Starving for pain

     Most people don't understand why gastroparesis is such a reprehensible, ugly disease. Many people have had gastric bypass surgery to lose weight. They assume the two are very similar, or at least if you remove the stomach it would relieve the symptoms. Here is the difference. Gastric Bypass surgery is something they do to their bodies, and so their bodies do everything in its power to repair it. Gastroparesis does it to you, and everything you try to combat it, your body fights. Most people with Gastroparesis have a number of issues and if one was to remove the stomach and the small intestines are paralyzed as well, and if they eat, they don't have a stomach to hold the food so the symptoms are much worse and much more dangerous.
     Some people say if eating makes you so sick then stop. Could you? If you hadn't eaten a bite for weeks and are as surrounded by food as we are in America, would you continue to starve or eventually give in? Everybody has different strengths and weaknesses and almost every case of gastroparesis is different. But we all have this in common, we are starving, literally starving to death surround by the best food in the world. So what do we do? We eat. Eating doesn't just cause nausea, your whole body rails against you. Even with all of the medication the nausea is so strong and every inch of your body hurts, it can even bring on Migraines. The pain is so strong. You can go from having a flat belly to looking like you are 8 months pregnant within a few minutes. You throw up everything you ate. Often so hard that you pull muscles, pee on yourself, and my personal favorite, heart palpitations. Even after you throw up the symptoms stay and the pain gets even worse. You ask yourself why you were so stupid to eat. Why did you do this to yourself? But eventually, you start to feel better and the hunger returns. That is the best way I know how to describe gastroparesis.