I have gastroparesis what should I eat?

That depends, sweetheart ... and I offer that as a general term of endearment. It is NOT intended to be offensive, obnoxious, condescending, or sexist ... though, I must admit, I have yet to use it to an adult male, apart from my own two grown up sons and one of their friends who I've unofficially 'adopted' ... on whether it's diabetic gastroparesis that you have. If it is, a high carb diet is probably the worst thing you can do as this will raise your blood sugar (glucose) levels considerably, thereby causing even more nerve damage. (Gastroparesis can be caused by conditions other than diabetes mellitus.) A high fibre [fiber] diet MAY help but, if you're diabetic, you should already be eating a high fibre diet anyway. The first url below states that "Some foods are more difficult than others for the stomach to digest.

Fatty foods take a longer time to digest, as do foods that are fibrous, like raw vegetables. People with gastroparesis should reduce their intake of fiber or avoid these foods. Fiber when eaten should be chewed well and cooked until soft. Food that is poorly digested can collect in the stomach and form what is called a bezoar. This mass of undigested matter may cause a blockage, preventing the stomach from emptying and result in nausea and pain."

If you are NOT diabetic, I'd suggest that you should listen to your doctor. S/he has done years of training, and would be expected to know what they're talking about. If what s/he says doesn't help any, then go back and state exactly that to see if they have any further advice.

Gastroparesis, as I'm pretty sure you're already aware, causes delayed emptying of the stomach contents. To be frank with you, and from my own personal experience, there doesn't seem to be specific types of food that either help, or compound, the 'problem'. Nothing I've eaten tends to change matters.

There are medications used in helping to treat gastroparesis. I, myself, take Metoclopramide hydrochloride three times a day. I don't know just how good it works, but it does seem to have some effect. In severe cases of gastroparesis there is also the option of surgery. I'm not too sure about this, but the first url, again, states: "Surgery for gastroparesis is reserved for individuals with severe and refractory symptoms, intolerance to therapy, or malnutrition related to the condition. Venting tubes placed into the stomach may reduce symptoms and hospitalizations for individuals with recurrent vomiting and dehydration.

Varieties of tubes, including button gastrostomy tubes and percutaneous gastrostomy tubes are available to vent trapped air from within the poorly contracting stomach. A dual channel gastrostomy tube allows both gastric venting and nutritional supplementation delivered into the small intestine. A percutaneous jejunostomy tube is used for nutritional supplementation. In some cases the lower part of the stomach is stapled or bypassed and the small intestine reattached to the remaining stomach to improve emptying of stomach contents. Rarely the stomach is completely removed."

You may find some of the other information offered on the following page to be useful.

I wish you the very best of luck in dealing with your 'problem'.

Posted in Gastroparesis Questions