Gastroparesis AKA GP

So, after doing every GI test known to man, I was finally told that I have Gastroparesis. The medical team was blown away because they had never seen a case like mine. They said that it looked like I had had it since birth. They said they had never seen a stomach that had been "rigid" an entire person's life. Yep, that's me! The Statistic! Which, when they explained it to me, it totally made sense. 

Growing up, I ate like a bird (still do). I am the slowest eater. I get full after a few bites. As tempting as it would be to overeat, I cannot. If I eat even one bite too many, it comes back up way too quickly. (I apologize if this is TMI or kind of gruesome) I was accused my entire life of having an eating disorder because I didn't eat much and because I vomited if I ate too much food. I did not have an eating disorder my entire life. I did develop an eating disorder my sophomore year of high school because I was so depressed. We moved my sophomore year. We moved from a very small town to a very large city. I knew nobody in the school. I was so shy and quiet and making friends was not an easy feat for me. I felt so out of place and alone. I developed an eating disorder because it was one thing in my life that I could control. My eating disorder was short lived because I had an amazing psychology teacher that helped me through it. Looking back now, I don't know how I made myself throw-up. I hate throwing up.

When I started having all of my stomach issues, I thought that my short bout of eating disorder had caused long term damage. When I asked my Gastroenterologist if this were the case, he told me absolutely not. Which is good I guess, because I carried so much guilt already.

After eating the radio active eggs and measuring how much food I had left at certain intervals, it was determined that I have delayed gastric emptying. My stomach is very rigid. It is paralyzed. I am limited on what foods I can eat. I pretty much live on the BRAT diet. Bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. I have to eat bland foods or I will puke.  I never know what food I am gIt an happen at the most inopportune time.

I have been lucky thus far and have not needed feeding tubes or TPN.

GP is very painful. I get severe stomach cramps. I keep a warm rice pack on my abdomen as much as possible. Weight flucuates a lot throughout the day, and I can get very bloated. I can start the day with a flat belly weighing 108, but by the end of the day, I can look like I am 7 months pregnant and weight 113. I have not found anything that is effective against all the bloating, that doesn't make me sick in the meantime.

Quick overview, Gastroparesis (GP) affects the digestion of food. One has difficulty absorbing essential vitamins and minerals. People with GP, have delayed gastric emptying. Food can sit in my stomach for 2-3 days. GP affects the peristalsis. Pacemaker are now being installed in the stomach to help with gastric motility. My GP has not gotten to that point where I need to start worrying about that. Gastroparesis is a scary thing and it can totally control ones life with the nausea, bloating, stomach cramps, puking, and diarrhea to name a few.

Thank you for taking to time to read this.