I was dx'd in 2009 with gastroparesis. My neuro simply referred me to the gastro guy when I mentioned my sx to her. The gastro had no idea if it could be MS related or not, but he also told me he didn't have any pts with MS. The condition is apparently unusual in someone who doesn't have diabetes. He said as well that it is incurable.

When I was first dx'd I was skin and bones because of the gastroparesis. My biggest complaint had been nausea, and feeling full after only a few bites. I asked about it here; whether anyone thought this was MS related, and several chimed in on their own stomach ailments, but none with gastroparesis.

I had no flares at the end of 2009 or 2010, so I would say it was its own flare if that's what you want to call it. It was my only physical complaint that year.

I still have stomach issues (bouts of nausea, etc.), but not I don't believe it is complete stomach shutdown since in the year since my dx, my sx steadily improved, I've gained back all the weight (and then some -- LOL) and I am generally able to eat normally much of the time.

Has anyone actually gotten steroids for digestive problems related to MS?

I have Gastroparesis and I have MS. It seems now that the MS folks and the GI folks are holding hands and playing nice, and telling me that YES, gastroparesis while normally considered a diabetic issue can most certainly be from MS.

Steroids in the past have made it better. My Gastro issues are not constant and come and go with my flares. Diabetic patients with this have it constantly, so they were scratching their heads when I popped up with sporatic GP disease. After several years of testing it has been declared by my MD to be an MS thing. Whodda thunk it?!

My tummy has been out of whack since I was a teenager, so I am wondering if I had MS sx way back when. STranger things have happened I guess.

I didn't choose any of thoses selections because none of them fitted, but I have had tummy involvement, and my Neuro said my symptoms were definitely caused by MS.

In my last major flare the nerves controlling the motility/peristalsis of my bowel were directly affected. Technically I had a bowel obstruction although there was nothing there to do the blocking.

Bowel obstructions are fairly common postoperative complications of bowel surgery (I had another one after my hemicolectomy), but with surgery it's the small bowel, or ileus, that's affected. During my flare it was the large bowel that wouldn't work, and the neuro told me my symptoms were definitely caused by MS.

Unfortunately my bladder was also affected at this time and I had to start self catheterisation. I shouldn't have been too surprised because the same areas of the spinal cord serve both the bladder and the large bowel.(L1 - L3)

Thank you for all the responses, even if you didnt answer the poll. Guess I should pick better questions huh? lol. Years ago when I really struggled with tummy issues I had so many blame it on stress, or diet, or lifestyle, or virus' and when I would show them my diet diary, they said "oh!" and then I asked why if I am stressed EVERY day, why does this only happen now and again? nothing changed but the tummy and oh yea my feet are tingly. My lifestyle? omg! are you kidding? I go to work, I come home. We are not bar flies, nor are we world travelers. and how many virus' can I have that are exactly the same each time? Follow the same pattern and then relieve itself? So, many chalked me up to a stress head. it was maddening to know something else was going on and to not be taken seriously.

While it has taken literally decades to get someone to start connecting the dots, the answer just feels right. it makes sense, it follows the proper pattern. If it was just stress, it would have been relieved by stress interventions or would have gone away completely with my retirement from my job (which I loved)

Isnt it funny how you just know that what you are being told doesnt fit? even if its by an expert or someone really smart about these things. You listen for awhile and hope for the magic words, but when you leave their office you shake your head saying "he didnt understand"

Thanks for listening.

In my experience (long) gastroparesis comes from a neuropathy. In other words, a nerve or nerves controlling motility in the gut is harmed. I am amazed that there is even a discussion of whether it occurs in MS. It does. I did not know it occurred in diabetes, but it makes sense if neuropathy is a common thing in diabetes, and I recently learned that it was, when I had foot neuropathy from a different cause (not diabetes). In Porphyria, my second dx'd disease after MS, it is very common.

I have always thought that this was the primary difference in broad symptomology between MS and Porphyria. Most MS patients seem to have considerably less abdominal pain than most Porphs. I had terrible abdominal pain for many years from 17 on, which would come and go, but was there frequently. I tried everything, and no one dx'd the cause. I of course spent years going to psychiatrists, without a lot of help, although I learned a few things from group therapy, most of them only peripherally related to my abdominal pain. I think group therapy was more effective for me than psychiatry, in every case. But did not help abdominal pain.

When I got through menopause my ab pain improved somewhat. This was probably because estrogen departed, which is a high trigger for porphyria. But the real big improvement came when I got of Porph-unsafe drugs and foods and tried to avoid environmental triggers that I didn't even know were triggers in my early life...there are many many many.

I had Obstipation several times in my earlier years (which I think was due to gastroparesis). Hard to fix but extreme medical effort would succeed. I have heard of MS patients dying of Gastroparesis, and I didn't. But sometimes felt like I would like to.

In later years, rarely Obstipation, but had it last Fall after traveling and not eating right,
and had to go to ER, where my intestinal block was remedied with an oil enema (it was
like labor getting rid of that).

I too think canned pears is an ideal remedy for constipation, but I rarely have consiptation now because I take enough magnesium.

I am currently IN a flare, and 99% of the time I have been able to track "belly pain" to my flares. I am kinda vocal and have brought it up to many many many MDs who did many many many tests and none were able or willing to pin it to MS. The big girl hospital/medical center up in the north really researched it, and tracked down MDs of other patients that have the same sx as I do. He clearly and definitavely said "its MS" you are not crazy, you are not whining, you are not lazy, you are not sensitive, or looking for excuses for drugs, you have MS and yours has affected your gut." All my porph tests have come up negative, even tho many many many of my sx fit it too. I almost feel that porph makes more sense, but if you allow my MS to have a tummy component you can bring them to about level to each other.

Canned pears is on my shopping list, but I am searching for ones without high fructose corn syrup. I think Dole sells a natrual sugar or juice blended one.

I have severe IBS with numerous loose bowel movements every day. This has been going on for about 18 years. I just figured out that it coincides with my diet soft drink addiction.

I never touched the stuff until I joined Weight Watchers, back then they really advocated using sugar substitutes. I'm trying to kick the habit right now. This is first cold turkey day and I'm so nauseated. I don’t understand how a soft drink could make me feel like this .

I really, really hope that quitting the aspartame habit will make me better. I even wake up a couple of times during the night to go. It sure doesn't help with the fatigue.

I never told my doctor about my nearly 2 liter a day habit. He thinks it could be MS related or just plain old IBS.

This paper was just published on The Gluten File, on Facebook.

I thought it might be useful on this thread.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21385364

It concerns the incidence of gluten intolerance in MS patients...which is :

OK, now I'm having a little tummy trouble, while on an AB..

That is very common sal. ABX will tear my stomach up. I find yogurt is very helpful. ABX kill bacteria. it doesnt care if its good or bad. Anti=against biotic-life or PRO=For biotic=life is what yogurts are. Make sure you read the label and get LIVE cultures.

My tummy is soooo not happy right now.