Feeding through a J port is supposed to help people with gastroparesis get much-needed nutrition that they can’t get by eating orally or by getting fed through a G tube. A person with gastroparesis has a paralyzed stomach so a J tube which goes straight into the Jejunum skips over that paralyzed stomach and goes right into the middle of the small intestine is a way to give the person.
Now that I had the tube feeds and the IV fluids, I was feeling a lot better physically most of the time as I wasn’t actively starving to death, but I would still have breakthrough periods where the pain would get intense, or I’d get nauseous and start vomiting huge volumes of bile and/or tube feed. The tube feed was going into my intestines through my J tube, which was supposed to prevent me from vomiting it up. Still, it … Find Out What Happens Next
Looking like a five- or six-year-old when you’re twelve causes big problems in middle school. When you add to that the fact that the most popular girl in class, Natasha, got a hold of classified information that you spent a week and a half on a children’s psychiatric unit in fifth grade, that’s raising the problem level even higher. If you started sixth grade with a tube coming out of your nose to feed you because there’s something wrong with your stomach, that right there is strike three. It’s game over if you know all the answers to the teacher’s questions and usurp Natasha’s position as the “smartest kid in class.”
The year before, I finished sixth grade early because the teasing and bullying got too brutal for me. I was way ahead academically (despite a developmental delay in other areas) and could have easily skipped a grade or two … Find Out What Happens Next
The partial hospital program rescued me after we realized that attending regular middle school just wasn’t going to work out for me. My private Jewish Day School had really small classes, but it was like a giant clique where I was left behind alone with only one other girl, who always had her nose in a book and was oblivious to the world around her.
I had gone to most of the sixth grade but bailed toward the end of the year when I couldn’t take the bullying anymore. Then I went back for the beginning of seventh grade, but again, didn’t last long. My gastroparesis flared up which stressed out my parents, who, big surprise! Tried to blame it on psychological causes, even though I’d had extensive testing done at the hospital when I was ten with a gastric emptying study showing that I have one of the most … Find Out What Happens Next
As a toddler, I spoke before I walked, but I walked right on time too. I hit all my milestones early. My mom had a Master’s degree in early childhood education. She consulted at multiple daycare centers and nursery schools. Some days she would bring me with her to work to show me off. I would ace all of the baby developmental screenings. The other teachers and educators would watch in awe. Back then there was no talk about me having an eating disorder.
In third grade, I began my descent into chronic illness. My skin, hair, and mouth became extremely dry. I started getting frequent pounding headaches.
From kindergarten to the first part of fifth grade, I attended a private Jewish day school, where every day began with a morning prayer service. The Orthodox Jewish Prayer service consists of multiple parts where you remain standing for prolonged periods of … Find Out What Happens Next
