My story begins and ends with a plea to lawmakers. Our Declaration of Independence lists our "inalienable rights" of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". I ask you to give me and my fellow sufferers with gastroparesis those rights. There are numerous medications and treatments for gastroparesis in other countries that have not been allowed in the USA. These are approved by the World He

I was officially diagnosed with Gastroparesis in March of 2014. However, my doctors feel that I have been suffering with it for much longer. In 2007 following a surgical biopsy I was diagnosed with Reflux. I had started experiencing classic reflux symptoms with heart burn and a lump sensation in my throat. The piece that didn't fit was constant and random regurgitation of undigested food. I starte

I thought my life couldn't possibly get any worse. Yes, I have an amazing husband and three awesome kids ranging from age 13-22.
Sometime around February of 2014 I was called to come into my doctors office immediately. He walked in the room and had two boxes in his one hand. I shook my head, "No No No" as he said "Yes Yes Yes". My blood sugar was way of the grid. I was close to kidney failu

In 2010 I gave birth to my first son and suffered a 4th degree tear- as a result of a vacuum delivery and episiotomy. Soon after I started having issues with continence but didn't really connect the dots. After a year or so of realizing that something wasn't right, I had a GI doc do a rectal exam and discovered that most of my sphincter muscle was missing. I was referred to a colo-rectal surgeon a

Hello; I am a 69 year old woman who when I was just 18 years old I had a Duodenal Ulcer. The doctors did not know then that a Duodenal Ulcer could be caused by bacteria. My ulcer was. It was caused by H-Pylori. Never knew until 15 years ago. They found it anti-bodies in my blood and for some reason they put me on a two week horrible treatment. Months later they tested my blood once again and saw a

I have had IBS symptoms since a child, or young teenager. I first noticed symptoms (immediate diarrhea) on the first day of a new school, or moving from elementary to middle and from middle to highschool, taking my driving test etc. These were high stress situations for me. During my high school years, anytime I would sneak out or lie to my parents diarrhea would come on immediately. I thought it

Before I tell my whole backstory, I want you to know, I have found a way to manage my GERD and it can definitely work for other people, too. Two years ago, I found this treatment, and my GERD symptoms went away completely (I could drink coffee, alcohol, eat spicy food again). I'm back to having bad acid reflux symptoms-- but that's only because I was supposed to take the stuff on an "as needed" ba

I've had IBS with diarrhea for years..no constipation. My stomach pain occurs after a bowel movement and can last for hours.Some times the pain is unbearable. I take Dicyclamine for spasms and practically live on anti-diarrheals. Mine was made worse by colorectal surgery that failed. My life is governed by my colon. I have to carry extra clothes in the car and wipes & underwear in my purse. My con

HI, I have been wondering for some time why I had a chronic cough for 16 years! I have been to numerous doctors for it. They have given me Advair thinking it was some king of Asthma. Also allergy medicines for allergy because I also had post nasal drip with it. I too thought the post nasal drip caused my cough and curious enough I used the Advair for years thinking it was helping somewhat. I saw a

DHA advocate Lindsay has made great strides to raise awareness and funds for gastroparesis. The first annual Go With Your Gut 5K was held in Hilliard, Ohio, on August 23rd of 2014. Lindsay crushed her $3,000 fundraising goal, bringing in more than $9,000 to benefit research into idiopathic gastroparesis through the DHA and IFFGD. Her dedication to improving the lives of all people with gastropares

My Gastroparesis Story My name is Trisha and I am sharing my personal story to give you an inside look at what it's like living with this awful and misunderstood disease. I have had GI-related issues and numerous sporadic episodes of being unable to eat due to pain and nausea/vomiting for many years, but none of the episodes has been anywhere close to being as severe or long-lasting as the issu

Hello - I had an umbilical hernia repaired at age 5. I remember having constipation issues my entire life, and remember screaming whenever I had a bowel movement. My mother's sister had a twisted intestine at age 22 and died during surgery while having it repaired. I am now 45 and still have major issues which include chronic constipation, bloating, gas, pain, fatigue, depression, and sometimes bl

Hi my name is Rebecca and I was diagnosed with Mild Gastroparesis in 2006. I have always suffered with constipation from childhood and was very familiar with laxatives growing up. I also had a lot of tummy aches. However when I became a young adult; I found a way to keep my constipation under control for first time in my life; and, that was simply by drinking a 6 oz. glass of Prune Juice followed

April of 2009 changed my life forever. I'd just finished exercising and was hungry. I ate something with cheese on it, the next thing I knew, I was having the WORST stomach pangs. I'd had stomach problems all my life, but nothing like this. The next thing I knew I had diarrhea and projectile vomiting at the same time. My 9 yr old daughter called 911 because her mommy was screaming in so much pain.

I used to be 100% healthy before i was 20. Then i started using lots of heavy drugs for a few years and abusing them got me a little confused but i managed to keep some balance..tho one day someone lied to me and i ended up taking 5 times more amphetamines (derivative) than i wanted to and the next day i woke up with acid relux symptoms (my guess is the nervous stress caused by this insane dose of

Through her blog, Eats and Exercise by Amber, and by becoming the face of the Irritable Bowel Syndrome Outcome Study (IBSOS), Awareness Ambassador Amber has worked to raise awareness of IBS and encourage hope and perseverance in all those suffering with the disorder. Check out her blog. And, watch her interview with local news channel WIVB4.
IBS - three letters that used to control my life.

My story is a bit different. I started going through Menopause early 2013. In addition to the Menopause symptoms, I started having a unexpected leakages of gas. Over the past two years, this has become worse, where it is a constant daily occurrence. I cannot go to church, work, social gatherings, etc. without stinking out everyone around me. I have become so accustom to the odor, that I am not awa

This is my mother's story. April 2013, elective surgery for lower back pain. Same day surgery, in and out. Within 48 hours my mother rushed to the hospital with a blood clot in the lower back and was sent to surgery to alleviate. Within a week of the 2nd surgery she was again hospitalized for fluid. As a result my mother was left with a syndrome called "cauda equina syndrome" because the nerv

I had to take laxatives for 52 years. over the that made me more spastic as time passed . now I am living with terrible ever day. I almost pray for diarria. I am going to ask for removal of my colon. that can have consequences that could kill me. but right know I am living a unbelieving hell. I pray every but it gets worse . god help me please.

I had an ulcer when I was 7 years old. My first experience with internal problems. In my 20's it was issues with constipation. It seemed like I tried everything under the sun. Some would work for awhile and then stop. In my mid 30's I was starting to have severe digestive issues, then pain, etc. I had an endoscopy which showed nothing. I was given different acid reducers finally working up to the