For Brenda & Mik
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I'm spoiling this memo for those who don't care to slog through it.
~~As promised, here come the gory details, hopefully briefly.
Each time I go through one of these spells I learn a little bit more. I think I have worked out how to fix the stomach thing, and am still puzzled by the breathing thing. I can’t remember if I ever mentioned this, but it looks like the whole soup-to-nuts adventure kicked off with an injury I sustained while on the treadmill back in 2012. I was bound and damned determined to jog for a certain time without stopping no matter what, and I tore something in my upper chest. It felt small and inconsequential, and it’s been a major trial ever since. I fear surgery may be needed, but later for that. Breathing was hideous for a long time and I had to quit the fitness center because I could barely navigate more than ten steps without rest, but things have gotten better, slowly. Still can’t go very far without support.
What has been weird is the wonky digestive aspect – can’t figure out why it’s even happening. But it too I have now diagnosed for sure as gastroparesis, and it’s a matter of managing what and how and when I eat. Simple, once I figured it out, compared to this whole megillah.
Knowing what to do is working amazingly well, so long as I remember to do the right thing. It’s a matter of what an old boss of mine called CIPU: Clear If Previously Understood.
What puts me down and depriving TNCR of my abfab self is the classic symptom of gastro: Stomach digestion slows waaay down and – pardon my graphics – food stays stuck and rots and makes me sick. It doesn’t flow through like it does for y’all. But if I eat a little bit at a time, it seems like I can avoid that lovely phase.
I hope.
Sooo . . . I wouldn’t call myself healthy between these two things, the eating and the breathing, but I’m coping better. They are definitely linked; difficulty breathing arises when I don’t eat properly. I’d give anything to figure out what is happening there.
It’s extremely weird.
Thanks for your kindly interest. As I’ve said, it’s the best therapy ever.Cats
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Success is measured by your discipline and inner peace. – Mike Ditka
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@Catseye3 said in For Brenda & Mik:
@Catseye3 Well, poop; sorry, the spoiler didn't work.
So now we all can read it.
It seems really strange that a chest tear would lead to stomach issues. But I'm glad to hear you're getting a handle on it. Maybe you should head up to Mayo and have them work you up. (Me wearing my Brenda hat).
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I'm no physician, but perhaps George or bach might comment. I have heard diaphragmatic injury can be associated with digestive tract problems, but that's the extent of my knowledge.
How much time have the doctors spent investigating?
And as Jolly says, you don't want to be an interesting case. Been there, done that.
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Sounds like you need a GI guy who will take a look at your esophagus. Your symptoms (small meals, food getting "stuck") are consistent with an esophageal stricture, perhaps a hiatal hernia.
If your doc doesn't investigate those possibilities, see another doc. There's no reason you should have this issue.
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Hope you are able to continue getting better.
I wills end positive thoughts to you!!!!
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Once again, thanks to all.
George, when I was hospitalized last year, they did an endoscopy. Found mostly nothing, though he did mention he fixed a narrowing at one point. Nothing changed afterwards, so I'm thinking it was unrelated.
Special thanks to Mik for the phrase 'diaphragmatic injury'. It gives me something to work with. It has occurred to me that that is what happened.
Okay, enough.
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Cats, how awful and frustrating for you. Yes, I think George and Mik have a good hunch about this. You've been dealing with this for so long, and you deserve better. You deserve relief, and you deserve your lifestyle back.
I'm still thinking you should come to Minnesooooooota and be seen at Mayo. Diagnostics is their best feature. You could use that yet to really make your life better.
Sending you
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