August is Gastroparesis Awareness Month

Gastroparesis Awareness 2017 — Shannon the face of a warrior

What is this?

Paralysis of all or part of the stomach. There is no cure and limited treatment options. Some people can not eat at all and require feeding tubes. For others, like myself, easy to digest food can take hours or days to process.

Common symptoms: Pain, Fatigue, Bloating, Nausea/Vomiting, Dehydration/Malnutrition, Feeling full after a few bites of food.

This is my invisible illness:

I was finally diagnosed in 2015 after several years of dealing with many issues, and no clear answers. It all started because of damage to the vagus nerve from a liver surgery I had back in 2000. My symptoms didn’t start to appear until about 10 years later. I had been tested for many things, but nothing had been a clear answer to all my issues that seemed to come and go. It hasn’t helped that I have had 5 abdominal surgeries in my lifetime, which means I deal with lots of scar tissue problems which only complicates my symptoms.

It wasn’t until 2015 when I was finally tested for Gasteoprisis (GP) which came back positive. I was relieved because now I had a real reason for my flares (times I would have these really bad episodes, of all the symptoms above). Having never heard of this, I quickly became educated on how to better deal with these issues and improved the awareness of my diet. These “flares” can come at any time, sometimes with no warning.

Interestingly enough, I quickly realized that I wasn’t alone. I found a couple of books and several support groups on social media. I realized that my GP is mild compared to so many. However, because mine is caused by damage to the vagus nerve, I can get progressively worse. I am grateful for an understanding husband, and for understanding coworkers, as they all make sure I take care of myself.
I’m telling a bit of my story because this is an invisible disease that has no cure, and so many are affected – it can be anybody, and child, all ages. I hope by telling my story it will bring better awareness. August is Gastroparesis Awareness Month so you will see green ribbons, and hopefully more social media posts about this terrible disease.

What is the Vagus Nerve?

The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve. It contains motor and sensory fibers and passes through the neck and thorax to the abdomen.

#GPwarrior #
#GPfight #CureGP2017

If you would like more information about Gastroparesis, please check out the website below.

G-Pact.org

Feel the fear, and do it anyway!

Earlier this year I was compelled to start writing down my bucket list – things I really would like to do, or accomplish before I die.

I have several things on my list, most are places to see, adventures to have, classes to take, places to explore, and few are items on my “want” list.

I am very happy to announce that I have recently checked off one of my bucket list items!

I call this both an adventure item and overcoming my fear of heights! Best of all, I got to check off this bucket list item with my loving husband!

We spent the beginning of this month at the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, thanks to a dear friend and long time balloonist. We had a tremendous time with VIP treatment and a behind the scenes tour. We met some amazing people and spent time with new friends. We have been blessed by being able to take our very first hot air balloon ride at this very large event.

We overcame our “fear of heights” by feeling the fear and doing it anyway!