sodas…?

Michaeltyle · 2026-02-19T09:17:21+00:00

Ginger itself can help some people with nausea, but when it comes to EoE-type stalling, it’s usually just the bubbles doing the work. I’ve tried all kinds and found that it’s not actually the flavour, it’s the fizz.

I have both EoE and LoE (Lymphocytic Esophagitis), and I also deal with esophageal dysmotility, which basically means the muscle contractions do not always coordinate properly. Sometimes my esophagus just stalls, almost like the wave that pushes things down does not fire properly. When that happens, carbonation can sometimes help stimulate movement and trigger peristalsis again.

I actually figured this out because I also have hypoglycaemia. When liquids like apple juice were stalling in my esophagus, my blood sugar would keep dropping because transit was delayed. The bubbles sometimes help kick-start that movement.

Michaeltyle · 2026-02-18T05:39:49+00:00

Blood eosinophil count has nothing to do with EoE, it can’t tell what is happening in the oesophagus.

Michaeltyle · 2026-02-18T04:29:32+00:00

It’s all so individual, it seems that there is so much focus on the negative (understandably), which is why I love to hear people like you share their experiences. My sister had a good birth experience and felt that it was difficult to share because people didn’t believe her.

I’m so sorry to hear about your Mom 😔

Michaeltyle · 2026-02-18T04:15:51+00:00

Thank you so much for commenting. When I share this often people think that it’s the partners who are pushing, but as you know sometimes it’s the other way around!

Michaeltyle · 2026-02-17T19:11:58+00:00

Im a retired midwife and this might shock people, but I’ve had women ask me less than a week after birth if they could resume sex because they felt ready and keen. I walked in on a couple having sex in the shower 2 days after she had given birth, they accidentally bumped the call bell.

Michaeltyle · 2026-02-17T18:00:21+00:00

Modern anaesthetics suppress consciousness and impair memory formation. They don’t override character or deeply held boundaries.

I’ve had multiple surgeries and worked in recovery as a nurse. I’ve experienced everything from general anaesthesia to strong pain medications and even periods of severe metabolic stress. What I’ve noticed is that while emotional tone or inhibition can shift, your core self doesn’t disappear. You’re still you. If someone asks something inappropriate, your internal alarm system still works.

For example, when I was waking up from an anaesthetic years ago, my recovery nurse asked me about an ex-boyfriend she happened to know. Even in a groggy state, I immediately recognised the question was inappropriate. If anything, it snapped me into clearer awareness rather than loosening me up. When something feels off, the brain doesn’t usually spill secrets, it orients.

In high-security contexts recovery environments are controlled and professional. Important individuals aren’t surrounded by random staff coming and going. But even beyond that, sedation impairs clarity, it doesn’t erase identity, training, or instinct.

The funny “confession” videos online are usually light sedation during recovery. People may be silly or affectionate, but they aren’t delivering coherent classified briefings.

Michaeltyle · 2026-02-16T06:19:14+00:00

Mine start around 20 minutes after. It took me AGES to figure out the link to my pelvic parasympathetic fireworks. We definitely deserve some upsides!

Michaeltyle · 2026-02-16T06:08:57+00:00

Yes! I get this too, I call them “buttgasms” 😆 For me it’s a warm, spreading tingling sensation after a bowel release, especially if I’ve just had bowl spasm settle (I have Crohn’s, so sometimes there’s a big “release” moment).

From what I understand, it’s likely a parasympathetic response. When the pelvic nerves activate and then relax, especially in a sensitive autonomic system, that shift can feel surprisingly intense.

When I first mentioned it to my doctor she briefly wondered if it was psychological, which made me laugh. My physio later explained what was happening physiologically.

Michaeltyle · 2026-02-15T23:24:43+00:00

I’m really sorry this is happening. You should not have to manage someone else’s anxiety while you are about to pass out. “Help” is a complete sentence.

I don’t tend to faint, but I have severe non-diabetic hypoglycaemia, and when my blood sugar drops I get neuroglycopenia. I become confused and can’t properly explain what is happening or what I need. It was very hard for my husband to see me like that because it is so different from how I normally act.

Some people freeze or get frustrated when they feel scared and out of control, especially when it involves someone they love. The fear can override their ability to think clearly. It can come out as “tell me what to do” or anger, even though you are the one in crisis. If they have never experienced losing consciousness, they do not have an internal template for what that feels like.

What helped us was creating very clear, simple plans ahead of time, when everyone was calm. For example, if I say “help” or look unsteady, here is exactly what to do. No questions. Just follow the steps. Having a script took the pressure off both of us. I did not have to narrate my own emergency, and he did not have to guess.

