#delated gastric emptying

[lunar-fey]

gastroparesis, aka delayed gastric/stomach emptying

a short description of what it is and how it affects me and others :)

disclaimer: i am NOT a medical professional. most of this info was, however, told to me by doctors (with a bit of personal speculation and discussion of my own experiences thrown in).

First of all, what is gastroparesis and why am I making this post? 

As you can perhaps tell by the names, it’s a condition in which the nerve that controls the muscles to contract around the stomach to have little or no real function. I want to talk a little bit about it because it’s quite a rare condition (only abt 200k cases per year are diagnosed), yet it affects me every day, and people often seem to underestimate just how severe it can be.

But what exactly does that mean?

In function, it means that when I eat food, my stomach can’t naturally push the food out into the rest of my digestive tract - while individual cases my vary from only a small delay in digestion to my own case, where food seems to never naturally moved through my system, it’s not actually as life-threatening as it may sound (though in rare cases it can cause gastric blockages which can turn into more severe and life-threating issues).

In my case, after extensive radiographic tests (in which I, an 11 year old at the time, was repeatedly promised radioactive cookies, but got shitty powder “eggs” each time instead, then had to lay on a table still as the grave for 90 minutes) it was determined that even after 10 hours food had not yet left my stomach.

To compare that to average? Food usually moves out of a healthy persons stomach after about 30 minutes.

So if it’s not life-threating why does it suck so godsdamned much?

Unfortunately, as it turns out, food can turn and grow bacteria in your stomach! What you eat and how much should be regulated to prevent this as much as possible, but in the end, there’s not much to be done about it. You still have to eat something, somehow.

In the end, common symptoms vary from a light case just having some abdominal pain and occasional nausea, to my somewhat severe case wherein I am nauseas every day of my life! :’)

Also, it can cause significant amounts of malnutrition as well as issues with blood sugar, as your body doesn’t really...get anything out of food that’s staying in your stomach. Plus, the regular feeling of being totally full (because you are), makes it difficult to eat at times.

What the fuck? Is it genetic? Can I catch it?

Yes, and no. It can be genetic, and you can develop it throughout life, but it is not contagious.

While the specific cause (for non-genetic cases) is typically unknown, some things are known to potentially cause it - for example, the vegus nerve can be damaged during surgery, leading to it’s paralysis.

Certain pharmaceutical drugs can also cause it - in my case specifically, though the cause is unknown, I heavily suspect it was the adderall (simply because it caused me severe lack of appetite to the point that I was eating AS MUCH AS I COULD and only weighed 80lbs until I stopped taking it. If you ask my humble opinion as a person who isn’t a medical professional but grew up around a lot of doctors, that much malnutrition could probably have caused the damage.).

Well then, what can be done about it once you’re diagnosed?

Unfortunately, there is still no cure, although don’t look so grim after a diagnosis! It may not be so bad for you! There are treatments that exist, including a drug called Reglan (chemical name Metoclopramide).

Reglan causes basically controlled muscle spasms which allow the stomach to contract. For many people it works wonders! For me, on the other hand, not so much. Without going into detail, I will say I had a bad enough reaction that I was told to stop taking it after just one dose. Don’t let that scare you off, of course! The likelyhood is super low that you’ll have a similar reaction to me, and this was over a decade ago - the science and testing involved have only gotten better over time! In fact, the 90 minute radiology exams I did back then now only take 60 minutes :D

In addition to drugs intended to treat the disorder, in severe cases you may be able to get a prescription for antiemitic drugs (in my experience zofran works the best, but you’ll have to speak to your doctor about what may work best for you), which are those that prevent nausea and vomiting.

There are also diet changes that are supposed to help, such as certain food types to be avoided. A person with gastroparesis can also eat several (I’ve always been told 6) VERY small “meals” throughout the day, and this is supposed to help, though I haven’t personally had any luck with diet changes.

In the end, it would be really cool to see more awareness for this disorder :D

And don’t be afraid if you’re diagnosed, whether you have a relatively light case that barely impacts your life, or a severe case that impacts you every minute, you aren’t alone, and help is out there! Good luck!