The Importance of a Strong Gut

Discovered Hypermobile Ehlors-Danlos 3 weeks ago after seeing a physiotherapist for drop-foot, perhaps resulting from a pinched nerve related to my scoliosis. Looked at the test today, and I seem to meet the criteria.

As a child, and to this day, I have had pretty rough Gastrointestinal issues (Constipation, GI pain, vomiting, lack of appetite, confusion between anxiety symptoms and gastrointestinal symptoms, becoming very underweight). While I'm lucky in many regards in my life, it's clear my body was made on the cheap.

The doc never discovered the reason for it, but he put me on a high-fiber diet that helped my constipation and vomiting.

As I grew older I stopped vomiting so much, and became closer to normal weight so I stopped going to the doc. Still, every day I wake up with no appetite. I take vyvanse for ADHD to help me in my studies, so some days I won't eat at all, and sometimes just at night. I also drink too much to help with my stress. I don't exercise at all except for going on walks. I treat my body like a temple, a temple to a malevolent God who demands a self-sacrificing priest.

I've just come to find out that hypermobility/ Elhors Danlos exists and that one of the symptoms is Gastroparesis, which seems to be one the main symptom I had as a kid, and E-D would also explain an assortment of GI problems that I have now.

I don't have much (if any) chronic pain in my body otherwise, and I think I don't often injure myself. It seems I lucked out in that regard compared to a lot of you.

But the constant discomfort in my gut is so hard to ignore, and it might be the biggest cause for the anxiety that's always with me. And maybe why it's so hard for me to get out of bed in the morning (although maybe that's the ADHD/brain fog/fatigue/depression).

I believe that your brain bases your identification of emotional state on signals from your autonomic system. If you feel higher heart rate, sweaty skin, you might label your emotional state as fearful, or excited, and adapt your way of thinking to match it. If you feel terrible in your stomach all the time, you might cause yourself to become overwhelmed with anxiety over time.

I'm interested to know if this is similar to your experiences.