What Is

[TEaglefeather]

Could someone explain this to me ?

Thank You

[trents]

It's when your intestines (or a section of them) become paralyzed, i.e. the slow rythmic muscle wall movent of the intestine that moves the waste along in the system ceases to be. It is usually caused by nerve damage (as from gut surgeries) or blood ciriculation impairment in the arteries and veins that feed the smooth muscles of the intestinal wall. With regard to the latter cause, it is most common in people with diabetes or smokers because those things cause deterioration of the vascular system over time.

[TEaglefeather]

Now I may sound nutty but my husband has this, I know he does, because he cannot use the bathroom, he is lucky if he goes once a week and that is only after taking close to a whole bottle pf phillips and honey and then he barely goes. And he is always have intestional pains he says he can actually feel the intestines being messed up, he blows up as big as a basketball and as hard as a rock......And he is a smoker not a heavy smoker but is one and has been smoking for over 30 yrs now.....I am going to talk to the doctor see how we an get him tested for this...

Thank you so very much for letting me know.....We soooooooo appreciate all the help we are getting because we were just about to go nuts till I found this site...

[trents]

You're more than welcome. Your husband's problem could be gastroparisis or a partial blockage caused by scar tissue or even a tumor. Sometimes a hard ball of stool gets lodged in the intestines and can cause something like this where new stool kind of squeezes around the ball so there is some passing of waste, usually in the form of diarreah. At any rate whatever the cause of his difficulty in passing stool can be a serious condition and not something to put off getting investigated.

[Lisa]

Constipation is also a symptom of Celiac. Hopefully, it can resolve itself with a dedicated gluten free diet.

And yes, as trents said, please consult your doctor.

[TEaglefeather]

Thank you again, we are seeing the doc this coming Tuesday and I am writing alot of info I am learning down, because it is so hard to see him go through this and there is nothing I can do, and getting help from the doctor well that is another thing, but I am going in with all guns this time :-)

He suffers so very much so badly...

[trents]

Where do you live? I hope somewhere not served by a socialized health care system (I guess I tipped my political hat on that one!) so that if your hubby needs to see a specialist it can be arranged relatively soon. If you are not satisfied that your GP is taking this seriously please ask for a referral to a gastroenterologist.

[TEaglefeather]

Where do you live? I hope somewhere not served by a socialized health care system (I guess I tipped my political hat on that one!) so that if your hubby needs to see a specialist it can be arranged relatively soon. If you are not satisfied that your GP is taking this seriously please ask for a referral to a gastroenterologist.

We live in Kentucky usa the doctors stink here so we go to Tennessee for him, but he is not happy with him because he truly is not helping him......Also he is on Medicaid which he can't get much help at all with just that ..

[climbmtwhitney]

Hello.

I think there's some confusion as to what gastroparesis is. It is more accurately described as affecting the *stomach*. It is not a cause of constipation like you describe about your husband. The definition/symptoms from the Mayo Clinic are.....

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Definition

By Mayo Clinic staff

Gastroparesis is a condition in which the muscles in your stomach don't function normally.

Ordinarily, strong muscular contractions propel food through your digestive tract. But in gastroparesis, the muscles in the wall of your stomach work poorly or not at all, preventing your stomach from emptying properly. This can interfere with digestion, cause nausea and vomiting, and play havoc with blood sugar levels and nutrition.

No available treatment can cure gastroparesis. Dietary changes and certain medications sometimes help control symptoms of gastroparesis, but they're not effective in every case. And the available gastroparesis drugs can cause serious side effects. Researchers are investigating other types of therapies for gastroparesis.

Symptoms

By Mayo Clinic staff

The most common gastroparesis symptoms are:

Nausea

Vomiting

A feeling of fullness after eating just a few bites (early satiety)

Vomiting usually occurs several hours after you've eaten when your stomach is still full of undigested food and normal stomach secretions. Sometimes, accumulated stomach enzymes and acids can cause vomiting even if you don't eat. And because different stomach muscles empty solid food and liquids, you may have problems with solids only, with both solids and liquids, or, in rare cases, with liquids alone.

