Taylor Jones | Capstone Project Subject

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Have you ever had food poisoning? You eat contaminated food and spend the next few days in absolute misery, throwing up and generally feeling like garbage. You most likely found yourself thinking, “I can’t wait for this to pass…” But what if it never did? What if all food made you miserably ill? That is the truth for people suffering from Gastroparesis. Gastroparesis means “paralyzed stomach.” Normally, the stomach muscles contract, moving food into your small intestine. The vagus nerve controls this movement, however, when it is damaged, it can no longer tell the stomach to contract. Food stays in the stomach much longer than it should, causing a multitude of terrible symptoms. This invisible illness can be debilitating and hard to diagnose. Gastroparesis symptoms include nausea, belching, bloating, heartburn, indigestion, regurgitation, vomiting, feeling full after only a few bites, loss of appetite, and malnutrition. These symptoms can occur for a number of reasons other than Gastroparesis, which is one reason this illness is hard to diagnose. People with Gastroparesis are often not taken seriously, with family and doctors attributing their symptoms to an eating disorder or fake cry for attention. Many people suffer for years, racking up medical bill debt while searching for answers before they ever even hear that Gastroparesis may be a possible diagnosis. Gastroparesis severity can range from mild to fatal, and there is no cure.

In order to raise awareness about Gastroparesis, my capstone project will include an Infographic with a very detailed description of Gastroparesis, and a video remix that provides a quick summary overviewing the illness and describing ways the viewer can learn more or lend a helping hand.

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