Lexie's Fight With Gastroparesis

Our daughter Lexie is 17 and this is her senior year of high school. She was excited to start her last year of high school but the weekend before school started she got a stomach bug and wasn't feeling her best. School started but the "bug" lingered.

It became worse and soon she wasn't able to eat. Soon after that she couldn't stand to drink due to the pain in her stomach and the nausea was overwhelming. After a ER visit, a doctor appt and another ER visit all in the same week, she was sent to a peds surgeon where she was tested and scanned for all different possible surgical issues. Still no answers. Then she was referred to a gastroenterologist to check liver and digestive system. In the meantime she got sicker. We took her to the ER at Childrens Minnesota in Minneapolis. She was then admitted as she had no bowel sounds had lost 15 lbs in 2 weeks and was severely dehydrated. There we would spend the next 6 days with a team of doctors including a GI doctor who would run more tests and diagnose Lexie with gastroparesis. Which is paralysis of the stomach, delayed emptying of the stomach.

There is no cure for gastroparesis and most people have never heard of it. In mild cases it can be managed with medication and diet changes depending on the person. We are unsure what kind of case Lexie has. Time will tell. So far it has been hard to control for her. Lexies stomach does not empty properly causing pain, nausea and vomiting. She feels like she is getting the stomach flu 24/7, yet at the same time she is starving and wants to eat, but when she does the pain gets much worse. The doctors say the vagus nerve in her stomach has been damaged due to the stomach virus she had gotten before school started. This is irreversable.

Lexie was able to leave the hospital after 6 days once she could begin to eat and drink again in small amounts.  She is now on multiple oral medications and trying to control her diet in hopes that relieves some symptoms and she can get back to her senior year.

Last night she had a setback for reasons unknown and was vomiting and in so much pain she was back in the ER again. According to the doctors, ER visits, hospital stays and med changes are all very common with this disorder. Should she not be able to sustain her weight, nutrition and hydration she will move to the feeding tube stage.

We are keeping the faith and staying positive. We need prayers and love and if anyone is able to donate a few dollars to help with the current and future medical bills that would be one less thing to worry about. Lexie will need continued care and expensive medications.

Our main focus will be supporting Lexie through this difficult time. Thank you all who have helped us, sent well wishes and prayers. We are so blessed ❤