r/VagusNerve

hi there, brand new to this sub and this vagus nerve thing as a whole and wanted to ask about device recommendations. i understand everyone is different, but i thought i would see if anyone on here is having similar issues to me & has found a device that has helped them at all.
i also had a look at the vagus nerve facebook group but it’s currently paused & i couldn’t find anyone with a similar experience to me.
long story short, i’ve experienced anxiety/panic since i was 12 (i’m 25 now), and also nausea every time i eat, feel anxious or more recently, after having bowel movements (sorry for tmi). i’ve had several tests/been on several medications & been down just about every road possible with no answers.
the vagus nerve thing is sorta a last ditch attempt at improvement (until i find something else to try lol) but something i’m very interested in as it’s been recommended to me by multiple people.
i should mention i’ve tried nurosym already, because it seemed to be highly rated but i don’t really think it’s helped me yet, and i probably should’ve consulted reddit (the experts lol) first but i’m doing so now.
any advice/suggestions are greatly appreciated, thank you in advance.

For years I've been having issues with discomfort around my bowels/lower stomach when sitting. If I sit even just straight up for an hour+, it can cause light-headedness, yawning, or even just a sudden, strong desire to lay down and rest.

I've been doing everything in my power to help with potential IBS. Exercise, lots of fibre, avoiding trigger foods, sleeping properly, having plenty of water during the day. And while these have helped a bit, I still get that familiar discomfort.

So I've been wondering if this might also be related to my vagus nerve? Maybe leaning upright to type is putting too much pressure on it? When I lay down for an hour, the feeling eventually passes. And in general I feel more comfortable when laying back in a chair versus sitting upright. Does anyone have an opinion on this, and potential solutions?

Get ready for this because it’s a long one😆:

I am 20F and lately for about 2 months I have been feeling constipated + bloated, dizzy, light headed, fatigue that is sometimes accompanied by shakiness, occasional chest pain, headaches, and blurry vision😩. I’m over it.

This next part is a little TMI— about 2 months ago on Feb 28 I woke up in the middle of the night after having sex with my partner because I had severe lower right quadrant pain, and when I went to the restroom to urinate it hurt even more that I had to stop as I went, it felt almost like someone’s was squeezing my insides really hard and more so when I peed. I didn’t immediately go to the er as I thought it would go away by the morning because I had work (super stupid and I ended up calling off anyways lol😅) which it did for the most part, and I would only feel pain when I put pressure on it.

I went to my pcp at my school campus that following Monday and she thought it could be kidney stones but I was worried it was my appendix (like duh) because my mom had appendicitis, so she ordered an ultrasound for both a couple days later (march 10th) at this ultrasound they checked for kidney stones and found nothing, but they didn’t check for appendix, which I didn’t know until I got these results back and read by my pcp on march 20th when she told me they only checked for kidney stones and nothing else because she “forgot” to mention my appendix (safe to say she’s not my pcp anymore). By this point the dizziness feeling and on and off chest pain had begun maybe a few days ago but it was very mild. So I went to urgent care that same day to ask about that, and they drew blood and said everything was normal, they also did an ekg because my chest had been hurting and said my heart rate had slight bradycardia but nothing of concern, however when I told the PA about my side pain that I had (but had for the most part subsided) she urged me to go to the er to check my appendix, so I did.

At the er they took my vitals once again and everything was normal and they did a CT scan to check all my lower organs and everything was normal as well except for my iud positioning which noted: “The uterus is retroflexed. There is an IUD in place. It is malpositioned. The IUD terminates at the level of the uterine body instead of the uterine fundus. Furthermore, it is tilted such that one of the arms extends into the anterior myometrium on image 84 of series 4 2 to or almost to the level of the serosa”. 😬Because besides that they didn’t find anything out of the ordinary they referred me to a GI doctor because I have been having tummy problems for about 3 years now where i’m constipated and bloated (not all the time but it has become more consistent).

Since then I have still been feeling dizzy, fatigued, and slightly shaky, along with the occasional chest pain, and when I went home for spring break my parents had me do a throurough physical to check for annemia, thyroid problems, etc but the results came back all normal except for slight but not concerning higher levels of bad cholesterol (my dad had cholesterol) they also prescribed me meclazine which somewhat helped with the dizziness but not really.

Because the doctor said the iud was malpositioned i decided to do research and found that some other reddit users were experiencing some of the same symptoms and got it taken out on March 30th but no difference.

I went to the er again on April 15th when I was feeling pretty bad dizziness and chest pain. They did an ekg again and everything was normal and they also did a pots test which was negative. They referred me to an ENT and prescribed me vistaril to help with the dizziness and chest pain and I took it for a couple of weeks but honestly it just made me really tired.

