Slow Gut? Gastroparesis Signs and Symptoms

Author's Bio: Katie Bailey, MS, RD, LD, FNC

Hi everyone. Welcome back.

Digestion is essential for our overall wellbeing and when something disrupts this system, it can impact the entire body. One digestive condition that often flies under the radar is gastroparesis.

So in today's video I'll be discussing what is gastroparesis and what causes it? What are the common signs and symptoms that are associated with gastroparesis?

And lastly, what can you do to help improve gastroparesis symptoms?

Hi, I'm Katie Bailey. I'm a gut health dietitian at Oswald Digestive Clinic where we help individuals improve and resolve their bothersome gut issues. If you're interested in learning more about gut health, I'll have our free guide Five Ways to Improve Your Gut Health here.

Alright, let's get started on today's topic.

[Video Transcript Below Video - it is the same information]

What Is Gastroparesis?

Gastroparesis also commonly known as delayed gastric emptying is a digestive condition where the stomach takes longer than it should to empty or move food into the small intestine. In this situation, the delayed gastric emptying is not due to any blockages in the stomach or the small intestines. Instead, it stems from nerve or muscle dysfunction in the stomach. In other words, the stomach muscle is not contracting normally and therefore it's causing delayed emptying.

What Causes Gastroparesis?

For some individuals, it's just a mild slowdown, while for others it can be very severe and debilitating. While the exact cause is not always clear, the most common causes are related to damage or dysfunction of the vagus nerve. So the one that you're going to probably hear the most common is diabetes. So especially when blood sugar levels are poorly controlled, high blood sugar levels can damage the nerves and blood vessels that supply the stomach, especially the vagus nerve, which controls stomach muscle contractions.

Next is surgeries. So surgeries that involve the stomach or the esophagus, things like gastric bypass can inadvertently damage the vagus nerve and lead to post-surgical gastroparesis. Medications also can cause gastroparesis, so certain drugs like pain relievers or some antidepressants have been shown to delay gastric emptying. And then lastly, autoimmune conditions or neurological conditions can affect the nerves that control stomach motility.

Signs and Symptoms of Gastroparesis

So if you're wondering if your gut might be slowing down, here are a few of the hallmark symptoms we see with gastroparesis and it usually happens right after eating. So the first is feeling really full soon after eating, even if you've only had a few bites or feeling really full long after eating. Next is persistent nausea and vomiting. Sometimes actually seeing undigested food in your vomit that you've had hours previously, bloating and belching.

So you may notice that your stomach feels really distended because of all that excess gas, upper abdominal pain and discomfort, heartburn or reflux. The delayed gastric emptying can cause that stomach acid to come up into the esophagus. Poor appetite in weight loss. So over time, all these symptoms can really cause a lot of reduced food intake, unintended weight loss, and poor nutrient absorption. Some individuals even notice changes in their bowel movements such as constipation or diarrhea and symptoms are going to range from mild to severe and fluctuate over time. If symptoms are very severe, then it is advised to seek medical attention.

How to Improve Gastroparesis Symptoms Naturally

Alright, so now that we know what gastroparesis is and what are the common symptoms, what can you do to help improve gastroparesis symptoms? So conventionally treatment for gastroparesis typically involves symptom management through diet, medications, and sometimes even surgery if it's really severe, but there are some more natural supports that can be really helpful too.

Support the Vagus Nerve

The first is vagus nerve stimulation. So practices like deep breathing meditation, humming or gargling, cold exposure, all of these things are going to help to tone the vagus nerve, which will support gut motility.

Manage Stress

Next is stress management. So really managing your stress is going to support your nervous system as well as reduce any imbalances in your system that is going to impact your gut motility.

Focus on Blood Sugar Balance

And in regards to diet, eating balanced meals that have healthy carbohydrates, healthy fats, proteins, lots of fiber, all those things are going to help to stabilize your blood sugar and prevent those high blood sugar levels that can be really damaging to the nerves that are important for gut motility.

Consider Helpful Supplements

Supplements like digestive enzymes as well as ginger can be really helpful for stimulating a motility. And it's also important to realize that nutrients are super important as well. So really not being deficient in any essential nutrients like magnesium and B vitamins, which are essential for nerve function.

Optimize Gut Health

The next thing to be aware of is we want to be supporting our overall gut health. So eating a whole foods diet that's rich in fiber, polyphenols, prebiotic fibers, resistant starches, probiotics, while really trying to limit our consumption of processed foods, excess sugars, damaged fats can all be really beneficial for a healthy gut microbiome, a healthy gut lining, which is really going to influence positively gastric emptying.

Chew Well and Eat Smaller Meals

And then lastly, chewing your food really well, eating smaller meals. These can also help with some of your symptoms while you work on the root cause of why you're having these symptoms to begin with.

To wrap up our topic for today,

Gastroparesis can significantly impact your quality of life, but relief is possible if you suspect that your gut is slowing down. I urge you to pay attention to your symptoms. Do you have any of the symptoms that we mentioned today? Try some of the suggestions that I mentioned in today's video, and I highly recommend that you consider working with a practitioner that can get to the root cause of your symptoms and create a personalized plan for you.

That's it for today's video. If you liked this video, please hit the like button and subscribe for more nutrition videos. Let us know in the comments if you have any questions. And if you're interested in working with our clinic, you can click the link here to schedule an initial appointment. We do take insurance and you can find more information about that on our website.

Thank you for watching. I'll see you next time. Bye.

If you'd like to explore any of this information further or obtain an individualized nutrition plan, you can schedule an initial appointment at our clinic.  We also take insurance and some of our clients get full coverage, which is great.

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