Hello all,

I’ve been a long time lurker of the Surviving Antidepressant forum, but found this site when SA went down. At this time, I’m really looking for hope and support so I decided it was time to open up about my journey.

My story starts when I was 4 years old when I started complaining to my parents of daily nausea. They carried me to many doctors over the years, but there was never any reason found. I was labeled as “anxious” and later given PPI’s for reflux. Over the years, the nausea progressed to the point I was bedridden and unable to live a normal life at age 23. Again, my parents took me to doctors but I was brushed off and told to get mental help. It was then a doctor prescribed 20mg of Prozac. After years of refusing to take them and so many doctors telling me there was nothing physically wrong with me, in December of 2018, I took the medication in hopes it truly was “all in my head.”

Immediately, I didn’t like the way the medication made me feel. My emotions were numbed, I struggled to cry, and I had dark thoughts, which I’d never had before. However, my nausea decreased ever so slightly so I thought the doctors were right, it was just anxiety. During my brief reprieve, (January 2019-November 2019) I managed to date and marry my now husband. Then, I started struggling with sexuality as the meds made me have little to no interest in intimacy. I hated that so I made an ignorant decision to stop cold turkey. After all, my doctor assured me I could get off whenever I wanted. I made it 6 weeks or so before symptoms forced me back on the meds. In summer of 2020, I requested a change at my doctor and he switched me to Celexa as he thought it might be a better fit for me. It both was and wasn’t.

A few months after starting 10mg of Celexa, my sickness came to a head and I was finally diagnosed with an anatomical disorder that required surgery in 2020. Somewhere during this time, I went up to 20mg and occasionally teetered between 10 and 20. My surgery was successful and my nausea mostly went away. I tried to get off Celexa and made it 2 or so months before severe symptoms made me start again. I figure that maybe I was just a person who needed meds the rest of my life and resumed them. I didn’t know that I was in withdrawal and my symptoms resolved within days.

Fast forward to 2025, I had my third child and was struggling to lose weight despite rigorous exercise and dieting and was having severe migraines daily. I was put on a Beta Blocker (Atenalol) for the migraines. A few days after starting that, I stopped being able to sleep well and the weight wouldn’t budge, but the headaches were better. I became convinced it was my antidepressant that made it impossible to lose weight and had increased my migraines to daily. In November of 2025, I committed myself to quitting for good. I wanted to feel again and be med free, so I stopped 10mg Cold Turkey. Yet another terrible decision due to ignorance and poor medical care. I also stopped my beta blocker as the insomnia was SEVERE. I thought better days were ahead soon.

The nightmare truly began then.

The acute period of the first few weeks was worse than I’d ever experienced before. I couldn’t sleep, I hated everything and everyone and I was in such chronically horrible mood, I scared myself. Looking back, I don’t know how I survived. But I did, and things lightened up for a bit. I still felt awful, but I could survive, take cake of myself and my family just fine. A few months later however, things really hit the fan so to speak. Months 5-7 were the worse months I’ve ever lived through. Name a symptom and I had it, but the worst by far were insomnia, SI and anhedonia. Life felt hopeless and it still does some days.

It’s been 10 months now and while I’m definitely having the windows and waves period of recovery, I feel like I’m never going to get better. The last week, I’ve been unable to sleep again after a period of a few weeks where sleep felt almost normal. In fact, I felt almost normal and thought I passed the point where it would get this bad again, but here I am. Insomnia, brain zaps, internal burning, anhedonia, TMJ and mood swings are the worst at the moment. I’m also incredibly sensitive to caffeine now. I miss soda and chocolate.

Is there hope? Did I completely screw up my life? Will I ever get better or am I stuck like this forever? My husband and kids are my reason for existence and I would have never gotten this far without them. I just want to know if I’m ever going to better for them, and for myself.

Any support, insight or encouragement is welcome. I want to heal.

Thank you for reading my story.

Edited August 21Aug 21 by SarahMc

Welcome to the forum!

 

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I'm so sorry to read about the tough time you've had recently you will find plenty of support here for sure.

