|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
My name is Samantha and I have made a recovery from gastroparesis! I’m 36 years old and have three kids, 10, 8 and 5. After having on and off trouble with my
stomach since January 1999, it was in
July where the first true symptoms of gastroparesis appeared.
I just couldn't eat because I'd be full after the first bite
of food I'd try to take.
However, these days would only come in episodes and after
a few days I'd be OK again. It got worse though, and later
on that year, I was pretty much a mess and seeing a GI doctor who didn't
know what he was talking about.
I got all the usual tests, was put on Prilosec and Pepsid and
then Propulsid. He insisted
that I had heartburn and that
many people were like me but just didn' t complain.
I told him that it was my
stomach that was hurting, not my chest, but he didn'
t believe me. He told me to drink Ensure,
but I couldn't even take a can
of that. His partner told me to
try drinking ice cream shakes and that
they'd put a tube in my stomach, so not to worry about losing
weight!!!!!! It makes
me angry to think about it. Anyway, I ended up mess by the spring of 2000 and had the gastric emptying test done. It showed that hardly anything had digested and, in fact, I had to go home with my stomach full of test food. It would neither come up nor go down. The next day, my PCP put me in the hospital because I was in so much pain and distress. Then my PCP got me an
appointment with Cleveland Clinic's Dr. Shay.
I walked into his room in June 2000 a mess, totally unable to eat
and despairing for my life. Dr
Shay did a full check up, asked me
lots of questions and then sat me down to talk
to me. He gave me the first bit of
hope that I could get better. He
said that if I followed his plan, then I would make a recovery.
He told me that I must make
myself eat tiny bits of food, even though I wouldn't feel
like it and would be miserable. He
said that the stomach muscle had to be used or else it would become weak
and useless. My stomach had
become lax. My job was to
strengthen that stomach muscle up again, and it
would be a very difficult and slow
process. I left his office with a bit
of hope for the first time in many months. Dr Shay was right. It was a terribly painful and frustrating journey. I started off eating little bits of food off my husband' s plate. I developed a permanent frown in between my eyebrows because I was in so much misery most of the time. However, eventually, I had a day when I felt actually quite good! I walked outside my house and my neighbors commented on the fact that I was outside and looking brighter. I was so happy. However, the next day, I was back in my bed unable to get up again. I was devastated. This pattern went on for a long time, with more days than not being sick. But eventually, I would have more and more good days. By January of 2002, I felt like I was almost normal again and had gained all my weight back. As long as I stay away from red meat or lots of fibre, I seem to do fine. Some days my stomach can get queasy, but those days are not often, and I live a normal life again with my kids. All in all, I believe that for
many people with gastroparesis, proper
treatment and management can lead to a normal life again.
I now take no Propulsid, Reglan or any other of the motility
medications. But
everyday, I think of
how lucky I am to have gotten better and how other people out there are
still suffering. I think it
is most important to find a doctor who actually
deals with stomach motility diseases. I truly believe that Dr Shay saved me from down-spiraling more and having to get a feeding tube. He gave me a chance because he knew that many people with gastroparesis can recover if given the right treatment. First he gave me some hope and then he gave me a plan. It worked and I'm grateful to him. But never will I forget my illness or the people who supported me through it.
|
|
|
