Patient story

I moved out of a moldy basement and the panic stopped, but the burping never did

@gutpattern-ce715d6fBronzeContributorShared July 2026

Current status

Still struggling
  1. Still struggling
  2. Somewhat resolved
  3. Mostly resolved
  4. Fully resolved
In their words

The story

I was living in a moldy basement for university and when I moved in I had really bad/infected in-grown toenails. I’m still not sure if all of these details are relevant but they may be so I will include them. As a result of living alone in a basement during COVID and never seeing anyone and struggling to walk I started having panic attacks in the night. I took antibiotics and had a surgery done and my toes were better, but the anxiety continued. I went home for the summer and did some psychotherapy and by the time I went back to school in September I was no longer having panic attacks. Sometime about half way through that school year I got sick for a few days and shortly after that I started burping a lot after meals, and then all the time I was burping just small burps, and then I started having acid reflux. I got prescribed a ppi (pantoprazole) and simethicone for the gas. The ppi stopped the reflux but the gas only got worse and it started causing chest pain and heart palpitations. Then the anxiety came back and the panic attacks were horrible. Some months later I started an internship and I moved out of the basement. Around that time I got the hiccups and they never really went away for about a year. It seems perhaps the gas was so much I just couldn’t make the hiccups stop even through the night in my sleep and I tried all kinds of things to stop the burping and reflux. Eventually I stopped the ppi’s and started supplementing with Betaine HCL. This was the only thing that clearly helped and I finally stopped hiccuping after a year and I seldom had any reflux. But the burping never resolved, and still hasn’t. That was nearly 3 years ago. I still burp way too much, and now I get very intense pain in my right side. I need to eat lots of fibre in the mornings to not have intense diarrhea. I have since experienced lots of brain fog and fatigue. I feel so much less sharp than I once did, I have so much less energy, and I feel like my memory is terrible now. It should be noted I am only 24, male, from Canada. I have tried all kinds of things and very little has helped. I have had 3 endoscopies and 1 colonoscopy and all were clean. My blood tests, urine, and stool are all normal. I tested and found a lot of mold in my system but after working with a naturopath for some months detoxing I’m not sure it has helped very much. I burp just as much as before. I also have trouble breathing which I believe is because of the gas pressure which makes it hard to expand my diaphragm fully.

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What they were dealing with

Symptoms

AnxietysevereseveresevereHiccupsseverePanic attackssevereright upper quadrant painseveremoderatemoderateBreathing symptomsmoderateChest painmoderatemoderateMemory issuesmoderatePalpitations / POTS-likemoderate
What the workup showed

Tests & diagnoses

3 endoscopies; clean1 colonoscopy; cleanBlood testsnormalUrine testnormalnormalMold testinga lot of mold in my system
Every treatment, and what happened

Treatments

Each treatment this contributor tried, in the order that mattered, with their own reported result. The ones marked with a trophy are the treatments they credit as decisive.

Made worseNo changePartially helpedHelped
Helped

Started after stopping PPIs; clearly helped, stopped year-long hiccups, and reflux became uncommon, though burping did not resolve.

Fibre
Helped

Needs to eat lots of fibre in the mornings to avoid intense diarrhea.

Psychotherapy
Helped

Did psychotherapy over the summer; panic attacks had stopped by September.

Toenail Surgery
Helped

Had surgery for in-grown toenails; toes were better afterward.

Mold Detoxing
Helped a bit

Worked with a naturopath for some months detoxing after finding mold; not sure it helped very much and burping stayed the same.

No change

Prescribed for gas; gas got worse afterward.

Antibiotics
Made worse

Took antibiotics when dealing with infected in-grown toenails. Helped the infection but probably decimated my gut microbiome.

Proton pump inhibitor (PPI)
Made worse

Prescribed pantoprazole for acid reflux; stopped reflux, but gas got worse and led to chest pain and heart palpitations.

Across stories like this

Treatments in similar stories

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Story similarity
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Important

This is one person's reported experience aggregated by GutPattern, not clinical advice, a treatment protocol, or a diagnosis. What helped one contributor can do nothing — or harm — for someone with a different underlying cause. Sudden, severe, bloody, feverish, or worsening symptoms belong with medical care. Always discuss care decisions with a qualified clinician.