You should not feel SOB just from feeling full or bloated.

Oatmeal, bananas, etc are quite soft, so I would not worry about them. It's more meats, etc. that I grind up when gastroparesis is severe.

You should inquire with your GP or a GI doctor about a stomach emptying test if you continue to have problems and they have not found another cause for it.

I will see a GI. I am waiting for my PCP to issue the renewal of my authorization to my previous GI.

Is your AN an offshoot of your Sjorgren's? When you felt your nerve problems, which came first, the sensory or the AN?

With the constant bloated feeling, I am now reducing my food intake. I am concerned that I may lose weight. I dont want to lose weight because with my height and frame, I already look thin (5'6'ft/113.6lbs). I wanted to gain a little more weight but, I guess its my metabolism. When my thyroid was removed, the doctor warned me that I should not be surprised if I gained weight, but I never did. So, it makes me think there might be some problems with my metabolism that is contributing to my neurological problems.

Yes, my AN is also from the Sjogren's. And it came first before the PN. Actually, the AN was more pronounced before I was having major Sjogren's symptoms. I was diagnosed with AN almost 12 years before the Sjogren's...even though the Sjogren's is the root cause. It is not uncommon to be diagnosed with other manifestations of Sjogren's before actually being diagnosed with Sjogren's.

I am wondering why it took that long to diagnosed you with the Sjorgren's.

Was Sjorgren's ruled out because of your negative results?

Sjogren's was never really looked at as a possibility. An ENT mentioned it once after sinus surgery...just in passing, because he noted my tissue was extremely dry. He never followed up.

It's not a household name. Until the doctor asked, I had no idea that the grit feeling in my eyes or the dry mouth was really that abnormal...because it was normal for me...and it was the least of my problems. It wasn't until I went to a doctor at Hopkins for my blood clotting disorder (APS), that the physician asked questions about my extensive medical history...for over 2 hours. He suggested Sjogren's and ordered labs (which of course were negative), a schirmer's test, and lip biopsy...both of which were very positive.

Sjogren's is now something doctors are looking at and testing for more frequently.

My appointment with the gastro is still way off (to consult my bloated feeling), but I would want to throw this question to our experts, so I am prepared.... If ever the gastroenterologist gives me the "emptying test", does it have to be general anaesthesia or is it sedation? Is anaesthesia (whether general or sedation) a trigger to PN?

Further, as I mentioned in my other posts, my IGg/IGa Gliadin Antibodies and Transglutiminase are all negative. Would it be more productive/beneficial to request the doctor to see if I have villi atrophy, just to have confirmation (and closure) wether celiac/gluten is an issue in my PN. I know that it is common sense to have it confirmed, however, another side of my brain is debating if its worth it or am I opening myself to more risks? Do I make sense?

I believe that if you have a serious hiatal hernia, where the stomach moves up into the chest, you can have SOB then and it would go away, when the stomach moves back down. The stomach compresses the lung temporarily, and it feels strange and sometimes alarming.

I have a severe hiatal hernia, and I get weird feelings at times, and it sometimes even flutters. Gas makes it much worse.
Lying on my left side makes it better. This is not an every day thing, as a rule for me. I have a congenital defect in my GI tract where it is also twisted... makes for many uncomfortable events.

Just to clarify. The empty test requires NO sedation of any kind. You eat a small amount of scrambled eggs with contrast mixed in, then lay very still on a table (on your back) for the next 2-3 hours. They usually have a TV set up right over head to you can pass the time easier. Other then being bored and the table is hard like an xray table, the test is a piece of cake.