Hi all! So I haven't been around for quite awhile, and let me tell you a lot has changed! 

So I was diagnosed with gastritis back in ( I think) 2014. I had severe nausea, weight loss, trouble eating. During Endoscopys I also had an ulcer. I was treated (?) Accordingly. 

Well, things just went from bad to worse! From 2013 till today my weight went from 135-140 down to 92 pounds. I had a heart attack in 2011, so my cariocardiol was freaking out!  The gastritis was there, but I knew there was something more serious going on. 

I had noticed a note in my chart in 2013 during a heart scan about SMA. But Everytime I mentioned it to Drs they blew me off. It showed up again during another test. Once again, Drs ignored it. Said " oh that's something extremely rare, it's very unlikely you have it".....

Well guess what? I did. I hit my lowest weight ( briefly) at 89 pounds. I'm 5'8. I finally pushed my Dr into looking into it, ( I actually had to show him how to find the notes on his own computer!) 

He ordered MRI, CT scan and sure enough it was confirmed. 

So what is SMA syndrome? And why am I posting this here? Too many people are being misdiagnosed with gastritis! Especially if you have extreme weight loss please keep reading!

So SMA stands for Superior Mesenteric Artery syndrome. It's a chicken and the egg as to whether the weight loss causes the problem or the illness causes the weight loss. It can be brought on at birth and not manifest till later, trauma can bring it on, like a car crash or severe.blow to the abdomin. 

What happens is that there is a fat pad between the Artery and the Duodenum. With SMA, that fat pad disappears causing the artery to press into, and constrict, the duodenum. This causes nausea, gastritis, weight loss due to malnutrition, pain, vomiting, inability to eat, and so much more. Of course everyone is different, so some have some symptoms but not others. 

I ended up having GJ feeding tube put in to save my life. The G tube goes into the stomach, the Gastro, the J tube, the Jejunal ( which is where I am fed into) goes into my small intestine. Some people only get one type of tube. For me I also had Gastroparesis, slow stomach emptying, so that's why I am fed through the small intestine. ( One Dr is questioning whether I really have the Gastroparesis since with the duodenum so compromised, it's hard for anything to get through in the first place!) 

So far I have gained 20+ pounds in 6 months! I am one of the success stories. The mortality rate it 1 in 3 die of this illness. Like I said, I'm one of the lucky ones.....so far. I've had my bumps along the way. Let's face it, living with a tube in the stomach isn't fun! And there is not a while lot of info out there for active adults living with a feeding tube. But I'm learning, and.trying to share what I've learned.

There are a couple FB support groups that have also literally saved my life and sanity. SMA Awareness, plus some others. The people are beyond amazing! No judgements, nothing is dumb, no bickering whatsoever, and it a a.small closed group. 

If anyone would like more information about SMA syndrome, please let me know.

In the meantime, Brightest Blessings, and wishing you all pain free days or at least pain free moments.