In addition to nausea, vomiting and premature fullness, gastroparesis often causes:

Abdominal bloating

Heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux

Changes in blood sugar levels

Lack of appetite

Weight loss and malnutrition

Causes

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I have been diagnosed with gastroparesis in the past. So, I can tell you first hand that it is a *stomach* issue. The problem is either with the muscles of the stomach not working properly - or - the nerves that control the muscles in the stomach not working properly. Hope this clarification helps.

Good luck with the doctor next week. I hope your husband feels better soon.

Jillian

[trents]

Jillian is correct, it does have to do with the stomach muscles not the intestines. Sorry, my bad. I made an assumption and should have looked it up instead.

Here is a Wikipedia link that puts it in layman's terms: Open Original Shared Link.

TEaglefeather, did your hubby's doc use the term gastro paresis to describe your husband's problem? Loss of intestinal motility or intestinal blockage could also result in the symptoms you describe, especially in that milk of mag does seem to help. You also say your husband perceives the problem to be in his intestines. Sounds more like an ileus.

Wikipedia on ilues: Ileus is a disruption of the normal propulsive gastrointestinal motor activity due to non-mechanical causes[1][2]. In contrast, motility disorders that result from structural abnormalities are termed mechanical bowel obstruction. Some mechanical obstructions are misnomers, such as gallstone ileus and meconium ileus, and are not true examples of ileus by the classic definition

[TEaglefeather]

Jillian is correct, it does have to do with the stomach muscles not the intestines. Sorry, my bad. I made an assumption and should have looked it up instead.

Here is a Wikipedia link that puts it in layman's terms: Open Original Shared Link.

TEaglefeather, did your hubby's doc use the term gastro paresis to describe your husband's problem? Loss of intestinal motility or intestinal blockage could also result in the symptoms you describe, especially in that milk of mag does seem to help. You also say your husband perceives the problem to be in his intestines. Sounds more like an ileus.

Wikipedia on ilues: Ileus is a disruption of the normal propulsive gastrointestinal motor activity due to non-mechanical causes[1][2]. In contrast, motility disorders that result from structural abnormalities are termed mechanical bowel obstruction. Some mechanical obstructions are misnomers, such as gallstone ileus and meconium ileus, and are not true examples of ileus by the classic definition

Ya know the doctor said he just had slow bowls and he put him on some RX stuff can't remember the name now it started with a M and now I know it is now in the store, but it didn't work either. He never tested him for this, and I am taking all the notes I can because in the mornings he is ok but by the end of the day omg he is in so much pain and his belly looks likes a basketball and hard as a rock. He stays in pain from his stomach..

Let me ask you, does Celiac cause this much pain from gluten?

I know for sure tomorrow I will telling the doc to check for the gastro..

We have known this doctor for 14 yrs, and I feel he is truly not doing his job.

Thank you everyone I truly need to learn more about this celiac

[ang1e0251]

Yes, celiac disease can cause great pain. That was a big one for me. I didn't get rid of all the pain until I greatly restricted all grains. Right now I'm eating rice 2-3 times a week. Last week I also had some corn. Those are the two that seem to digest well for me.

If you do not get a response from the dr, why not just go for the gluten free diet? He is suffering and it would be easy to choose the diet to help him. I agree he should be checked for blockages, etc. but if you are not satisfied after the testing is done, just go for it.

[TEaglefeather]

Yes, celiac disease can cause great pain. That was a big one for me. I didn't get rid of all the pain until I greatly restricted all grains. Right now I'm eating rice 2-3 times a week. Last week I also had some corn. Those are the two that seem to digest well for me.

If you do not get a response from the dr, why not just go for the gluten free diet? He is suffering and it would be easy to choose the diet to help him. I agree he should be checked for blockages, etc. but if you are not satisfied after the testing is done, just go for it.

Thank you, I have been so amazed at all the help here, my husband and I are just now talking that we are getting more help through this site and all that are here then we have in the last couple of yrs. from doctors.

I never knew about the cross contamination till I came to this site, and all the foods that he is able to eat. I hate to sound like such a dummy I really do, but I believe the only dum question is the one you do not ask. :-)

Where we live here in Pikeville Ky, there is only 1 store Food City that has some gluten free items and then I try and read labels of others to see if they have gluten and well I have not found many that say gluten free. It is so hard here to find places to get gluten free it truly is and we are such a loss for this....