2 hours ago, Sara said:

My story starts when I was 4 years old when I started complaining to my parents of daily nausea. They carried me to many doctors over the years, but there was never any reason found. I was labeled as “anxious” and later given PPI’s for reflux. Over the years, the nausea progressed to the point I was bedridden and unable to live a normal life at age 23. Again, my parents took me to doctors but I was brushed off and told to get mental help. It was then a doctor prescribed 20mg of Prozac. After years of refusing to take them and so many doctors telling me there was nothing physically wrong with me, in December of 2018, I took the medication in hopes it truly was “all in my head.”

This is horrible and I'm so sorry it happened to you. It's unbelievable that doctors would prescribe psych drugs simply because they're unable to diagnose a condition. Hubris at its worst.

2 hours ago, Sara said:

A few months after starting 10mg of Celexa, my sickness came to a head and I was finally diagnosed with an anatomical disorder that required surgery in 2020. Somewhere during this time, I went up to 20mg and occasionally teetered between 10 and 20. My surgery was successful and my nausea mostly went away. I tried to get off Celexa and made it 2 or so months before severe symptoms made me start again. I figure that maybe I was just a person who needed meds the rest of my life and resumed them. I didn’t know that I was in withdrawal and my symptoms resolved within days.

I'm glad you were able to figure out the cause of your nausea and get it resolved, at least for the most part.

Unfortunately doctors most often don't tell us about the withdrawal impacts of quitting these drugs, and so they leave us to assume that we're just "relapsing". This happened to me as well, and to many others on here.

2 hours ago, Sara said:

The acute period of the first few weeks was worse than I’d ever experienced before. I couldn’t sleep, I hated everything and everyone and I was in such chronically horrible mood, I scared myself. Looking back, I don’t know how I survived. But I did, and things lightened up for a bit. I still felt awful, but I could survive, take cake of myself and my family just fine. A few months later however, things really hit the fan so to speak. Months 5-7 were the worse months I’ve ever lived through. Name a symptom and I had it, but the worst by far were insomnia, SI and anhedonia. Life felt hopeless and it still does some days.

Sounds like you experienced a short period of acute withdrawal, and then had a honeymoon period before protracted withdrawal hit. This is pretty common, sadly. Many on here have been through a similar pattern.

2 hours ago, Sara said:

It’s been 10 months now and while I’m definitely having the windows and waves period of recovery, I feel like I’m never going to get better. The last week, I’ve been unable to sleep again after a period of a few weeks where sleep felt almost normal. In fact, I felt almost normal and thought I passed the point where it would get this bad again, but here I am. Insomnia, brain zaps, internal burning, anhedonia, TMJ and mood swings are the worst at the moment. I’m also incredibly sensitive to caffeine now. I miss soda and chocolate.

Is there hope? Did I completely screw up my life? Will I ever get better or am I stuck like this forever? My husband and kids are my reason for existence and I would have never gotten this far without them. I just want to know if I’m ever going to better for them, and for myself.

There is absolutely hope. The fact that you had a few weeks where you felt almost normal at only 10 months out is a really great sign. Unfortunately 10 months is really not that long in this journey. You are pretty clearly recovering but you will still experience waves and windows as you heal: The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization.

Being back in a wave does NOT mean you are stuck here or that you will be like this forever. The window you had for a few weeks shows you that your nervous system is capable of healing. There will likely still be some bumps along the way, but you are on the right path. You may want to check out some coping skills for when those waves hit, like acceptance: Acceptance is key - Why does acceptance feel impossible?

We can't tell you when, but you will heal. One day at a time.

 

In the mean time this is what I would do if I were you:

 

-Stay Hydrated 

 

-Eat a good clean whole food diet, avoiding processed foods and sugars.

 

-Stay away from caffeine, alcohol and antihistamines and any other psychoactive substances.

 

Supplements are to be avoided initially, as they often irritate our nervous systems. Try to get your nutrition through food.

 

Down the line, you may wish to introduce Fish Oil and Magnesium. Those who can tolerate them have found them calming to the nervous system. Be careful try one at a time and start low and see how you get on should you choose to try them.

 

A daily walk is very important as much as you can manage, if you can manage it. Gets you your fresh air and Vitamin D does wonders for your mind!

 

You are very welcome here and I hope you find the site supportive.

Hello @Sara , I just saw your post and wanted to give you a warm welcome. You have found a good place, here is a lot of encouragement, experience, and support. Feel free to ask your questions and to show your emotions. We are all in this together, we will understand.

