Gastroparesis Management In St. Petersburg, FL

If your stomach empties too slowly and nausea, bloating, or feeling full after a few bites is running your day, the first job is to find out why, not to guess at a treatment. Dr. Gopal Grandhige is a foregut surgeon who treats gastroparesis from an office in South Tampa, about a 20- to 30-minute drive across the bay from St. Petersburg. He confirms delayed emptying with testing before recommending anything, treats it with an incisionless procedure (G-POEM) when that fits, uses diet and medication when it doesn’t, and treats reflux when reflux turns out to be the real problem.

What gastroparesis is, and why testing comes first

Gastroparesis is delayed stomach emptying with no blockage in the stomach or intestine. Food sits too long, which causes nausea, vomiting, bloating, early fullness, and feeling full long after a meal. Diabetes is the most common known cause, but it can also follow surgery near the vagus nerve, certain medications, or it can have no clear cause at all.

The single step that changes the whole plan is a 4-hour gastric emptying study. It confirms the diagnosis and grades how delayed your emptying is, which decides what treatment makes sense. This is also what current guidance recommends: the AGA’s 2025 gastroparesis guideline advises confirming gastroparesis with a 4-hour gastric emptying test before starting first-line medication, and reserving procedures for patients who don’t respond.

Here is the part most pages skip. A lot of people arrive already labeled “gastroparesis” when the real driver is acid reflux, a hiatal hernia, or a different motility problem that mimics it. Dr. Grandhige treats the foregut (the esophagus, diaphragm, and stomach) as one connected system, so testing sorts out what is actually wrong before you commit to a procedure. You can read more on how he evaluates and treats gastroparesis on the main gastroparesis page.

When “gastroparesis” is really reflux, or both

Delayed emptying and reflux often travel together, and treating one while ignoring the other leaves you no better. Slow emptying raises pressure in the stomach, which pushes more acid up. Reflux symptoms then get blamed on gastroparesis, or the reverse. Sorting this out is the difference between a treatment that works and one that disappoints.

This overlap is the core of Dr. Grandhige’s practice. When the picture suggests it, he tests for acid reflux (GERD) and a hiatal hernia, not just emptying. A normal endoscopy does not rule reflux out, because endoscopy looks for damage, not for reflux events. He also looks for motility disorders like achalasia, which can cause regurgitation and chest discomfort that resemble gastroparesis but need a completely different treatment. Matching the treatment to what the testing shows is what keeps people from having the wrong procedure.

GLP-1 medications (Ozempic, Wegovy) and the recent rise in symptoms

GLP-1 medications such as semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) slow stomach emptying as part of how they work, so a growing number of people on them are showing up with nausea, fullness, and bloating that look like gastroparesis. Recent research has linked these drugs to higher rates of delayed emptying, which is why it has become one of the first things to rule out in 2026. There is more detail on GLP-1 medications and gastroparesis risk on the blog.

If you take one of these medications or recently stopped, that has to be sorted out before any procedure. Medication-driven delays often ease once the drug is adjusted or stopped, which is a very different situation from gastroparesis that needs a procedure to fix. Dr. Grandhige reviews your full medication list and uses the gastric emptying study to tell a drug effect apart from true gastroparesis, so nobody has a procedure for a problem a medication change would solve.

Endoscopic pyloromyotomy (G-POEM): what it is and who it helps

Endoscopic pyloromyotomy, also called G-POEM, is an incisionless procedure done through the mouth. It cuts the pyloric muscle at the outlet of the stomach so food empties more easily into the small intestine. There are no external incisions, and most patients go home the same day.

It is for a specific group: patients with confirmed, persistent gastroparesis who have not improved with diet and medication. It is not a first step, and it is one of the options that not every practice in the area performs. The honest limit is that it only helps when delayed emptying is genuinely the problem. If your symptoms come from reflux, a functional disorder, or a medication, a pyloromyotomy will not fix them, which is exactly why the testing comes first.

When surgery is not the answer, and why he’ll tell you

Not everyone with gastroparesis symptoms needs a procedure, and Dr. Grandhige turns patients away when one is unlikely to help. That restraint is the point, not a limitation. A procedure done on the wrong problem leaves a patient worse off and more discouraged than before.

Several conditions look like gastroparesis but do not respond to a pyloromyotomy, including functional dyspepsia, esophageal hypersensitivity, and some motility disorders. For these, the right answer is diet, medication, treating reflux, or care from a different specialist. The goal of your consultation is a clear answer about what is driving your symptoms and which path actually helps, even when that path is not surgery.

Coming from St. Petersburg: keeping the trips across the bay to a minimum

The office is in South Tampa, about a 20- to 30-minute drive from St. Petersburg depending on traffic and whether you take the Gandy or the Howard Frankland bridge. The practice is set up so you are not bouncing back and forth across the water.

Before your visit, send your prior records to info@tampareflux.com so Dr. Grandhige reviews everything first. That means endoscopy reports, any gastric emptying study, pH or manometry results, imaging, and notes from your GI, ENT, or primary care doctor. When a test can be done closer to home in Pinellas, the office arranges it there so your trip to Tampa stays focused.