We are both 50 yrs old now, and he is disabled & I have bone cancer and am disabled also and on social security & food stamps so money is so very short for us these days, and I know now that I have to buy new items for him because of the cross contamination, but let me ask you is there a way I could wash the things pots etc till we can save up to buy all new?

Thank you

[nasalady]

We are both 50 yrs old now, and he is disabled & I have bone cancer and am disabled also and on social security & food stamps so money is so very short for us these days, and I know now that I have to buy new items for him because of the cross contamination, but let me ask you is there a way I could wash the things pots etc till we can save up to buy all new?

Someone on this site who is a biochemist said that if you wash things with a strong bleach solution, this will denature the gluten, which is a protein. So that should make your old pots and pans safe.

Good luck with everything!

JoAnn

[trents]

TEaglefeather,

Most of us who have had celiac disease for a while realize how expensive the "gluten free" foods can be, even when you live somewhere they are available and we probably don't rely on them much. However, you really can eat gluten free off mainstream grocery store stock if you become savvy about how gluten is disguised in food label terminology. It's not quite as simple as just looking for the words, "wheat," "gluten," "barley," and "rye." For instance, anything with "malt" or "malt flavoring" should be avoided as malt is made from gluten-containing grains (there goes most breakfast cereals). Another example would be "hydrolyzed vegetable protein" since wheat could be the vegetable source they use. "Modified food starch" is a classic example as unless they specify the source of the starch it could be from a gluten containing grain. Educating yourself in the terminology is critical as is the discipline of reading food labels on all canned and prepackaged foods. Also, with experience you will learn there are certain kinds of things you should automatically avoid, like canned soups since almost all canned soups use wheat starch as a thickener, which leaves out those delicious casseroles at church potlucks because they have soup bases. Be suspicious of all sauces and gravies since many of them use wheat flour as a thickener. Oatmeal should probably be avoided as it usually cross-contaminated with wheat in the field, in storage and transport and in milling. After a while you develop a sixth sense about what to avoid. Keep in mind, its not good enough to cut back on the amount of gluten you are getting, you must aim to totally eliminate it from the diet. Even a trace can cause an inflammatory reaction. Medicines and oral hygiene products also need to be checked for gluten.

One thing to keep in mind is to move toward a basic diet. Meat, fish, eggs, potatoes, rice, beans, fruits, nuts, vegies are still not off limits but you may have to learn to like them cooked more plainly than you are used to, i.e. without breadings and sauces. Anything you didn't fix yourself ask questions about to determine if it might contain gluten.

[ang1e0251]

You don't have to buy items that are marked gluten-free. Just shop the edges of the store and eat basic whole foods. That's actually the diet I think all persons new to gluten-free eating should follow. Start the diet by eating simple, whole foods that you prepare yourself with single ingredient spices. First throw out any spices that you might have double dipped a gluteny spoon in. Start by eating meats, beans, vegetables, fruits and nuts. You can also have rice and potatoes. But it's smart to leave out alternative grains, processed foods and dairy. Most of us have a problem with dairy at least in the beginning. My pain stayed as long as I continued to eat grains, that's why I'm saying no grains for him to start.

Once you master shopping and eating this way, see if he is feeling improved. If he is still having issues, continue this way of eating until he really is feeling better most of the time. Then you may start to add new foods but....only one food at a time and only every few days. Keep a food journal with every thing he eats and drinks and also meds. Also note how he feels. He might be sensitive to more than one food and this is a good way to find that out.

When you start the diet, you need to check all his meds to make sure they do not have gluten in them. You may need to phone each of the manufacturers for this info. Make sure you do. You cannot improve on the diet if your meds are making you sick. He will probably need some vitamin support too. Have you dr check his levels for vitamins D, all the B's, iron and calcium. You have to ask for each one or the dr might miss one. He may need perscription strengths of some of those. Again make sure they are gluten-free.

I hope this is helpful to you. Please keep us updated on how it's going.