Delayed Gastric Emptying questions.

[GardenGal]

and delayed GI motility in general.... How to manage a GI bug? Any good ides?

 

 

[mehganb81]

What do you do to manage constipation? 

[WinterSown]

I often have to follow an IBS diet which helps keep things moving smoothly, I bought an IBS cookbook which has a lot of good information on how to manage my diet according to symptoms--sometimes it's constipation and sometimes it's diarrhea. I am scheduled to swallow a Smart Pill and have another anorectal manometry test next month to see why I have so many problems and what can be done to regulate my digestion. This is a new doctor, she is also reviewing previous test results from other doctors to determine where I am now as compared to then--what is the baseline. I do not take products for stopping diarrhea because when I do I am blocked for four or five days, I have to let it ride through. In my pill box I add a colace to take with my morning and evening medicines.  Motility can be tricky to find the right combo, I hope you get some relief soon.

 

 

[GardenGal]

Thanks guys. What I think was a GI bug has passed. It's sometimes hard to know because I am always SO blocked up that I don't get diarrhoea, just a lot of nausea, trouble keeping meds down etc. Am doing a bit better now. I take herbs and a LOT of vitamins C daily to keep things moving. Unfortunately Docusate, milk of mag, mag citrate, etc. have not been real helpful in the past for me... The Zofran helps a lot with the nausea and gastroporesis..... but makes the constipation worse. Oh dear. WinterSnow, hope your studies show something that's helpful with to problems you are having. 

 

 

[Potsie1990]

When I feel like there is food just sitting in my stomach and it’s making me nauseous, I take a peppermint oil beadlet from Doterra. It’s very refreshing and actually soothes the digestive tract in a very cooling way. The big guns for me are zofran. I try not to take it often because it’s the only thing I can take for nausea and I don’t ever want it to stop working. 

Depending on how your stomach reacts to fiber, I started making whole fruit juices (like blending half a watermelon with some water and stevia or making blender pineapple ginger and orange OJ, whatever combo you like), and adopting a low fat high raw vegan diet. It doesn’t have to be fully vegan. Some people eat nutritarian, where it’s mostly vegan with the occasional meat or their last meal of the day is whatever they prefer. For myself, I was high fruit and vegetables and my stomach and body was LOVING it! I was able to get my body the nutrients it needed (I would PACK my blender with greens and fruits for smoothies) and my stomach was able to actually digest it quickly and I could move on to my next meal. For the first time in years I woke up hungry and not with a feeling of food still in my stomach. It was great. You’ll have to add your sodium as needed but regardless of diet, getting your body the nutrients in the most efficient way would be beneficial. It’s so hard when your nauseous but I’d recommend maybe trying cold and refreshing things... you will naturally get enough fiber from real sources your body can process and it will help over time. Just go slowly and don’t over do it. Also, fresh apple juice can help with constipation. There is a brand of probiotics I use, and it’s the only one I can use in conjunction with zofran to combat the constipation. It’s called probiotic pearls digestive health (formally Pearls IC) and it works like a charm. There is also a tea called “get regular” tea by Yogi. It contains senna. It’s very gentle and effective. Check with your meds to make sure you can take it. For me, it works. My last resort is a saline enema, but that’s for when I am desperate! Lol If I can help in any way please message me. 

[GardenGal]

On 7/7/2018 at 10:11 PM, Potsie1990 said:

When I feel like there is food just sitting in my stomach and it’s making me nauseous, I take a peppermint oil beadlet from Doterra. It’s very refreshing and actually soothes the digestive tract in a very cooling way. The big guns for me are zofran. I try not to take it often because it’s the only thing I can take for nausea and I don’t ever want it to stop working. 

