Theory #1 - Low stomach acid in regards to gastroparesis

This is a thought that has boggled my mind for quite a while.  This is a KEY in maintaining my condition.  I take Betaine HCL with Pepsin.

No gastroenterologist has ever diagnosed me with low stomach acid.  I had spent a long amount of time believing that acid reflux = too much stomach acid.  I had no idea that LOW stomach acid could also cause acid reflux.

With low stomach acid, the stomach churns causing that acid to splash more.  Low acid = more splash.  More splash = burning in the esophagus.  So, I treated my acid reflux with Prilosec (omeprazole).  However, I started to get sick a lot more.  In the winter of 2011, I started vomiting (something I hadn't done since the year 2000).  I ended up throwing up about 5-6 times from Nov to Apr (2011-2012).  And then it stopped for a while (I also eased up on the Prilosec).  And then I went back on the Prilosec in the fall of 2012 due to bad acid reflux.  I was also on a higher dosage (40 mg instead of the 20 mg I used to take).  In December 2012, I got really sick.  I mean throwing up for about an hour every 5 minutes, and then a 24 hour spell of diarrhea to follow.  My gastroparesis story technically started here...

Now, no one else around me had a stomach bug of any kind.  I didn't catch it from any one around me.  In fact, this was before the big norovirus season started.  So, this led me to do research on low stomach acid.  I'm guessing that there was a bug in the food I ate.  Possibly a botulism-related virus.  Now, botulism is especially hard on infants (due to low stomach acid).  But it can also be bad for an adult if they had been taking acid reflux medication.

This led me to the conclusion, I must have had low stomach acid.  I even did the "burp" test.   [read about that test here.]  After 5 minutes, I did not belch at all and stopped the test.

I then started taking Betaine HCL, and my acid reflux is pretty much under control.  So, that's good.  Now, how does this relate to gastroparesis?  This is the basis for the theory.

Stomach acid is a natural defense mechanism.  It kills bacteria that may be in the stomach.  That's right.  It KILLS bacteria.  So, my theory is thus:  Increasing stomach acid helps prevent bacterial overgrowth.

Low stomach acid turns the stomach into a perfect breeding ground for bacteria.  Food that sits in the stomach for long periods of time develop bacteria.  On top of that, bacteria also enters your stomach as reflux from the small intestine.  On top of that, bacteria also enters your stomach from the saliva you swallow.  So, the stomach constantly gets bombarded with bacteria.  So, all of this bacteria causes food to rot.  The bi-product of bacteria is... gas.  This results in bloating.  Why do you think that rotting road kill bloats?

On top of that stomach acid helps break down food.  Gastroenterologists may tell you that food doesn't move due to irregular peristalsis (irregular stomach contractions), but they will never mention that low stomach acid can be a contributing factor.  Basically, if your stomach acid is low, your body will attempt to pass undigested or larger chucks of food.  This makes digestion much harder.  So, increasing your stomach acid levels would theoretically make some of the harder foods to digest, easier to digest.

So, now, with every meal (even if it IS on the gastroparesis diet), I will always take a betaine HCL pill with it.  I get the kind that contains Pepsin because Pepsin helps the stomach produce more acid.  And I must say, I haven't been nauseated NEARLY as often as I used to be.

So, some of your gastroparesis sufferers out there...  It might be recommended to get tested for low stomach acid.  If your stomach acids are low, you might benefit from adding betaine HCL to your diet.

:)  Hoping to hear from you. :)  Let me know if this is something you have tried and whether it works for you.

- Nathan S