Gastric Outlet Obstruction

Has anyone had this? I am researching my diagnosis of Gastroparesis and now I am finding that there could be a cause for this other than just the stomach/muscles not working right. What I mean is I never even had an Upper GI or upper endoscopy to rule this out. I just had the gastric emptying scan done. Now I am wondering if I could have something obstructing the food from going into the small intestine like a polyp or something else.

Was anyone diagnosed with Gastroparesis without looking directly at the stomach for other causes?

[CalGal]

Mitch, if you feel your diagnosis is in error, then you should contact your doc and have and EGD done to confirm or disprove your suspicions.

Something like a polyp typically doesn't cause an obstruction.

I know you mentioned in another post that you didn't have diabetes and oculdn't understand why you may have gastroparesis. However, gastroparesis isn't only due to diabetes. Many people are diagnosed with idiopathic gastroparesis and no true cause is ever found. For some, the condition changes for the better over time.

[Mitch5]

Thanks. Yeah I am going to Mayo May 18th so I assume they will do all the testing that is needed.

It is good to know it can get better over time.... on the flip-side, can it get worse over time? Or does it stay the same mostly? I am so scared of the unknowns here. :-(

I am all set and read to start alternative treatments for this because I do not want to go with the traditional drugs if I can help it yet I am also confused on this to. Acupuncture? Digestive Enzymes and if so, what kind specifically? Should I be on a multi vitamin? Where can I get educated on all my choices for alternative treatments? I feel so lost, it *****.

[CalGal]

Mitch, the best thing to do is take all of the energy you're putting out toward being scared, and channel it. Sign on to emedicine.com or medscape and start reading. There is terminology you need to learn if you're going to browse through 'scholarly' journals and not just pick up tidbits in the popular literature.

IMO, acupuncture is a yes. The gastric pacemaker module that is used by some for this condition at it's very worst is based in part on the fact that there are several sites in the stomach where the main pacemaker cells to trigger stomach contractions are found. In traditional chinese medicine, the deeper organs can be accessed by more peripheral local points on the arms, legs, and body - some of those points connect up with the stomach. So it's very worth a try. There are also chinese herbs that could be tried. I used TCM for a couple of years to bring my IBS under control and was very glad I did so. But I needed to find a very skilled practitioner. You can't choose just 'anybody' because they're not going to know the 'subtle' nuances that should be used. Anyone can learn point combinations, but the 'art' in in the practice and study.

Digestive enzymes could help down the line, but digestive enzymes are geared toward working in the small intestine where the 1st disgested 'chyme' starts to really be broken down. If the digestive enzymes just sit in the stomach they're not going to do you any good.

Keep in mind that even herbs and alternative meds are still drugs. All drugs, for the most part, are based on 'twigs/nuts/bark' and the active constitutents are then extracted from the whole. So please don't confuse 'natural' with safe. 'Safe/natural' remedies are still drugs. All of them, whether herbs/natural or prescription have side-effects and both good and bad.

You may want to look into eating properly for gastroparesis. Liquids pass out of the stomach more rapidly than solids, and fats pass last. Look at a general diet for gastroparesis and find out what you can and can't move through your stomach. Keep fats to a minimum.

There is a severe form of gastroparesis, but hopefully your condition won't move in that direction.