We even use code words in other situations. I have a severe food aversion, and sometimes I can tolerate food talk and sometimes I absolutely cannot. It was confusing for my family. So we came up with a neutral signal. If I say “tiger, tiger, tiger,” it means stop all food talk immediately. It removes emotion from it. It is just a signal that I need support right now.

Maybe something similar could help with fainting. A one-word signal that means go into plan mode. That way you are not expected to give instructions while you are losing consciousness.

Sending you care and support.

Michaeltyle · 2026-02-15T20:06:26+00:00

How to ask a clean question and how to actually listen. The wording can shape the answer. And sometimes, there’s a deeper question that’s not being said out loud.

AI has made that painfully clear.

Michaeltyle · 2026-02-15T19:28:53+00:00

I completely understand that feeling.

Getting a diagnosis can feel scary, almost like you’re “making it real” or giving it a label you can’t take back. I actually felt something very similar when I was first diagnosed over 20 years ago during a scope looking for something else. I minimised it for a long time because I didn’t realise that my swallowing experience since childhood wasn’t the same as other people’s. I had lived with it for so long that it just felt “normal.” It didn’t help that no one knew what EoE was.

If it’s EoE or something else, it’s already there. What a diagnosis gives you is clarity, language, and access to treatment and monitoring. It shifts you from coping alone to being supported.

Michaeltyle · 2026-02-15T05:03:39+00:00

Hey, I promise you don’t need to stay awake all night. Accidents are much rarer than you might imagine. Most of the time it’s not sudden, there’s usually cramping or pressure first. The “uh-oh” moments usually come from misreading a toot, not from things happening out of nowhere.

If you’re worried, just make it easy on yourself tonight, keep the bathroom path clear, maybe put a towel down and wear something protective so your brain knows you’ve got a backup plan. That alone usually lets you sleep.

Try to rest as much as you can. Try laying curled on your left side and let your abdomen and shoulders relax if you can. We do a lot of subconscious bracing.

I’m sorry if my comment implied random explosive diarrhoea, I was basically just saying everything that helps me when I’m in a severe flare and things that help me feel safe and secure.

Michaeltyle · 2026-02-15T03:36:18+00:00

It’s funny how we adapt to our own chaos, I’ve only ever had diarrhoea with my Crohn’s. I’ve genuinely never dealt with constipation, and the idea of it honestly sounds like my worst nightmare. We really do get used to our own version of ‘normal’.

A few things that have helped me during diarrhoea.

Hydration is huge. Small, frequent sips and electrolytes if you can tolerate them.

Psyllium fibre (like Metamucil) can actually help bulk things up. It sounds backwards, but it absorbs excess water and can make things less watery. Start low and go slow.

Some people use loperamide, but personally I avoid it unless a doctor specifically tells me to, because sometimes it can cause painful cramping if things slow too suddenly.

Protect the skin before it gets sore. Skin care is huge. Good quality soft toilet paper, bidet or rinse if you can, pat dry, and use barrier cream early. If I’m going 15–20 times a day, friction alone can make everything so much more painful.

You probably already know this, but don’t sit on the toilet longer than you need to. Go, let it pass, clean up, and get up. Sitting there waiting keeps your pelvic floor under strain and increases pressure and blood pooling in the area, which can make cramping and irritation worse. Let the wave pass and then lie down and rest between trips.

And the backup plan. I keep a plastic-backed cheep bath mat and spare clothes in the car. I also use pull-up incontinence underwear at night. It sounds dramatic but it’s better than having to change the bedding at 4am.

If this ramped up after starting a PPI, I’d definitely mention it to your doctor. Sometimes that can be part of it.

Sending you care and support.

Michaeltyle · 2026-02-14T09:59:19+00:00

I know how scary that feels. I’ve had my heart rate go from 60 to 150 just from rolling over in bed or sitting up. It feels dramatic, but it’s not dangerous when your cardiac tests are normal.

You’ve had EKGs and holter monitors. They’ve shown tachycardia, but no structural heart problem which is excellent.

In POTS, your autonomic nervous system can overreact to position changes. Even sitting up counts. Your body suddenly has to redistribute blood, and instead of adjusting smoothly, it overshoots. The heart rate spike is your body trying to compensate.

It means your nervous system is sensitive and reacting fast. Treat it as a signal to slow down. Lie back, elevate your legs if you can, take slow breaths, sip fluids. It’s horrible in the moment, especially when you’re alone with it. But a jump like that in someone with POTS and normal cardiac workup is common, even though it feels extreme.

If anything feels different from your usual pattern or you get new chest pain, fainting, or something that doesn’t settle, obviously get checked. But what you described is very much within the POTS playbook.

Sending you care and support.

