Medical Stomach Not Emptying: Vagus Nerve Damage?

[Evo]

I've been sure of this before, but now I have proof, so to speak. I ate a small mint yesterday afternoon. As always, I have stomach pain and abnormal distension. I ate the mint over 30 hours ago and I'm now burping up mint. I wondered before about my vagus nerve being damaged by my previous stomach surgery that set off the extreme pain and distension. I guess I need to call my gastroenterologist.



I'm just venting.

 

[lisab]

That sounds horrible...I feel so bad for you!

Yes it sounds like a trip to the GE doc is in order.

 

[micromass]

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Not good! I remember I once had a case of my stomach not emptying, but ended up being food poisoning... it did empty eventually...

 

[Evo]

Not good! I remember I once had a case of my stomach not emptying, but ended up being food poisoning... it did empty eventually...

Yeah, it's called gastroparesis. Gah.

 

[Evo]

I spoke to the doctor's nurse today and she told me that it's not possible for food like mint to remain in the stomach more than a few hours. Ok, that means I'm delusional (not contesting that). (I also corrected dysphagia, which I also have, with gastroparesis, don't know what I was thinking).

Any opinions on how long food can stay in the stomach (aside from a bezoar). I know if food remains in the stomach for at least 12 hours it can indicate gastroparesis.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/487952-undigested-food-in-stomach/

http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/gastroparesis/

 

[Astronuc]

I've been sure of this before, but now I have proof, so to speak. I ate a small mint yesterday afternoon. As always, I have stomach pain and abnormal distension. I ate the mint over 30 hours ago and I'm now burping up mint. I wondered before about my vagus nerve being damaged by my previous stomach surgery that set off the extreme pain and distension. I guess I need to call my gastroenterologist.



I'm just venting.

Definitely see a GE. Not being able to empty the stomach is not good.

I spoke to the doctor's nurse today and she told me that it's not possible for food like mint to remain in the stomach more than a few hours. Ok, that means I'm delusional (not contesting that). (I also corrected dysphagia, which I also have, with gastroparesis, don't know what I was thinking).

Tell the nurse you'd be happy to come over and throw up on her.

Any opinions on how long food can stay in the stomach (aside from a bezoar). I know if food remains in the stomach for at least 12 hours it can indicate gastroparesis.

I think food should be out after a few hours, certainly by 8 hrs.

 

[Monique]

I spoke to the doctor's nurse today and she told me that it's not possible for food like mint to remain in the stomach more than a few hours.

I agree about the candy not staying in the stomach long: the stomach could probably absorb most of it. I do wonder about the oils, it's not unimaginable that those stay in the stomach much longer.

 

[turbo]

Stuff generally gets out of my upper GI tract in short order. Perhaps a good thing, given my tendency to eat really hot chilies. Everything else seems to be on an 8-10 hour schedule, though. YMMV. Given your medical history, it would be a really good idea for you to get into see a doctor ASAP

 

[Evo]

I agree about the candy not staying in the stomach long: the stomach could probably absorb most of it. I do wonder about the oils, it's not unimaginable that those stay in the stomach much longer.

I ws thinking that the mint could have flavored the other food trapped in my stomach.

 

[lisab]

Is it possible you eat while sleepwalking? It's not unheard of. Perhaps you ate a mint while sleeping?

 

[Evo]

Is it possible you eat while sleepwalking? It's not unheard of. Perhaps you ate a mint while sleeping?

Nope there were three of them, 2 are left.

 

[alan2]

I am not a doctor, in fact biology makes me queasy. I had a problem for several months and they couldn't figure it out. My stomach wouldn't empty, I looked pregnant. Then my blood pressure started going through the roof. My physician told me there was nothing wrong except that I had high blood pressure. I argued that one doesn't just wake up one day with high blood pressure. 6 doctors later it turned out that I had a pyloric ulcer. The pylorus is the sphincter between the stomach and whatever comes after it. The sphincter was inflamed and not working properly so food couldn't pass out of the stomach into the intestines. 3 weeks of amoxycillin and prilosec and I was as good as new. Hope you feel better, it can be awful, even worse when the doctor thinks you're nuts.

