Kathy’s Personal Story: Gastroparesis and Overwhelming Health Battles
My story starts a little different from most I suppose. Three years ago, I woke up one am with one breast huge and red. I’m not breastfeeding and was in my mid 30s so I went to the ER and they said mastitis and gave me antibiotics. At that point I was feeling nauseated and God the breast hurt. Took 2 rounds of antibiotics so I never thought more of it. The nausea continued on but was on and off. Exactly a year later almost, it happened again. This time it was way worse. I went and had mammogram and an ultrasound, the nausea was so so bad. I assumed the 2 we’re connected since they came on together. Sounds logical right? So I pushed in my quest for answers. I found that I have Fibrocycstic breast and one has several fibroadenoma or non cancerous tumors-had biopsies. That one wasn’t even the bad one!! One was 3 cup sizes bigger than the other. I could feel a golf ball sized mass on there and my shoulder, neck, collar bone, ribs, and side down to almost my hip hurt non stop. Was put on zofran. Couldn’t keep much down and if I ran out I did nothing but dry heave. Pushed for biopsy of painful huge breast and turned out to be extreme Fibrocycstic change overnight basically!!! 100s of cyst and one breast twice as dense all overnight. Then start having horrible lower abdomen pain. Since I have PCOS I was found to have two hemorrhaging cysts one in each ovary. Still having all these pains and stomach issues and nausea. Then cheat started hurting like a heart attack. Several nights I hurt so bad and was so sick I didn’t know if I would make it through the night. I’ve always been super active. Full time job, mom, volunteer at rescue, have tons of animals, a small side business I run that’s gotten very busy. After all test came back clear, doctor’s-all 5 I had seen-pretty much acted like I was depressed or making it up or a hypochondriac. I felt so bad and was so let down. I went to a breast surgeon that finally believed me. He was starting testing and I was in the process of trying to buy a house. Between that and two jobs and life I quit going to all these tests to save money for house and really didn’t have time. I just stayed sick. I kept hearing, it’s just your hormones, or menopause or all women getting older have issues. At the time I was also having stress incontinence and peeing a zillion times a day! It was keeping me up at night. Then about six months later sex started becoming very painful and I couldn’t enjoy it like I used to. I didn’t want to say anything to my partner because he’s a wonderful caring patient man and I didn’t want him to feel at fault or put down somehow. Also, I should mention since the start my stomach had started making loud awful growling noises that sounded demonic all the time. When it would happen it would be so painful at times like my insides were being eaten by tiny demons. All of the Drs I had were so intent on proving me wrong , that they didn’t see something really was wrong. At one point I had symptoms of appendicitis. It finally went away. My legs started swelling badly. Drs ignored this sign as well and my being exhausted and short of breath. Told me quit smoking. Smh. So then this past March I was sure I had injured my hip. Could barley move it or put on pants or socks. Sleeping became painful. Then a week and a half later, I was working and felt and urge to poo. Went to the bathroom and it wouldn’t come out.bit was putting so much pressure that I had to do something. So I pushed it out like birth. it was over a foot around and about as long. Afterwards the nausea became super intense. My heart rate started skipping beats and going high to around 150s. My chest would burn and u would struggle to breathe at that point. My hands shook all the time. The bottom felt like it literally dropped out!! Everything below the waist was throbbing. Then my left side from rib cage to almost hip started killing me and it would throb if it touches anything. Started sleeping sitting up in our recliner. Got swapped to phenergen a while back because insurance stopped paying for zofran. Phenergen works better and causes less side effects for me. Well my Dr kept brushing me off all the while I’m getting worse and worse wondering if I’ll make it through the night I hurt so bad after that. Got a urogynecologist appointment and found I have a rectocele from pushing that blockage out. My bladder has dropped but not sure how far yet. When I pee, I still hold 1200 ccs plus in my bladder. Paid for CT out of pocket and that’s what brought gastroparesis about. Radiology said either that or gastric cancer. Waiting for gastro appointment now. Begged for reglan after 11 days of taking miralax 2-3 times a day and colace 3-5!!! Nothing was coming out and I was miserable as heck! Then after reglan, I guess from taking laxative for so long and so much, I started oozing out tarry poo and couldn’t even tell at age 39 y’all wth!!! It went on constantly for days like this and made me raw and painful. Used and entire pack of baby wipes or more a day and went through two tubes of hemorrhoid cream. Finally reglan got me a normal poo!! Then 3 days later again! Thank God! I take it and a full huge cap of miralax in my breakfast shake every day. No Dr has told me anything to do to help. I e done my own research and now I’m learning some of what to do to help. Lost 20 lbs in six weeks and gained 10 inches in my waist!!! Finally happy to know I’m not insane or crazy, just really friggin sick. I miss my old life, my old me, my old energy. All of it so, so badly. I pray for anyone else dealing with this nightmare. Also praying it’s not gastroparesis as I can’t imagine no cure and being this way or worse forever!! If this can’t be fixed, I’m screwed. Then they won’t fix rectocele. I’m so sad and feel my entire body has failed me miserably..I just want it to stop. So tired of being being exhausted feeling like this. If you’re reading this,good luck and best of wishes for a cure or better treatment.