YES! That's exactly it, Reina. When we're no longer afraid of our experience, everything changes. So glad you're doing well and so glad you're here!

Edith, I’m so glad you’re doing better and very happy that you found an uplifting support group! Feel free to drop the name/link here for others who may be looking for similar support. So important to highlight truly helpful resources! Sending you lots of good wishes ❤️

Erika, I'm so glad you're listening to your gut (what a horrible pun, huh?) and doing what feels right for you. It's comments like yours that keep inspiring me to create content for the GP community. 💖

Same. The support groups on FB terrified me. You don't see support groups for people that are "doing well".

Thanks for watching, Tinnia! Glad it was helpful!

So very glad you found your way here and we were able to connect! 💖

Michele, I'm so glad the books have been helpful for you! If you feel comfortable sharing, who is your doctor?

Hello there, how are you doing now? Your experience sounds very similar to mine.

Hi, Sue. I'm really not sure. I have experienced similar changes in testing and treatments offered at various clinics, though. Thanks for being here!

First, regarding closed captions, I believe if you just hit the "CC" button on the bottom of the video, it will bring up the captions. If that doesn't work let me know; I certainly want the videos to be accessible to all. Now, to your post... there's so much hope! Truly. Stick around here (or check out my website) and you'll see lots of people who are living well despite the condition and those who have improved greatly or no longer have gastroparesis. I love your insight around even the conversations on what people are eating feeling unhelpful. I think sometimes the more attention we pay to things, the more all consuming they become. There's a balance to be found between ignoring symptom management and being consumed by it. The freedom is somewhere in the middle, where we do what makes sense to feel as good as we can physically and then we keep on living our lives with gastroparesis a part of it but not the focus of it. That's what I talk about and so I'm really glad you're here!

Thanks. I found the closed caption. When I first learned about the gp from the result of GES, I was upset and couldn't figure out what it has caused. But no GIs here can help me. Also I'm waiting for a specialist/surgeon for hiatal hernia/reflux to review my case soon and I have already maxed out the conservative treatments, except Domperidone. No medications can help with this because the hiatal hernia has opened up the hole and the reflux goes up despite of everything I have tried. I'm also on 8-month post op second neck surgery (not caused to go, though). I also had hysterectomy two years ago. Now with gp, it drives me nuts. I'm in pain from tummy to throat. I have lost weight without intention. Too much all at once. So I hope I can get all the help and be able to move forward. I just don't know what to do to help easing my tummy, nausea, chest pain, sour taste and such. I will watch this video soon.

@@bdyslin5039 Sorry you're experiencing all of those issues. My gastroparesis and intestinal dysmotility is caused by hypermobile type Ehlers Danlos syndrome, which is a collagen disorder that can cause motility issues, hernias, joint issues, and a wide array of other systemic issues. I have adverse reactions to dopamine blocking drugs like Domperidone, so that one isn't an option for me. My doctor put me on an older and safer prokinetic medication called Mestinon (Pyridostigmine), which Mayo Clinic has pioneered as a repurposed medication to treat gastroparesis, chronic constipation, and other motility issues. Mestinon is what fixed my digestive issues, thankfully. Hoping you can find a good doctor who can work with you to find the best treatment option for you, so you can feel better!

Hi, Whitney! Thanks for being here. It sounds like you have a pretty common combo of functional GI issues (GP + reflux, IBS, "sluggish" gallbladder, etc.) I have dealt with all of this myself, so I definitely understand how overwhelming it can feel. I can't tell from your question if you did get a stimulator implanted or you were going to but then your emptying improved. If you're asking if it's still normal to be symptomatic after you have the device implanted, I think that's not uncommon. It's a symptom management tool and typically doesn't completely alleviate symptoms on its own. For me, it was helpful as one part of a management plan that also included dietary changes, lifestyle practices, good sleep, addressing anxiety, etc. I also still took medication for nausea and constipation while I had the device turned on. (Mine has been off for a few years now.) If I misunderstood your question, just let me know and I'll be happy to follow up. Sending good wishes!

@Crystal Sorry no we didn't have the pacemaker put in and it is all tolerable at time with all these problems but I feel I can't trust my body to go back to working since everything is so unpredictable, just before covid hit I decided to stop all the different medications due to ever new med causing a new problem or aggravating a existing one. I take something for stress, for my diabetes and Gerd as well as something for the bad bad bad nausea spells.

@Crystal I guess I am asking are all these feelings normal ? I feel like I letting my family down by not being able to work due to the horribly unpredictable way my body acts. I have days where I just feel that I am so sick and tired of being sick and tired (no I'm not suicidal by any means Im just so tire of feeling like this)I love my family and my life aside from the health issue.

@@whitneysims8505 Ok, I understand and I'm so glad you're here. I think there's so much in this conversation for you. Yes, I think what you're feeling is super common. I can certainly relate and I bet a lot of others can too. One thing that I've found really interesting over the years is how my perspective has shifted on my body. What you say about not being able to trust your body to work again... I very much used to feel that. I didn't trust my body at all and I felt like I had to constantly be monitoring and manipulating it to do what I wanted it to do. I see it really differently now. I see that my body was faced with all kinds challenges (genetic, viral, hormonal, nutritional... stress of all kinds) and in spite of it all, has done the very best it could do to keep me going. I have a lot more gratitude and compassion for my body now and it has really made a lot of difference in how I feel about my health and my wellbeing. It was also helpful for me when I realized that being "sick and tired of being sick and tired" (so human by the way! we have these common sayings for a reason!) was just a reflection of my state of mind in a moment. It wasn't reflective of my situation (because that feeling changed now and then, even as my situation stayed pretty much the same). And by seeing that, it felt less like I had to *do* something about feeling sick and tired, and somehow there was relief just in that alone. Again, this is all part of the larger discussion we've been having here around the inside out nature of life and I think it's so much more transformative than initially seems. It's the thing that really gets people back into the lives, even if their bodies aren't doing exactly what they'd like them to do. Would love to know if you hear anything in this, Whitney. Sending you lots of good wishes!

@@whitneysims8505 Do you happen to have underlying or undiagnosed Ehlers Danlos syndrome (EDS)? That's what turned out to be the cause of my digestive issues, as well as all of my other health issues. It's a collagen disorder which can cause issues all around the body, since collagen is everywhere in the body. There are also 13 different types of EDS, which makes it very confusing for doctors to identify and diagnose.

Hi, Armando. Carrie was speaking specifically to idiopathic/possibly post-viral GP (a detail I probably should've included in the video!🤦‍♀️). Diabetic gastroparesis is typically a long-term condition as it's a result of the diabetes itself. That said, I do think the discussion around our experience is still extremely relevant (and maybe even more so!) in that case. I think that's the real beauty of talking about gastroparesis from the "inside out" perspective -- it's applicable to all us, regardless of cause, severity, length of diagnosis, etc. Glad you're here!