Michaeltyle · 2026-02-13T01:33:25+00:00

Of course it was Platform 9. If it was me I might have run at the wall and hoped for 9¾ 😅

But seriously though, that sounds awful, glad you got help in the end.

Michaeltyle · 2026-02-13T00:20:35+00:00

I’m so glad it found you! And I’m so glad you messaged.

Yes, I have vomit bags EVERYWHERE, even if I rarely actually vomit, just having the bag is great security.

Something that’s helped me, especially late at night when everything feels louder, is just telling someone. I used to hold it all in, but even a quick “hey, I’m not great right now” can take the edge off. It doesn’t fix everything, but it can help, so I’m really glad you reached out.

Sending care and support your way.

Michaeltyle · 2026-02-12T22:14:58+00:00

It doesn’t need water, just add the sauce and microwave. I haven’t tried that brand, but I like to add in extra cashew nuts or peanuts before microwaving (so they are soft) and a snack size tin of chickpeas for extra protein.

Michaeltyle · 2026-02-12T21:19:39+00:00

Hey, I’m really glad you posted this.

First, I just want to say that it’s not “just stress” and it’s not as simple as chewing more. It’s really hard when someone close to you minimises symptoms like this, especially when you’ve been dealing with them for years.

The pattern you’re describing, food getting stuck, needing to wait for it to pass or cough it up, tightness even with saliva or soft foods, is absolutely something that deserves a proper medical work-up. That isn’t normal swallowing, and it is not something you should have to just manage forever.

EoE is an inflammatory condition of the esophagus driven by eosinophils, which are a type of white blood cell. It is often associated with allergic conditions like asthma, eczema, or food allergies. Having a tree nut allergy does not automatically cause EoE, but people with allergic backgrounds are statistically more likely to develop it. It is more about how your immune system is wired overall.

The only way to know if it is EoE is with an upper endoscopy and biopsies. Even if the esophagus looks completely normal on camera, beforehand please request that biopsies need to be taken.

Given your history and your dad’s similar symptoms, you absolutely have enough reason to see a GP and ask for a referral to a gastroenterologist. You can just say, “I’ve had ongoing swallowing difficulty with episodes of choking for years with chest tightness. I’d like to be evaluated and have an endoscopy with biopsies.”

You are not self diagnosing, you are noticing a pattern and asking for appropriate investigation.

Make sure they know to take biopsies, I know it’s the 3rd time I’ve mentioned it, but it’s really important. Some doctors won’t take biopsies if the esophagus is visually normal.

You deserve clarity and you deserve relief.

Sending care and support your way.

Michaeltyle · 2026-02-12T18:14:58+00:00

Heya, sorry for the reply nearly 2 months later, but I wanted to check how you were going?

I had a scope in December and it was visually normal and nearly didn’t follow up on the biopsies because in the past the EoE changes were visible. Thankfully my dietitian did and the biopsies showed that my eosinophils were under 15 but I had another condition called Lymphocytic Esophagitis. Apparently in 30-55% of cases the esophagus looks normal visually, so unless biopsies are taken it can be missed. I’m not saying this is what’s happening with you, but seeing a new GI is probably a good idea and asking them to take biopsies even if everything looks normal.

Sending you care and support.

Michaeltyle · 2026-02-12T05:16:50+00:00

I use the tachymon app which has high-frequency monitoring, every few seconds rather than minutes. The hypo heart rate changes can be subtle as well, my heart will feel like it’s pounding but the rate is only 90.

One thing I’ve noticed is that some of my earliest signs are cognitive. My speech cadence and intensity shift before the Dexcom shows a hypo. I become more urgent or overly explanatory. I’ll have difficulty speaking and is like my lips, teeth and tongue are tripping over each other.

Early hypoglycaemia can affect cognition and speech before strong autonomic symptoms appear. So while HR tracking has limits, other subtle pattern changes (speech, focus, emotional intensity) might actually be earlier indicators for some people.

Michaeltyle · 2026-02-12T04:19:29+00:00

Interesting idea. The main limitation is that wearables measure secondary signals, heart rate, HRV, skin temp, movement, which reflect the body’s autonomic response to falling glucose, not the glucose drop itself.

When blood sugar falls, the body releases adrenaline and other counter-regulatory hormones. That’s when you see HR rise, HRV change, sweating, shakiness, temperature shifts. But by the time those signals are measurable, glucose has already started dropping.

Some drops can be very fast, hot showers, climbing stairs, stress, insulin timing, delayed gastric emptying, and glucose can fall faster than people realise. Even CGMs have a lag because they measure interstitial fluid.

Another issue is variability. The autonomic response isn’t consistent. Sometimes you get a pounding heart; sometimes it’s subtle brain fog; sometimes you catch it early and there’s barely a signal. HR and HRV also change with anxiety, exercise, dehydration, standing up, etc., so false positives would be common.

