New to Gastroparesis

• By alphabubo
• Posted April 15, 2009 at 8:43 am
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I am sorry that you have gastroparesis, but I am glad that you have found this site which seems to be filled with very many compassionate hearts willing to listen and help as much as possible. I was diagnosed with gastroparesis in late 2002.

One thing I would suggest if you are not already doing so is elevated the head of your bed at night, especially as you say that you wake up in the morning with nausea. I have found doing so helps some with my morning nausea. I used to have to sleep almost sitting up on the couch to prevent reflux, nausea, and possibly vomiting at night. One item though that has helped me to be able to sleep in my bed is a matress genie that can raise the head of the bed by fourty degrees. Of course, I keep it raised as high as I can when I sleep.

I find that I tend to keep down solids better than liquids, although each person can be different in this. I therefore try to separate the times I have large amounts of liquids from when I have solids to help make sure I can keep down the solids.

It may help to keep a food journal in which you write down what you eat and how your body reacts to help you see if any patterns or details come out that might help you in adjusting your diet to one that is best for you. It is important to keep in mind that as each person is unique, a food that one person can tolerate may aggravate the symptoms of another. It may just take a little of trial and error to figure out what it best for you just keeping in mind that in general the diet should be low fat and low fiber as these two elements are hard on the stomach to digest.

I hope that you are able to come up with a plan that works for you and makes sure that you get all the nutrition that you need. I will be sure to keep you in my thoughts and prayers. Best of wishes and many hugs.

Warm regards,
Bobbiejo

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• By JoAllison
• Posted April 15, 2009 at 8:57 am
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The shortness of breath may come from GERD if the acid is spilling into your lungs. My main (bad) GP symptom is GERD & I get that sometimes. If you aren't significantly bloated, I'd say start at step 2 or even a careful step 3. Everybody is different with GP & even with the diet you have to (at least initially) keep track of what you eat because not everybody can eat everything on it.

Seeing a dietician can be a good idea -- if they'e heard of gastroparesis, and pretty close to useless if you're their first GP patient. Mine told me that anything under 2 grams of fiber is considered low fiber (I spent a lot of time reading labels in stores at the start, before I got my brands straightened out), and stay under 40 grams of fat a day. That has worked pretty well for me in my good times. Seeing an Integrative Medicine doctor who specialized in Nutrition (but wasn't covered by my insurance) also helped me as she loaded me up with a bunch of liquid vitamins & probiotics & greens supplements & digestive enzymes (also not covered by insurance) that I now take daily that help me feel a lot healthier overall. Since I have to get to work, let me do it this way. Shortly after my diagnosis, I started a blog about what it's like to live with my sort of GP & I go into the supplements I take in detail at several points in the blog - you could skim it to look at them & look for other things that might help you (learn from my mistakes as it were - bearing in mind that we're all different & it may not work that way for you). If you're interested, it's http://newnormal.blogstream.com. (If you're going 1st to most recent, scroll to the bottom, the first post is on p. 18. - Just skim til you see something about supplements, unless you want to read it, that's okay too, it's just a lot of reading.)

Jo

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• By JoAllison
• Posted April 15, 2009 at 9:06 am
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Oh, I forgot. For the GERD/shortness of breath, it helped me a lot to put the head of my bed up on 4 inch blocks (I promise I don't feel like I'm sliding out of bed, neither does my boyfriend). Recommended is 4-8 inches. You can make you own blocks or buy a set on Amazon - I use Garner's clear bed risers because they come with 8 stackable one inch blocks (I bought two sets) & could decide how high to go - ended up giving the second set away as 4 worked for me - they're under $15 a set.).

Jo

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• By nolagirl
• Posted April 15, 2009 at 1:01 pm
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I have severe GP, too, and really only do well on liquids. It is not easy, because when I feel good, I want to eat with everyone else. As evidence, see my last post!

I've learned to cook pureed soups, like zuchhini, asparagus, potato and sweet potato. I began with recipes, but substituted the cream for low fat milk and avoided other fat, which slows down motility. Adding various spices in larger than called for amounts adds interest and helps them be more satisfying. My doctor said it doesn't matter if the liquids are thick or thin, so long as they are liquid and the bits in them are very small. So play around with that until you see what you like.

For meat, ground chicken can be sauteed, drained, spiced with ground bay leaf, salt, basil, and poulty seasoning and then put into the blender with a can of chicken broth. That over thinned mashed potatoes plus a soup is satisfying and feels like a real meal. It helps to make large batches and freeze portions, so you'll always have something near at hand.

We also make fruit ice, thin puddings, and I even tolerate fat free flan from Wal-Mart once in a while. Of couse, there are the infamous fruit and milk smoothies, but I am getting tired of those.

