My results were 28% ....with the diagnosis reading Mild Gastroparesis in one place and Gastrooaresis in another..this confusing along with my dr saying a reading at that level cannot cause as much nausea as I'm having. Could this be true? Is 28% mild or not?
Unfortunately, there are a bunch of different protocols for administering and reading gastric emptying studies. My results were given in minutes rather than in percent.
I assume 28% means that your stomach digested 28% of the food during the test period, but I don't know what the "normal percent" is for that particular version of the test. What did they give you to eat, and how long did it take from the first time they scanned you to the last time?
If normal is 50%, then your stomach is running at half speed. It could explain your nausea, or there could be something else going on.
For now, you can try the gastroparesis diet. Low fat is important. Cook your veggies rather than eating them raw. Some fiber is necessary, but too much puts extra strain on the stomach.
There are a few medicines that can help, such as Reglan or the antibiotic erythromycin. (Gastroparesis isn't an infection, but erythromycin has certain effects on the digestive system.) Some folks take domperidone. It's not sold in the US, but if your doctor writes a prescription, you can buy it through the mail.
Do you have any symptoms other than nausea? Have you noticed anything that seems to make it better or worse?
That's how I interpreted it too.. That I digested 28% in 90 minutes. I have had horrible nausea for 5 months.. Actually I've always been a kind of barfy person. I know steak causes nausea bad.. Haven't figured everything that causes it. I know eating a normal meal will cause extreme fullness for several hours.
Those are classic gastroparesis symptoms. And for my test, normal would be digesting 50% of the food in 90 minutes.
So, you don't have the most severe kind of gastroparesis, the kind that can cause malnutrition. But it sounds like you do have it bad enough to cause some problems.
Definitely, limit fiber, limit fat and look into drugs that are motility aids.
Thanks, that helps..28% out of 50% sounds better than if it was being compared to out of 100%. I also have read that milder Gastroparesis could have worse symptoms than severe sometimes.. Not sure why that would be.. Also, is this a progressive disease? Ugh!! I hope not.
Sometimes people with mild GP have bad symptoms. It's not clear why.
Is it progressive? Usually not. However, if it's caused by diabetes, it can be. See, diabetics sometimes get nerve damage, and nerve damage to the stomach can cause GP.
GP from other causes tends not to progress, and it may get better, especially if you manage it well.
That's hopeful.. I have MS and borderline Diabetes so not sure if that's what really caused it. I know I could easily become Agoraphobic.. I don't like going out anymore, used to love it.. Scared the horrible nausea will happen.. We've canceled our vacation in June but have rescheduled for August but I'm finding myself not real excited to go. That's sad!
