Faces of GP

I have been living with GP since 2000  when I was first diagnosed. I have been living with stomach pain that is sometimes left with no answers as to why. I’ve been told I can’t get pain control because it slows the GI system more. 

I have had a bunch of failed surgeries. First they did a pyloroplasty, didn’t help. Was on tube feeds which I failed numerous times at. Then a few years later they did a partial gastrectomy which has made me worse. Also had a laparotomy with j tube take down because of too many tube issues, the tract pulled away from the jejunum and abdominal wall.  I am now TPN dependent which has landed me in the hospital with sepsis multiple times!

Imagine having the stomach bug every day for the rest of your life, not being able to enjoy food cause it either causes pain or vomiting. Drs. tell us we are too complex and then send us to a Dr. that’s supposed to specialize and then they also say we don’t know what else to do. Having to fight to get the orders

My name is Cherylann Baggett Silva. My problems started when I was 15 years old and would get terrible sound like aches and nausea and my mom would bring me to the doctors over and over and over again. They did so many kinds of Testing and just told me I had reflux. I went on to live a miserable life. 

In 2014I had a stomach emptying test that showed after six hours 50% of my food was still left in my stomach. So many brutal tests were done before that that were so painful and horrible to go through and withstand.. The name of the disease was gastroparesis. That’s what I was told. I was given no information on the disease. I had severe pain and vomiting all the time and nausea 24–7. For 3 straight years in a row the nausea never went away at all. I’ve lived with it from the time I woke up until the time I went to sleep. Nothing would help it. I just wanted to die. No doctor would help with pain medication. 

Since I was diagnosed I have had

I was diagnosed with Gastroparesis in 2007/2008. I was prescribed multiple medications throughout the years, and none have helped. Have had more than 10 endoscopic procedures done, 2 with botox injection. The 1st time with botox was in 2008, it did help, I was able to eat without pain, and still able to eat whole foods.

Unfortunately nothing about Gastroparesis is explained by the Gastroenterologist, they pass it on to a nutritionist or a dietician. The insurance does not cover that profession, and it cost way too much for my budget. So I am left on my own to do research and trial and error with foods/drinks. That can be a setback at times, because once I get sick from something I ate, drank or medications, it takes days and sometimes more than a week to get my stomach to be calm again. I have been to 10+ specialist and to no avail, I am getting worse in my health, these doctors know it and they see it. I weigh 82lbs, am malnourished, malabsorption, my food intake is very small and limited. The last GI office I went to in May, they didn’t have my records, never seen me before, and

Hi. My name is Kelly and I have been battling idiopathic GP for 8 years. I was diagnosed after I had a surgery , which may or may not have been the cause. I have 4 wonderful children and they, along with my husband, family and friends have made this journey a bit more bearable. I have had 9 surgeries to keep things at bay including the gastric pacemaker which became infected, along with every other option for GP. I am on TPN for the rest of my life and can take small sips of liquids, which help with caloric intake. The challenges of GP will be something I will always have to live with but along with my amazing team of doctors and support from my family, I wake up each day ready to take on new challenges and cherish the days where I have strength and the fight to never give up.