For severe GP, liquids really are the best thing. Your stomach can't contract and act like a blender, so you have to use a blender first. Otherwise, the food will not pass through the tiny pylorus into the small intestine. It will sit in your stomach and cause pain, nausea, pressure, all that chest pain and pressure you describe. I do know the feeling. When bad, I would swear I also had a thoracic disc that had gone bad, but that pain also disappears when my stomach is better.

Another advantage of liquids, even if for only a few weeks, is that you also get severe constipation with severe GP and the liquids can help disolve and dislodge partial obstructions that are so easily acquired in this illness. I had one of those, too, and getting rid of it really helped significantly my pain and nausea level.

Yes, I too sometimes get shortness of breath. Doc said it was due to so much gas and pressure in the GI tract. And a vitamin D deficiency, too, that effects the muscles. I don't remember the details...

One more thing...I really had an uptick in my GP chest pain and pressure symptoms for a while last year. After seveal months of agony so bad I could hardly stand it, they found some large gall stones. Taking out my gall bladder really helped that chest pain and pressure, shortness of breath A LOT. Just something to keep in mind if you still have your gall bladder. It's easy to attribute all our pains to GP and forget something else might be wrong. The docs can be guilty of this, too, so sometimes you may need a new pair of eyes.

It's a challange to figure out what foods will work best. We are all different, so no diet plan will work for all. Starting with all liquids and only adding one small portion of non-liquid once every 5 days or so is smart, until you know whether it hurts or not...all the way down. It's just really hard to stick to. ...why oh why did they have to put a Burger King near my house. The smell coming from that vent stack drives me nuts!

My GI swears it is best to stick to non-surgical options for as long as possible, though. He says that surgeons will always offer surgical options because they love to operate. It's what they do. But he says those procedures don't often help and sometimes make things much worse. His advice was to resist the temptation. I don't know if he is right, but for 22 years I have done just that. Sure hope he's right.

Some underlying causes of GP are diabetes, several different metabolic/endocrine disorders, autoimmune and connective tissue diseases, viruses, shingles, and even some drugs. It's a good idea to check your medications--one of my blood pressure meds said GP was a side effect.

Sincerely hope this helps, if only to let you know that you are not alone.
Nolagirl

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• By busyteacher
• Posted April 15, 2009 at 5:37 pm
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I have gastroparesis diet recommendations on two websites on my bio, for stage one (thin liquid), two, and three (digestible solids). I also got really good information about other foods to try in "protein please". Someone suggested digestive enzymes (JoAllison, I think), and they are better for the bloating and the pain than any medication. I have found that drinking almond milk and why protein and giving up soy and dairy (or limiting them and consuming with several digestive enzyme tabs) really helps.
But others do well with dairy and soy.
The hardest part is that that junk food is "free", while fruits and veggies are not, so being healthy can be redundant and has to be planned.
Make sure you are getting adequate protein and calories daily.
And, have you noticed that what you can eat varies, depending on the day? I have noticed that more and more frequently.

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• By Gajudy
• Posted April 15, 2009 at 8:42 pm
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Some of us take Domperidone (Motilium). My doctor calls in my prescription to a pharmacy in Canada, but it is also available in other countrys--New Zealand & I think Germany.

Are you on any medication for the reflux? I take Protonix in the morning & Prilosec in the evening. Your doctor may have other recommendations. When my gerd is really bad I have chest pain also. I have even been checked out by my cardiologist. That may give you peace of mind.

Hope this helps you out. Gajudy

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• By Wondering79
• Posted April 15, 2009 at 9:19 pm
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Thank you everyone for your insight and tips!!! I truly appreciate all of the information you have given me!!!! After reading all of your posts I am just going to take it day by day and see how it goes.. I started figuring out which foods made me feel like crap and which foods were ok.. Let me just say, Canada Dry gingerale is out... Same with Tomato soup.. the funny thing is, tomato bisque is ok, tomato soup not good.. Weird huh?

Once again THANK YOU SOOOOO VERY MUCH for responding and I will definitely keep reading everyones post and blogs to learn even more!!

Kristina

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• By BlueSue
• Posted September 16, 2009 at 1:05 pm
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Dear Wondering79,

I was diagnosed with GP in July 2009. Actually the way I found out was because I was complaining about extreme shortness of breath, constantly feeling like I can't take a deep breath. I thought it was my heart...turned out it was my stomach. Apparently GP affects everyone diffirently. I'm not nauseous nor do I vomit (actualy wish I could). Although my stomach is overly full causing horrible bloating and acid reflux, I am constantly hungry. Drinking liquids all day just does not fill me up so I eat which in turn causes more bloating and shortness of breath.

Sorry, I don't have any suggestions at this point because I'm still trying to figure out how to get myself comfortable and satisfied, but in answer to your question about GP causing shortness of breath, my answer would be yes definitely!

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