KAT’S PERSONAL STORY

My story began in the 1980’s & 90’s, but gastro issues tend to manifest throughout my family, my grandfather had diverticulitis, so did my mom, my uncle had problems with his esophageal sphincter flap (esophagus) various cousins, siblings, nieces and nephews as well as my own kids have suffered from stomach issues of one kind of another. My son was diagnosed with crohn’s disease 10 years ago, yes digestive issues run in my family. I began having IBS-D in the 1990’s, horrible to deal with. Medical doctors can be so cruel and unhelpful when it comes to giving advice and seeking solutions for IBS. By 2010 I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, & put on Metformin, which has the side-effect of diarrhea, played a number on my IBS. I got off it & saw a nutritionist. After trail & error I found a compatible diet, one I could live fairly well on, until just after covid ended, when I began vomiting. I thought I ate something wrong, I was sick a week, I couldn’t seem to eat much, nothing heavy, was nausea all the time. I felt poisoned, I lost over 40 pounds and was having difficulty maintaining my normal activities-like going to work. It was still hard to see doctors then, finally I saw my gastroenterologist, who did a lot of tests and told me I had neuropathy of my stomach, where my stomach isn’t digesting food, or food is staying in my stomach too long & that’s why I’m getting sick, all caused by my diabetes. He suggested a permanent fodmap diet, that was two years ago, I didn’t know this condition was called gastroparesis until it was shown to me, this year and now I’m investigating everything I can find about it. I continue to lose weight, I tweak my diet and I am very careful with every bite I take. Almost every morning I wake up sick and I wonder if this is how everyone is? At least I’m still independent, but it seems like no one understands. This is my story, up until now.