gastroparesis from narcotics

[jmm125]

i have developed gastroparesis from the narcotics i had during a surgery a week ago. i also already have GERD so its definitely not making things any better. my question is, although gastroparesis is not curable, could it possibly go away over time since it came from narcotics rather than something like diabetes? i can't imagine having to live with this for the rest of my life all because i had a little surgery..

[ggreg]

Well, if the narcotics just stunned the stomach muscles during surgery, I suppose it will eventually improve, when the drugs finally leave the system.  Those medicines cause the stomach to digest more slowly and empty poorly, so if you eat small meals more often in the day, particularly eating only soft food, less fat and sugar, it'll work better.  Also, a little extra water should help.  

You said this happened a week ago, so if it does not improve steadily after a couple more weeks, you'll have to talk to the people who operated on you or the doctor who referred you to have surgery, and see if this happens a lot, plus what the prognosis might be, which is what you asked us.

I know I had surgery ages ago, and I was not allowed to eat regular food for a long time after.  I was hospitalized and only ate liquids for a couple weeks, then soft food diet for another couple weeks, and slowly they included regular foods.  Even though I was discharged with opium-derivative medication, my stomach worked fine, altho supposedly taking that kind of medication for any sort of problem can cause the stomach to kind of seize up and work slow.

Hope this helps a little.  I think you'll get better, and these days they throw people out of the hospital so quick, patients sometimes cannot assimilate all the info they give you on discharge day, which should have included tips on how to eat for a few weeks, so as not to upset your stomach.