Kirsten S.

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Hi there-

I know I am a little late to the conversation so I do hope you read this.  I have RNY back in May 2011, at that time I had been previously diagnosed with "slow gastric emptying" and I was on Reglan.  I did ok that first year although I had a lot of burping of air and probably more vomiting than a normal patient.  In June 2012 I was diagnosed with Gastroparesis and my ouch was full of undigested food from the day before.  We tried a number of motility meds without success because really there was nothing left to stimulate as the portion of the stomach that makes the pouch has little to no motility and relies on the peristalsis of the esophagus and small intestine to help food move through.    In October 2012 I had my pouch completely removed and my esophagus is attached directly to the small intestine.   A week after surgery I developed a stricture  I have had it dilated 15+ times now and I vomit/regurgitate all oral intake.  I had to have a feeding tube placed into my remnant stomach and I have issues with my remnant and it doesn't always want to empty either.  I spent 3 weeks at Mayo in April and May of this year going through extensive testing to find the issue.  It turns out I have digestive tract paralysis (DTP).  My entire digestive tract is affected by motility issues from when I swallow all the way through to have a bowel movement and it is long term.  Now I have a port to maintain hydration and round the clock tube feeds.  I also have hypoglycemia unawareness and so I am no longer able to drive.  My vagus nerve is also completely severed and the whole area in my belly has been de-nerved.  I have exhausted all treatment options and at this point it is all about managing the daily symtoms to the best of our ability.

I see so many GI Drs pushing the RNY and the sleeve for treatment of Gastroparesis and in theory if it is ONLY the stomach that has motility issues then it will work wonders for that patient.  Unfortunately there does not seem to be much testing done prior to that to determine the extent of dysmotility.    It's a tough call honestly because I know how bad you feel daily when dealing with Gastroparesis and you get to a point you will do whatever it takes to feel better and unfortunately that is not always the case.  I don't put this out there to scare others I just want there to be more awareness.