Gastroparesis is a condition where the muscles in your stomach don't move food as well as they should, which keeps the stomach from emptying at a normal rate. This affects your overall digestion.
Symptoms
Symptoms of gastroparesis include:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Stomach pain
- Bloating
- Acid reflux
- Feeling full quickly
- Vomiting undigested food
- Issues with blood sugar levels
- Malnutrition
Treatment
There's no cure for gastroparesis but medications and lifestyle changes can help you manage symptoms. You might need to eat smaller meals more often, stop eating raw fruits and vegetables, avoiding eating lots of fiber, and drink lots of water.
If lifestyle changes don't help you manage symptoms, your doctor may recommend medications such as metoclopramide (also called Reglan or Gimoti), which helps your stomach muscles work better. You may also need medications to reduce nausea and vomiting.
If your gastroparesis is serious enough that you can't eat or drink, you may need a feeding tube.
Risk Factors
Some factors make you more likely to develop gastroparesis, including:
- Diabetes
- Stomach or esophagus surgery
- Radiation therapy to the stomach or chest
- Viral infections
- Opioid medications
- Scleroderma
- Migraine
- Parkinson's disease
- Multiple sclerosis
- Hypothyroidism
- Being female