Meet Lindsay

There are some parts of living with gastroparesis that are easier to talk about than others.

For Lindsay, one of the harder ones has been how much the condition changed the relationship she has with her own body. A feeding tube, tube feeds, TPN, and weight fluctuations all became things she had to adjust to, while also figuring out how to feel confident in herself again.

But her story is also about the people who made those harder moments feel a little lighter. Sometimes, support looked as simple as someone knowing exactly what would make a hospital day better without Lindsay ever having to ask.

For Off the Record, Lindsay is sharing both: the moment that made her feel deeply cared for and the part of gastroparesis she usually keeps closer to herself.

Keep reading for Lindsay’s story in her own words.

The Little Thing That Made Me Feel Seen

I was stuck in the hospital with bad gastroparesis symptoms and was so sick of the hospital food. Without asking, my boyfriend surprised me with my favorite safe-food smoothie.

It was something small and familiar during a time when I really needed it.

It made me feel so seen and supported. He stayed by my side and did what he could to bring me joy in a hard moment.

What meant so much was that I didn’t have to tell him what I needed. He paid attention, knew something that would make me happy, and showed up with it.

When you’re already dealing with being sick and being in the hospital, those little moments can feel a lot bigger than they might seem from the outside.

When Support Means Knowing Without Asking

For me, support doesn’t always have to be something huge.

That smoothie didn’t change the fact that I was in the hospital or make my gastroparesis symptoms disappear, but it gave me something to look forward to in a really difficult moment.

Having my boyfriend stay by my side and do what he could to bring me joy made me feel cared for in a way that really mattered.

Sometimes being supported is simply having someone know you well enough to notice the things that could make a hard day feel a little less hard.

That experience has stayed with me because it reminded me how much it means to feel understood when so much of what you’re going through can already feel exhausting.

Off the Record: How Gastroparesis Changed My Relationship With My Body

Something about living with gastroparesis that I usually keep to myself is how much it changed my relationship with my body.

It took me a while to relearn how to embrace and be confident with a feeding tube and medical devices, and to learn how to cope with tube feeds, TPN, and weight fluctuations.

Those changes became part of what I saw when I looked at myself and part of what I had to navigate every day.

There’s the medical side of learning how to live with these things, but there’s also the personal side of getting used to the way your body has changed.

For me, that meant learning how to feel confident again while also accepting that a feeding tube and other forms of nutrition support were now part of my life.

Relearning Confidence With a Feeding Tube, TPN, and Weight Changes

I had to relearn what feeling confident in my body looked like after gastroparesis.

Having a feeding tube, relying on tube feeds or TPN, and experiencing weight fluctuations were all things I had to learn how to cope with. Getting used to the medical routines was one thing. Getting used to how those changes made me feel about myself took time too.

I still wanted to feel confident and embrace my body, even when it looked or functioned differently than I was used to.

That has been a process of learning how to see myself alongside the medical devices and changes instead of only seeing those things when I look at my body.

It’s one of the more personal parts of living with gastroparesis for me, and one I don’t always talk about. But it’s also something I know I’m not alone in experiencing.

About Lindsay

Lindsay is a Care+Wear community member who shares openly about life with gastroparesis and chronic illness. She hopes that by talking about the harder, more personal parts of her experience, someone else navigating the same things feels a little less alone.

Follow Lindsay on Instagram to learn more about her journey.