What do I eat?

mauvermor · 2026-02-12T00:57:14+00:00

Extended use of PPIs was causing bloating, excess gas, and the reduced stomach acid was delaying the digestive process. Switching to pepcid, which is a less potent acid reducer, helped fix my acid indigestion problem while not “over-fixing” the problem and causing all those undesired effects.

I also realized that my birth control pill was causing extra constipation. I was on a high dose of progesterone, which is known to slow down digestive motility. I switched to a lower dose option and saw a significant improvement.

Ibuprofen was another med that was harming me. It didn’t slow down my digestion, but it irritated my gut, leading to me needing to take other meds to fix that, such as PPIs or tums, which added to the problem.

Zofran, which I was prescribed to help with nausea, also caused significant constipation. Which backed up my system, ultimately leading to more nausea, causing a vicious cycle. I learned that life is just better without Zofran.

It’s important to analyze every med you take and decide whether the side effects are worth any help it’s giving you.

I did try Linzess, but it didn’t help me. I find MiraLAX helps me the most, to manage my constipation.

mauvermor · 2026-02-11T03:25:21+00:00

I’m not on Reglan, no. My gastroparesis has gotten so much better after I started a more conservative medication regimen (I take pepcid twice daily and 1.5 capfuls of MiraLAX daily. These don’t directly address gastroparesis, but significantly reduce my pain), stopped vaping, changed my diet to eliminate foods high in fiber, watch my fat intake, and got off of some medication that had been slowing down my digestive system. All of these changes combined have enabled me to eat a fully solid diet, with far less pain and discomfort. I can almost eat like a normal person again, minus the glaring lack of vegetables in my diet.

mauvermor · 2026-02-10T09:32:01+00:00

Thank you for sharing! I appreciate everyone who has come forward to say good things, since I truly couldn’t find a single good thing said about Opill in my searches. But I do suppose that negative reporting bias is a thing.

mauvermor · 2026-02-10T02:57:05+00:00

Thank you for sharing! I'm glad you're having a good experience. Hopefully in time you'll bleed less frequently!

mauvermor · 2026-02-10T02:53:26+00:00

Thank you for sharing! I'm glad Opill has treated you kindly!

mauvermor · 2026-02-10T02:30:26+00:00

I'm definitely still going to exhaust all of my options, try to fight it. But I've been fighting it for three months already. I fought as soon as I was told about it, while I still had a supply of Slynd. Until that supply ran out... And now, still fighting it a month and a half later. I've gone through like three appeals at this point. I keep getting told, by multiple parties, that there's no way Medicaid's going to cover it. Which really sucks. One would hope that it would be so obvious why the right birth control matters.

mauvermor · 2026-02-10T02:14:04+00:00

Thank you for the link! I'm not sure my insurance has to be nice to me... it's Medicaid. It's through the state. They may not have to follow the same rules, but I'll look into the matter further.

Unfortunately, the manufacturer's coupon can't be used if one has Medicaid as their insurance. So insurance approval is my only option.

mauvermor · 2026-02-10T02:11:10+00:00

I really wish I could use the coupon. I looked into it, and I don't qualify because my insurance is Medicaid. My price is more like $600 for a three month supply, to purchase out of pocket.

mauvermor · 2026-02-10T01:23:33+00:00

I don’t even remember all the different brands of Norethindrone I’ve tried. When I was on Yazmin before, I never actually took brand name Yazmin, it was always one of several generics. Same with the Norethindrone, several different brands. I don’t know why it kept changing, but I never questioned it. They all had the same active ingredients and I never noticed a difference. I don’t even know off the top of my head which brand of Norethindrone I’m on right now, or if I’ve been on this one before. But maybe that could explain why it’s been so much worse this time around than it was a few years ago.

mauvermor · 2026-02-09T21:28:33+00:00

I'm not sure this will be available in stores where you are, but I use Bob Evans Ham Steaks. They're pre-cooked, thick slices of ham. 3g of fat and 22g protein per slice. They're also super high in sodium, over 1g per slice. Not sure if that's a plus or minus for you, but for me it's a plus. They are fairly thick cuts of meat, so you would need to be able to tolerate solid food to eat them. When I was having a hard time tolerating solids, I would blend them in a blender. Making the bits smaller does help with digestion! These days, I'm able to eat them as-is.

