Gastroparesis: A Myriad of Symptoms.....

If you took a poll of 100 people who have Gastroparesis and asked them what their symptoms are, I would guarantee you that no one symptom would appear on the list 100 times.   It isn't quite to the level of a fingerprint - where everyone has a unique identifier - but it is close.   Perhaps as close to a fingerprint as any disease you can think of.

Colleen's symptoms include stuff that is common in Gastroparesis, and some stuff that isn't as common or talked about.

"Splashing" in stomach - This is Colleen's most prevalent symptom.   It is pretty much there 24/7, though she can on occasion get a break from it.   It is her most obvious symptom that shows something is very wrong inside of her digestive system.   You may have heard of succussion splash.    In Colleen's case, it is succussion splash times 50.   There have been times I am in a different room and can hear her stomach splashing.    Typically speaking, succussion splash isn't usually that obvious.   When her specialist asked her a month ago "What can I help you with today?", Colleen demonstrated the splash.    I believe there was a point to the doctor's question and the tests he ordered right after the demonstration.

Dry Heaving -  This hits Colleen hard from time to time.   She will get so sick in her stomach, that her only relief is through a dry heave.    Not that the relief is permanent, of course.   If only a dry heave was the only thing she needed to do to get healthy....

Sharp Pain -  This isn't constant (thankfully) but is one of her scariest symptoms.   It is the one symptom that, when it rears its ugly head, can really drive home how sick she is.    When you see a loved one doubled over in severe stomach pain, your sense of panic can jump into high gear.    There have been a few times when there was at least a thought of an ER visit.     Thankfully, it doesn't happen very often.....she has enough to deal with.

Nausea - Talk to some people with Gastroparesis, and they will tell you that their #1 symptom is terrible nausea that rarely goes away.    One minor saving grace for Colleen is that this isn't the case for her, but when it hits, just like the sharp pain above, it can be quite scary because it leads to the dry heaving above.    On one of our trips to Philadelphia, she had nausea/dry heaving the entire trip while having a tube in her body.   In all of her horrible days since getting this disease, that day ranks in her top 5 worst.

Tiredness/Lack of Energy -  This is more of a byproduct of everything than an actual symptom.   As I have stated many times, it is a domino effect - you don't eat enough calories, which means your body isn't getting the energy it needs, which leads to extreme tiredness and lack of energy because your body is low on fuel.   And, if you are very sick, it is hard to refuel your tank because you can't really eat or drink.     It is an endless loop that is almost impossible to break out of.

A few common symptoms that Colleen doesn't experience quite as much, if at all:

Early fullness -   Ask someone with Gastroparesis about their eating habits, and some will tell you that even when they are hungry, it only takes a few bites of food before they feel fullness.   This makes sense - if your body cannot digest food quickly, it is going to feel full quicker.   For some reason, this doesn't quite happen to that extreme for Colleen - on those days/moments where she feels hungry, she can typically eat an entire...albeit small...meal without getting that quick feeling of fullness.    The biggest issue is finding those moments when she actually feels hungry enough to eat something.

Bloating - You can find pictures online of the bloat some people experience with this condition.  Women who aren't pregnant can sometimes look as if they are.    Colleen has never had to deal with the bloat, and for that I am thankful because doctors who don't understand the condition are likely to not believe you have Gastroparesis if you are actually showing signs of severe weight gain.   So, yes - not only does the person have to deal with the embarrassing feeling of bloating, they also have to deal with skeptical doctors on top of that.

Does this all add up to Gastroparesis?   Well, bottom line is that if you go through a valid gastric emptying study and it shows delayed emptying, you have Gastropareisis.  It really is that cut and dry.   However, that doesn't mean that there isn't something else going on in addition to the Gastroparesis.  If you feel that Gastroparesis is not your only problem, ask (or demand) that your doctor/specialist dig further.   Good specialists don't even need to be asked - Colleen's specialist ordered these tests just based on not knowing exactly what was wrong with Colleen.   I am no medical expert - but I have always felt that yes, Colleen has Gastroparesis (we will know for sure when the results of her 6 hour test are known) but that she has more than that going on.   What that is, I can't even begin to speculate about.   I can't even venture a guess.   Some of her symptoms, in my mind, just seem to go beyond Gastroparesis.    We will find out those answers in a few weeks.   For now, we just wait and hope that something can be done to relieve at least some of her symptoms...if not all of her symptoms.    This condition has no mercy on those who suffer from it - that has to change at some point.