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A Letter From A GPer to A Friend/Family Member

We are fighters. We are overlooked because our illness is invisible...but the pain is visible behind our eyes if you look closely. We are strong...we have to be stronger than most in order to survive on a day to day basis. We are all from different walks of life. You may not know we suffer, but we do. Gastroparesis can touch anyone at any age - children, teenagers, adults, the elderly...and there still isn't enough research to determine why.

GP is caused when the vagus nerve is damaged, and nerve damage in any other part of the body is severely painful, so imagine having nerve damage in your stomach where you have a lot more nerves, sensitive nerves. Vagus nerve damage can be…

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Featured

 Gastroparesis: A Mysterious Stomach Disorder That’s on the Rise in Teenage Girls and Women in Their 20s

Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of good motility drugs available, Dr. Cline notes. Metoclopramide (Reglan®) and erythromycin are used, though sparingly as they’re not terribly effective. An innovative POP procedure (that stands for per oral endoscopic pyloromyotomy) is one of the best new endoscopic approaches. It’s done under anesthesia through a scope that’s inserted through the mouth. And it has excellent results.

 Have You Heard Of Gastroparesis? It Could Explain Your Bloating, Nausea & Pain

So, once you're diagnosed, then what? Well, if there's a particular cause identified, then treatment and management should be focused on the underlying cause in addition to the symptoms, not just the symptoms.

Articles of Interest

Electrical device eases gastroparesis symptoms

“It's not a silver bullet. It won't fix everything overnight, but over time I will have a better quality of life. I definitely can tell a difference,” Schickel said. “I can hold food down long enough to get nutrition, and I'm starting to gain some weight. I think we might be on the right path.”

Gastro What? Gastroparesis

It is like all of a sudden your world is turned upside down. Trips to A&E/ER in the middle of the night. The worst part is when they don’t know what’s wrong with you. They tell you to go home your fine but really you just deteriorate. Most sufferers are even told that it is in their head like they are just imagining it; or worse that they might be anorexic or bulimic. Even after diagnosis till this day many visit hospitals they suspect, more like they believe that they have an eating disorder. Like some consultants have said even in the most trained eye it can be misdiagnosed.

Gastroparesis: When Food 'Just Sits' in Your Stomach

People with gastroparesis also struggle with figuring out what to order when they go out to eat that won't make them feel sick, and often feel like their meals just "sit there" for hours after eating. Some may lose the ability to take pleasure from eating entirely.

My Life-Threatening Disease Is a Blessing in Disguise

Hey Gastroparesis! Thank you for teaching me a thing or two about what it means to truly live.

This Is What It’s Like to Be a Teen Living With a Chronic Illness

All I am asking is please don’t forget us. Treat us like any other teen would be treated. However, understand that we may not be able to do everything our peers do, and sometimes it might be hard for us to express how we feel when so many emotions just overwhelm us.

Toward a Better Drug for Gastroparesis: The Problem With a Moving Target

Gastroparesis, a disorder defined by delayed gastric emptying, and characterized by nausea, vomiting, and other chronic debilitating symptoms that improves little over time, remains among the most challenging gastroenterological conditions to treat.

Resources

G-PACT

G-PACT is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which provides services to patients who have a digestive tract paralysis including gastroparesis, chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction, and colonic inertia. We reach out to over 35 countries and all 50 states. We focus on a variety of options and provide services and information completely free of charge.

Gastroparesis

This is a blog I've started to help me deal with the diagnosis of having gastroparesis. It was suggested to me that a blog/diary might help me feel better by venting my frustrations and struggles. Also, I hope I can help others who may have the same thing through my own experiences.

Gastroparesis Awareness Campaign Organization

Spreading GP Awareness One Person At A Time. You My Friend Will Never Again Walk Alone.

Gastroparesis Clinical Research Consortium

The Gastroparesis Clinical Research Consortium (GpCRC) is sponsored by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) to focus on the etiology, natural history, and therapy of gastroparesis. The goal of this consortium is to perform clinical, epidemiological, and therapeutic research in gastroparesis and provide an infrastructure that can rapidly and efficiently design and conduct clinical trials for effective medical, surgical, or other interventions to improve treatment of patients with gastroparesis.

Gastroparesisclinic.org

Gastroparesisclinic.org is a free online mental health service offering information, assessment, and a structured treatment program ("eTherapy") for individuals with gastroparesis and associated psychological distress. This website and its intervention program is free and available to all individuals with gastroparesis and also any health provider to use with their patients.

Journey with Gastroparesis

Practicing a positive approach to feeling "full" through mindful insight, shared experiences and tips on living your best with GP.

Living Well with Gastroparesis

Books, videos, classes and coaching that empowers people to live WELL with gastroparesis.

Living with Gastroparesis

Within this website you will find my experiences and research in symptoms, tests, diagnosis, treatment, procedures and the general ups and downs of gastroparesis, CIP and many other motility disorders. Please do remember that this is a chronic illness and, while it has been known to go into remission, it might be something that you will battle for a lifetime.

About Gastroparesis

Gastroparesis is characterized by the presence of certain long-term symptoms together with delayed stomach emptying in the absence of any observable obstruction or blockage. The delayed stomach emptying is confirmed by a test.

About Motility

Over the last several years, as more is being found out about gastroparesis, it has become clear this condition affects many people and the condition can cause a wide range of symptoms of differing severity.

GARD

Other treatments may include endoscopic procedures to break the bezoar apart and remove it, feeding tubes, surgery, placement of an electrical stimulator, and medication such as metoclopramide, domperidone, erythromycin and cisapride. With proper management many people with gastroparesis can live a relatively normal life. However, others may not tolerate treatment and may experience significant complications, a decreased quality of life, and reduced survival.