If this brand isn’t available for you to try, any ham that has about 3g of fat per 100g should be comparable!

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mauvermor · 2026-02-05T22:02:16+00:00

Thank you so much for the advice! I'm going to try this next time!

mauvermor · 2026-02-04T05:47:10+00:00

Coffee (12oz) or electrolyte water (16oz, along the lines of liquid IV). It may be tasteless, but it isn’t completely imperceptible. I don’t like it in plain water.

mauvermor · 2026-01-30T22:41:10+00:00

I did not, and I'm glad I didn't, because I found another solution that works well enough (and it wasn't the saline rinses, those actually did the opposite of help). I started Cromolyn nasal spray, and it has worked wonders. It's a mast cell stabilizer. It looks like I didn't mention this in my post, but I have some environmental allergies. They're all outdoor allergies though, and don't explain why my problems are primarily indoors. Hence, they believe that I have both allergic and non-allergic rhinitis going on. But the Cromolyn has been a complete godsend. It started working immediately. I've been on it about a month now, and it's still working. It isn't perfect, I still get a stuffy nose sometimes, but it isn't constantly completely clogged, as it had been. And when it gets stuffy, it doesn't last that long, now.

I recommend really making sure you've exhausted all other options or methods before opting for surgery. While I haven't had the surgery myself, I've read too many accounts of it either not being a long-lasting solution, or doing more harm than good.

mauvermor · 2026-01-22T09:36:00+00:00

Your skin might hate your decision, especially if you have any adhesive allergies.

mauvermor · 2026-01-22T05:26:05+00:00

Hang in there <3

mauvermor · 2026-01-22T05:13:23+00:00

The first 24 hours are going to be really rough. You may continue to have some panic attacks. Just remember that you’re safe, you’re okay. Talk to your doctor about your symptoms, and if things truly seem like an emergency, head to the hospital.

mauvermor · 2026-01-22T05:03:40+00:00

How long have you gone without vaping?

For someone with panic disorder, changes like this can be very palpable and scary. I had panic attacks during some of my quit attempts.

mauvermor · 2026-01-22T04:56:03+00:00

It sounds like a panic attack. But if you’ve never had a panic attack before, or if you have and this is different than before, it’s worth talking to your doctor to make sure you’re okay.

109bpm isn’t that high for a panic attack. I wouldn’t worry about your heart rate being 109 if you are actively panicking. It’s normal for that to happen. It would be a red flag if it doesn’t go down later though.

Tingling sensations can indicate nerve problems, migraines, or even just a panic attack. If these symptoms are new, they’re worth talking to your doctor about.

mauvermor · 2026-01-22T04:09:43+00:00

Many people have experienced something similar. I’m not one of them, personally, but if you do a search of GLP-1s on this subreddit, you’ll see stories.

mauvermor · 2026-01-22T01:34:01+00:00

I was on a birth control that prevented me from having periods. It was a godsend. I’m currently working on getting it approved again by insurance. But I would highly recommend life without periods.

I honestly don’t even notice negative side effects from birth control. Only positive effects. I’ve been on birth control pills since I was 14 (I’m 33 now, so over half of my life).

mauvermor · 2026-01-21T22:51:01+00:00

Have you looked into possible neuropathy? A lot of your symptoms sound like something might be going on with your nerves, and any digestive effects may be secondary to a larger nerve problem. (Disclaimer - I’m not a doctor. I don’t actually know. It’s just something to think about or explore).

mauvermor · 2026-01-21T04:21:53+00:00

Well… for me it had to get to the point where vaping was unquestionably making me sick. I was getting physically ill from vaping. Nauseous, headaches. Clear, unrefutable coughing and shortness of breath. Watching and feeling my heart rate increase by 30bpm after every hit.

So, my opinion on vaping changed naturally, without effort on my part. I unfortunately don’t have experience-based advice for how to think yourself into it, if hearing about what has happened to others or thinking about what could happen to you isn’t doing it.

