What can I do when in a gastroparesis flare?

Posted by lily21 @lily21, Mar 8, 2021

What can I do when in a gastroparesis flare? Even water is painful to drink. I am waiting for a call from Mayo GI clinic. Waiting is hard. I do take an acid reflux med, and Tums though the day. I also take zofran as needed, but thats not working either. Ive had a flare for 3 days.

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@mgeller604

Thank you so much for the information Brenda. I am so grateful.

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You are so very welcome. I hope and pray you get the correct help.
I am still on a diet and can’t seem to gain week but not in pain all the
time. I am so grateful 🙏🏻💕

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Am nauseated most of the time but no vomiting (dry heaves every morning) and have frequent flare-ups. I try to follow my gastroparesis diet as much as possible and still manage my diabetes and continue a vegetarian diet for kidney failure. Any thoughts or ideas or suggestions? I need help.

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@ken82

@lily21 My gastroparesis was diagnosed in 2015 ..caused by a failed Nissen that could not be fixed.. Mayo MN GI Doctor said I would have this the rest of my life. I had lost 50 pounds.. and I was not out of shape .. 5'10 male weighing 190.. waist 36" wearing Large sweaters and shirts.. I am not sure of how you characterize "flare-ups" as I have problems with food coming back up whenever I eat too fast.. I feel best when my stomach is empty. I take the generic Nexium 20 ... I drink Pedialyte.. as I cannot drink much with meals.. Pedialyte gives you more of the minerals needed to be more hydrated quickly ... I do drink coffee 2 cups before eating anything but a banana and a piece of toast.. the toast has to be crisp...doughy breads and leafy salads are a recipe for disaster.. the trick is to find a few things that work.. and keep at just those..eating slowly with time between each helping.. I typically take an hour to eat each meal.. and then eat a little each time I go through the Kitchen.. Back a year ago when I could go to a restaurant.. a serving would do me for that meal and as much again tomorrow in a take home container.. I have only had steak one time in 6 years ...and I love steak.. but everything has to be cut up soooo very small so the stomach does not have to work very hard to let things go on down.. avoid broccoli and cabbage... I love ice cream with strawberry topping.. but I cannot do more that 1 small dip with a few strawberries or it comes up... that is a sad thing.. I am 83 now.. and look forward to being able to travel a little.. Ken

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Like you, my travels has come to a complete stop as have most of my activities!!!
My daughter and I had made wonderful trips to France, Italy,
Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Alaska and Hawait and some trips here in the USA.
She leaves for Greece on Aug 30 without me!
I can’t go to church dinners nor cookouts.
I usually have 2 days out of 14 without pain!!!!
There must be help somewhere!!!

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When I have to travel..by air.. I really don't eat much so the GI reaction to food will be minimal.. timing with restrooms has to be right.. my problem is lost weight then.. so when I get some place new it takes a day or two to get aclimated.acclimated.. bus tours are out..

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@brendaharvey

Like you, my travels has come to a complete stop as have most of my activities!!!
My daughter and I had made wonderful trips to France, Italy,
Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Alaska and Hawait and some trips here in the USA.
She leaves for Greece on Aug 30 without me!
I can’t go to church dinners nor cookouts.
I usually have 2 days out of 14 without pain!!!!
There must be help somewhere!!!

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@brendaharvey I can relate! Although I have other chronic illnesses and can't travel, I have about one week out of four where I feel less nauseated and less full and actually heat a few foods more substantial than Boost, baby food, applesauce, etc.

There's conflict between a diabetic diet limiting carbs and increasing fiber with a vegetarian renal diet (eggs but no meat, very limited dairy with a gastroparesis diet and I only can get in 6 small meals and 6 snacks a day and yet the recommendations for a GP diet say no grazing. If 3 m3als and 3 snacks aren't grazing, then what are they? LOL

The low fiber gastro diet causes constipation, too.

I'm still overweight but when gastroparesis started I lost 50 lbs in 4 months and have been losing slowly ever since because I can't eat enough and I'm exhausted and weak.

PCP is very helpful but local GI people not so much. I'm definitely not suicidal but some days I'm so nauseated and weak I just want to stay in bed until I can peacefully pass away.

OK, rant over. Gentle hugs to you!