Take care, Nemina

@Nemina Thank you so much for the warm welcome! I can’t begin to explain the excitement I feel at finding a place where others understand where I’m at. That acceptance is rare “in real life” and I recognize it as the gift it is. I look forward to contributing and helping others.

Best wishes- Sara

@SarahMc Thank you for your kind and informative response. I will do my best to follow all rules and contribute as I learn and heal. I have already incorporated fish oil and magnesium, as I was already taking them pre C/T. I exercise 5 days a week, usually cycling and/or walking, sometimes a little strength training. I notice if I do too much, it’s too stimulating. I also have been avoiding caffeine for a few months now. The first 6 months of withdrawal I didn’t seem to have any issues with it, but now even a small amount will lead to a pounding heart and worsening insomnia.

At this point, I really do feel I’m going all I can to heal, while also living life and caring for 3 kids. Some days are definitely better than others, and I frequently catch myself latching on to hopeless thinking. Thankfully, I have a wonderful husband who calls me out on it and reminds me that there’s better to come, even if I don’t believe it now. I will say, it’s a little more comforting to hear it from those actually experiencing PAWS.

I’m excited to be part of this community. Thank you for having me.

-Sara

Welcome to the forum @Sara I am very sorry to read of your tough time. You can totally recover from this. 10 months is not long in the grand scheme of WD sadly, however your waves and windows are an excellent sign, the body is working this out for you and you have most certainly not screwed your life up. You will have a wonderful life I am sure of it with your amazing family, just a matter of time. We are all here for you and I am glad you found us. x

9 hours ago, Sara said:

Thank you for your kind and informative response. I will do my best to follow all rules and contribute as I learn and heal. I have already incorporated fish oil and magnesium, as I was already taking them pre C/T. I exercise 5 days a week, usually cycling and/or walking, sometimes a little strength training. I notice if I do too much, it’s too stimulating. I also have been avoiding caffeine for a few months now. The first 6 months of withdrawal I didn’t seem to have any issues with it, but now even a small amount will lead to a pounding heart and worsening insomnia.

This is all great, sounds like you've been listening to your body and following its signals. Any kind of exercise is great, but many do find overdoing it can set them back to it's good to be conscious of this.

9 hours ago, Sara said:

At this point, I really do feel I’m going all I can to heal, while also living life and caring for 3 kids. Some days are definitely better than others, and I frequently catch myself latching on to hopeless thinking. Thankfully, I have a wonderful husband who calls me out on it and reminds me that there’s better to come, even if I don’t believe it now. I will say, it’s a little more comforting to hear it from those actually experiencing PAWS.

It's fantastic to hear that your husband is so supportive -- and absolutely right! I'm very lucky to have a caring and supportive husband as well who's been helping me through this. But it's hard for anyone to truly understand if they haven't been through it, which is why the community is so valuable.

9 hours ago, Sara said:

I’m excited to be part of this community. Thank you for having me.

We're happy you found us 😊

Hey @Sara sorry to hear you've had a beyond rough time. Right there with you with the better weeks followed by a wavy one. You're on the road to recovery even though it might feel like going backwards sometimes✨️

Welcome to the forum.

On 8/21/2026 at 5:45 PM, Sara said:

It’s been 10 months now and while I’m definitely having the windows and waves period of recovery, I feel like I’m never going to get better. The last week, I’ve been unable to sleep again after a period of a few weeks where sleep felt almost normal. In fact, I felt almost normal and thought I passed the point where it would get this bad again, but here I am. Insomnia, brain zaps, internal burning, anhedonia, TMJ and mood swings are the worst at the moment. I’m also incredibly sensitive to caffeine now. I miss soda and chocolate.

Is there hope? Did I completely screw up my life? Will I ever get better or am I stuck like this forever?

Having windows and feeling almost normal at points, even if it is fleeting, at less than a year off- absolutely there is hope. These are the early signs that you are beginning to improve.

Thank you for the encouragement, @Luke and @Amy B !

This last month has been a roller coaster. The first few days of August, I actually had some of the best sleep I’d had since before starting this hellish withdrawal process. Then it all disintegrated without warning or trigger, 3 weeks of relentless wave. Then, as suddenly as it came, it lifted and I got a good night of sleep two nights ago. I figured that terrible wave was past, and I could get some rest for a bit, but I was wrong. Despite feeling tired, I saw every hour on my clock last night. Every time I would get close to drifting off, I would snap back with a feeling of adrenaline rushing through me. That’s new and frustrating.

