Megan's Gastroparesis Story: "I'm not afraid anymore."
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- Опубликовано: 2 июл 2024
- After Megan was diagnosed with idiopathic gastroparesis in 2016, her physical and mental health began to spiral. She was very sick and very scared as she constantly scoured the internet for answers as to why this had happened to her and how she could fix it.
Five years later, Megan still has gastroparesis but her experience of it is totally different. She's now eating things she never thought she'd eat again, but far more importantly, she's free of the fear that used to consume her. In our chat, Megan talks about how she got to this place and shares her advice for those who are currently struggling.
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If this discussion resonates with you, I highly encourage you to check out The Little School of Big Change. It's a 6-week live, interactive course that dives deep into the "inside out" way that our experience really works. I recently wrote about why this is the resource that I wish I'd had when I was diagnosed 16 years ago: bit.ly/3NcsGms
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Find my books on Amazon!
- Living (Well!) with Gastroparesis: bit.ly/gastroparesisbook
- Eating for Gastroparesis: bit.ly/eatingforgp
Hi, I'm Crystal. I was diagnosed with idiopathic gastroparesis in 2004 at the age of 23. My experience with gastroparesis has run the gamut, from being malnourished, anxious, and all but hopeless to being a healthy, happy wife, mom, and dual-certified coach, truly living WELL!
I really believe that this kind of freedom from the suffering around gastroparesis is possible for -- and available to -- everyone... regardless of the severity of symptoms or how long you've had the condition. I hope you'll come along as we explore what the inside-out approach to living WELL with gastroparesis is and where freedom really comes from.
Join the mailing list at: bit.ly/crystalsemail
Megan and I share many similarities in our story... although she got there a bit faster than I did! I talked about my own journey toward finding freedom around gastroparesis in this video: ruclips.net/video/c2Z52RMaRs8/видео.html
Love this. I’m on wave 2 and wasn’t expecting it after almost fully recovering. Ride the waves and know there can always be healing.
So beautifully said.
Thank you for this. This interview is great for anyone with gastroparesis, or anyone with a chronic condition/illness. This interview definitely influenced my mindset. I’m ready to lead a happy and fulfilled life.
How are you now? I hope you've achieved happiness. I'm feeling so depressed 😔
Thank u...again, for ur amazing positive stories! I felt like staying home & curl up in a heap of nothingness! I run our business, so that's not an option no matter how I feel. Though I know the physical symptoms r not in my head!
I will say, I also realize the mind/body connection...and even further is our gut truly is our 2nd brain! I have ended up in the ER 3 x's in the last month...my pain so bad each time my BP was 240/135!
I've had to accept this, but I've decided to rise above it, every day in every way possible! I've lost half of my hair, & the more I worried the more I lost! Finally, I just said to the good Lord...if u wanna take it all...they make amazing wigs! Funny, after letting go of what I seemingly have no control of...it slowed or has stopped! I guess letting go, quit the sick cycle of severe anxiety & fear! So, I guess my control was letting go of all of that worry & fear. A journey, that I'm setting out to rise above all of this nonsense my body is throwing my way! We will all get thru this, one way or another. Plze keep this videos coming!
Thank you for all ur wk & time! 🤗
This is a fantastic. Megan articulates this situation so we’ll, and she actually inspires me to have hope that my life will improve. Thank you both!!
Thank you for this!
I wanted to thank you for this experience I saw myself there. In June 2017 I was diagnosed Gastroparesis. No direction what do I do now. I have been on that roller coaster ride not know what to do. So thank you for your book, videos and suggestions. I have learned to embrace it and to keep going in this journey.
Judy, that's so beautiful. To embrace it and keep going... what more could we do? I'm so glad you've found the help and direction that you needed to get there and I'm grateful that you're following along here. Sending lots of good wishes your way!
Wow, thank you so much for sharing watching this gives me hope! Congratulations Megan!!
I'm so glad this brings you hope!! That alone goes a long way toward opening us up to the possibility of a new experience. This condition is so dynamic and, just like life in general, things never stay the same. There's just as much possibility for freedom like Megan's as for any other outcome. So glad you're here!! Sending lots of good wishes!