Depending on how your stomach reacts to fiber, I started making whole fruit juices (like blending half a watermelon with some water and stevia or making blender pineapple ginger and orange OJ, whatever combo you like), and adopting a low fat high raw vegan diet. It doesn’t have to be fully vegan. Some people eat nutritarian, where it’s mostly vegan with the occasional meat or their last meal of the day is whatever they prefer. For myself, I was high fruit and vegetables and my stomach and body was LOVING it! I was able to get my body the nutrients it needed (I would PACK my blender with greens and fruits for smoothies) and my stomach was able to actually digest it quickly and I could move on to my next meal. For the first time in years I woke up hungry and not with a feeling of food still in my stomach. It was great. You’ll have to add your sodium as needed but regardless of diet, getting your body the nutrients in the most efficient way would be beneficial. It’s so hard when your nauseous but I’d recommend maybe trying cold and refreshing things... you will naturally get enough fiber from real sources your body can process and it will help over time. Just go slowly and don’t over do it. Also, fresh apple juice can help with constipation. There is a brand of probiotics I use, and it’s the only one I can use in conjunction with zofran to combat the constipation. It’s called probiotic pearls digestive health (formally Pearls IC) and it works like a charm. There is also a tea called “get regular” tea by Yogi. It contains senna. It’s very gentle and effective. Check with your meds to make sure you can take it. For me, it works. My last resort is a saline enema, but that’s for when I am desperate! Lol If I can help in any way please message me. 

Thanks Potsie. Feeling better now. Good ideas. I do a lot of what you mentioned, and will try to bulk up on my fruits and veg. Have a family history of hereditary fructose intolerance and feel pretty bad when I get too much fructose, but can usually balance it with some proteins in moderation. I did find a senna based tea and it was helpful. Yes, so thankful for Zofran and also use it sparingly. Thanks for your input an relating to my situation

 

[Potsie1990]

No problem! And you know, don’t worry about the fruit if it causes too many problems for you. A whole bag of Baby spinach with unsweetened vanilla almond milk, stevia and ice is so delicious and mild. So easy on the stomach. You can always try packing in the greens and veggies! I’m so glad you’re feeling better! 

[Pistol]

I have to eat a low-acid diet for IC and GI issues. I cannot tolerate most fresh fruits or veggies so I steam everything and it is so much easier to digest. I drink the steaming water since any lost nutrients will be in there ( tip from dietician ). And I constantly nibble crackers or pretzels for salt but also to avoid an empty stomach since that makes me nauseous. And Zofran to the rescue!

[blizzard2014]

I've been backed up for a few days until last night when I had a terrible bout of liquid movement that floated and stuck to the sides of the toilet. It smells so horrid that it travels through the entire house. It's like it has been sitting in my gut for weeks. Sorry for TMI. I had to eat just 10 prunes and 2 Activia's for the entire day yesterday as I was still burping up the previous days food. The day before I only had 2 sausages and a small bowl of pasta. I don't even think I will ever be able to eat three normal meals a day ever again. Today my stomach is bad shape, but I'm holding out hope I can make it through my 3 hour work day and be fine. At least I work alone in empty building, so I have fast and unlimited access to the restrooms. This week I'm just soo tired of all of this crap on top of the chronic pain going wonky again. I don't know how you guys carry on at times. I hope you feel better. Gut issues are terrible. I used to go to the bathroom 13 times a day. I couldn't even make it through a meal without going to the bathroom at least twice. Then when I started pain meds I started to have more normal movements. Now on same dose of pain meds I go between weeks of liquid movements to weeks of being backed up. I never know what it's going to be and do not feel like telling doc until I find a specialist. 

[blizzard2014]

I was going to ask you guys if it is normal to have Gastro without nausea. I sometimes feel nausea but can fend it off by burping big huge air burps. I have only thrown up two times when I have been backed up and knew I couldn't handle food, but I was hungry and stubborn and craving foods and ate anyways. I just feel fullness and pain in my gut and stomach now and have to skip eating for a day or two sometimes. I took laxatives two days ago and barely anything came out. Just got horrible contractions. All this stuff sucks. I can't imagine living on a liquid diet, but when your body forces you to do something (comply) that is what you do. 

[WinterSown]

My first sign that something was terribly wrong with my body was getting a fissure. It hurt like insane pain, it never healed and had to be closed by a butt surgeon. Being constipated can change to being impacted in a short amount of time. It's a hard time for you, literally, to get yourself unblocked by an enema nurse in the ER. It can be avoided if you take care. You can generally get sooner relief--usually within 20-30 minutes--with glycerin suppositories. You may have to use a few in turn to get things sufficiently cleared to where you no longer are in pain or uncomfortable. I keep a tub of them in the bathroom cabinet, when it gets close to empty I buy more. Glycerin saved my butt on many an occasion. 

