Confused & scared

Hi there,

I lost my appetite too when I used Zantac, and it got even worse when I was on PPIs. After being on them for a month I took myself off and my hunger is slowly return as my stomach re-adjusts. When you kill your stomach acid, you're bound to get digestive problems. That's my logic. My reflux is still incredibly bad, and much like you I have problems with solids.Everyone is different and some magic pill can't be a cure-all for everyone.

I had the throat closing feeling many times too, but I felt for me it was anxiety causing this. It is stressful on the soul going through all these tests. I also found burping caused the throat causing feeling as I was probably re-fluxing acid into my lungs.

I'd stay away from weightlifting for a while. It does reduce stress, but you may be putting pressure on your stomach. Try just walking after every meal to help reduce stress, and to help with digestion. I too was weighlifting, and I know it's difficult to give up, but if you're like me and dropping weight fast, you can't afford to lose those calories you burn.

I'd avoid juice as it's acidic, and it might be contributing to your throat closing. Stay away from Dairy too, as it is fatty and your current digestive problems may be having difficulty with it. I'd cut chocolate, garlic, onion, tomatoes, tea (even herbal), coffee and alcohol right out. It's not fun, but you can reintroduce them later when you have your turning point. Everyone is different, so keep a food journal and see what triggers what.

I am half liquid/half solids. So I have a protein shake every morning, made with almond milk. I sometimes add rice to it for extra calories. I also add mushrooms and kale, as well as honey.

For lunch I eat gluten free cereal with almond milk. I found an organic cereal that is a little hard to eat, but it's 230 calories, but with the almond milk I get 300 calories out of it.

For dinner I eat homemade soup. I slow cook alkaline veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, sweet potatoes, asparagus, mushrooms, celery, peas) in a slow cooker. I the purree and add cooked rice.

My mom cooks me other low fat soups from scratch too, like chicken noodle, lentil and bean soup.

I can't do snacks in between as they mess me up with burping and bloating at this time.

Avoid canned soups as they have a lot of acid in them that can irritate your throat as it goes down.

There is a book called dropping acid you might want to read. It's available on Amazon.

Raise your head of the bed 6-8 inches. I put school textbooks under mine, but you can buy wedges, or use 2x4s or bricks to do this.

It is hard to relax, but you will get better. It takes time to heal, a long time. There's probably several things that messed you up, and not just one thing, so you're body has to recalculate that over time. Our bodies are smarter than us, so you will heal.

I relax by writing letters to people I love. I don't give them the letter, I just write very nice things about them and about good memories, then I put it in a drawer. It's very therapeutic for me, and I read Bruce Lee used to use this as a relaxation method. (It's also a good plan B if I pass away from starvation - lol)

I also went to a natreopath and I had a very good one who didn't pressure me into buying a bunch of junk or strange tests. I paid $165 or 1.5 hour session but it was worth it mentally just to unload, and get her advice.

For weightloss she recommended a weight-gainer/protein powder blend. I ordered it yesterday so I don't have any results to report. You might want to try something similar. Just read the label and buy something without a lot of junk in it. If it's too thick, don't use the full scoop.

We're both going to get better and get past this and never have to deal with it again. I understand the pain you are going through, and you are in my thoughts.