Most patients are seen within two weeks, and always within four. If your testing is already complete, the plan can often be set at the first visit. If you still need testing, expect two visits about four weeks apart so decisions are based on real results. When a procedure is appropriate, it is performed at HCA South Tampa Hospital with the same team that does these cases regularly.

You can reach the office at 813.922.2920, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. The practice is at 1315 South Howard Avenue, Suite 101, Tampa, FL 33606, in the yellow brick building next to Sally O’Neill’s Pizza, with parking behind the restaurant.

Your surgeon: Gopal Grandhige, MD, FACS

Dr. Grandhige is a board-certified general surgeon who has focused on foregut disease, including reflux, hiatal hernias, achalasia, and gastroparesis, in Tampa Bay since 2009. Focusing on one area is what builds the pattern recognition that decides who will do well with a procedure and who will not.

He earned a biology degree at Johns Hopkins University and his medical degree at the University of Michigan, then completed his general surgery residency, a burn and critical care fellowship, and a fellowship in foregut and minimally invasive surgery at Yale-New Haven Hospital. He is a founding member of the American Foregut Society, a member of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. All of his foregut procedures are performed at HCA South Tampa Hospital. You can read more about Dr. Grandhige’s training and background, and you can verify his board certification through the American Board of Surgery and his active license through the Florida Department of Health.

Dr Gopal Grandhige half body picture

FAQS

Dr. Grandhige sees St. Petersburg patients at his South Tampa office, about a 20- to 30-minute drive over the Gandy or Howard Frankland bridge. The practice coordinates testing so you are not making the trip more than needed, and when a study can be done in Pinellas, the office arranges it closer to home. Procedures are performed at HCA South Tampa Hospital.

A 4-hour gastric emptying study confirms the diagnosis and shows how delayed your emptying is, and an upper endoscopy rules out a blockage. If reflux or another motility problem might be driving your symptoms, those are tested too. Treatment decisions wait until the cause is clear.

Possibly. GLP-1 medications slow stomach emptying as part of how they work, and the symptoms can look exactly like gastroparesis. If you take one or recently stopped, that needs to be sorted out first, because medication-driven delays often ease once the drug is adjusted or stopped.

It is an incisionless procedure done through the mouth that cuts the pyloric muscle at the stomach outlet so food empties more easily. It is for patients with confirmed, persistent gastroparesis who have not improved with diet and medication. It is not a first step, and it will not help if delayed emptying is not the real problem.

Not necessarily. Many patients improve with diet changes, medication, or treatment of reflux, and Dr. Grandhige recommends a procedure only when testing shows it is likely to help. If a procedure will not help you, he will tell you.

Most patients are seen within two weeks, and always within four. Before your visit, send prior records (endoscopy, any gastric emptying study, pH or manometry results, imaging, and notes from your other doctors) to info@tampareflux.com so everything is reviewed ahead of time. If your testing is already complete, the plan can often be set at the first visit.

Find out what is actually causing your symptoms

You do not have to keep guessing or stay on a treatment that is not working. The first step is a clear answer about whether this is gastroparesis, reflux, an overlap, or a medication effect, and what will actually help. Contact the South Tampa office to schedule your consultation.

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An endoscopy cannot tell you if you have reflux. It can only tell you if you have complications of GERD. 

If you are unhappy with your reflux symptoms, come in and we can discuss testing and treatments that can accurately diagnose your problem. 

#reflux #gerd #hiatalhernia #gastroparesis #linx

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CALL US AT 813-922-2920
www.tampareflux.com

If you have a hiatal hernia and fit one of these categories, you should know your options. 

Dr. Grandhige is an expert in his field and performs 200 of these surgeries a year.  He is the only surgeon in the Tampa Bay Area who offers all surgical options - LINX, Fundoplications, TIF and will be one of 20 surgeons in America introducing the latest procedure RefluxStop in 2026. 

We accept most insurances but will verify yours before you come in.  These procedures are considered medically necessary and covered by your insurance.  You can expect to pay your in-network deductibles and nothing else. 

#hiatalhernia #reflux #GERD #LINX #refluxstop

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What causes reflux ?

1.  Weak lower esophageal sphincter
2.  Hiatal hernia
3.  Flattening of the Angle of His
4.  Poor esophageal motility
5.  Gastroparesis (slow stomach)

NOT increased acid production

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Don’t let GERD get in the way of living your life.  Request your appointment with us today on the link below. 
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https://tampareflux.com/contact-us/

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Anyone can be victim to GERD and though weight loss can help reduce GERD symptoms. Many athletes with high impact workouts may continue to have these symptoms. This may be a symptom of a hiatal hernia or other issue. We are more then happy to assist you in finding your solution, just click the link below. 
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Heartburn may seem like an annoyance. But if you find yourself having symptoms on a daily basis, it may be time to to talk to Dr. Grandhige as it could be a symptom of something worse. 
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If you are tired of avoiding your favorite foods or taking daily medications, we can help. 

We are the Tampa experts in reflux !  With years of experience and thousands of patients treated successfully, we offer all FDA approved anti-reflux procedures. 

Call 813-922-2920 to schedule your appointment
All major insurances accepted.

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Not all patients need surgical intervention.  Many patients are living a heartburn free life with their PPIs. However 40% of patients taking PPIs are not getting the relief they need.  If you are one of those, you have options!  Come in and find out more. 
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