[Pistol]

@blizzard2014 - do you take fiber? My GI specialist recommended it to me for general GI health as well as - ironically - helping with diarrhea from IBS. And I hope you see a GI doc? The issues you describe sound severe enough that you should seek medical treatment. 

[blizzard2014]

7 hours ago, Pistol said:

@blizzard2014 - do you take fiber? My GI specialist recommended it to me for general GI health as well as - ironically - helping with diarrhea from IBS. And I hope you see a GI doc? The issues you describe sound severe enough that you should seek medical treatment. 

I do need to see a GI doc. I just hate to ask for more specialist. I spent 2 years trying to figure out why I was feeling so unwell and did a bunch of CT scans and got tested for SLE Lupus and was laughed at. I will eventually get checked for the motility issues. I am getting fiber now through the dreaded prunes lol. Then the two cups of Activia per day and next I will add in magnesium. I go between complete sludge. I mean completely sludge that just sticks to everything and will not come out to loose movements to sometimes a normal movement every once in a while, but never fully empty and feeling well. 

[Pistol]

@blizzard2014 - when you say Activia - do you mean the dairy product with that name? If you have the type of GI problems you describe you might benefit from refraining from dairy since dairy in ANY form can cause GI intolerance. So - please DO see a GI specialist as soon as possible, they can advise you on what dietary restrictions to implement as well as order the necessary testing.  Take care of yourself - many of your questions should be presented to a medical professional!

[Looking_for_light]

@Pistol

By take fibre, do you mean eat it or supplement it? If so, what with? 

Can IBS-D override the constipation common in gastroparesis? 

Thanks!

[Looking_for_light]

Anyone have frequent bouts of horrible SEVERE stomach noises and strong movement of air/water(?) all around guts (often with severe hunger!) due to transit issues - gastroparesis or rapid emptying / dumping syndrome? 

Is water incorrectly being drawn into intestine, and poss resulting in hypovolemia (and hypoglycaemia)? 

[Pistol]

@Looking_for_light I am not sure that this forum can answer your questions, you might be better off by asking your physician? 

20 minutes ago, Looking_for_light said:

By take fibre, do you mean eat it or supplement it? If so, what with?

From what I was told by my specialist is to either eat a diet rich in fiber or take it as a supplement. 

[MikeO]

4 hours ago, Looking_for_light said:

Anyone have frequent bouts of horrible SEVERE stomach noises and strong movement of air/water(?) all around guts (often with severe hunger!) due to transit issues - gastroparesis or rapid emptying / dumping syndrome? 

Is water incorrectly being drawn into intestine, and poss resulting in hypovolemia (and hypoglycaemia)? 

I did change my diet to not include (night shades, acidic foods and citrus foods) has helped my GI issues.

[Guest KiminOrlando]

17 hours ago, Looking_for_light said:

Anyone have frequent bouts of horrible SEVERE stomach noises and strong movement of air/water(?) all around guts (often with severe hunger!) due to transit issues - gastroparesis or rapid emptying / dumping syndrome? 

Is water incorrectly being drawn into intestine, and poss resulting in hypovolemia (and hypoglycaemia)? 

 

[Guest KiminOrlando]

Yes. I have Gastroparesis. I get gastric dumping as well. When I have very bad episodes, it is like whatever I have ingested is quickly looking for the nearest exit. I end up vomiting until there is nothing but green liquid left. On the flip side, there is nothing but water. My BP drops because it dehydrated me. An episode of gastric dumping can trigger a downward spiral for me.

On 'normal' days, I can hear all kinds of noises coming from my stomach. The pain can range from discomfort to the unimaginable. When the gastric dumping starts, it comes in waves and it almost feels like labor.

I have been lucky enough to find a Gastroenterologist who trained in the UK, and he wrote me a script for Domperidone. It changed my life. This med isn't routinely used in the US. It isn't approved here, but it used to be OTC in the UK. You now need a script, but it is used. My other solution was to decrease the amount of food I put through my system. My stomach feels better empty, so I leave it that way as much as possible. There is an adjustment at first, but after that, it has been great. I only eat once a day now. Since I'm inactive from being sick, I don't need the calories of a normal active adult. I supplement with vitamins.