peregrine Posted February 21, 2012 Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 I know various folks on here have some flavor of GI issues involving stomachs filling quickly or emptying slowly, etc. I've had something in the last week that's popped up several times and is new to me. I'm normally a grazer - I prefer to eat at least 4 meals a day and usually eat up to 6-7, usually a reasonably sized breakfast/lunch/dinner and then snacks in between and after dinner with my meds. I usually eat less food at a given meal than most people - I always have leftovers from restaurants. No big deal, it makes my neurologist happy and is what my body prefers anyways.Within the last week I've had several of these episodes where I find myself wanting to bolt my food, and then I bolt it down and feel terrible. I feel like there's a bolus of food in my esophagus (past my windpipe, it's more a tightness-in-the-upper-chest feeling, kind of like when you were a kid and ate something a little bit too big to swallow) for hours, and I get muscle cramps and am sore for a while afterwards. It seems to come with a feeling of being full way too quickly - after I've eaten half of my meal, say - but "full" in the sense of "I shouldn't eat more, my stomach feels too full," not "appetite down after a meal," if that makes sense. I got another episode today while eating one of my favorite foods (pumpkin kaddo!) and was able to push back from the dining table and go sit and do some work for ten minutes (and write this).Any idea what this is? It doesn't feel like dysphagia per se - I can swallow liquids just fine - but is kind of close. I'm seeing my neurologist on Friday after testing on Thursday, and would like to mention it to her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puppylove Posted February 21, 2012 Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 I'm pretty sure feeling full to quickly is a sign of gastroparesis. Have you been tested for it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peregrine Posted February 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 No - should I bring it up with my doctor? I've had on-and-off nausea my entire life, and have always had the small meals issue (I rarely take seconds, even on Thanksgiving), but this is the first time these symptoms have been this severe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puppylove Posted February 21, 2012 Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 Maybe you should ask. I have similar symptoms and my GI doctor suggested that I be tested for it but I haven't been yet. The small meals thing is a good idea. He told me that is actually part of the treatment for it but there are medications that can help too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramakentesh Posted February 21, 2012 Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 total opposite - most days I could eat a horse and have to stop myself from over eating. Despite being low BMI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peregrine Posted February 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 I'll see what she thinks. The only recent changes to my meds (which are my first suspect when things like this happen, although with the dysautonomia I find that's less true now) were the addition of the Lyrica and removing Cymbalta. Lyrica apparently can worsen lower GI dysfunction caused by other things, but the PI sheet for Lyrica doesn't mention anything else that resembles this other than dysphagia, and that's rare with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peregrine Posted February 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 rama, interesting you should mention that. I've always had a healthy BMI (other than brief med-related changes back in 2006 and now, it's always been around 20-21 - currently 25.5), and when I do count how much I eat in a given day I eat 2000-2200 kcal a day. I just break it into tiny chunks! This full-quickly thing is weird, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peregrine Posted February 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 She thinks gastroparesis is quite possible, and may be another indicator of small fiber neuropathy that she thinks I might have. There is a specialist here at UW in Seattle who deals with gastroparesis (and apparently loves seeing new patients), but she says it's probably best to just see how it progresses (since it seems fairly minor) and try to eat more frequently, try to avoid huge carbohydrate loads, and try to avoid majorly fatty foods. I've certainly noticed that eating tempura makes me nauseous if I eat too much, but I am happy to stop eating it and eat rice and sushi instead - it's the fat in particular that makes me sick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comfortzone Posted February 25, 2012 Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 Has anyone done just a basic swallow study recently? What you describe can be symptoms some have with esophageal spasms - the food starts out okay going in - but nearer the stomach spasms make you feel awful - as if there's a stricture or something... Also has anyone done an upper endoscopy to look at your esophagus and stomach recently - sometimes this is preceded by the swallow study and can give more info yet... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peregrine Posted February 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 Nothing at all like that - she discussed a swallow study as something we could do if things persisted and I got referred to the specialist, but nothing more. Should I just keep an eye on it (I keep a symptom journal on a daily basis), try to follow her advice, and tell her how things fare and then discuss further testing, or bring it up now, or what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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