Gastroparesis

[just4me11164]

I have a 27 year old daugther that has been diagnosed with Gastroparesis 3 yrs ago.  It has gotten to the point where she suffers everyday.  No one seems to have anything that will give her any relief AT ALL!  They just keep given her Reglan and Phenergan.  It's not helping at ALL. Please if anyone know anything that can help her, please please tell me something.  I watch her go through this day in and day out. Her words yesterday, 07/12/09, was "Mama, I can't take this much longer".  For God sake, PLEASE help.

[gnorb]

Unfortunately, gastroparesis is a huge pain to deal with. The first thing I'd recommend is for her to find a support group. The Yahoo! Groups gastroparesis group is probably the best out there, from what I know. (Go to groups.yahoo.com and look for "gastroparesis".)

Second, is she seeing a specialist about this? GP is a condition that's not well understood by many in the medical community: many haven't even heard of it. (I just got back from the hospital from a surgery. The nurses thought my condition was "gastrophoresis" -- they'd never heard of GP! The surgery, btw, was for something totally unrelated.) If you can, try to find someone who specializes in gastroparesis. There are other options for drugs and treatments out there, for example Domperidone (instead of Reglan). Gastric pace makers have also been approved. Acupuncture works VERY well when it's done by a good, experienced acupuncturist.  (someone who is also VERY familiar with herbs.) There are some herbal remedies, shatavari and iberogast, for example, which can help. (They should not be taken together, and shatavari should not be taken with domperidone.) Alpha Lipoic Acid is also helpful since it helps regenerate nerve function; if the issue is being caused by a malfunctioning Vagus nerve (likely) then this may offer some help.

Third, have they even looked for an underlying reason for the GP? My case was idiopathic, post viral, and it, after 2 years, almost totally cleared up HURRAY!). However, many things can cause it: thyroid issues, Addison's, early onset Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, connective tissue disorders, smooth muscle disorders, etc. They should have been checking for all of these.

The problem with people who don't deal with GP patients regularly is that they don't see the hell most gastroparetics go through. Emotionally, it's extremely hard to deal with this condition, and doing it alone is nigh impossible. Have her check out the support group and go find doctors who specialize in this condition, even if you have to travel.

Good luck.