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After numerous tests
that came back normal. I went to see a surgeon.
He too could not find anything wrong.
I was started on various medications , but nothing helped. In 4/00, I had an
exploratory laparoscopy and nothing was found to explain the pain and
nausea. I started wondering
if it was all in my head. I could not eat much.
I felt like I had the stomach flu constantly – all day, every
day. I even had difficulty
drinking water. I was
losing weight and I had little energy or strength.
I made many trips to the ER. In 5/00, I started
drooling because I did not have the strength to keep my mouth closed.
I developed mono too due to the low resistance.
I went to the doctor and he put me on Reglan. For two weeks, I was
able to eat with my family. Two
weeks to the day, I felt like someone threw a blanket over me.
The depression hit hard and the anxiety was horrible.
I stopped taking the Reglan immediately. The effects lasted 10 days. By this time, I had
lost 35 pounds. My GYN
convinced the surgeon to admit me.
Again, test after test came back normal.
Finally, I had a GES (gastric emptying study).
My half life came back at 550 minutes (normal is 50-60 minutes).
They inserted an NJ tube for tube feedings directly into my small
intestine. In 12/00, the Propulsid
was stopped and I was started on Domperidone.
I developed a rash and itched all over.
In 2/01, I went back to the Cleveland Clinic and was started on a
low dose of Erythromycin. It
didn’t work for me. I was
given the choice of a feeding tube or the gastric pacemaker.
I was to be the first idiopathic patient to receive one, and I
was the third implant at Cleveland. On 6/26/01, I underwent
laparoscopic surgery to implant the gastric pacemaker from Medtronics.
I was amazed to wake up and the nausea was gone!!! I don’t eat big meals, but I am able to eat small multiple
meals and I have gained back 15 pounds. |
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