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Carol Pasinkoff As of Sept. 2007 I am 48 years old, married with three children ages 24, 21, and 15 and I have had severe idiopathic gastroparesis for 3 and 1/2 years. I initially lost 40 lbs from constant vomiting. In July 2004 I was put on tpn through a PICC line. Unfortunately I had several infections, (one that was very severe in which I was hospitalized and close to dying) and had it replaced 9 times. Then the doctors inserted a Hickman Catheter which also became infected again and again and I had that placed 7 times. In July 2005 I had the
gastric electric stimulator placed at Temple University Hospital in
Philadelphia which after several adjustments and over a year I finally
stopped vomiting. However I still get symptoms of severe nausea,
bloating, early satiety and pain whenever I try to eat a very small
amount of food. I cannot eat enough to sustain myself. For this reason I have gained back half of the weight lost and have more energy than I had. Although I still have bad days where I am bedridden, I now have many days where I can live close to normal (except no eating) and participate in activities which I hadn't been able to do. This is a marked improvement.
Valerie Collins In October, 2003, I had my gallbladder removed. Shortly after that I started having severe nausea and vomiting. I eventually had to be hospitalized due to dehydration. An NG tube was put down to try to control the nausea and vomiting. Whenever the suction was turned off, it would start again. I was continuing to lose weight. I went from 210 lbs to 125 lbs in a matter of four months. After many tests the doctors still did not have a diagnosis. Finally the doctors put me on TPN. After three long months in the hospital due to the uncontrolled nausea, vomiting and pain, I was sent home with TPN. I managed to stay out of the hospital for two weeks before having to be put back in. My liver enzymes were very high and I developed pancreatitis. My central line kept getting infected as well. After spending two months this time in the hospital, I was finally transferred to the University of Kansas Medical center. The TPN was causing liver failure so they had to get me off of it. A gastric emptying test was done and I was finally diagnosed with gastroparesis. It was speculated that when I had my gallbladder surgery, my Vagus Nerve was cut. It was decided that a J tube be put in so I could get the proper nutrition that I needed. I spent another four weeks there and was finally sent home. I had spent a total of six months in the hospital with only two weeks of being home in between those times. I currently hook up to the feeding pump for 12 hours a day. I have had several hospitalizations due to nausea/vomiting, dehydration and have developed several illeus. I eventually have had to have a port a cath inserted. I have no veins left so it was difficult to get labs and they were having a difficult time finding veins whenever I needed fluids or medication. In August of this year I have a G tube inserted that I use to vent my stomach. I was getting a lot of acid build up in my stomach and it had nowhere to go. Now I can drain it whenever I need to and it has cut down on the daily vomiting episodes. I am currently on medication for the nausea/vomiting and the pain associated with GP. I am unable to work due to GP. I have just gone through the long process of trying to get on Social Security Disabiltiy. I first applied for it in December of 2004 and I was denied the first time. I just had a hearing in October of this year. I finally got my approval letter in the mail. GP is not a well known illness so many people do not understand how debilitating it can be and the day to day issues we face. Eve Thomas In December 2003 is when most of my gastrointestinal problems started. At that time I was found to have mild gastritis. I was then diagnosed with severe Idiopathic Gastroparesis sometime around 03-04. In 2003, I was treated
for pancreatitis. Over the years I have been hospitalized multiple times
for uncontrollable nausea/vomiting and dehydration. Also in 2004 I found
out I had a delayed small bowel transit, or that my small intestine also
has a slow motility time. In Aug. 2004, I had my appendix removed
because of having a lot of still somewhat unexplained chronic abdominal
pain and I had an exploratory laparoscopic surgery to try to figure out
why. I had been on many |
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