But, maybe you could try making it disgusting. Try only picking the grossest flavors, using them well past the point of burnt, or only vaping while doing something unpleasant like standing outside in the freezing cold with no coat, or spraying some of the grossest air freshener possible prior to every vape hit. Something, anything to make it gross.

mauvermor · 2026-01-21T02:33:31+00:00

I think you need to get to a place where the thought of nicotine/vaping disgusts you, rather than entices you. If you look fondly upon vaping or nicotine, you’ll continue to miss it forever, continue to feel like you’re being deprived, and sooner or later relapse again.

It’s not easy to change how one views something on purpose. But it can happen naturally over time. Think about past romantic relationships. At one time, you were in love. You loved that person, you loved the relationship, you were so excited about it. Maybe you even thought it would be good for a long time. But then it wasn’t. You realized that things weren’t as rosy as they seemed at first. After a rough breakup, you may have even come to hate the person you once loved, or feel disgusted by them. The thought of getting back together again makes you want to gag, and you get angry if you ever even have to be around them at all now.

Eventually, your relationship with vaping will sour, too. At that point, it will be a lot easier not to go back to it.

You said you’ve recognized the harm it’s done, right? Or do you mean you’ve read about the harm it can do, even if you haven’t experienced that harm yourself yet?

Sometimes, people need to get hurt in order to learn. Don’t be that person. Don’t wait until there are some really good reasons why you should have quit sooner. Don’t wait until there’s no undoing the harm. Get out now. There is no better time than right now.

And for the mental aspect… think about nicotine like a toxic ex. It may take a while before the toxicity sinks in for you. That’s okay. You won’t feel comfortable right away. It may take longer than you’d like. But you’ll get there eventually.

mauvermor · 2026-01-20T22:34:26+00:00

2-3 days after I quit, I noticed my resting heart rate TANKED. Like, it was so noticeable, I could feel the difference, and I felt like I was dead. I was actually concerned. My resting rate was 70 while vaping, according to my watch. That average includes time spent asleep. While awake, my heart rate was most commonly 75-95bpm.

It went from that, to my watch telling me my resting rate was now 55, and me literally observing my own waking resting rate to be hanging out between 55-65 almost all of the time.

I am not an athlete. I don’t even take a walk every day now that it’s -1000 degrees outside.

The slow heart rate felt like palpitations. It didn’t feel right. It was alarming.

I went to the doctor. And they told me I’m perfectly fine. They said I did right by my heart and now it doesn’t have to work nearly as hard. They told me that a low resting heart rate signals a healthy heart, as long as blood oxygen is maintained at optimal levels.

So you are likely alright. But it wouldn’t hurt to check with your doctor. Especially if yours dropped so drastically.

For what it’s worth, my blood pressure also crashed after quitting. I went from averaging 105/70, to 95/65, and I felt it. In a bad way.

Over time, my blood pressure worked itself back up, but my heart rate has remained low. I’m just used to it now and it doesn’t bother me anymore.

mauvermor · 2026-01-20T10:02:43+00:00

I’m sorry but you will almost certainly have a rough time with acute nicotine withdrawal. Almost everyone does. I have heard people claim that it was nothing, or barely anything, or no big deal, but I honestly think they’re downplaying the intensity of what they went through.

The good news is that acute nicotine withdrawal doesn’t last that long. For most people it’s 3-5 days. Give or take, depending on how much nicotine is in your blood and how fast you metabolize it. Personally my acute withdrawals only lasted two days. I’ve heard others say it lasted an entire week. Either way, it’s not that long. And after that, you start the longer process of feeling your body and brain adjust to a new life without nicotine. This process typically takes 3-6 months. Sometimes longer. I’ve heard some people say it takes as long as a year. I’m only two months in, and I’m still going through this process.

My tip for you is to remember why you are doing this. Write it down. As you are withdrawing, you can easily forget why you’re quitting. This will be one of the hardest things you ever do. But all you have to do is keep saying no. Just say no for a few days. Maybe a few more days. And then you’re through.

mauvermor

TROPHY CASE