Gastroparesis and me
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My whole life of 27 years, I have been suffering with stomach issues. I can remember the first day I experineced my first attack with stomach pain. It was a Sunday night, a few hours after our family dinner. Every Sunday, my dad made his famous pasta with sausage meatballs. He would spend the entire Sunday listening to Frank Sinatra while he perfected his pasta gravy. Well, a few hours after I ate dinner that night the pain in my lower abdomen was so severe I remember feeling like I was going to die. I remember screaming for my dad to save me. Hot tears ran down my face as my dad looked at me with fear of his only child in pain. He took me immediately to the emergency room. The doctors told my parents I had a nasty virus and to stay home from school the next day to relax. I remember after they gave me iv fluids and medication I felt better. At least a few times a month I would be crippled with abdomenal pain. Then, finally the ER physicians told my parents that I needed to see a gastroenterologist to figure out what was causing my pain. Throughout my years I have seen many gastroenterologists and have had too many tests performed to count. I was told I had irritable bowel syndrome. I was given medications to deal with the symptoms. These medications did help at times but my symptoms always seemed to get worse throughout the years. Then last year... It all began. It wad another Sunday night when I had another gi attack! I was up all night hunched over in severe pain begging God to help me. That night I will never forget; as it was the beginning of my new journey. From September 2014 to January 2015 I lost over 20 pounds. Everything I ate made me sick to my stomach. Everytime I went to my gi he would say, "That's ibs for ya!" I knew that there was something wrong with me. I decided I needed to see a new GI and made an appointment with one of the best GI facilities in the country. After my appointment with the new GI, I felt like he was on board with helping me find the reason of my illness. I had bloodwork performed and an upper gi then was diagnosed with celiac disease. I felt so relieved knowing there was finally an answer to me being sick everyday. I began a gluten free diet and felt cured within a few days! I even started gainging weight! After a few months my sypmtoms returned with vengence. I did not understand why I would be sick again because I was completely gluten free. I went back to my gi and did a breath test which tested positive for sibo- which is a small intestinal bacteria overgrowth. I was given antibiotics and began following a low fodmap diet. The medication and the new diet helped for a few weeks. After a few months I started getting new awful symptoms including severe bloating, feeling extreamly full after a bite of food. My Gi ordered a gastric empyting study. This test came back positive for gastroparesis. This is an incurable disease in which the muscles in my stomach are in a paralyzed state and does not empty the food out as of a normal stomach. I also have a dysmotility of my colon. In the past few months I have lost more weight and now considered malnourished and very underweight. I can barley eat anything without being in severe pain and nausea. Last week my doctor ordered me to be on TPN. (total perentral nutrition) I have a central line in my arm that goes to my heart. This will give me the calories and vitamins I need that my body is lacking. I have a visiting nurse that takes my blood and changes my dressing on my arm once a week. While dealing with this new diagnosis I have been left with allot of debt with medical bills. Eveyday a new bill comes in the mail. My medications are very expensive.Of course the one medication I take it not covered by my insurance and its almost $10 a pill. I am supposed to take it 3 times a day. My gi wants to do a gastric pace maker but is also not covered by my insurance. I would love to have this performed so I can finay have a normal life. I have never asked anyone for help but feel like I really need it now. Anything will help me. Thank you very much!
Organizer
Christine Wilkinson
Organizer
Riverside, NJ