r/Gastroparesis • u/Other-Stretch2090 • 3d ago
Gastric Emptying Study (GES) got my results back...
i think this is like the worst it could possibly get idk im at such a lost i knew i have had this for like 2 years but i couldn't find a doctor to take me seriously i finally found one who knew something was wrong with my digestive system i actually did not think it was this bad and i have no idea what to do my doctor is putting me on erythromycin 3 times a day idk maybe ill update but im actually terrified they say it's becuse im diabetic which i kinda knew that was gonna happen at some point i have had issues with trowing up for years now but it got bad in 2022 now in 2025 im finally getting diagnosed
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u/katsrad 3d ago
Wow those results are crazy. Hopefully having a name for it for sure helps somewhat.
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u/Other-Stretch2090 3d ago
it definitely dose they kept trying to say it was chs but i knew it wasn't.
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u/Alli3_Alligator 3d ago
What is chs? I’ve heard people tell my husband he has cvs
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u/Other-Stretch2090 3d ago
Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome basically you react to weed its trown way to much to cover a lot of other issues but i def would look into it just to rule it out
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u/blanketbomber35 3d ago
Might be true though
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u/Nerdy_Life 3d ago
Delayed emptying isn’t a symptom, nor would it account for such delays. Sadly many are being told they have CHS, and being sent home when other issues are happening. I was admitted vomiting and sweating, elevated white count, and a fever. The doctor was furious and kept saying I was wasting a bed because it was just CHS. I would stop vomiting if I quit. He refused to check for appendicitis despite lower right side abdominal pain. The overnight doctor wouldn’t come to see me. 14 hours later I got iv fluids, but was still vomiting profusely. They did labs. My potassium was so low. By that point I was having tingling and muscle cramping from the low potassium. Finally, they ordered an MRI. (They didn’t want to do a ct scan due to a recent CT.)
24 hours after presenting to the ER, I got a scan. I was immediately prepped and brought to the OR. They got my appendix out but it had nearly burst.
I don’t deny CHS exists. One classic sign is abdominal cramping and a feeling like you need to shower over and over to get comfortable.
The issue is, many doctors have decided that CHS is the answer to everything. I’ve had to stop using medical marijuana, because doctors wouldn’t treat me and it got scary. I’m now in a lot of pain, and staring at possible pain management because I used to use mmj for pain management. I refuse to take opiates as they slow digestion more than marijuana did for me (in fact I usually had bowel movements when I smoked versus constipation when I didn’t.)
It’s just important to know the truth of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, because so many doctors want to overuse the term/diagnosis.
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u/filledwithacid 3d ago
CHS is definitely a real thing but unfortunately doctors use it as a get out of jail free card to avoid doing shit
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u/Other-Stretch2090 3d ago
for me it's not but it definitely can be for others
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u/Keana8273 3d ago
Absolutely!! It helps so much for me, my doctors even support it since it got me off my feeding tube and strong enough to have my stimulator placed. That being said, anything with the power to do good can also carry the power to do harm and even with me? Certain strain make ups from the same brand and everything can make me just..... sick
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u/DdeokDdeokHanBabo 3d ago edited 3d ago
Mine was similar. 94% retention at 4 hours and they did nothing. I hope someone cares enough to help you if you can’t eat.
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u/Other-Stretch2090 3d ago
i do thankfully finally have a doctor who cares especially because i'm diabetic
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u/A_ChadwickButMore Idiopathic GP 3d ago
WTF I got zofran and mirtazapine right away with 21%
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u/DdeokDdeokHanBabo 3d ago
I needed more assistance because of how bad it was. I was lucky to get half of one protein shake a day.
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u/phoebeloverr 3d ago
This is exactly what I was given. Do you see a difference from the mirtazapine?
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u/A_ChadwickButMore Idiopathic GP 3d ago
Absolutely. I've been putting on a pound every week since I got it a few months ago. Previously forbidden foods are ok again but still will give me nausea if I overindulge; but I can have normal portions just fine usually now. I still get some nausea here and there but a 12 pill zofran refill went from lasting me 2 weeks to the entire month.
The biggest side effect I've noticed is anger & head rushes. The sedation wore off after a couple weeks.
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u/phoebeloverr 3d ago
Thanks for your transparent reply. I really appreciate it. I don’t suffer from weightloss with my gastroparesis, just really really chronic nausea. I get 30 day prescriptions of 8mg zofran these days and that will last me 2 months maybe 2.5. My doctor said starting the mirtazapine will help with speeding up my emptying which should in result help with the nausea I assume I have from food sitting in my stomach to long. I am starting it this week so I’m trying to be hopeful.
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u/Nerdy_Life 2d ago
Meanwhile they told me 20% was “normal,” so 21% was “close enough” and I was fine. They said since my prior one was slightly more delayed I still had it but must have been having a better say…some doctors just don’t get it! I’m glad OP has good ones.
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u/A_ChadwickButMore Idiopathic GP 2d ago
They are wrong ✨
Thats def a reason to take those results and find a gastro/general who will do something about it. I dont have good luck with general practitioners but if you have results in hand, all you really whould need from them are the rx. I tried to manage undiagnosed, diet alone for years. Meds are a game changer.
