Vagus nerve issues?

• By Rainbolt
• Reply 590066
• October 20, 2009 at 11:20 pm
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BTW to add to my gastroish issuews I've recently been dxed with acid reflux - I wonder if this is all related and cannot wait to see my GI doc!!!

• By Roscoelady1974
• Reply 591223
• October 21, 2009 at 7:51 pm
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From what I have learned it does seem to be all connected to that darn vagas nerve. My vaso-vagal syncope got worse when I developed GP. Could be diet/nutrition issues also but I know I had low blood pressure issues before hand. I don't know enough about the vagas nerve though yet. Someone has to have answers don't they???

• By busyteacher
• Reply 591289
• October 21, 2009 at 8:38 pm
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I have chronic fatigue with the GP. It's the worst part of the whole thing. That and the heat sensitivity.

• By Rainbolt
• Reply 591314
• October 21, 2009 at 8:54 pm
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What does GP stand for? And I have the heat sensitivity too but I'm sure that's due to the MS - but then again maybe not?...

• By ShelbyW
• Reply 591926
• October 22, 2009 at 9:57 am
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GP stands for GASTROPARESIS, which means paralysis of the stomach. Shelby

• By obachan
• Reply 596605
• October 26, 2009 at 2:01 am
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i can relate to a portion of your problem that the vegal nerve causes using the bathroom. i dont have gi problems that some of you people suffer from. but when they removed a 6 cm non cancerous tumor from my right side of my neck just under the jaw bone they had to sacrifice the 6 cm of the vegal nerve because it was completely unsalvagable. well that thing goes all the way down your body and affects and controls a whole lot of important stuff since mine was affected so high up it has affected everything that it leads to down below. i now have a hard time drinking liquid, swallowing food, i have a right paralized vocal chord, and because of saliva collecting there and near aspiration of saliva i cough all the time like as if something went down the wrong pipe and i have major trouble breathing so because of the cough these clown doctors told me i have emphazema then it was COPD now they say asthma. i think they are all misdiagnossing me and speaking of using the bathroom the cut vegal nerve will not allow me to push or force out a stool. i also have to just sit and wait. my legs hurt all the time and im sure that has something to do with the nerve also .good luck JEN JEN frustrated in phoenix

• By Rainbolt
• Reply 597123
• October 26, 2009 at 1:06 pm
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Sounds super familiar - and sorry for the TMI here but do you find when you do finally get things moving you feel MUCH better? I mean your legs and such? One time I swear for a few moments after I felt almost normal! I also have the swallowing thing but was told it was due to acid reflux which I wonder with the relationship between the Vagal nerves and the gut whether that too is caused by them... GRRR

• By DigmundFreud
• Reply 597541
• October 26, 2009 at 6:44 pm
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Obachan- you might want to see a speech therapist for the swallowing problem. They can give you tips how to improve your swallow. You could be aspirating saliva, it could be reflux. You can aspirate because of reflux as well. In the mean time, try tucking your chin down while you swallow liquids, it can help slow down your swallow. Rainbolt- sorry about your illnesses. You could have problems from the MS as well as from the surgeries. You may want to go to a GI doc. DF

• By GinaB
• Reply 597609
• October 26, 2009 at 7:44 pm
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Dear Rainbolt, I can so relate, I had a resection due to diverticulitus in 2003 where 10" of my intestine was removed, then surgery 2005 on my cervical neck due to deterorated discs, one of the things I asked about was on a paper I signed, talking about possible damage to vegus nerve, I didn't even know what it was then much less what it could do , then again surgery for gallstones in 2006 for the horrible back, shoulder pain, which soon after I was diagnosed with IBS, and I already had fibromyalgia. This really was kind of added to when last November I found I couln't eat at Thanksgiving and totally fell apart in energy when the GP started only months later was I diagnosed with GP. I too have had the same tiredness after a BM, where I just sit, so tired, then nap on my chair only to fall into a nap, never knowing why? Because I have diabetes, my doctor assumed that that was the cause of the vegus nerve damage. Your post begs for more investigation into what really causes the damage to the nerve and the extreme fatique so many of us suffer through daily. Also another familiar string is allergies to food. Please keep us posted on anything more you learn, and I will bring it up with my doctor.
Warmest Wishes Gina ><(((*>

• By obachan
• Reply 625200 · In reply to 597123 by Rainbolt
• November 16, 2009 at 12:34 am
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i have never had acid reflux in my life until now and its so bad i have to take the best meds for it that they make and it still barely helps

• By obachan
• Reply 625211 · In reply to 597541 by DigmundFreud
• November 16, 2009 at 12:55 am
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thank you, i have already seen the speech therapist with the chin tucking method. thats how i got off the liquid diet. i also have had all the barium swallow tests and am aspirating minutely enough to where my cough ejects it. and it seems to all stem back to the cut vegal nerve paralizing my vocal chord , i can reflux water after drinking it if i bend over since the right vocal chord wont close.

