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Gastroparesis
When I asked, “What keeps you active?” I mentioned my symptoms of gastroparesis seem to worsen on days when I am more sedentary. I wonder how many of our members with PH have similar symptoms?
My gastroenterologist diagnosed me with gastroparesis after a gastric emptying test showed that only 15 percent of my breakfast had left my stomach after four hours. 90-100 percent is normal so I have a severe case.
Has a doctor diagnosed you with gastroparesis?
Unfortunately I never had a gastric emptying study before my transplant so my team never recorded a baseline for me. Now I wonder if I already had some issues with delayed stomach emptying. That might explain why I’ve adapted more than they anticipated. My team wanted me to have surgery to prevent further complications from the delayed food, but the surgeon I saw refused to operate on me, citing that my reflux is well controlled (confirmed by another long test).
Gastroparesis is a common complication after heart or lung transplants, but I am curious how many transplant patients might have signs of it even before the operation. Do you ever feel nauseated or particularly full after eating? Have you considered doing a gastric emptying study?
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8 Replies
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Not a transplant patient here but I have thoracic restriction, which compresses most of my organs. I have problems with gastroparesis and reflux as a result.
There are some relatively benign medications out there that aren’t approved yet for gastroparesis but are used (mirtazapine and odansentron come to mind). The compartmentalization of medicine might stop these from ever being approved, so you can find out more by talking to your doctor to see if these are right for you.
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I was prescribed mirtazapine to help with sleep and anxiety after my transplant. Unfortunately, it gave me anxiety to take it because it knocked me out so quickly! I can’t imagine taking it consistently for gastroparesis, but maybe at a different dose than I tried before.
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I definitely feel your pain with the reflux and gastroparesis. This combination must be terrible! How do you manage it ? Are you also seeing a GI doctor for this ? Do they work with your PH team?
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@kathleen-sheffer mirtazapine chemically acts as lots of things, one of which is an antihistamine. If you are sensitive to antihistamines it might knock you out before the stomach benefits come into play.
Ondansetron (Zofran) works on the stomach and the stomach only, but is approved officially only for nausea. I have heard of it being prescribed for gastroparesis and related problems.
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Zofran and other nausea medications are often given for gastroparesis. I heard of this too. I also heard of of that drug that acts as a type of antihistamine. When I was in the hospital Benadryl (IV form) was actually something that helped me with the nausea feeling. I can’t take Zofran because it races my heart and makes my anxiety sky rocket because it makes my skin feel like it’s crawling. It must act with the brain somehow. I’m very sensitive to reactions in the brain.
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Good observation – Zofran does act on the brain by suppressing the need to vomit. But, the receptors that signal the need to vomit also signal other things.
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Hey Kevin,
Have you ever tried seeing specialist for more of the “eastern medicine” approach? I have done things like Reiki, reflexology, and have even taken different herbal supplements. I always do this in combination with my therapies that are prescribed by my doctors though especially for the conditions that are structural problems with the body that really can only be managed with the medications my doctors give. If you have tried any other therapies or treatments that were helpful for you I’d be interested in hearing about your experience. I also did acupuncture and it seemed to help with my anxiety quite a bit! -
Hey Kevin,
I’m so glad that you found someone good and someone that you trust with that! That’s awesome and I really hope that you continue to see the benefits of it. I love anything that will benefit my health in a positive way and am always up for trying out new types of therapies! Sounds like you found yourself a great one though especially if she is familiar with both types of medicine. I think it’s always best when they work together and can see from both sides instead of just saying “get rid of all medications you’re taking” sometimes that can feel a bit extreme ! But I love that you’re doing all of this and think it’s awesome for your mind and body regardless!
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