How is it possible to have a period of 6 weeks or so with improved sleep, then crash so hard? After the horror of the first 6/7 months, I’d convinced myself that I wouldn’t get that bad again but here I am. I’m struggling. Parenting on 30 minutes of sleep makes me grumpy and impatient. I know I can’t ever go back on meds. That option is out for me after all this, especially with the possibility of kindling, but this mental torment makes me reconsider all the time. I feel like I ruined my life for years to come. What a terrible version of me that my kids get to live with. My only solace is that they’re still young, and perhaps won’t remember most of this. It’s funny to think that I got off meds last year in hopes of having another baby and being healthier. Now I feel like that dream too has been ripped from me.

Logically, I know that better days will come. Angie Peacock and Life After Meds on YouTube has been a big encouragement, but I’m tired of waiting on them. I’ve had so many other health issues in my life that this unfortunately isn’t my longest or hardest battle to date. It feels unfair and I’m struggling to believe that God is allowing me this too after EVERYTHING he’s allowed since I was a small child.

Forgive my rant, as no sleep seems to make everything, including my mood turn sour. I honestly can’t believe I’d convinced myself I’d be one of the lucky ones to come out of this at 1 year. What a fool I’ve been. Today, the flickering light at the end of tunnel has gone out.

Edited August 27Aug 27 by Sara

3 hours ago, Sara said:

How is it possible to have a period of 6 weeks or so with improved sleep, then crash so hard? After the horror of the first 6/7 months, I’d convinced myself that I wouldn’t get that bad again but here I am. I’m struggling. Parenting on 30 minutes of sleep makes me grumpy and impatient. I know I can’t ever go back on meds. That option is out for me after all this, especially with the possibility of kindling, but this mental torment makes me reconsider all the time. I feel like I ruined my life for years to come. What a terrible version of me that my kids get to live with. My only solace is that they’re still young, and perhaps won’t remember most of this. It’s funny to think that I got off meds last year in hopes of having another baby and being healthier. Now I feel like that dream too has been ripped from me.

I can hear how much you're struggling @Sara, and I'm sorry. I think most people on here understand the frustration and devastation you can feel when you go through a better period and think the worst is over only to get thrown back into it. I recently had my worst wave yet after almost five months of holding all my drugs at the same dose. All we can do practice acceptance and take things one day at a time, knowing that one day things will be different: Acceptance is key - Why does acceptance feel impossible?

3 hours ago, Sara said:

Forgive my rant, as no sleep seems to make everything, including my mood turn sour. I honestly can’t believe I’d convinced myself I’d be one of the lucky ones to come out of this at 1 year. What a fool I’ve been. Today, the flickering light at the end of tunnel has gone out.

Please don't apologize, that's what we're here for. I do think it's important not to impose artificial timelines on our healing because they often lead to disappointment. But that light at the end of the tunnel is still there. We know the road leads to healing, we just don't know quite when it'll get us there.

Better days are coming 💜

17 hours ago, Sara said:

How is it possible to have a period of 6 weeks or so with improved sleep, then crash so hard?

You're looking for improvement on average. Setbacks are normal in this process.

It is better to have had the 6 weeks of improved sleep, and then have it worsen again, than no improvements at all. The majority of people seem to get better this way, symptoms just disappearing for good one day seems far less common.

It is fairly likely that your sleep will continue to get better and worse while improving on average until the "bad" periods of sleep are much more minor and so on.

That said, pretty much everyone here can relate to how psychologically difficult and extremely frustrating it is to feel as though you've moved backwards again.

@Sara Can you please share with us, what was that anatomical abnormality that had been making you nauseous. And anxious.

@The Dust Absolutely! It’s called MALS, or Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome. It’s a genetic anomaly where your celiac artery is crushed by the main ligament in your diaphragm. It’s incredibly rare, but less so than doctors make it seem, as usual. It took dozens of doctors; incorrect diagnoses of eating disorders, anxiety, hormone issues, food intolerances, etc. and every test imaginable to get help. Then multiple surgeons refused to operate until I found one who did it, during the pandemic no less. Within 3 months of the surgery, I experienced my first days of being nausea free in over 20+ years. Literally saved my life! I’ve since helped many people struggling and educated doctors on the condition. So after experiencing that and now PAWS, I’ll never run out of things to advocate for.

