Gastroparesis: Can it be Life Threatening?

When I search around the internet looking for information on Gastroparesis, one of the questions I see quite often from people who have the disease is whether or not it is life threatening.

The simple answer to the question is "Yes".   If you search enough online, you will find cases where people have died from Gastroparesis.  A lot of those posts will read something such as "died of complications from Gastroparesis".  It is the same thing, IMHO.    You wouldn't have the complications if you didn't have the disease in the first place!  

This is not a post intended to scare people who are reading this blog.    If you read enough about the disease online, you will find many scary stories to read.    The amount of information at our fingertips is so immense that it can be a good thing and a bad thing.   The good thing about it is that you will find out that you are not alone.   Before the age of the Internet, I can only assume that this condition was a very lonely one to live with.    There aren't many (if any) support groups for it that exist outside the online realm.   You don't read about "Gastroparesis Walks" for charity, and you never seen it in mainstream media.   You don't see celebrities talking about it (the odds say that more than one famous person must have the disease - but either don't talk about it, or just don't know about it).     So, having the online realm to talk with the countless others who did with the disease is definitely a good thing.    The bad thing about the Internet is something I like to always say:  Typically speaking, the people who are in the worst shape are the people who go into support groups.   That is not exactly a revolutionary statement.  If you are dealing with Gastroparesis but can somehow still maintain a semi-normal life, you probably are not going to spend that life seeking out support groups online.   To expand on that, people who once had the condition but no longer do are probably out enjoying their lives again, without feeling an urge to share their stories online.  This isn't always true - we have seen people who have been cured talk about their journey - but it makes perfect sense.  You live with this condition for X number of weeks, months, years and it suddenly goes away.  What is likely going to be your first instinct?  My guess would be to go do something you enjoy.

It isn't always easy to "keep the faith" or "stay strong" when you are sick for so long.  You see the stories from those who get better from the illness and think that it won't be you.   That is human nature.  "It doesn't matter if John Doe won the lottery - that doesn't mean I will win it next!"

As I tell Colleen as often as I can, you need to take everything one step at a time in your journey.  Don't let a million things rush through your mind at once.  It will just drive you insane, and will just lead you down a spiral you won't be able to get out of.    As hard as it is, you have to try to keep thoughts of death out of your mind - remember that the statistics are in your favor in that regard (hardly comforting, I know, when you are dealing with such a life-altering disease.  "Yay!  I likely won't die - but that doesn't mean I will get to live again!").    If you have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, concentrate on that.  If he/she orders a test for next week, concentrate on that.   Keep focusing on the things you can control and try very hard to avoid focusing on the things you can't.  I, for one, will not claim that it is easy.  I will even go as far as admitting that it is nearly impossible.  But for the sake of your mental and physical well-being, you need to at least try your best.     It is a long journey, but there can be a happy ending waiting for you.