Gastroparesis: It's Not Just the Stomach

If you live with someone who has Gastroparesis, you live with the every day ups and down - the pain and sickness they go through, how hard it can be to get out of bed, etc.  If you are somebody with Gastroparesis, you may fall into a bit of a rut sometimes; thinking that people do not fully understand your condition and can't actually believe you are as sick as you know you are.   Although that can lead to frustration, anger, and the feeling of being trapped and alone, you must remember something:  If someone isn't around you 24/7, it is going to be very hard for them to fully understand your pain and suffering.    That is why sometimes, simply having a support system that understands -  even if they don't fully get it - is very important.

The other day, I was talking to somebody I know who thought Colleen's condition was only bad whenever she attempted to eat something.     This is not my attempt to call that person out - he/she probably reads this blog, and it isn't something that was offensive.   Gastroparesis is a stomach condition.  The natural thing people will think is that the condition will only cause problems when you attempt to actually use your stomach; almost like if you have a pulled muscle.  If the muscle isn't in use at a particular moment, you may not feel any pain.  But once you move in a way that makes that muscle do some work, OUCH!  The pain can be unbearable.

Unfortunately, that is not really how the condition works.   Eating definitely makes the symptoms worse at times, there is no doubt about it.  When the nerve needs to try to digest food, and it can't do a good job of it, the patient is going to suffer the consequences.  This does make sense.  But think back to one of my earlier posts about the 24/7 stomach flu.  When you have a stomach flu, it isn't only your stomach that is sick - your whole body feels sick.  The mere thought of food can be enough to make you run to the bathroom.   That is how it is with Gastroparesis - only the "stomach flu" in this case is not your garden variety 24-hour condition.  It can take years for it to go away, if it ever does.

Gastroparesis completely zaps a person of their energy, their zest for life.  Some sufferers cannot sleep (Colleen has had an issue with this recently) because of the condition, and will end up laying in bed just hoping to get some hours of relief.   

So, yes - the condition itself lies inside of the stomach.  But that doesn't mean that the stomach is the only thing it impacts.    It is a domino effect; you see it with other conditions.  One thing goes out of whack, leading other things to go out of whack, and before you know it, your body is in complete chaos.    In the case of Gastroparesis, it is a rather simple thing:  If you can't eat or drink, you can't get the nourishment your body needs.  And without that, you are not going to be able to function at the high level you need to live a normal life.