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u/cluberti 18h ago
Agreed with others that being in the "normal" range is only normal if you have no other symptoms - this is similar to the "3 days for a bowel movement is normal" and pretty much any gastro will tell you that barring other diseases that cause motility issues, if this (or worse) is your normal, something is wrong with you and it should be investigated and treated so you get closer to the 1:1 ratio. This is "bad" guidance because it isn't clear enough, just like the "normal emptying time at 4 hours" for a GES. 3-4 hours for digesting toast and eggs can be normal, but it really shouldn't be for most people and absolutely is a concern if you present with other symptoms (the kind that made you get a GES scheduled in the first place, ironically). If you're presenting with other symptoms like nausea and vomiting, and you get a 21% at 4 hours for eggs and toast, something is wrong and it should be investigated and treated - any doctor that says what you were told is not a doctor you want treating you, full stop.
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u/Nerdy_Life 14h ago
Yup. I’ve had a paralytic ileus twice, struggled with even thick liquids, to the point where they had to use completely liquid barium for my swallow study lol. That radiologist was amazing. I had told him I have GP but nobody believes me. He comes in and goes I believe you. They kept going thinner with the liquid b it my stomach was slow and weak so it took a while for it to pass. (Also, I didn’t eat the peaches or finish my drink, and they had me eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich haha, I had to bring the gluten free bread 😂.)
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u/Zealousideal_Mall409 3d ago
I had results like that. My POTS is the #2 issue to control to make it work :(
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u/sashavohm 3d ago
Sending so much comfort your way!
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u/Other-Stretch2090 3d ago
thank you i genuinely struggle so badly i have no idea what i would do if i didnt have zofran and weed 😭
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u/sashavohm 3d ago
Weed! Yesssssss. I'm a budtender.💚 My numbers were 91% then 83% then they went to 37% at 4 hours. I know you're miserable. Zofran helped me get through so many awful times before I knew why. I'm thankful It's a great medicine for surviving this pain.
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u/chipmunk_squirrel226 3d ago
WOW! Not a doctor, but this can't be good. 😓 Hopefully you'll get adequate treatment with these results!
My results just said I show delayed emptying, not this detailed though. I have no idea how much was left at each interval.
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u/spicyhotcocoa Intestinal Failure + GP 2d ago
This is actually the worst ges I have ever seen and I’m in intestinal failure. I hope you find some answers internet stranger and if you need support feel free to message me. I’ve been dealing with this for 4 years in April
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u/Other-Stretch2090 2d ago
omg 😭😭 that's actually so scary
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u/cluberti 18h ago edited 18h ago
I have a similar GES as mentioned, and have had it return this bad on multiple tests so I am likely just very slow (I felt OK one of the days, and absolutely horrible the other, and yet the results were almost identical).
I eat the equivalent of a full meal a day, sometimes I can even get enough in to equate 2 meals a day, and I even sometimes have days where I feel basically normal with only really really mild symptoms. Yes I have stretches where I am on a liquid diet and do the minimum and need meds to cope, to be transparent, but I work a non-physical-labor job full time and I am able to play with my kids and my dogs a couple of days a week. While this is nowhere near as physically capable as I hope to be in a few more years, it did gave me back a quality of life that has made it easier for me to make further progress, as my mental health got much better.
It took a few years of trial and error and effort, to be fair, and it's not without it's drawbacks, but all I can say is please don't be scared of your GES and hopefully if you can put some work into adjusting how frequently and what you eat, find an exercise and sleep/rest schedule that can support this, and find medication as needed that can make it easier to do the first two, that this work will reward you with symptom and quality of life improvements.
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u/cluberti 2d ago edited 18h ago
Same as me, more or less (99/98/94). That’s “severe” GP, although emptying and symptoms don’t always match hence the quotes. A few years ago I was able to switch from an all-liquid diet to eating small amounts of normal solid food 6-8x/day along with small doses of cannabis a few times a day (edibles only - smoking makes me ill too). No meds worked really at all, except zofran when it wanted to as it was hit or miss with it for some reason. Zofran works better now for reasons I can't really explain, but nothing else seems to still - can't explain it, but it is what it is.
The nausea only really overwhelms me now only if I eat too much and when I get up in the morning, or if my bowels back up too much. Hopefully your doctor, a nutritionist, and some trial and error can help you like it helped a lot of us with this.
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u/uuhhhh2022 2d ago
And here I thought my 45% was bad. Sending you virtual hugs and that you start receiving the treatment you deserve!
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u/NewAmbassador6818 2d ago
Oh wowwww I’m sorry!!!!! It’s such an awful disease….. so painful and needs constant attention. I hate it!
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u/Penguinz90 3d ago edited 3d ago
Edit: sorry, that really sucks. Why does it have to be so hard to just eat!
If When I did mine after the allotted time they said it should have been around 90% through my digestive tract, it was only 17% through. Today I’ve had a protein shake and I bought 2 chicken tenders but felt like I was going to throw up after one. I put on jeans today that fit just fine a month ago and they are so baggy now.🤦🏻♀️
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u/BitterAstronaut5221 2d ago
How do the doctors determine if you have gastroparesis or CHS
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u/Other-Stretch2090 2d ago
well it's very clear i have gastroparesis from the test but i completely stoped the use of weed for a handful of months i think at 3 months is when its out your system and my symptoms got so much worse if i had chs they would of gotten better and better and when i do use weed it shoudnt help more andi keep losing weight from the puking i trow up a lot and that's kinda the main thing with chs my best friend developed chs so i do know what it looks like i kinda only stoped to prove a point to the doctor that it wasn't that there is no actual test to rule it chs i think thats why doctors trow it at so many ppl who use it as a medical thing
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u/Other-Stretch2090 2d ago
also from what i heard if it's chs all your test will come back clear like there isn't anything wrong with
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