@Sara how are you today?

Well, how dirty it sounds that you had to spent years in pain and being misdiagnosed and medicalized and brainwashed, but everything could be solved if one doctor did the right thing by finding the true cause of everything. But, after all, you were still the lucky one, because at some point you found out what was even going on, even though it was late...

But which diagnostic method did revealed it in your case? Can general CT of abdomen or endoscopic ultrasound be good enough for it?

1 hour ago, The Dust said:

Well, how dirty it sounds that you had to spent years in pain and being misdiagnosed and medicalized and brainwashed, but everything could be solved if one doctor did the right thing by finding the true cause of everything. But, after all, you were still the lucky one, because at some point you found out what was even going on, even though it was late...

But which diagnostic method did revealed it in your case? Can general CT of abdomen or endoscopic ultrasound be good enough for it?

You’re very right. Since it’s genetic, I know to keep an eye on my kids so I can break the cycle if needed. Advocacy had been a hard lesson to learn for my normally peaceful personality.

I had 5+ endoscopy’s and none ever showed anything besides gastritis, which was a symptom of the compression. Since it’s technically near your aorta, the gold standard for diagnosis is CT Angiogram with Contrast and Breathing Protocol, since it can show the hook shape of the artery. I also had a Mesenteric Duplex (vascular ultrasound) but that didn’t show the severity of my case. For example, other testing said mine was 60% compressed, but I was 100%, as confirmed by Catheter Angiogram with my surgeon.

There are other vascular compressions with different symptoms as well, so if you or someone you know if having issues, look into them: MALS, SMAS, Nutracker, May Thurners, etc.

3 hours ago, Some0n3 said:

@Sara how are you today?

@Some0n3 Thank you for asking! Mentally, I feel more clear and less down today. During the daytime when I’m busy, it’s easier to not think about the future, but when night comes close, I grow more anxious. I’ve been reading stories on Surviving Antidepressants and watching some encouraging YouTube videos. Logically, I know this is probably a really long 10 month wave and there will be future improvement. But when sleep is so terrible, it easier to give in to the hopeless thoughts. If the insomnia was even half as bad, I would consider life fairly manageable. A lot of my depression surrounds how much sleep I’ve had. I’ve got 3 young children, so if I don’t get any, it feels like I’ve been ON 24/7, like I’m a computer than refuses to shut down despite being overheated.

I really hope there’s an end to all of this in my story, as I can’t consider the alternative. My life has been a near perfect example of Murphy’s Law so far, and it would be nice to have a reprieve from that for this situation.

@Sara As someone who is suffering epigastric pain 24/7 and still don't know what is going on, I can really feel how good it must be to know that you had found your way out. I can see your battle with doctors speaking all their bullsh*t. Just knowing that being successful in this story must feel like some kind of catharsis.

I know I can look for information by myself, but it's great to hear what someone like you have to says about it...

Edited August 28Aug 28 by The Dust

4 hours ago, Sara said:

@Some0n3 Thank you for asking! Mentally, I feel more clear and less down today. During the daytime when I’m busy, it’s easier to not think about the future, but when night comes close, I grow more anxious. I’ve been reading stories on Surviving Antidepressants and watching some encouraging YouTube videos. Logically, I know this is probably a really long 10 month wave and there will be future improvement. But when sleep is so terrible, it easier to give in to the hopeless thoughts. If the insomnia was even half as bad, I would consider life fairly manageable. A lot of my depression surrounds how much sleep I’ve had. I’ve got 3 young children, so if I don’t get any, it feels like I’ve been ON 24/7, like I’m a computer than refuses to shut down despite being overheated.

I really hope there’s an end to all of this in my story, as I can’t consider the alternative. My life has been a near perfect example of Murphy’s Law so far, and it would be nice to have a reprieve from that for this situation.

Im glad to hear that youre feeling clearer mentally but also sorry to hear about the bad sleep. I understand what you mean about feeling more anxious at night since we dont really have anything to distract us from our thoughts. i can also understand the hopeless thoughts especially if your sleep hasnt been good because tiredness tends to make symptoms worse atleast in my experience. You are very strong for dealing with everything, especially with 3 children. Thats really amazing and you should be proud of yourself! Im sure that youll make it through!

