gastroparesis and graves disease

[jbahner]

My son is 14 years old .  He has been very ill for 5 months.  He was diagnosed with gastroparesis recently.  He has a positive small bowel biopsy, intraepithial lymphocytosis.  Graves disease runs in the family, paternal grandmother.  Please help!  He can't go to school and has to quit his beloved soccer.
Thank you. Jessica Bahner

[Smilerdeb]

Gastroparesis is a fairly frequent medical problem. While causing distressing symptoms in some patients, it rarely causes serious medical problems. The diagnosis is now straightforward. Treatment consists of treating any underlying problem, diet and medications. By working with your Doctor, most patients are able to reach a satisfactory treatment program.

To understand gastroparesis, you first must understand how the stomach functions. The stomach has two parts. The upper portion is called the fundus which is where swallowed food and liquid collect. The lower portion is called the antrum. This is the stomach grinder. It is where food is churned back and forth until it is broken into small fragments and then squirted out into the duodenum, the first part of the small intestine.

It may be a surprise to think of the stomach as being similar to the heart, yet this is really true. Both have an area within them called the pacemaker. This is where an electrical wave originates and then sweeps across the organ. The electrical wave causes the muscles in the heart and stomach to contract. In the stomach, the pacemaker is in the upper portion. The wave sweeps down across the antrum causing it to contract, grind up food, and expel small amounts into the duodenum, the first part of the small bowel. The normal rate of contraction is about three times a minute, much slower than the heart, but quite adequate for the job.

This condition occurs when the rate of the electrical wave slows and the stomach contracts less frequently. Now the food just lays in the stomach relying on acid and digestive enzymes to break down the food and on gravity to empty the stomach.

My partner had the same thing, is on meds and is now symptom free...but it went undiagnosed and eneded up with ulceration of the colon which was removed via endoscopy and medications,
No operation was needed and he has been fine for the last 4 months.

It is basically a lazy bowel.
And most sufferers are Diabetics....has he been treated for Diabetes ?
Thats the first thing I would be checking for.

[TamraW]

Gastroparesis can be caused by hypothyroidism. Get his antibodies tested: TGab and TPOab for Hashimoto's. If Graves is in the family, then Hashi can be inherited as well. The TSI is the test for Graves.

An intolerance to gluten can also cause this disease. Hashimoto's can stem from a gluten intolerance and I believe Graves can as well.

I have Hashi. I tested negative for Celiac, but I have given up gluten and am feeling much better. For a better understanding of thyroid disease and its connection to the stomach, read www.thyroidbook.com

:) Tamra