Diagnosis - Life!

I was recently diagnosed with Gastroparesis.  This news may not have been so scary if I knew what my doctor was talking about at the time.  Gastroparesis is a disease with some unknown causes.  What it means is that the muscles in my stomach don't push food through my digestive tract the way they are supposed to.  There are several treatments, my doctor recommended for me to control what I can with diet, and if that doesn't work we will try some medication.  I started a food journal today, to see what I am eating and hopefully control my symptoms.  My lovely supportive mother bought me both a juicer and a Magic Bullet (blender) to help me on my journey, Thanks Mom!!  As soon as I got home, like any self-respecting 20-something, I hit the internet.  There is not very much information about Gastroparesis on the interwebs, and I think that sucks.  In an effort to show that we are not alone, and to maybe help others live with this disease, I started this blog.  Also I'm hoping it will keep me on track with what I need to do, since this is a lifetime diagnosis, at least for me.

I started throwing up every morning when I was in the 4th grade.  My doctor told me it was allergies.  I have had this problem, not everyday but most, where I wake up, throw up, and get on with my day.  I've had it checked out by several doctors (one of which called me a drama queen) and I got several answers, mostly consisting of "Quit smoking and whining.  You'll live."  and so I did.  I am 27 now, and about July of this year  (was it only 3 months?) I got really sick.  I had a massive lower abdominal infection, and I didn't get better.  I just kept throwing up, and I would do it all day.  It was totally debilitating.  Headaches, exhaustion, sweats, feeling cold, and throwing up stuff I had eaten even 2 days before (gross right?) were the norm.  I kept thinking about I friend I had named Marcy.  Marcy had been feeling run down for about 6 months, and went to see a doctor.  He told her she was just tired.  A few doctors later she found out she had stage 3 cancer, and was dead in 2 years.  She told me several times, "Don't listen to someone that says there is nothing wrong with you when you know there is.  You know your body best."  Thanks Marcy, I finally took your advice.  So here I sit with a glass of water, and am very thankful.  Now I know what I can do to keep myself healthy and operational.  I truthfully was expecting cancer, or at least a brain tumor.  At least this is something I can live with.  So, onward and upward!