A few months after being dx and tx for lyme, I was diagnosed with gastroparesis (slow stomach emptying) 1 1/2 years ago.
After a few months it resolved and I went back to eating my favorite foods, steaks, chicken, lots of protein and salads with every kind of raw vegeatable I could imagine.
Over the past several months I have had to cut out meats and raw veggies. Then dairy, wheat and peanut butter.
I am living on miso soup with some well cooked onions, garlic, carrots, ginger, tofu, basmati brown rice, quinoa. I also eat homemade silken tofu chocolate pudding, and applesauce.
I take apple cider vinegar before meals.
I eat several small meals a day.
I take probiotics.
I still have stomache pain, bloating, nausea, early satiety, difficulty swallowing sometimes, constipation.
My stomach sticks out so far it is uncomfortable. I feel really fat and it feels like my muscles can't hold my stomache in anymore.
I took reglan before but most of my symptoms are neuro so this medication really messes with my vision, balance, and gives me more muscle twitching.
I dont want to go back to the gastroenterologist. They said they didn't think gastroparesis could be caused by lyme. I know better.
They gave me a diet to follow consisting of milkshakes with cool whip, hersheys chocolate, and peanut butter. That would make me sicker.
Any suggestions? Any body got any good pureed ideas or digestive advice?
Thanks!!!
Diagnosed with Lyme and Babs
I currently take zithromax 500 mg and ceftin 1000 mg. Mepron is on hold for now.
Posted by MY3BOYS (Member # 17830) on :
may not help you but only thing i can think of is saw this alot in hospice patients--due to body processes shutting down due to advanced disease
if you take the "advance disease" part and put into lyme...may ring true???
so, what we would do was put pt on senokot and titrate until got consistant results..one tab once a day, then twice daily and so on.
was eps part of tx when on any meds that could make things worse (pain meds,etc)
of course this was under MD advice, and i am not offering prescribing advice, would always advice that your treating MD be the one to prescribe any treatments,,,you may have tried this type of treatment.
senokot was used as is natural, vegtable product and would help aide in passage of digestion with gastroparesis.
best wishes in finding what works for you
Posted by TS96 (Member # 14048) on :
My gastro told me to lie on my right side after eating to aid the mov't of food into the small intestine.
Also use of digestive enzymes help me.
hope this helps
Posted by kidsatlast (Member # 4308) on :
The foods you are eating seem to be good. Can you eat six small meals a day? This, in my experience, might help. I went through this problem at one point, but am now over it.
I tried a lot of different brands of both probiotics and digestive enzymes and I found that, for me at least, it makes a big difference which brand is taken.
For probiotics, I like the one from Dr. Mercola's website, and for digestive enzymes, the one I found that works the best is from Houston Nutriceuticals (they have a website).
Also, there is product called GI Revive that keeps my stomach repaired and pain free.
(I have no association with any of these companies.)
Good luch with this.
Posted by METALLlC BLUE (Member # 6628) on :
This is surprisingly a common symptom of Lyme Disease, but also of Bartonella.
Posted by lovingattitude (Member # 17569) on :
Thanks for all your suggestions, I'll look into those websites and supplements.
My LLND said that I had symptoms of Bartonella at my last visit. I'll look into this as well.
Thanks!
Posted by ericaf (Member # 10929) on :
Gastroparesis is terrible! It is definitely a symptom and for me i think it's bartonella because it comes on or gets worse when my other bartonella symptoms flare up. I have to go on a liquid diet when this happens. Protein shakes work for me to avoid losing too much weight. I use wey proteins, oatmeal, yogurt, fruit, stevia and I liquify it all together in a blender with some water. I have vegetable soups and when it gets better some brown rice with a little olive oil. That feeling of food sitting there all day and all night is awful!
Posted by timaca (Member # 6911) on :
Best, Timaca
Posted by massman (Member # 18116) on :
Shakes are essentially predigested food. Bloating can be from low acid in the stomach. Some digestive enzymes can also help increase the acid.
Posted by lovingattitude (Member # 17569) on :
Thanks again, these suggestions are very helpful to me!
I even get bloated with a distended belly with shakes and pureed food on bad days. Sometimes the food comes back up.
It sounds like digestive enzymes could be beneficial for this.
Gastroparesis has to be my worst symptom right now. And having the cognitive issues makes it hard to think of what foods I should eat, and to do the grocery shopping effectively.
Posted by pepperspeck (Member # 18837) on :
Hi Lovingattitude,
I have gastroparesis as well. Supplement wise, I do digestive enzymes, apple cider vinegar, probiotics for this.
I was on a medication called domperidone, a motility drug that is compounded and not FDA approved. It helped in the beginning, but after about 2.5 years, the side effects were not good.
I am now taking a supplement called Iberogast. It is a blend of herbs that have been documented to increase motility. It is helping as much as the domperidone did.
Cilantro is helpful (chew the leaves) is helpful for bloating.
Here is a link for a GP diet that I was given by my dr.
Feel free to pm me if you want to talk.
Posted by LymeLaura (Member # 6624) on :
My daughter was diagnosed with gastroparesis following a perforated colon.
We remembered she had the same symptoms 10 years ago...resolved with antibiotics. LLMD treated bartonella with bactrim ds and levaquin. Symptoms resolved!
Posted by pepperspeck (Member # 18837) on :
That is really interesting, LymeLaura.
My stomach felt much improved (not normal, but better!) when I was on bactrim ds about a year ago.
Also, I was on levaquin and had what I though was a horrible reaction to it and my Dr. switched me to a different antibiotic.
It was after I was a bit improved that I wondered if it had been a herx.
I was about 5 days into it. I was being treated for a sinus, ear and mastoid infection.
When I was treated for lyme disease, batonella was just starting to be looked at. Need to look into it for sure.