This has been a tough week. Tues night I had the familiar headache and stomach noises going giving me the heads up that vomiting was in my future, and Fri night it hit me again. I've grown accustomed to this flag over the last 3 years since I received my Gastroparesis diagnosis. I typically get what I refer to as "sick" once a week, which could be anything from excessive reflux accompanied by burping, diarrhea out of nowhere, full on vomiting, or intense bloating with no relief, all of which lead to discomfort, no sleep, and then exhaustion and difficulty eating the next day. And I'm not alone in this struggle to simply consume sustenance to keep myself alive. In the US, 1 in every 4 people experience these types of symptoms.
So what is Gastroparesis, you ask? The word Gastroparesis translates to "paralysis of the stomach", which sounds very dramatic, and for some people it is. True Gastroparesis occurs when there is damage to your vasovagal nerve which allows your body to function properly, such as digesting your food. When the nerve experiences damage this will prevent your stomach from being able to push your food through to the intestines, which in turn will cause bloating, nausea, reflux, and vomiting. When this happens people (usually women) must be connected to a feeding tube and follow a strictly liquid diet to ensure that nutrients have a chance to be absorbed into the body. In less severe cases, people can continue to work without being on disability, but they often lose 20-30 lbs in the beginning as they struggle to find foods they can keep down and a way to sleep when lying down is so difficult.
A good number of cases are Idiopathic (like mine), meaning we don't know for sure what caused them. About 50% of Diabetics suffer from some level of Gastroparesis because this affects the stomach's muscles and nerves' ability to function properly. It has also been linked to an enteric autoimmune disease. So as if it isn't enough to worry about getting enough nutrients in your body to keep you going, now you have to worry about how COVID-19 will affect you, too.
So how do you know if you are suffering from Gastroparesis and not another digestive condition like IBS, Chron's, H. Pylori, UC, or IC? To get tested for this condition you take what is called a gastric emptying test where you eat something bland like eggs or oatmeal with a radioactive material, then lay down on a
table for an x-ray to see how long it takes the food to move downward. I had been struggling for months when I had this test done and I will never forget tearing up on that table because it was so uncomfortable to lay down directly after eating and feel the oatmeal moving up my esophagus instead of moving down to my intestines. I knew before the end of the study that I definitely had this condition. Normal emptying takes approximately 6-8 hours. The test only lasts about 30 mins because they can predict how long it will take for your stomach to fully empty by seeing the pace it's going in that time.
So how do you cope with these symptoms and continue living your best life? Well, there is a drug called Reglan you can take that will speed up your stomach's emptying, but as you can imagine, it's kind of like taking a laxative 24/7, so it doesn't leave you with the best quality of life. Not to mention, the side effects, like tardive dyskinesia, are so severe and common that it's earned the drug a black label warning. I took it for about a week to get through my Seattle vacation and I'll tell, running to the bathroom every half hour was not my ideal way to spend my trip (not to mention the 6 lbs I lost by the time I returned home because my stomach was literally empty at all times). I do not recommend this drug to anyone, no matter how much you want your food to exit your stomach.
But there are other options, right? It's important to note that there is NO CURE for Gastroparesis, so this is something you unfortunately have to learn to work with, not beat. That being said, there is a lot to be done to "heal" from your reduced quality of life to find a new normal. My number one recommendation to everyone is to join the Healing Gastroparesis Naturally group on Facebook. Chalyce Macoskey has Gastroparesis herself so she has developed a full plan of action over the course of many years to tackle this issue from the inside out. She has created a line of essential oils called Essential 7 not just to aid with digestion but other ailments as well. She has also written a book detailing her protocol to follow by eating fermented foods, certain spices, and recipes in the back to cook. She is quite literally a life saver who has helped 5,000 people fix their lives, despite extensive hospital stays and the inability to keep anything down. After joining her program I gained back 15 lbs and found a whole new low acid, low fiber diet to follow, giving me my life and happiness back.
In 2017 I gave up dating and searching for a new job because I just couldn't handle anything on top of battling with my stomach every day. I slept sitting up in bed. I carried prescription strength nausea medication with me everywhere. I had to buy a new wardrobe of smaller clothes to fit my 110 lb body. Some days I would just cry and cry thinking this is how the rest of my life was going to be: miserable and alone, unable to go to a restaurant, drink alcohol, work out, or take naps ever again. By 2020 I can safely say that this is no longer the case and I am a brand new woman who is reasonably fit and healthy once again. I don't wish this condition on anyone, but for those who do suffer from it, just know that I've got you. We'll get through this together. I'll even add my diet spreadsheet below for reference.