Originally Posted by AnnieB3

Hi, grandson. Welcome.

How old is your grandmother?

Has she seen a gastroenterologist? Did they test her for celiac disease? Does she become sicker after eating gluten foods (wheat, barley, rye, or oats)?

Did they test her for H. Pylori (a bacteria)?

It might possibly be MG, but doctors tend to chalk all symptoms up to the one disease someone has.

It might not only be the slow motility of her esophagus. She might also have not enough stomach acid. Just as our skin wrinkles and our hair goes gray as we age, the stomach ages, too. When there isn't enough stomach acid, food sits in the stomach for a longer period of time, causing distress. It can then dump into the small intestines, causing what's called "dumping syndrome."

If the food isn't digested properly, it can cause all sorts of GI problems. It can also cause reactive hypoglycemia, where a person is hungry about an hour after eating and their glucose also drops.

Undigested food can putrefy in the GI tract, causing all sorts of issues such as bloating, gas, leaky gut, increased infections and allergies, etc.

If she doesn't have enough stomach acid, antacids will make the problem worse. Gastritis can also be caused by a lack of acid.

Has she been tested for a B12 or D deficiency? Is she low on iron, albumin, or calcium? Those are signs of low stomach acid.

I don't have stomach acid and I take Betaine HCL with my meals to help digest them. It's a mild acid made from sugar beets which helps to digest food. I've been taking it since 1999 and never had GI problems since (except for the celiac disease in 2004).

What MG drugs is she on? Might they be contributing to the problem? Is she on Prednisone? Prednisone reduces the gel coating of the stomach because it's an anti-prostaglandin. Good prostaglandin foods such as fish, walnuts, and other omega 3's can help maintain a healthy coating.

A good primary doctor or a good gastroenterologist would do a thorough evaluation.

What "natural remedies" are you trying? Be cautious of using anything without running it by a doctor and a pharmacist to check for any interactions with whatever meds she is on.

You can also help by getting any test results/records. How did doctors "prove" that her stomach issues were from MG? I'll bet they didn't, but assumed it was.

Is there anything else we can help with?

I had that same pain/gastritis before both my B12 deficiency and a lack of acid (which caused the deficiency) was diagnosed. Antacids did nothing.

I hope you can find a doctor or two to help your grandmother!

Annie