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Wondering if I might have gastroparesis?

I have been having stomach problems, along with some symptoms of anxiety and depression for over a year now. I went to see a doctor in October and was diagnosed with acid reflux and given a perscription for protonix. It helped but there are still many symptoms that are making my life ( and my freshman year of college) very difficult.
I feel like I have this cycle. I eat somewhat normally for a few days and then I wake up one morning and I know that I will have to go a day ( or two) without eating or even drinking very much until I will feel empty enough to eat again. It's not that I don't feel hungry but my stomach just feels full. I would call it constipation, but it doesn't even really feel like I need to go to the bathroom and can't, it's like I haven't even gotten to that point yet. My stomach gets extremely bloated and it becomes painful if I try to continue eating normally.
When this happens the acid reflux becomes worse, I am constantly belching but it never brings enough relief. I really just have to wait it out. Then when I go to the bathroom and have an appetite again I am scared to eat and stick to things like trail mix, granola bars and juice. Then I feel okay for a few days until I am starving and have to eat a real meal and then this cycle begins again.
A few days before Christmas I had a colonoscopy, endoscopy and gall bladder tests and everything has come back negative. The doctor told me I have IBS and basically to learn to live with it, but I am so tired of this...Does this possibly sound like gastroparesis?
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Avatar universal
I had a history of stomach ulcers along with stomach pain, couldn't eat much at all and was losing weight. I have had pyloric stenosis and gastroperesis, I ate almost nothing, it was awful. Anywy,  there is a test where you eat an egg sandwich and it has some radioactive ingredient added. I had this done because no other test would show what this does. It shows how fast your food is digested. Normal is like 33%. Mine was like 7%. I was bad. Not even balloon dilation helped mine. I would up having a gastrojejunostomy ( I think I spelled it right). But if I was you, I would try to stay on a extreme soft diet for a week. It may help, your food would definitely go through a lot easier. Pyloric stenosis does not show up well on an endoscopy or an upper gi. This test should show more information.I know it is not easy, and I sure have had my share of pain. I wish you well, and I hope that this helps.
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193245 tn?1189989722
I should've added that my GI said if I had gastroparesis, it was probably due to getting violently sick because of food poisoning.  The nerves could have been damaged.  He went onto say that the nerves would likely heal, but it's a slow process.  Maybe even a couple years.  In the meantime he claimed there were some drugs that could help.

As I said, my tests for that came out negative so I never learned anything more.
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Avatar universal
Did the endoscopy show that your stomach was empty?  I've been diagnosed with gastroparesis and I wouldn't wish this on anyone... however not to take lightly what the other poster said, my doctor said you WILL have good days and bad days and it is possible the condition will go away.  The only time it is permanent is if you are a diabetic.  It is not caused only by bacteria or injury, they just don't know what else causes it...  The stomach muscle is only paralyzed now and again...  

Do you have a horrible pain under your ribcage?  That's where mine is and at times it is unbearable.  It can be like that for two weeks at a time and then one day I feel great.  No rhyme or reason.  (BTW, I don't have any acid reflux or anything else like that.)  I'm really over it because this has been going on since October!

I went to the gastro doctor because I thought I had an ulcer from being under a lot of stress at work.  Not sure if I'm happy or not that I don't have that instead - easier to treat?.  lol!  

Anyway, no medications have really helped, other than zelnorm every now and again to clear out my intestines, because, like you, not going to the bathroom has been an issue.  I am scheduled for a colonoscopy next week and hoping that all is well, but I forced the issue with my doctor because my father had colon cancer and I want to be sure it's nothing like that... he assures me it's not, but you never know, right?  Better to be safe than sorry.

I hope you start feeling better soon... oh, and the other thing is you shouldn't be eating any high fiber foods or things that you have to "digest" such as salads, brocolli, fruit juices, etc.  Yes, I am now 20 pounds heavier than I was in October because the doctor told me to eat meat, pasta and potatoes because they don't have to be digested...  So now Slimfast is my friend.  lol!

Hang in there!  If I hear of anything else out there I'll let you know!
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Avatar universal
That's interesting since I have been dealing with a lot of anxiety. I keep going back and forth with my medical problems and the more psychological ones wondering which came first- the chicken or the egg? Everyone agrees that chronic pain and illness can cause anxiety and depression and vica versa. But thank you for at least validating that my symptoms do sound similar to gastroparesis, regardless of the cause. I know there is something very wrong with how my body is functioning and it's so frustrating to have no label for it. At least gastroparesis puts into words some of what I have been experiencing.
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193245 tn?1189989722
Well, my gastroenterologist (the one who suspected I may have gastroparesis and ordered the emptying exam), said my symptoms (bloating, nausea, etc) were indicative of gastroparesis.  What didn't fit, however, is that I'd have "attacks" of it.  According to him, gastroparesis is caused by nerve damage (could be a result of vomiting violently, a bacterial infection, whatever) and that it doesn't come and go.  You have it or you don't.

But he did give me the test anyway.  During the exam I had to eat a scrambled egg sandwich that was injected with some sort of radioactive isotope.  I'd then stand in front of an X-ray looking device every few minutes as a technician would record the results.  On the monitor I could see the radioactive eggs moving through me.  It's probably worth mentioning that I did have one of my "attacks" during the test but the results were still negative.

You talked about anxiety, and that could wreak havoc on your digestive system.

Incidentally, I think I can trace my anxiety/panic disorder back to when I was living with a bad gallbladder.  I was only 28 or so and so gallbladder wasn't suspected.  I saw lots and lots of doctors before they figured it out, and it took months.  I'm pretty sure that's when it all happened as I was very, very ill for quite a long time and didn't know why.  It'll put the zap on your head, I guess.
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Avatar universal
Yeah, I really think the anxiety has been a key player in all of this, but it's so hard to know when there never seems to be a consistent pattern. It's funny because I really dealt with anxiety all week this past week and now am feeling awful...Correlation?
Also, I found some information about low HCl causing food to not digest properly and causing many of the same problems as (ironically) acid reflux and gastroparesis. According to what I've read, the lack of HCl is often overlooked or misinterpreted. But it can cause your food to not be digested properly and which would delay digestion. It's also supposedly responsible for gas, bloating, belching, constipation etc...
So I think I am going to try some natural supplements that are supposed to increase acid and help digestion and lay off the protonix for a week and just see what happens. It's worth a try.
Helpful - 0
193245 tn?1189989722
I had symptoms not entirely dissimilar to what you're experiencing, and gastroparesis was suspected at one point.  The test is a pretty simple one so I'm not sure why your doctor hasn't ordered it.

Like you, I was absolutely convinced my stomach wasn't emptying right.  It was a conclusion I came to before I'd ever even heard of gastroparesis.  Even though I had suspected it, the doctor is the one who brought it up...not me.  Anyway, eventually I had a gastric emptying study done and passed it.  

My diagnosis ended up being anxiety/atypical panic attacks.  

The stomach is a funny thing...you can't really tell what's going on down there for sure.  You could be right about gastroparesis, though, and should be tested for it.

Anyway, my lay theory is that my panic attacks were shutting down my digestion at times, and logically I guess, that could mimic gastroparesis.
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