That GP Life

 

We all know that life can be difficult on us all at times life itself is what i like to call a battlefield, I know Pat Benatar said that love was a battlefield BUT personally I feel like life takes the cake for this one. We all get dished a bunch of shit that we least expect not all of it is bad but for some people a good portion of it is.  This is the first time i'm fully writing about this for it is my own battlefield that i fight on DAILY! I call it playing russian roulette with my life is how it feels at times. "What is this chick even talking about?" you might be thinking to yourself or "just get on and explain already."  I have one word for you Gastroparesis. It isn't something anyone really knows of or hears about.. it isn't a fun time i will say that and i'm still learning. Okay so i'll get on with it already. 

Gastroparesis, also called delayed gastric emptying, is a disorder that slows or stops the movement of food from your stomach to your small intestine, even though there is no blockage in the stomach or intestines. 
What exactly does that mean? Well my stomach is paralyzed to put it simply. Typically the stomach digests food within 5 to 6.5 hours but with a gastroparesis patient it can day longer hours or even a couple days to digest something as small as an apple. It weakens the stomach nerves and muscles so that the stomach can't contract to digest the food.  I got first ever got sick back in march of 2019 I thought i was dying. I couldn't keep ANYTHING down food or water. i got taken to the hospital in town where they told me it was gastritis. I had been to the hospital numerous times after that with the same symptoms only to keep being told the same thing. Vomiting for a solid week or two not holding down water or food. Gatorade and pedialyte even watering down was too much for me and the pain was so intense and the only way i can describe it is it feels as if someone is grabbing my stomach and just squeezing the life out of it non stop shooting pains. Pain meds just constipate and make it worse because when your not eating there's no bowel movements.  

What are the symptoms of gastroparesis?

Common symptoms include:

After about a year of trying to find out what was going on i got told gastritis to colitis and in almost halfway through 2020 they finally figured it out with a gastric emptying scan (which blows btw). You are there for 6 hours and your not allowed to eat anything from 12am the night before. They serve you as I like to call radioactive eggs, toast with butter and very very tiny cup of water. Mind you this is a tiny plate and just want you to eat the eggs so they can see your stomach on the scan.  What you do is you eat the eggs and then wait about an hour or 2 and they call you back in from the waiting room to do the first scan and what the gastric emptying scan does is it checks in between to see how long it is taking your stomach to digest the food. I did this a total of 3 times.. this last most recent scan i had when I first got diagnosed with GP it was only moderate and now as of 2022 it went to severe. My last scan i was also in the middle of a flare up and I was sitting in that waiting room after a week of no food bawling my eyes out because all I wanted was some water but they won't give you anything until its all complete. 

What are the complications of gastroparesis?

Complications of gastroparesis can include:

Weight loss, malnutrition and dehydration

Chronic nausea and vomiting, or simply the loss of appetite, can lead to weight loss and malnutrition. If you vomit frequently, it can also lead to dehydration and electrolyte deficiencies. You may need to recover in the hospital with nutritional therapy and fluid replacement.

Acid reflux complications

Gastroparesis causes abdominal distension, which makes it easier for stomach acid to escape out of the top of your stomach into your esophagus. Chronic acid reflux can cause complications for your esophagus, like heartburn and inflammation (esophagitis).

Blood sugar complications

Gastroparesis interrupts the regular, controlled flow of food through your digestive system. This can also interrupt the regular, controlled release of glucose into your bloodstream. When food sits for too long in your stomach, your blood sugar may drop too low. When food finally releases, your blood sugar may spike. These fluctuations are especially complicated for people with diabetes, and they can make gastroparesis worse.

Bezoar and gastric outlet obstruction

A bezoar is a compacted, hardened mass of food stuck in your stomach. It forms out of pieces that were left behind when your stomach emptied. A bezoar may become too big to pass through the outlet at the bottom of your stomach. It can also block it and make it hard for any other food to pass through. Healthcare providers treat bezoars with medication to dissolve it, or if necessary, surgery to remove it.

During a flare up it feels like my body is dying slowly... I live in either the bed pretty much as a corpse OR I'm sumberged into hot water for the only relief that I am able to get during this time. My body hurts alot and I stay fatigued. My body doesn't act like it used too.. and it takes away and destroys you. I have a flare up every other month or so which causes missed work for a week (and that causes major issues in the home.) Hospitals only do ct scans, fluids and nausea meds when i'm there and then I'm sent on my way. MY GI Dr is useless hes either on vacation or not there, his nurse always says she calls me back but my phone NEVER rings with their number. 

Relationships and gastroparesis isn't for the weak I will tell you right now... almost every single person with this that I have spoken too their relationships are a bit rough. When it happens there isn't alot the spouse can do to help except comfort and be there which makes it hard when your practically gone. The partner/spouse will get angry and there will be mean things said, fights will happen over money and the relationship. It not only takes a major toll on you and you're body but it takes a major toll on them as well mentally and emotionally. Having to live with this daily it isn't easy and I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy. 

What causes gastroparesis?
  • injury to the vagus nerve due to surgery on your esophagus, stomach, or small intestine.
  • hypothyroidism.
  • certain autoimmune diseases, such as scleroderma link.
  • certain nervous system link disorders, such as Parkinson's disease link and multiple sclerosis link.
  • viral infections of your stomach.

Stress is even a major cause and anything can flare it up I have come to realize. Anything from stress, kidney stones to pregnancy. Which is stressful on its own. I am currently 12 weeks pregnant with my 3rd child and this is the first experience I have had with GP and pregnancy. I've already endured a flare up for a week that i honestly JUST got over.. a week without food besides sugar free popcicles I was really nervous about the baby BUT baby is good :)   I have alot of worries with this one though having to endure this my nausea which i have 24/7 is a little more amplified but I am able to tell the difference in the baby and my  GP.  With this being said though I'm worried about preeclampsia with the GP I'm at a higher risk but it is possible to have a healthy pregnancy with this crap as long as you maintain the diet. So with that being said this "diet" that is supposed to help (which don't get me wrong it does) but everyone's stomach is different alot of us can't eat the same things. I can't do seeds, grains, skins. Lettuce has to be finely shredded, can't do fiber, red dye or sauces are a no ( but if I do sauce its very very little.)  The diet is a very long list of stuff you can eat and stuff to avoid but that list doesn't work for everyone and if the GP is bad enough sometimes tubes get placed just so you can eat the disease is treatable not curable. Here's a small version of the diet for you to get an idea.





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