Complex:Crohn's, Eating Disorder and Chronic Bloating

I was diagnosed w/ Crohn's @ 18 and ended up with 10 in. small bowel resection due to obstruction and abscesses.   I have never had a flare up since (now 33) and used to rely on immodium (1-4 a day as needed).  Two years ago I had a small bowel follow-thru and was scoped top-bottom and the only thing of note found was that it took 7 plus hours for my stomach to empty the barium.     I have battled Bulimia and anorexia on and off for years but the past two years were the worst-I basically starved  myself and was purging via vomitting up anywhere from 1-12 times a day.  This lasted for a year.   I turned things around 10 months ago -quit smoking, eatingaround 2000 cal. a day and exercised 5 days a week.  Since I re-fed last May, I have steadily been gaining 1/4-1/2 puond a week.  I went from 76 pounds to now 118 in 10 months and at 5 feet tall this is high for me.  I feel bloated daily since last May-passing lots of gas but it brings no relief to the bloating-and I am always constipated.   Drinking anything makes me feel like I've had  a full meal.Foods that used to send me running to the bathroom with diarrhea (squash, oats, cabbage, prunes, etc) now do nothing.  I feel like all food just sits high in the stomach.   I haven't needed an immodium in almost a year and have tried laxatives but they offer no relief.   So to sum up: I can't stop gaining weight, am boated all the time, passing lots of gas that brings no relief and as someone who used to easily have diarrhea 6 times a day I never feel the urge to go.  The only major changes have been reduction of eating disorder behaviors and qutting smoking.   Can you offfer any insight as to what is happening?  Thank you very much.

[boron]

If I get you properly, the food stays in your stomach, but with the constipation you don't really mean hard stools, or rare bowel movements (is it so?).

It may be another diet challenge for you, but please don't go with it, if you feel this as a burden you don't want to deal with. It's also not strictly a diet challenge...

You may want to have this physical goal: your stomach to empty in some acceptable time. I personaly don't believe (and as you've already tried), that you can force the stomach with laxatives or other quick way. I guess your stomach (precisely, its exit - pylorus) has become "lazy" or "ignorant" after non-use. It's possible, that the main autonomic nerve which supplies the stomach (nervus vagus) has come out of its routine tonus (an extent of impulze delivery), or this happened within the brain. Something what started psychologically, after the time became physically, resulting in not passing the food in the right direction.  

Assuming there's no organic stomach damage, I don't think, again, that you can discipline the stomach with meds. I think your stomach and intestine, blood sugar and hormones (so all this physical stuff) will start to communicate properly by their own, if you'll allow this. Not force, but allow.

I'll ask you now, is there anything preventing you to do what you want or what you think it's appropriate. If unconsciously you don't "want to solve some problems", than your stomach will also find no reason to deliver the food to your body. If you manage to solve such a problem (but here, yes, some will will be needed), stomach may resolve in behind withouit even noticing when.

The problem may be, that even if you want to solve something, you have to be sure that it is appropriate, right. Things which give you peace and joy, when you think about them, tend to be right. Well, you might be scared of some such thoughts or feel a total refuse to accomplish them, I'm not talking about being romantic here. It may be of great great worth, if you find someone, who wants to achive the same goals as you - together with you.

Oh, about the diet - you've probably noticed what's easier to pass and what harder. Use intuition, feelings (simply: right/wrong). Just a notice: carbohydrates exit the stomach first (foods, like polenta, potatoes, maybe rice), then fats (dairy products, meat) and then proteins (meat, eggs, milk, beans). Maybe some sensible doctor may advice you about this,
and about the goals...some wise man, who you might meet.  

[Jaybay]

Did your doctor recommend any treatment for the gastroparesis?  I know reglan (metoclopromadine) can help speed peristalsis and help speed things up, but don't think it's supposed to be used long-term.  Your doctor should have discussed these things with you, so in the meantime, you might check out this Mayo Clinic article about gastroparesis.  http*****************************

I assume it's possible that the eating disorder behavior could have damaged some essential nerves that resulted in such slow movement.  Another possibility is adhesions (scar tissue) from the chrones disease and resection surgery.  Scar tissue that wraps around your bowels can cause obstuction in the food and waste that needs to move through.

Yet another possibility is gallbladder disease.  Any kind of crash dieting can result in gallstones or other gb problems.  Even when stones aren't present, a malfunctioning gallbladder can cause many of the symptoms you describe.

There are plenty of things to keep looking at, so don't give up!