• By DigmundFreud
• Reply 626381 · In reply to 625211 by obachan
• November 16, 2009 at 6:53 pm
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Obachan- sorry for the swallow issues. I have constant severe reflux too. My problems are due to LES not closing and GP. My chest is always throbbing and in pain. I had a speech therapist perform a bedside swallow on me today, my swallow is still ok. I guess just try to hang in there and do the best you can. Sarah

• By Ruthanne
• Reply 805078
• March 26, 2010 at 11:37 am
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my vagal nerve was removed on the left 2 years ago due to a glomus tumor. Since then I have various digestive issues which I do not understand. Sometimes I vomit during bowel movements. I can not feel some foods when I swallow due to paralysis. I cannot tell when I am full. I am thinking about completely changing my diet and actually trying to measure my intake and compare these food changes and quanities to see if I feel better. The tumor was causing weaknesses in the vocal cord and esophagus before removal. So acid reflux through the weakened vocal cord was already there. It occluded my jugular vein and was pressing on the carotid artery, therefore it had to be removed. I am lucky to have a vocal implant now which gave me my voice again. Breathing is another issue. I am using inhalers but they don't really help. Muscle spasms in my neck cause a lot of contriction and with the vocal implant permanently fixed on one side, it never opens to help with breathing. Right now I am basically trying to get some help with dietary ideas. My bowel swings from slow to hyper. Hyper sometimes causes lack of fecal control.

• By papaya10
• Reply 816071
• April 2, 2010 at 10:00 pm
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WOW. Looks like we gotta watch out about surgery. vagal nerve damage in particular. A subject I know little about. However, regarding MS (multiple sclerosis) I have some interesting data for you. As you may know, our society does a lot of Iron supplementation in our foods to prevent certain anemias. For instance most baby formulas have about 12 times the amount of iron that natural breast milk has. What do you know, 39% more diabetes for babies who were not breast fed! You might ask..so what. Let me say first that we acquire iron and sequester it all over our bodies from childhood. Some more efficiently than others. Its about supplements, birth control,alcohol, vitamin C, lack of binding proteins like transferin, baby formulas, genetic HFE mutations, and even what you eat and drink every day with your meals. In MS they find high levels of iron around a deep cerbral brain structure callled the caudate nucleas(sp?) The more iron they find there by T-1 weighted MRI there the worse the symptoms of MS. Let me share this article because obviously MS has a global effect over time on your body..

http://www.buffalo.edu/ubreporter/archives/vol35/vol35n13/articles/Bakshi.h tml

There are many diseases that researchers think stem from Iron dysregulation. Now the question is does it have anything to do with you and gastroparesis as a secondary manifestation to MS. I will be back. Meanwhile i have other MS information if you wish it. I will sleuth that MS connection a little on metacrawler..my favortrite search engine.

Terry

• By joelee
• Reply 816905
• April 3, 2010 at 5:21 pm
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Rainbolt,

I can sense your confusion and frustration. I have had a rare neurologic disorder (HSP) for 25 years, which began to affect my GI system several years ago. The symptoms began in the colon and have gradually spread upward. So that I now have trouble swallowing, feel congestion in my esophagus from reflux, have GP and pelvic floor disorder. As far as the vagal nerve is concerned, I have gotten a variety of medical opinions. An ER doctor told me that I'd be fainting frequently if my vagal nerve was damaged. So he ruled that out. My GI doctor tells me my sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves are not functioning in a coordinated fashion. Motility is poor due to lack of sensation, but I have GERD from hyperactive nerves in my gut. My neurologist just says that GI problems are uncommon to my disorder (a big help!). As you probably have realized, specialsts hate to deal with symptoms caused by neurologic disorders. And neurologists don't want to treat some parts of the body. So you end up a hot potato. And throwing drugs at people with neurologic diseases often just complicates the situation. At best, you are asked to trade symptoms for side effects.

As far as fatigue is concerned, I have to limit the frequency of meals because every time food enters my stomach, a bunch of symptoms occur, including increased numbness in my feet, chills or hot flashes, and mental haziness. Fatigue is 24/7; so I try to push myself through the better hours and try to figure out what I am still able to do when more tired. So obviously, my stomach is affecting other parts of my body, even my brain.

My deceased wife had severe MS and I doubt there is a part of the body that is off-limits. I know fatigue and heat sensitivity are common; but that doesn't mean your stomach problems aren't contributing also. It is sometimes impossible to determine exactly what is causing a symptom. And even if doctors know, they may still be unable or unwilling to correct the problem. I have been denied various treatments because invading my body is likely to cause more neurologic complications.

I am wondering if you have tried stimulant medications to counteract fatigue. I have been taking Provigil to help me maintain focus. I used to be able to follow a basic exercise program to increase adrenalin and endorphin levels. But that has become nearly impossible recently.

I guess it comes down to advocating for yourself and finding the right doctors, though that takes energy too. And sometimes, I have had to stretch the envelope and try alternative treatments. Here and there, something helps. It is often a matter of slightly improving things, rather than erasing them.

--- Joe ---