Just when I thought it was gone for good

[blackhillsbiker]

Gastroparesis (literally paralyzed stomach). Ugh. I struggled with this for years but it has been dormant for 15 years. I had almost forgotten how miserable it is. Now I'm trying to figure out diet that won't upset my fragile stomach and will give me enough energy to ride. I keep hoping if I ignore it, it will go away. I don't think I'll be that lucky, though.

Deb

[zoom-zoom]

I'm so sorry...my best friend has this. She has to take Reglan before every meal. She couldn't eat anything without issues. But with the meds she feels pretty good and has very few issues. Before her diagnosis she ended up having to almost entirely quit running.

[XMcShiftersonX]

I had this a couple years ago for about a year. I was on Reglan, which helped a lot. But, unfortunately you can become immune to it over time and it won't work as well.

The year I had it, it was because I was extremely stressed. I had just graduated college and started my first nursing job on an extremely busy med-surg floor, where the only 30 minutes of every day that I sat down was while I was "eating" dinner, which in those days consisted of very small portions of soy yogurt and pudding (it's pretty hard when, as a vegan, your diet is mainly fresh fruit and vegetables and they tell you to avoid them!). I went from 110 pounds, to 95 and looked too skinny (that's a big drop for my 5'1 frame)!

I was also single-handedly planning my wedding, and dealing with some social anxiety about having to be the center of attention to a large group of people for the said wedding. The day after our wedding we flew 24 hours straight to our honeymoon in Portugal and spent 10 days there. My stomach issues didn't resolve like I thought they would, I think due to the stress of traveling and being in an unfamiliar place.

But the day after we got home from our honeymoon we went to my favorite breakfast place. I ate a huge plate of 4 pieces of french toast, tofu scramble, soy sausage patties, and another large plate of fruit and soy cottage cheese. I just remember feeling like I was starving and no matter how much I ate I didn't feel full or sick to my stomach. I've never had a major problem since then. However, when I get nervous about something, I have a hard time eating. Luckily these days it's usually just skipping one meal, or eating something light and I do okay.

So, I guess the whole point of this is.... Do you have a lot of stress in your life all of a sudden that could be contributing to this condition? If so, handle the stress.

It's a horrible feeling only being able to eat a few bites before feeling sick to your stomach. Or wanting so bad to eat, but not being able to because you fear throwing up. Like when your significant other goes through all this trouble to make a nice meal and you don't even get to start eating it before you feel like you're going to throw up. Then, of course, loved ones thinking that you're unhealthy or have some type of eating disorder and having to explain to everyone what's going on so they will understand why you aren't eating, and that it's not intentional, especially if you lose a lot of weight like I did. It took me a long time to gain the weight back.... In fact this happened in 2006 and I just reached my ideal weight of 110 pounds this past winter.

Something that helped me through was making smoothies, and eating more frequently but just real small portions.

Good luck!

[blackhillsbiker]

It landed me in the ER several times a semester in college. Also a bunch of times early in our marriage. It took an 8 year hiatus, then a 15 year hiatus. Propulsid gave me my life back last time, but it is off the market now. I think this time it was a combination of stress at work and with teenagers at home, lack of regular exercise because of the surgery on my legs, and not being as careful as I could be about meals and mealtime.

I'm being proactive with Iberogast, digestive enzymes and probiotics, and small meals, early in the day. I've gradually been reintroducing whole foods and fiber back into my diet. I've regained about 2 lbs. I hate it when people think I'm anorexic. I'm 5'8" and about 125 lbs, so I can't afford to lose much more weight. The no-fiber recommended diet makes me miserable and tired. It hasn't been as vicious this time as it has in the past, maybe because I didn't let it really take hold. I'm just sorry to have to deal with this again. Thanks for the kind words. Just being able to vent and receive support means so much!

Deb