Diabetic Gastroparesis,
Problems with your digestion?
Diabetic Gastroparesis comes from the Latin Gastro meaning stomach and paresis meaning paralysis. It is also known as delayed gastric emptying. The digestion process causes the stomach to contract or push food into the small intestine.The vagus nerve which controls this movement, is damaged by high blood sugars over a period of time and causes a communication dis-connect between the stomach and the small intestine. Ultimately, food will then move at a slowed pace or stop altogether. Naturally, this will cause issues for your blood sugars. Now while not always caused by diabetes, it is usually the most common culprit. What happens is due to consistently high blood sugars, the blood vessels that carry the oxygen and food to the Vagus nerve are damaged.
Symptoms of delayed gastric emptying :
Many of the symptoms are not so easily diagnosed because of the wide ranging symptomology. While one person can have distinctly severe issues, someone else may not. This makes delayed stomach emptying difficult to diagnose. Nausea and Heartburn
Both high and low blood sugars
Loss of appetite
Vomiting
Feeling full after only several bites of food
Tests that you can take :
There are basically 3 tests or procedures that are performed to see if you might have delayed gastric emptying. The first is an Ultrasound. This is the test expectant mothers' use to view a picture of their babies inside their stomachs. This test normally is used to rule out the Gallbladder or Pancreatitis issues. An upper endoscopy is the second way. Your Doctor will knock you out with a sedative and then put a tube down your throat into your stomach to look for any abnormal issues. Finally, a barium xray may be needed. Barium is a contrasting agent, which after being swallowed allows a special xray machine called a fluroscope, to see the stomach in motion. Finally, Diabetic Gastroparesis is typically a chronic condition. Treatment options are designed to help the diabetic stay as healthy as possible, while maintaining as normal blood glucose levels as possible. There are multiple drug options available. Also, your dietician or physician may ask you to change your eating habits. Going from the normal 3 meals a day, to a day where you eat less food more often, typically 5-6 light meals.
Other Complication pages of Interest
Microalbumnuria
Diabetes and Depression
Diabetes and Hypertension
Diabetic eye problems
Diabetic Impotence
Diabetic Ketoacidosis
Diabetic Nephropathy
Diabetic Shock
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