Gastroperisis- any diet tips for a newly diagnosed hungry girl...

[suzigirl]

Hi everybody. I have read, started and answered many posts here, but none so personal as this one. I have finally been diagnosed w gastroperisis and would love all the tips I can get from fellow chow people w the same. Anything you can tell me to avoid the mindnumbing pain, naseaua and full on hungerpangs/naseaua. Who can tolerate what and when? Recipes, tips to dining out food schedules etc..... all will be a huge help.

Signed, hungry.

[mcf]

Suzigirl, is your gastroparesis diabetes related? If so, then there are strategies for creating low carb/diabetic friendly high fiber and protein meals that are digestible. If it's from something else, the best thing to do is to find a health board dealing with whatever it is that's caused it.

The smoothies idea is a good one; you can break down otherwise difficult to digest foods that your body needs into small enough particles to promote health and digestion.

[suzigirl]

It is not due to diabetes. I am doing some research but was here to get it straight from the horses mouth so to speak. They are unsure as to the cause so far. I will take your advice and look for a board talking about this. Thanks for the hint.

[houndgirl]

You might want to check this link out on Mark's Daily Apple about GERD and diet. The comments are really interesting!

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/gerd-s...

[suzigirl]

Wow. That was nice of you to post that for me and all who read this. Thanks

[mamachef]

suzigirl, I'm so sorry to hear that...but glad that you've been diagnosed and now have a direction to go in. Some helpful information for you can certainly be found in the Crohn's Disease websites - the dietary advice is much the same. I do know that you want to maintain a reallly low-fiber standard. You may want to get a juicer, and with a blender you can make some GREAT smoothies that shouldn't unsettle you. Yogurt is wonderful for you; lean proteins as you can tolerate them. My darling daughter has found that chicken-ginger broth with a hit of lemon and lots of jasmine rice is easily tolerable, and she also loves bananas, which she freezes for a special treat. Alkyhol is not particularly good for ya right now, and carbonated and caffeinated beverages can also be upsetting. Fried foods are a problem for her.
suzigirl, my impression of you is that you eat a fairly healthy diet. I suspect you're going to rise above this, but it will take a little time while you find your way and figure out what works for you. Very Best of luck.
Marci

[suzigirl]

Thank you for the well wishes. Does your daughter also share my condition? I will surely try the things you have suggested. I love bananas so that t will be easy. I am sure you remember a few months ago when I thought I had the flu. I guess that was just an extreme flare up. I have had "tummy troubles for years but I wrote off all the symptoms to ulcers and acid reflux. A word to the wise..... go to the specialist today. I put it off and now I have about 26% of my stomach use. If you read this and see yourself in this post,run don't walk to the Dr.
Anyway, I am avoiding the things you mention but my Dr was rather vague about food specifics. So here I am. Asking all of you

[mcf]

Are you on acid blocking meds? They not uncommonly cause loss of gut motility. It happened to me last year when I took Zantac or Pepcid for a week while on an irritating medication, total loss of motility. It went away the day after I stopped taking them.

[suzigirl]

I am in fact on acid blocker. Heavy doses of them. I will make mention of that to my gastro doc. They have me on 80 MGS a day of omeprazole. Thank you for a small ray of hope to get better. That is a huge comfort. :-) Such a small thing just made my day.

[mcf]

I know someone with horrific gastroparesis who went to Mayo Clinic and they discharged her on omeprazole... when a friend told her the drug causes gp, she stopped it and the gp improved over time. I don't know what's causing your acid condition, but if it's GERD, you could try stopping grains for a while since it helps a lot of folks, not just gluten intolerant ones.

[suzigirl]

I can try gluten free. I will try most any sensible suggestions to stop hurting. Worth a shot but I will ask the Dr first so i don't hit a setback of my own doing. And it is GERD they are treating me for.

[mcf]

Just anecdotally, a huge number of people who joined a very active low carb newsgroup years ago reported a few things that suddenly disappeared when they stopped eating starches (not necessarily gluten). They were GERD, IBS and asthma. I'm glad I learned about acid blockers as a cause before I had that sudden stoppage of motility last year, it was scary and very uncomfortable.

[suzigirl]

I have spent alot of downtime being ill from this as of late and bless your heart, uncomfortable is a giant understatement. And i have a high threshold for pain. I have a new respect for chronic pain sufferers everywhere.

[mcf]

I hope you experiment and figure out if you have food triggers and things get unpainful. It can take time for things to regenerate but it does happen.

[mamachef]

Hi suzi,
She has a whopping case of ulcerative Crohn's, and is still working to get it under control. I also have a good friend who shares your condition, so I know what it is and how horrid the flareups are. I do remember your "flu" episode. It's so frustrating when it takes so long for the Docs. to figure out what's really going on. I'm going to ask them both more about what really works, and I'll get back to you with some solid recipes and more suggestions. Have you googled to see if there's a National Foundation for Gastroparesis, or something similar? Frequently those organizations have dietary suggestions and/or cookbooks. But I getcha - the 'hound's a great place to get great ideas.

[suzigirl]

Any help you can glean from your daughter and friend would be a major help and ssssssooooooo appreciated. I would be in debted to you big time. Give them both my best and let them know there are fellow sufferers who feel their pain. Litterally

[Caroline1]

Bummer! Mayo Clinic has some sound dietary advice for people with gastroparesis here:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/gast...
Low fiber appears to be critical. Good luck!

[mrbigshotno.1]

God bless you, I have IBS and never know when it's going to flare up.

[escondido123]

There is a "Special Diets" board too. There might be folks there who could help.