still an annoying, sticky feeling that reduces airflow).