Gastroparesis Treatment in Orlando, FL
Orlando Patients, Find Help for Your Gastroparesis
Gastroparesis is also called delayed gastric emptying. It is a disorder in which the stomach takes too long to empty. Usually, the stomach contracts to move food down into the small intestine for digestion. In a person with gastroparesis, the muscles of the stomach and intestines do not work normally, and food moves slowly or stops moving through the digestive tract.
What Causes Gastroparesis?
The most common cause of gastroparesis is diabetes. People with diabetes have high blood glucose, which, over time, can damage the vagus nerve that controls food movement through the digestive tract.
Other causes of gastroparesis include:
- surgery on the stomach or vagus nerve
- viral infections
- anorexia nervosa or bulimia
- medications that slow contractions in the intestine
- gastroesophageal reflux disease
- smooth muscle disorders, such as amyloidosis and scleroderma
- nervous system diseases, including abdominal migraine and Parkinson’s disease
- metabolic disorders, including hypothyroidism
Many people have what is called idiopathic gastroparesis, meaning the cause is unknown and cannot be found even after medical tests.
What Are The Symptoms of Gastroparesis?
Signs and symptoms of gastroparesis include:
- heartburn
- pain in the upper abdomen
- nausea
- vomiting of undigested food, sometimes several hours after a meal
- early feeling of fullness after only a few bites of food
- weight loss due to poor absorption of nutrients or low-calorie intake
- abdominal bloating
- high and low blood glucose levels
- lack of appetite
- gastroesophageal reflux
- spasms in the stomach area
Eating solid foods, high-fiber foods such as raw fruits and vegetables, fatty foods, or drinks high in fat or carbonation may contribute to these symptoms.
How is Gastroparesis Diagnosed?
After performing a full physical exam and taking your medical history, your Orlando Gastroenterology doctor may order several blood tests to check blood counts and chemical and electrolyte levels.
To rule out an obstruction or other conditions, the doctor may perform an upper endoscopy, ultrasound, or barium x-ray. Once other causes have been ruled out, the doctor will perform a gastric emptying test to confirm a diagnosis of gastroparesis.
How is Gastroparesis Treated?
Treatment of gastroparesis depends on the severity of the symptoms. In most cases, gastroparesis is chronic, so the best strategy is management of symptoms.
Several medications are used to treat gastroparesis. Doctors at Orlando Gastroenterology may try different drugs or combinations to find the most effective treatment.
Changing eating habits can help control gastroparesis. A doctor or dietitian may prescribe six small meals a day instead of three large ones. If less food enters the stomach at mealtimes, it may not become overly full. In more severe cases, a liquid or pureed diet may be prescribed.
The doctor may recommend avoiding high-fat and high-fiber foods. Fat naturally slows digestion, and fiber is difficult to digest. Some high-fiber foods like oranges and broccoli contain material that cannot be digested.
If a liquid or pureed diet does not work, surgery may be needed to insert a feeding tube that will deliver nutrients and medication into the small intestine. These products then get into the bloodstream quickly. This procedure, called a jejunostomy, is used only when gastroparesis is severe.
The above information comes from The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. To ensure that you’re viewing the most up-to-date information, we recommend visiting the bleeding in the digestive tract entry at the NIDDK website.
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Orlando Patients, Find Help for Your Gastroparesis
Gastroparesis is also called delayed gastric emptying. It is a disorder in which the stomach takes too long to empty. Usually, the stomach contracts to move food down into the small intestine for digestion. In a person with gastroparesis, the muscles of the stomach and intestines do not work normally, and food moves slowly or stops moving through the digestive tract.
What Causes Gastroparesis?
The most common cause of gastroparesis is diabetes. People with diabetes have high blood glucose, which, over time, can damage the vagus nerve that controls food movement through the digestive tract.
Other causes of gastroparesis include:
- surgery on the stomach or vagus nerve
- viral infections
- anorexia nervosa or bulimia
- medications that slow contractions in the intestine
- gastroesophageal reflux disease
- smooth muscle disorders, such as amyloidosis and scleroderma
- nervous system diseases, including abdominal migraine and Parkinson’s disease
- metabolic disorders, including hypothyroidism
Many people have what is called idiopathic gastroparesis, meaning the cause is unknown and cannot be found even after medical tests.
What Are The Symptoms of Gastroparesis?
Signs and symptoms of gastroparesis include:
- heartburn
- pain in the upper abdomen
- nausea
- vomiting of undigested food, sometimes several hours after a meal
- early feeling of fullness after only a few bites of food
- weight loss due to poor absorption of nutrients or low-calorie intake
- abdominal bloating
- high and low blood glucose levels
- lack of appetite
- gastroesophageal reflux
- spasms in the stomach area
Eating solid foods, high-fiber foods such as raw fruits and vegetables, fatty foods, or drinks high in fat or carbonation may contribute to these symptoms.
How is Gastroparesis Diagnosed?
After performing a full physical exam and taking your medical history, your Orlando Gastroenterology doctor may order several blood tests to check blood counts and chemical and electrolyte levels.
To rule out an obstruction or other conditions, the doctor may perform an upper endoscopy, ultrasound, or barium x-ray. Once other causes have been ruled out, the doctor will perform a gastric emptying test to confirm a diagnosis of gastroparesis.
How is Gastroparesis Treated?
Treatment of gastroparesis depends on the severity of the symptoms. In most cases, gastroparesis is chronic, so the best strategy is management of symptoms.
Several medications are used to treat gastroparesis. Doctors at Orlando Gastroenterology may try different drugs or combinations to find the most effective treatment.
Changing eating habits can help control gastroparesis. A doctor or dietitian may prescribe six small meals a day instead of three large ones. If less food enters the stomach at mealtimes, it may not become overly full. In more severe cases, a liquid or pureed diet may be prescribed.
The doctor may recommend avoiding high-fat and high-fiber foods. Fat naturally slows digestion, and fiber is difficult to digest. Some high-fiber foods like oranges and broccoli contain material that cannot be digested.
If a liquid or pureed diet does not work, surgery may be needed to insert a feeding tube that will deliver nutrients and medication into the small intestine. These products then get into the bloodstream quickly. This procedure, called a jejunostomy, is used only when gastroparesis is severe.
The above information comes from The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. To ensure that you’re viewing the most up-to-date information, we recommend visiting the bleeding in the digestive tract entry at the NIDDK website.