Worried about my mom

My mom apperntly has gastroparisis, Or what ever,

IS this able to be healed, Or solved, Or something..!?!


~RKW

[gnorb]

In short, no, there's no cure. Gastriparesis is a condition where there has been either neurological damage to the Vagus nerve, responsible for making the stomach pump, or where an issue exists within the stomach muscle itself where it's either not properly coordinating or simply not squeezing. Note that this conditions has its ups and downs: there are times when she'll seem perfectly fine and others when the condition acts up. That's just part of living with it. However, gastroparesis, while serious, is rarely life-threatening.

Gastroparesis is caused by a number of things, the most common of which are diabetes and post-viral syndromes. However, about a third of all cases are idiopathic, meaning they don't know what caused it. If your mother's case is post-viral, then good news: those cases stand an excellent chance at recovery. Unfortunately recovery can take up to 5 years. In other cases recovery is not common.

To treat the condition, the cause should first be known and the underlying issue addressed. Doing so will usually help control the symptoms. In addition, dietary changes like eating a low-fat, low-fiber diet (specifically when it comes to insoluble fibers) and medication such as Reglan and Domperidone are usually prescribed to help improve stomach motility. Something to watch out for, however, is something called bezoars, which are lumps of undigested food that sit in the stomach. In some cases these can be life-threatening, if they block the passage of food into the stomach.

Note that in some folks, particularly the elderly, gastroparesis is a misdiagnosis where the problem may actually be low stomach acidity, which slows down digestion. Keep an eye out for this.

Here's the lowdown: no, there's no cure. It's usually caused by something else so that should be addressed first, and improvement may be seen. It's generally not life threatening, though it is annoying and, uncontrolled, can be dangerous. Your mom is far from being alone. In fact, there's a gastroparesis group on Yahoo! Groups you'll probably want to investigate. Lots of good info there about the latest research and technologies.

Just a bit of background: I was recently sent for a gastric emptying examination myself. Judging by what I saw in the results, I'll probably be told I have gastroparesis during my next doctor's visit. I'm very much hoping I'm wrong, but we'll see. I'm 28, in generally good health (except for regular heartburn), and believe that my digestive system's function was impaired during a bad bout with the flu about a year ago. I've found that acupuncture is very helpful, as are qigong, biofeedback, and meditation.

Good luck.