Living with gastroparesis is very challenging. Every meal is a series of choices. Every lost vitamin and mineral is a complication either now or down the road. What is one supposed to do to be sociable in a culture built around food?
Emily Scherer, a thoughtful gastroparesis advocate, affords us a glimpse into the victories, defeats, and weighty decisions that have to be made to enjoy the "most wonderful time of the year". Here is a blog post from Emily entitled, "The Holiday Aftermath."
This is a blog I've started to help me deal with the diagnosis of having gastroparesis. It was suggested to me that a blog/diary might help me feel better by venting my frustrations and struggles. Also, I hope I can help others who may have the same thing through my own experiences.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
My husband and I went to Augusta this weekend to visit family. I ended up having a bad GP flare up and slept most of it off, so I didn't get to visit with people like I wanted to - which made me feel like a horrible friend. I brought my bucket with me just in case but we also brought my cats and they wanted my bucket.
I got to spend some time with my mom, my youngest sister, and my niece. Then, I went over and stayed/spent time with my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law. It was just nice to spend some time with everyone.
We came back to our house on Christmas Eve and had Christmas with one of my best friends and one of my fraternity brothers. I think they loved the presents we picked out for them. I got a copy of River Song's journal, which makes me very happy. I'm going to keep my GP musings in there when I'm not close to my laptop.
Christmas Day was great. We went to one of my best friend's house for Christmas dinner. I got to see two of my good friends who have since moved to different states, so it was great to see them. I ate a tiny bit of turkey, dressing, a bit of mashed potatoes, and two slices of homemade apple pie (one of my weaknesses but it was delicious). I knew I shouldn't have eaten it but it's hard for me to give up apple pie. Well, I'm paying for eating what I wanted to last night.
I spent all night pretty much vomiting up everything I ate. My stomach is spasming and contracting and it feels awful. Have you ever been so hungry that you've gotten cramps? Now, imagine those cramps plus someone sucker punching you in the gut and/or someone hitting a line drive into your stomach. I took a pain pill the doctor gave me (which I try to use sparingly because it causes gastric delays) and it's not even BEGINNING to touch the pain. It's my own fault but it was worth it. My friends made wonderful food and I was able to spend some time with them. I had to leave early so that I wouldn't get sick in front of them. Because when I start vomiting, it's hard to stop until all of the food/liquid is gone.
Well, I am going to go take more phenergan and bentyl. Hopefully, that will cut back the spasming and cramps. My throat is swollen from vomiting. It's like strep throat, I can barely swallow anything. It might be best if I could just go back to sleep. “
Emily's experience is, unfortunately, not uncommon. Gastroparesis is a challenge every single day. But that challenge doesn't have to be confronted alone thanks to support groups and people like Emily who are dealing with chronic illness.
You can find Emily's entire blog article and many others at http://www.emilysstomach.com/, follow her on Twitter www.twitter.com/emilysstomach, or like her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/emilysstomach.
To learn more about gastroparesis, click here.