Latest Health Update:
So, I saw the GI doctor today. He's not convinced that it's my gallbladder. He says a lot of the symptoms sound like gallbladder, but all the tests came back negative so far and some of my symptoms don't fit. He thinks it's Gastroparesis.
Gastroparesis: Gastro meaning stomach and Paresis being paralysis, AKA a slow stomach.
Gastroparesis is when your stomach doesn't contract like it's supposed to do the food doesn't get mushed up and it doesn't get to your intestines as fast as it should. I've been reading and so far it sounds like a pretty good fit. Fatty foods cause your stomach to empty even slower so that's a good reason fatty foods would be making me sick. HOWEVER- the stuff I'm reading says that liquid fats (like in drinks) doesn't usually have as much trouble so that's why the Ensure wasn't bothering me. Even what's more- I found several examples of people who had their gallbladders removed only to find that their gallbladder was fine but THIS was their problem! Lots of stuff can cause it, but 40% of cases have no known cause.
And now for the bad news....
If this is really what's wrong with me it can be a life-long condition. They treat it with heartburn medicine (Prilosec, Nexium, Zegerid,) a strict diet that is very low in fats, meats, and fiber and sometimes medication that blocks the seratonin receptors in the stomach. In bad cases they even suggest blenderizing all your food or eating strained baby food.
For now they've given me Zegerid to take and on Oct. 23rd I'm going in for a Gastric Emptying Test. I have to eat a bowl of radioactive oatmeal =) lol and then they take pictures over the course of about 90 minutes to see how fast my stomach empties. Oh well, we'll see huh? If you want to know more you can look it up online by googleing Gastroparesis.
Gastroparesis: Gastro meaning stomach and Paresis being paralysis, AKA a slow stomach.
Gastroparesis is when your stomach doesn't contract like it's supposed to do the food doesn't get mushed up and it doesn't get to your intestines as fast as it should. I've been reading and so far it sounds like a pretty good fit. Fatty foods cause your stomach to empty even slower so that's a good reason fatty foods would be making me sick. HOWEVER- the stuff I'm reading says that liquid fats (like in drinks) doesn't usually have as much trouble so that's why the Ensure wasn't bothering me. Even what's more- I found several examples of people who had their gallbladders removed only to find that their gallbladder was fine but THIS was their problem! Lots of stuff can cause it, but 40% of cases have no known cause.
And now for the bad news....
If this is really what's wrong with me it can be a life-long condition. They treat it with heartburn medicine (Prilosec, Nexium, Zegerid,) a strict diet that is very low in fats, meats, and fiber and sometimes medication that blocks the seratonin receptors in the stomach. In bad cases they even suggest blenderizing all your food or eating strained baby food.
For now they've given me Zegerid to take and on Oct. 23rd I'm going in for a Gastric Emptying Test. I have to eat a bowl of radioactive oatmeal =) lol and then they take pictures over the course of about 90 minutes to see how fast my stomach empties. Oh well, we'll see huh? If you want to know more you can look it up online by googleing Gastroparesis.
posted by d0ggiem0mma | 1:32 PM
1 Comments:
First: I check your blog for updates each day.
:)
It is AWESOME to hear they finally know what's wrong with you. My bro's been misdiagnosed so many times it's not even funny, and he's gallbladderless now too. It took years before a specialist in JAX (where he moved after college) finally figured out he had a rare blood disorder where he makes too many red blood cells. Now he's frikkin fine!
I'm happy for you babe!
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