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@kamama94

@brendaharvey I can relate! Although I have other chronic illnesses and can't travel, I have about one week out of four where I feel less nauseated and less full and actually heat a few foods more substantial than Boost, baby food, applesauce, etc.

There's conflict between a diabetic diet limiting carbs and increasing fiber with a vegetarian renal diet (eggs but no meat, very limited dairy with a gastroparesis diet and I only can get in 6 small meals and 6 snacks a day and yet the recommendations for a GP diet say no grazing. If 3 m3als and 3 snacks aren't grazing, then what are they? LOL

The low fiber gastro diet causes constipation, too.

I'm still overweight but when gastroparesis started I lost 50 lbs in 4 months and have been losing slowly ever since because I can't eat enough and I'm exhausted and weak.

PCP is very helpful but local GI people not so much. I'm definitely not suicidal but some days I'm so nauseated and weak I just want to stay in bed until I can peacefully pass away.

OK, rant over. Gentle hugs to you!

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Hugs to you. Like you, I am not suicidal but lonely and unhappy.
I wonder if I have any good life ahead. My husband passed away 6-1/2 years ago.
Loneliness is terrible and friends asking me out to eat doesn’t help. I don’t know what God has planned for me.

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From a suggestion from another gastroparesis friend I tried going without an acid reducing med for awhile & drink lemon water to help with digestion. We need acid to help with the digestion process. I only drink this early in the day with food to help with digestion… I do not drink this later in the day… I do on occasion take an acid reducer usually later in the day, if at all. I also take digestive enzymes with probiotics. I also take Zofran to help with any nausea or if my digestion is in a flare…. I really didn’t think I could go without my acid reducer (protonix or famotidine), but I can most of the time…. I stay away from all the fiber I can… I am lactose intolerant so I eat some dairy to help from getting constipated…. (Dairy can give me diarrhea). I also walk frequently after eating to help with moving things along. Walking after rising in am helps with getting things moving also…. Prayers For Solutions…..

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Have you tried Botox shots during EGD? They work for me BUT they don’t last as long as the doctor thinks. I get somewhere from 6 months to a year. Then pain and other symptoms return.

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@peggyjean

From a suggestion from another gastroparesis friend I tried going without an acid reducing med for awhile & drink lemon water to help with digestion. We need acid to help with the digestion process. I only drink this early in the day with food to help with digestion… I do not drink this later in the day… I do on occasion take an acid reducer usually later in the day, if at all. I also take digestive enzymes with probiotics. I also take Zofran to help with any nausea or if my digestion is in a flare…. I really didn’t think I could go without my acid reducer (protonix or famotidine), but I can most of the time…. I stay away from all the fiber I can… I am lactose intolerant so I eat some dairy to help from getting constipated…. (Dairy can give me diarrhea). I also walk frequently after eating to help with moving things along. Walking after rising in am helps with getting things moving also…. Prayers For Solutions…..

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Have heard elsewhere walking after a meal helps. Am confined to a power wheelchair but do try to do gentle arm and leg movements after a meal though haven't noticed much effect. Finally have had a couple of days I didn't throw up and wasn't nauseated the whole day and actually was able to take in a little more substantial food besides juice and baby food, including peanut butter crackers. This last flare went off and on for nearly 3 weeks.

Fiber is problematic. As a diabetic I'm supposed to have quite a bit of it to help with blood sugar. As a kidney failure patient I have to watch where the fiber comes from to control potassium and phosphorus and protect my only kidney now functioning around 20%. As a person with gastroparesis I'm told to limit fiber to 10 grams daily and the best I can do is 14.

Like @peggyjean, I'm sensitive to dairy but need to avoid it on my stage 4 renal diet.

I'm tired of the struggle to juggle!

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Prayers For Solutions & Comfort….. I’m sorry you can’t exercise much….. try gently in a clockwise manner massaging your tummy area to help with digestion…..it’s called “healing touch”…. It also helps in moving gas…. Gasx also helps me….. I do have gastroparesis myself. I have taken multi courses in helping my patients with discomfort issues in Healing Touch. When you gently massage the area yourself do it in a clockwise manner thinking your head as 12 O’clock & go from there….. You can also go online & read about healing touch…. 🙏❤️

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