Gastric Motility

[firewatcher]

I am going to try to post this without any "gory details," so please answer in kind. I KNOW that my esophagus is slow from a previous study, and I suspect that the rest of my GI tract is slow as well. How slow is SLOW? Is a 54+ hour transit time from mouth to "out" slow? There are times where I am lucky to have two B movements a week. When do you ask your doc about it?

[juliegee]

Ohhhh Jennifer-

Such a timely topic for me I am coming off of an awful week long Gi virus & my Gi tract has essentially SHUT DOWN. I am working hard to awaken it as this is often what pushes me into an autonomic free fall.

NOW is the time to discuss this with a good GI. Your goal should be a daily (or every other day) gift- and it is a gift at this point After multiple hospitalizations, my GI has told me to do what it takes. His initial recommendation was a daily colonoscopy prep- WHAT??? When I refused to even consider that, He authorized up to EIGHT doses of Miralax daily. I used f-i-v-e yesterday. What are you using at this point?

Have you ever tried a GI prokinetic?

Without being too gory, I saw a "marker" today that I don't recall haven eaten for weeks, maybe a month??? That's a problem Just wanted you to know I am commiserating with you.

Hugs-

Julie

[sue1234]

Okay, I'll jump into this embarrassing conversation. I have to take Milk of Magnesia about 5x a week, or I will not go for many days. Poop isn't my biggest problem, but GAS is. If I don't take MOM, I don't pass gas and it literally builds up. I think the average person makes a couple of liters of gas a day. Imagine if after a couple of days, none of that has "passed" out! That is my issue. My whole abdomen pushes up into my ribs and diaphragm, I get chest pressure, and then I feel pulsating pressure in my face and head. I know it is pushing on vital large vessels and probably pushing my upper body blood pressure up.

On that note, I have NOT been able to impress upon my gastro docs how bad it gets!! Any gi tests I've had, of course, are either after a prescribed clean-out or fasting, which is useless. They need to see it when it is at its worst.

And, on how useless my gi care has been, after my thyroid surgery I had to take lots of calcium due to parathyroid issues. Twelve, yes 12, days later I still had not had a BM despite every oral laxative in my arsenal. I called the gi office multiple times and left messages with the nurses, and more days went by with no response. I finally remembered to try a Fleet's enema, and FINALLY had some results. The doctors office finally called later that day and said, "oh, you shouldn't have used that".

[RockiesGirl]

And, on how useless my gi care has been, after my thyroid surgery I had to take lots of calcium due to parathyroid issues. Twelve, yes 12, days later I still had not had a BM despite every oral laxative in my arsenal. I called the gi office multiple times and left messages with the nurses, and more days went by with no response. I finally remembered to try a Fleet's enema, and FINALLY had some results. The doctors office finally called later that day and said, "oh, you shouldn't have used that".

LOL...but I'm sorry as well Don't you just LOVE it when you get useless information too late! Hope things are better with GI docs now or maybe you have switched offices?? Kinda sounded like more of an emergent situation of importance than they thought..... Good Luck to you ;o)

[mwise]

Hi all,

Here is my take with GI doctors-I follow with the doctors at Cleveland Clinic. I was diagnosed with Gastroparesis from an Endoscopy and Diverticulitis from a Colonoscopy. I also had a Gastric Emptying Study with findings of 56 minutes and the abnormal is 60 minutes & above. I was also taking Domperidone to help with motility & nausea that the GI doctors felt my Gastric Emptying Study would have been abnormal if I hadn't been taking the Domperidone.

My Neurologist has me on Mestinon, which he said also helps with motility and bowel movements.

I was constipated and only moving my bowels once a week with taking over an hour to move them from hard stools to diarrhea. This may sound gory, but I would even put a rubber glove on and digitally remove the stool because it was so hard and bearing down would almost cause me to pass out. Once done, I would have to lay down for 2-3 hours as I was so weak from moving them. The GI doctors recommended Miralax twice a day along with a Ducolax suppository. They also had me follow up with a Dietician to help find the right caloric & fluid intake.

The Dietician recommended a low fat and low fiber diet because of my Gastroparesis and Diverticulitis. High fiber would have been better because those foods could help with bowel movements. She encouraged me to drink over 2-3 liters of fluids a day along with hydration during the night.

It took me about 2 weeks til my bowels started working with going 2-3 times a day having soft bowel movements. I continue to go 2-3 times in a day, but I no longer use the Ducolax suppository and Miralax only 1xmonth. I don't even have to bear down. I actually have the urge to go. I am eating small meals of low fat and low fiber along with staying well hydrated which I feel also helped in getting my bowels regulated again. I feel the Mestinon and Domperidone help too.

Good luck

[bruc]

Are you experiencing any side effects with the Mestinon?