 

[Evo]

I am not a doctor, in fact biology makes me queasy. I had a problem for several months and they couldn't figure it out. My stomach wouldn't empty, I looked pregnant. Then my blood pressure started going through the roof. My physician told me there was nothing wrong except that I had high blood pressure. I argued that one doesn't just wake up one day with high blood pressure. 6 doctors later it turned out that I had a pyloric ulcer. The pylorus is the sphincter between the stomach and whatever comes after it. The sphincter was inflamed and not working properly so food couldn't pass out of the stomach into the intestines. 3 weeks of amoxycillin and prilosec and I was as good as new. Hope you feel better, it can be awful, even worse when the doctor thinks you're nuts.

Thanks alan, I'm going to insist that they run some tests, this has been going on way too long.

 

[Moonbear]

It may not be vagus nerve damage, though it's one consideration. Another is constriction of the pyloris or duodenum...you will have gastric emptying, but much slower than normal. If it's not emptying, they should be able to see where things are stoppering up with upper GI radiographs after swallowing barium (ooh, yummy!). It does seem odd that a mint would linger. It's mostly sugar and would dissolve easily.

 

[Evo]

It does seem odd that a mint would linger. It's mostly sugar and would dissolve easily.

Can the taste linger? It was clearly mint. It wasn't until the second burp that I wondered where it came from, then remembered I ate a chocolate mint the day before. I'm taking a proton pump inhibitor, twice the recommended amount (per doctor's orders).

 

[Moonbear]

Maybe it mixed with other solids still in there. If you're not even getting liquids with dissolved sugars through, I'm surprised you didn't just vomit it up after sitting there so long.

 

[Evo]

Maybe it mixed with other solids still in there. If you're not even getting liquids with dissolved sugars through, I'm surprised you didn't just vomit it up after sitting there so long.

I vomit all of the time, the distension in my abdomen is so painful, I get full after a few bites, if I can eat at all. I usually can only eat once a day.

 

[rhody]

Evo,

I just read your thread for the first time, with some good insight by others give and take with you, please see your gastroenterologist soon, and if you are not happy him/her, get a referral for another one. I am concerned for you. There isn't a time when I log on PF that your health it isn't the first or second thing on my mind.

Rhody...

 

[Evo]

Evo,

I just read your thread for the first time, with some good insight by others give and take with you, please see your gastroenterologist soon, and if you are not happy him/her, get a referral for another one. I am concerned for you. There isn't a time when I log on PF that your health it isn't the first or second thing on my mind.

Rhody...

I have a new gastroenterologist, he's ordered a bunch of tests, I forgot to tell him about my stomach not emptying. I mentioned this to his nurse when she happened to call me. She's anti-mint.

I guess I should also mention that 3 doctors have agreed that my nissen fundoplication over 3 years ago was botched and is causing my problems. Unfortunately they all agree that surgery to repair the damage is too dangerous. I've been told that the surgery is so risky that only a surgeon that specializes in this surgery can perform it, and if you don't die, it's unlikely to help, so no one will recommend it.

Great. So that's were I am, victim of a botched surgery with a ton of problems. So they are looking at individual symptoms to provide relief, but not very hard. I think this new doctor will take things farther.

 

[cisono]

> I'm taking a proton pump inhibitor, twice the recommended amount (per doctor's orders).

Therein lies your answer.

Why are you taking a PPI by the way? - (if I may ask)

I used to have delayed gastric-emptying last year after a week of bad digestive disturbances while on holiday in India. The doctor attributed the problems - which included nausea and burping - to H. Pylori (I tested positive) and tried to give me PPIs. Now, where is the sense in that? They would have reduced acidity in my stomach and made digestion take even longer (as well as create other problems). Food was already taking AGES to digest as it was!

What has helped me instead has been taking digestive enzymes with my two main meals and also probiotics.

Good luck!