My symptoms are terrible bloating & distention, nausea, gas, fatigue, fullness after I eat, and awful abdomen pain. This would come & go for years but this last year it is constant! I've always been a Jean size 25 or 26 & pants size 0 - 2 but I measured my waist yesterday and it's 33! I can't wear most of my clothes. It's very frustrating & depressing. Have had almost all tests & they come back normal or not enough to be diagnostic. My GI ( the 4th one ) ordered a stomach emptying test. Maybe a motility issue. It's always worse after I eat and now if I bend over regurgitated vomit comes up my throat & into my mouth. I am miserable! Liquids only for the last 2 days. No appetite & too full. Thank you for your channel. I don't feel so alone. If it is GP does the bloating go away? My world has become so much smaller. My quality of life sucks. Keeps me in bed with my heating pad most of the time. I also suffer from chronic pain. Pain management Dr switched my medicine & it helps the abdomen pain better. I am grateful for that. Thank you for your channel. It's good to know I'm not alone. My sons say I have more health issues than a math book has problems!
Truth! I appreciate Meagans story.
Glad it resonated with you, Jo!
Thank for exposing same position
I just got the gastric stimulator surgery and all though it still hurts, I have hope to be able to eat better some day. Feeling glad I got this done, Feeling more hopeful.
Sending lots of good wishes your way, Brenda! I got the stimulator in 2009 and the recovery definitely takes a bit. So glad you're feeling more hopeful though! That's a such a huge piece of all of this.
How can i get ahold of you i have diabetic gastroparesis
Hi Crystal, does gastric stimator help?
hi crystal, did Megan get the stimulator like yours? how about a g-tube? I hope there are more details on how she actually recovered :)
Hi, Hasmin! This is such a relatable question. I think we all want to know the "answer" when we see someone no longer suffering with something that we're struggling with. I don't believe that Megan had either the stimulator or a g-tube. Her physical symptoms improved over time, as they do for many people. But I think the most remarkable part of Megan's story, and why she was so eager to tell it, is the relief she experienced once she let go of trying so hard to fix herself and the diagnosis. There's so much to see there!
@@lwwgp you're right :) thanks & it gives a lot of hope for those with the same condition. does this mean that her experience was psychosomatic, or maybe a mind - body connection?
@Hasmin B yes, so much hope!! No, I don't think it necessarily means anything about the source or cause of the symptoms/condition. I think it really just points us back to the fact that we experience everything through our thinking and that means there's an opportunity to alleviate suffering _independent_ of what happens with our physical symptoms. Megan, for example, didn't suffer less *because* her symptoms went away... she experienced less suffering and then *eventually* her symptoms went away. And yes, I do think the mind and body are definitely connected. I wouldn't even say they're connected so much as they're the one and the same. It seems to me that when we feel less pressure and overwhelm and desperation, it can only be helpful in that sense. That's how I see it anyway!
Deficiency of Vitamin b12 can be a issue
For sure; always a good thing to check.
For some people they can’t just not fixate because they are in SO much pain after eating. Obviously when I’m in severe pain not focusing on it is not an option. This was just annoying to listen to quite frankly. I don’t get to just have a “better attitude” and not be sick anymore. I don’t understand how this video is helpful… mindfulness doesn’t stop nausea either.
I get what you’re saying. I always tell my family that is impossible to not think about gastroparesis when you’re feeling it everyday. Nausea, pain, heartburn, early satiety, vomiting etc, is part of the daily life of gastroparesis patients. As a person with gastroparesis I can really assure that emotions and thoughts really have an impact on our stomach and make symptoms worse. The physical symptoms trigger emotional distress too, so it’s like a vicious cycle. Right now I’m trying to get out of the emotional black hole I’m in thanks to this horrible illness. Some days are better than others, it’s true, I try to get the best of them. Some people never have good days and that must be horrible and I really don’t know how I could handle it. I just… I don’t know. I always have in mind that tomorrow will be a better day, no matter what. That’s my hope everyday.
Hi, Sofia. I'm so glad that you're here. I'm sorry you're struggling emotionally but I'm really glad you posted your comment. When you say, "it's impossible not to think about gastroparesis when you're feeling it everyday," that's such a interesting thing to look at.