Edited August 28Aug 28 by Some0n3

16 hours ago, Luke said:

You're looking for improvement on average. Setbacks are normal in this process.

It is better to have had the 6 weeks of improved sleep, and then have it worsen again, than no improvements at all. The majority of people seem to get better this way, symptoms just disappearing for good one day seems far less common.

It is fairly likely that your sleep will continue to get better and worse while improving on average until the "bad" periods of sleep are much more minor and so on.

That said, pretty much everyone here can relate to how psychologically difficult and extremely frustrating it is to feel as though you've moved backwards again.

@Luke, thank you. Logically, and based on all the research I’ve done, I know you’re 100% correct. I’ve had a similar non-linear healing journey before, so you’d think I would handle it better. However, PAWS is a different beast, and every single person who is fighting through this is my hero. I’d like to think that all of our suffering is not for nothing, personally and as a whole. Maybe the Hell we experience will change the antidepressant climate, until it is prescribed with the same restrictions as opioids. Keep up the good fight, Luke. Before I ever talked to you, I read some of your stuff on SA. Your encouragement and advocacy is helping so many people.

@Sara Can I have just an another question concerning these blood vessel compression diseases. How can we distinguish just regular gastritis and vessel compression without any medical test? My gastritis and duodenitis, but my epigastric pain is spreading into every singe part of my body: neck, arms (mostly left arm), legs, spinal cord... And of course I'm thinking all the time, if it's really just an inflammation or is it something else... You said that gastritis is a consequence of MALS but why exactly...

4 hours ago, The Dust said:

@Sara Can I have just an another question concerning these blood vessel compression diseases. How can we distinguish just regular gastritis and vessel compression without any medical test? My gastritis and duodenitis, but my epigastric pain is spreading into every singe part of my body: neck, arms (mostly left arm), legs, spinal cord... And of course I'm thinking all the time, if it's really just an inflammation or is it something else... You said that gastritis is a consequence of MALS but why exactly...

The short answer: you can’t. Gastritis is a symptom, which could be so many things as simple as reflux, food allergies, or Celiac Disease. Gastritis is in itself inflammation, which signals “Hey, there’s an issue. Figure it out!” Most doctors see it as the cause of problem, rather than the red flag it is and throw meds at it, which doesn’t fix it, then scratch their heads as to why. In my case, it all came down to blood flow. Compression of any artery, such as the Celiac or Mesenteric stops blood supply to abdominal organs. Think of it this way: if you tied a rope around your leg very tightly, what would happen? At first, you’d get that tingly feeling, then all out numbness to the point you couldn’t move your toes. Eventually, if you don’t remove the rope and restore blood, you’d lose your leg and the tissue would die. Same thing with your stomach. Mine was barely functioning, hence the gastritis and delayed emptying. You need blood for all manner of digestion and once mine was restored, my stomach and other organs got what it needed to do its job.

As for your pain spreading, that’s called referred pain and it’s because your body is calling for help. It could be inflammation pressing on a nerve, or all over inflammation like Crohn’s spreading throughout your intestines. I’m pretty sure I have that too as it runs in my family, but that’s a backseat issue to PAWS. Overall, you can’t know anything without accurate and complete testing. Any good doctor should order CT and at least colonoscopy, as endoscopy is useless for anything but Celiac and gastritis diagnosis. Health care sucks, I know, but it’s your only option if you want to figure out what’s going on. If you don’t like one doctor, find another one. I went through probably 10 GI doctors until I found one who helped. Always open to your questions and feel free to message me.

@Sara Thank you for your help. I'm just experiencing pain for too long thinking what to do and based on that I asked you too. I agree that healthcare system sucks and you have basically fight to get any kind of medical test. I agree that doctors just say "it's gastritis let's prescribe PPIs" without thinking about the cause of it.

I'm familiar with referred pain, I'm glad that you confirmed it by yourself. According to my intuition it can't be anything else that gastritis-induced refereed pain, but as I see, according to your replies, I have to force one doctor to give me CT angiography or Doppler ultrasound to rule out any vessel compressions, because even though I have already done every single test, including gastroscopy and colonoscopy and CT of abdomen, it's not enough.

Maybe I have an another question. Do you think that referred pain because of gastritis in one overlooked issue?? Because, you never hear any doctor or patient saying that when it comes to gastritis... On the other hand, a lot of people do have some unexplained pain...