Re: Re: Re: Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction

[Guest guest]

Kim,

Thanks for the clarification. Hmmm. I do not ever have nausea except for mild nausea during the intro diet.I have chronic discomfort in the pyloric region and just below. Pain just under the ribs on the right side which I always thought was liver pain. I have upper back pain a lot, between the shoulder blades. There is a definite pressure in a line following the ribcage from right to left. Often in the morning I have this hollow ache all along this area where I feel I have to walk hunched over and I feel weak from it. So in a lot of ways it sounds the same except I don't get nausea or severe abdominal pain. DarleneIntestinal DysbiosisSCD 10 days

To: BTVC-SCD Sent: Sat, February 27, 2010 1:40:56 PMSubject: Re: Re: Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction

Darlene

I have the “honor†of being diagnosed with Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction. Thought I’d reply to your question, and I can give you more details offlist if you have further questions.

The symptoms are primarily upper GI, although it causes some other issues such as affecting digestive motility. The Sphincter of Oddi is a set of muscles just below the stomach (below the pyloric sphincter) where chyme from the stomach mixes in with the bile from the pancreatic and common bile ducts and is moved further into the duodenum (upper part of the small intestine). When you have Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction, these muscles go into spasms which often block the bile ducts and prevent the stomach from emptying normally. It also affects the ability to swallow.

When the Sphincter of Oddi is malfunctioning, there is abdominal pain, sometimes severe; back pain between the shoulder blades if the common bile duct is more affected; right shoulder back pain if the pancreas is more affected; chronic nausea; poor (slow) digestive motility from the esophagus all the way to the descending colon. The Sphincter of Oddi pain is usually centered in the same place: right upper quadrant, just below and to the right of the stomach, directly below the gallbladder, just under the edge of the right ribs, 4 to 5 inches above the waistline. There is a unique feeling of pressure for most of us with this dysfunction; feels as if there is pressure inside pushing outwards and outside pushing in. I can feel the muscles twitching. The nausea occurs after each meal, and can vary in intensity depending on what you’re eating and how good a day your digestion is

having…

There are two tests that confirm this dysfunction. Many gastroenterologists know very little about this problem, and don’t test for it.

There is no “cure†but having a sphincterotomy and sometimes a stent placed helps “reset†the Sphincter of Oddi. Food choices help the most. We have to eat low-fiber, low-fat and bland. I’ve found SCD is the only thing that has worked for me, but it took me a few years to get my gut ecology restored and work out what foods were best for me. I only eat about half of the permitted foods, rarely make a SCD recipe, but I eat well – as long as I stick to low-fat, low-fiber and bland. My gastroenterologist is amazed at how well I’m doing.

I feel extraordinarily lucky in that it only took me 3 gastroenterologists and 8 months to get my diagnosis. Most people with this condition struggle for years to get answers.

Kim M.

SCD 6 years

Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction 6+ years

neurological & spinal deterioration 3+ years

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I've suspected for a while that I did. That was especially during the time that it was impossible to lie on my back due to the pressure up high and into my chest. My doctor suggested raising my bed a few inches, no food or drink before bed, a big glass of water in the morning and 10 heel drops to pull my stomach down. That helped. Even now there is a very specific line of pressure right under my rib cage in my solar plexus. So maybe I should still be following that protocol. What is "sphincter of oddi dysfunction"?DarleneIntestinal DysbiosisSCD 8 days

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