It sure feels true (and I used to feel the EXACT same way) but I think we have all had moments where we got distracted, even in the midst of terrible flare ups. Where we got wrapped up in a TV show or a book or a movie, or where we had to take care of a child or a family member, or we were in a beautiful place or feeling especially grateful for something and for even just a brief moment, our mind wasn't on gastroparesis and we weren't in that black hole. In that moment - even if it's just a few seconds - we aren't suffering.
Those moments can definitely be few and far between at times but they show us something SO VERY important. They show us very clearly that our experience doesn't come solely from having gastroparesis. If it did, every single one of us with objectively similar GP symptoms would feel the exact same way and we would feel that way ALL the time, even if we got distracted.
But neither of those things is true. We do have moments where aren't suffering (or suffering as much) even in the midst of being sick. And I have talked with thousands of people in the past decade working with others with gastroparesis and the experiences are all over the map (and they often don't correlate with objective severity of the condition). That's actually the first thing that started to open my eyes to the fact that there was something more at play.
This leads me to the second important thing about that phrase..."it's impossible not to think about gastroparesis." The really interesting thing is that we don't have to NOT think about gastroparesis in order to start digging ourselves out of that black hole. We simply see that we ARE thinking and that's why we're experiencing things the way we are. The more we get wise to the fact that we experience _everything_ through our thinking, the more space we start to create between us and that thinking. We can start to get curious about our thoughts and whether they're actually as factual as we take them to be. We start to notice that when we're really caught up in thinking, we don't feel good emotionally... we feel desperate, overwhelmed, hopeless, etc.
But then something occurs to us -- something your knowing that there's always the possibility for tomorrow to be a better day -- that brings a different feeling. One of hope or relief.
Truly, if you're going to have gastroparesis either way (since we don't have much say in that part of it), following a good, hopeful feeling seems like an easier way of life to me than following what leaves you feeling hopeless, angry, or disempowered.
I think this discussion can be misunderstood as just "think positive" or "have a better attitude" but it's not about that AT ALL. It's about seeing where our suffering is really coming from because once we shine a light on that, things look a whole lot easier even in the midst of having gastroparesis.
If you haven't seen my video called "Trying to think positive?" I think you might resonate with it: ruclips.net/video/0sTwKxusD6k/видео.html
Sending you LOTS of good wishes! I"m so glad you found your way to this video and I hope that you hear something in all of this brings you a good feeling. There is truly SO MUCH hope for a different experience. Megan and I, and so many others, are living proof of that. ❤
Hi, Bill G8sdad. I'm sorry that you're suffering and in pain. Perhaps something in my reply to Sofia will resonate with you. If not, I truly hope that you do find something that brings you relief. Sending good wishes ❤
@@lwwgp Thank you very much for those words! GP is really a hard path, but like you said, even in the worst moments there’s something good. I’m still struggling emotionally and I’m new to this so I’m still learning how to live with GP. I bought your book and it has been a great help for me. Thank you again for replying! Means a lot!
@@Sofia-te4dp how are you handling it now? I’ve been diagnosed for 4 months and am struggling heavily mentally and physically.
It’s a paralyzed stomach!!! It’s bad!!! No cure!
Hi, Suzi! Glad you're here. I totally get how scary and hopeless the diagnosis can feel. I've definitely been there. The good news is that it IS possible to live WELL with gastroparesis and alleviate the suffering. Megan is such a great example of that. I hope you hear something in this conversation that feels inspiring or empowering to you.
The idea that gastroparesis = paralyzed stomach is a common misconception but fortunately in the vast majority of cases the stomach isn't paralyzed -- it's weak and/or slow but it does work. I also always feel compelled to point out that no cure isn't the same as never goes away (there's no cure for the common cold, for example) and certainly not the same as there's nothing we can do to feel better. Lots of stories of and tips for that over on my blog at www.livingwithgastroparesis.com.
I talk more about both of those things and lots more in this video I recently did answering gastroparesis FAQs in case you're interested: ruclips.net/video/eVfzobT-UNE/видео.html
Sending lots of good wishes!!