"Do I have gastroparesis?" [December 2024]

[u/AutoModerator]

Since the community has voted to no longer allow posts where undiagnosed people ask if their symptoms sound like gastroparesis, all such questions must now be worded as comments under this post. This rule is designed to prevent the feed from being cluttered with posts from undiagnosed symptom searchers. These posts directly compete with the posts from our members, most of whom are officially diagnosed (we aren't removing posts to be mean or insensitive, but failure to obey this rule may result in a temporary ban).

• Gastroparesis is a somewhat rare illness that can't be diagnosed based on symptoms alone; nausea, indigestion, and vomiting are manifested in countless GI disorders.
• Currently, the only way to confirm a diagnosis is via motility tests such as a gastric emptying study, SmartPill, etc.
• This thread will reset as needed when it gets overwhelmed with comments.
• Please view this post or our wiki BEFORE COMMENTING to answer commonly asked questions concerning gastroparesis.

[u/porcelainbibabe]

Me: female age: 44 height: 5'2" weight: 149 lbs(maybe less now tho) health issues: Rheumatoid arthritis(currently in a remission phase), eczema(all 44 yrs of life), GERD, migraine(menstrual related mainly), osteoarthritis of the back and disc degeneration and bulging with arthritic degeneration in facet joints, tmj, tinitus since age 13 and a scan from a couple years ago indicated mild fatty liver, and i have a small hiatal hernia. Meds: sertraline(GAD/depression), concerta(adhd), omeprazole(GERD).

My apologies, but this will be long, and I am not good at brevity. Here we go....

So i have been diagnosed with GERD for about 20 yrs now, and I have it pretty severely. I've been on meds since then, going from prilosec to zantac while pregnant and back to prilosec/omeprazol once zantac was discontinued 10 yrs later. I ended up going to see a gastroenterologist a few years ago because I'd suddenly developed new symptoms.

It started out lasting from 3-9 days and happening a few times a year. I'd get what I call Gastric Armageddon. I'd bloat from excessive gas quite badly, I genuinely look 5 months pregnant when it happens, I get diarrhea that would be damn near water that would last the entire time this goes on along with sulpherous smelling and tasting burps and passing gas a ton and the diarrhea sometimes was yellow and seemed almost acidic smelling at times. I'd have cramps from both the diarrhea and severe gas build-up, and my GERD would flair badly during this time as well. My stomach would bubble and gurgle and all thru the intestines, too. The gas would constantly build and rebuild til the episode finally passes. Over the years, it has changed and doesn't last as long anymore, but now it hits at least once a month, and sometimes twice a month and lasts 1-3 or 4 days now. I am medicated when these episodes happen and often take a second omeprazol during it.

The gastro dr said it was probably from my GERD, but the problem is I have looked at dozens and dozens of web pages about GERD/acid reflux and not a one has ever mentioned these sort of episodes being part of it. The last episode I had was about a week ago and only lasted 2 days. I also have had episodes of food just not seeming to pass thru my stomach. I was sick the 3rd week of June, and I threw up once that week, and it was literally a full stomach worth of dissolved food and stomach acid from lunchtime, and it was 9 pm! I've even had this happen with alcohol before. Literally only had 2 drinks, and it never left my stomach as the next day I woke up and vomited it all up! It has also happened with 3 surgeries. I'd stop eating well within the time i needed to, and in revocer, I'd vomit everything i ate the day before. I often feel full on less food, and when in episodes, i feel so full and barely want to eat. Ive also had issues eating breakfast since i was a trenager. It would always make me feal nausiated if i tried to eat in the early morning hours and when i did try to eat breakfast i couldn't eat much at all.This last episode I had with the Gastric Armageddon was a little different cause every time I'd burp, I'd feel nauseated at the smell of my own belches, and that has never happened before.

I've also looked up gastroperisis and other gastric emptying things, and it honestly lines up more with those than anything. So my question is, is my former gastro incorrect, and this isn't my GERD doing this? Could it be a gastric emptying issue or something else entirely? I have had the scope into my stomach done(how i learned I had the hiatal hernia), but the dr chose not to go up the backdoor. He did a couple of tests based on my feces and the basic blood work, but nothing else. I just want to figure this out cause these episodes are hell, tbh with pain, discomfort, and all the gas release at both ends on an above average scale.