As of today I’ve already met with my ENT and had an ear exam where they checked my hearing and inner ear via some device that vibrated? They found nothing out of the ordinary and has now referred me to see a neurologist which I can’t see until january of NEXT YEAR🙄. I visited the GI where he gave me linzess to try and regulate my bowels which somewhat worked but I think the dose of 75 mg is too small, and I have a colonoscopy scheduled this Thursday and I’m scared for the worst after seeing some tiktoks which I probably shouldn’t have haha (note: my dad had diverticulitis some years back). I also followed up with my new pcp about 2 weeks ago and told him everything i’ve written here and he actually suggested the vagus nerve before I did and thinks that it could all be due to the inflammation of my stomach from not using the bathroom, and that night of really bad pain essentially “triggering” it and offsetting everything else.

Idk guys i’m just really tired of dealing with this. I feel exhausted all the time, my body feels heavy, especially my right arm and both legs, i’m always constipated, I get dizzy when I work out, my vision feels weird?? like a camera that randomly goes slightly out of focus, I feel brain fog, and get headaches and no one seems to be able to give me answers.😕

Oh another thing to note— this actually happened to me when I was like 13?? Where I felt dizzy and had stomach problems where an ultrasound revealed trapped gas. I also got diagnosed with vertigo via a standing test with my eyes closed. And around the same time I couldn’t keep food down after I ate but it eventually went away with some natural herbal supplement pills that my dad got from a Mexican holistic healer.

Also if you read this far thank you!! 😊

So for about 4 weeks now I’ve had worsening GI symptoms. Started the week after Easter. First symptom was abdominal epigastric pain that felt like a gas bubble stuck in my stomach that wouldn’t go away. Then other symptoms appeared, nausea, vomitting, constipation, incomplete bowel movements and low appetite. Went to the ER for another epigastric pain episode as advised by my surgeon as I had gall bladder surgery in December. He wanted CT done of the abdomen to make sure no structures are causing the problem. Of course it came out negative, I was sent home. 5 days later I end up the ER again as I have not been eating, nausea with vomitting at times. I ended up being admitted this time under a GI doc. GI doc ended up doing an EGD, Colonoscopy, and an MRCP. All that negative. I follow up in his office and see his NP. She suspects I have gastroparesis and SIBO. She said that gastroparesis is fairly common to those who undergo any abdominal surgery. I feel satisfied because I got a possible answer but depressed because gastroparesis will be challenging to manage.

But what also was happening all throughout this is that I could not sleep. My brain didn’t seem to want to shut off. I was able to sleep good at the hospital as I was given 1mg Xanax but if it wasn’t for the medication I wouldn’t be able to sleep. Since coming home from the hospital I did my normal sleep routine and no matter what I was not able to sleep deep and would only make 2-3hours of sleep. During the day my body would feel tired and I would seriously feel like I could nap and I would try and everytime I would wake up like my brain is trying to wake me. Same at night. I’d take my melatonin, fall asleep and get jolted awake. It was driving me nuts because before all this I literally can make sleep anywhere!!

Looking back from start, there was another thing that happened before all of this started. I got a stiff neck on Easter Day. I was doing my make up and looked over to my husband when he called. That sudden turn of my neck set it in pain. I did some stretches to relieve the pain and improve mobility but even until now the mobility in my neck just feels off.

Linking the gastroparesis and insomnia I’m think my vagus nerve is damaged or pinched. Now the challenge is to convince my MD to get on board with my theory and test if I have any cervical nerve damage because I don’t want to live like this, unable to eat or sleep the two things you need to function.

Sorry if long you guys!

Hi would like too know the benefits people have experienced using a vagus nerve stimulator ? i sauna/ ice bath, take alot supplements intermediate fast ect ect... so i would like to know what you have experienced using one, especially for mood and anxiety

Is there a Neurological reason why someone can be so jacked due to constant cardiovascular and muscular tension? I. E. Complex trauma nervous system response

I feel the body builders would not mind having this kind of neuropathy. I was looking at and feeling my body and it's just muscles everywhere, wondered if the nervous system was doing constant no movement type of training due to stress, I look like a pro athlete for no reason

I have tracked my HRV, resting heart rate, and sleep performance using the Whoop app for the last few years. Due to long term stress, my sleep quality, HRV and resting heart rate have all been impacted. The goal of purchasing the device was to help improve them.

I ordered a Nuropod that came mid February of this year. It comes with the default left earpiece.

I used it regularly, 1 or 2x a day. At once a day, one hour in the evening. If 2x, split as 30 min twice a day.

I did not see any degree differences in HRV, or heart rate, or sleep performance.

I went and purchased the right ear variant for the device, as I suspected that may produce better results for my goal.

I have been using that for almost 3 weeks as of today, but again, no benefits observed.

I apply a very small dab of electrode conductive gel to my tregus when I use the earpiece (and rely on noticing the pulsing/beats on the tragus to confirm conductivity).

The setting I consistently use is ~25 for the strength. That seems to be the point where I notice the mild pulsing, but without any pain.

Does anyone have any advice of what I need to do differently, in order to see benefits? Is the strength setting too low? Should I focus on the left, or right ear?

Thank you for all your assistance.

I’ve been using the Pulsetto my husband bought and it helps me sleep but I have a nickel allergy and have a rash on my neck where the nodes of the Pulsetto are. Does anyone have recommendations for a device that does not have nickel in the nodes?