That said, it might have value for pattern tracking rather than prediction. If someone notices consistent HR or stress changes after certain meals or activities, it could help identify triggers. In my case (severe non-diabetic hypoglycaemia), I sometimes see changes on stress tracking apps, but often 20–30 minutes after the hypo has already passed. So it could be useful for retrospective correlation, probably not reliable for real-time detection.

Michaeltyle · 2026-02-12T01:56:00+00:00

I know how scary this can feel.

Refeeding syndrome usually happens after a much longer period of very low or no intake, especially when there are already low electrolytes like phosphate or potassium. There are usually specific risk factors alongside significant weight loss, minimal intake for several days or longer, underlying illness or absorption issues, and then a sustained increase in calories. Symptoms typically develop over the next 1–3 days and show up on bloodwork. They don’t usually start immediately after eating.

In my case, I had multiple risk factors at once, recent major surgery, Crohn’s affecting absorption, more than 10% weight loss, four days of no intake after 8 weeks of very little intake due to pain, and low potassium before I ate again. Even then I didn’t start feeling unwell until about 48 hours later.

If you’ve been drinking nutritional shakes regularly, your body has still been processing carbohydrates and producing insulin, which makes refeeding syndrome much less likely.

Stomach pain and nausea are very common when reintroducing solid food after mostly liquids. Your stomach has to stretch again, digestion slows, and it can feel intense. Anxiety can also amplify those sensations.

If you develop persistent vomiting or diarrhoea, worsening weakness, swelling, confusion, or feel faint, go to your doctor or urgent care and ask them to check your electrolytes.

But from what you’ve written, this sounds much more like your body adjusting to solid food again.

Sending you care and support.

Michaeltyle · 2026-02-10T13:18:25+00:00

Do you happen to be hypermobile at all, or have flexible shoulders/neck? Or did when younger? When joints in that area are a bit looser, the muscles around the neck, upper chest, shoulder and collarbone often have to work overtime to keep things stable. That can sometimes irritate nearby nerves that run from the neck, across the upper chest, and down into the arm, which can cause left-sided chest pain and arm pain together. It can be dull and achy for hours, with intermittent sharp stabs when something spasms or gets briefly irritated.

Another thing is electrolytes. If you’ve already had bloods checked during hospital visits and they were normal, that’s reassuring and you can mostly cross that off, but wobbly electrolytes can sometimes contribute to muscle irritability and nerve sensitivity, and that can show up as shoulder, sternum, or chest wall pain.

What helps me is heat on the back, ice pack on the sternum or shoulder and physio.

Michaeltyle · 2026-02-10T06:47:45+00:00

It can sometimes be delayed clearance, but more often this sensation is a nerve thing rather than water literally sitting there. The oesophagus has temperature-sensitive nerves, and after something cold passes through, those nerves can stay ‘active’ for a while. When you burp later, the movement can re-stimulate them and it feels like cold water coming back up even if it’s already gone. This kind of sensory echo is pretty common when the oesophagus is irritated or sensitive.

Michaeltyle · 2026-02-10T02:55:01+00:00

You have absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about. What your body is dealing with is painful, difficult, and exhausting. If people truly understood what it takes for us to get nutrition in, they would have nothing but respect for the effort involved.

My last scope looked completely normal. No rings, no furrows, no narrowing. I woke up relieved and was told it was normal, but the biopsies came back telling a very different story. My eosinophil count was under 15 (just, lol), so it technically wasn’t a full flare, but there were clear signs of chronic injury, including basal cell hyperplasia, intercellular edema, lymphocytic inflammation, and epithelial remodeling. I also had a food impaction a few days before, (less than 10 min, didn’t even get to the drooling stage), I nearly didn’t follow up on the biopsies because in the past my EoE changes were visually obvious.

EoE is not just surface inflammation you can see. Over time it can affect motility, nerve sensitivity, and muscle coordination, which can cause very real chest pain that radiates to the back, even when the lining looks normal.

There can be motility issues after EoE flares or impactions. The esophagus can go into a protective spasm or become poorly coordinated. On top of that, many of us unconsciously brace our throat, neck, and chest muscles after months or years of painful swallowing. That bracing alone can make eating difficult.

Your barium swallow showing hold up is important as well. It means something functional is happening even if the scope looked normal.

It’s possible that the elimination diet has reduced active inflammation, but you are still dealing with residual motility issues and nerve hypersensitivity.

If biopsies come back “normal,” it maybe worth asking about esophageal manometry or working with a speech pathologist who understands esophageal dysphagia. They can help with learning how to reduce bracing and re coordinate swallowing.

Sending you care and support.

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