this and high stress and low t development all led me to having such high anxiety doing the simplest things in school. there was also the “bad smell” that’d come from my nose too from the gerd since the acid flew through that way as well. simply just breathing from my nose or speaking made the smell come out. you literally can’t do anything with this since you smell like shit. mints won’t work, brushing your teeth won’t work, mouthwash won’t work. it’s not a hygiene issue, it’s not something you can just fix if it’s inside your reflux system. i had this gerd smell for so long that it fucked up my development years. it wasn’t just embarrassment, it changed how i moved, how i spoke, how i sat, how much space i felt allowed to take up. every interaction felt so risky. constantly hyperaware of people leaning back, touching their nose, breaking eye contact, and even if they don’t do anything. i resonate deeply with you. gerd is brutal, especially when it lasts for years on end during the most important part of growing up