i was recently diagnosised with gastroparisis. my stomach takes over 4 hours before it actually starts to empty. i was also told i have an haiatil hernia on the lower part of my stomach and that my stomach is the size of an infants. well i am pretty much on a liquid and soft food diet. lately i have been throwing up all night again and its an every night thing. so i called my stomach doctor. after two days they finally got back to me. they said that certain medications can make it worse. i am on a lot of psych meds and they are finally where they need to be and are working properly. i am also on pain medication for my knee and siatica. this is something that will never go away and never get better. however the doctor said pain medication, lamictal, and respadone can increase the symptoms and make it worse. i am on all three of them and in a position that i can NOT stop any of these medications and because they are necessary not only for my mental health but physical pain as well. i feel like i am stuck in between a rock and a hard place. that im damned if i do and damned if i dont. i am hoping that i am makeing the right choice not to go off any of my medications or get them changed. its like why try to fix something if its not broken. i will be asking my stomach doctor in november when i see him again and see if he will put me on nausea medication to help with that. i dont know what to do. does anyone have any advice, or maybe some words of comfort and understanding because i could really use it right now
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Damned if i do and Damned if i dont
- Thread starter Bbear82
- Start date
Hey @Bbear82
gastroparesis sucks. it‘s like the juggling shards of glass. It’s quite frustrating.
do you know what caused he gastroparesis? Most people don’t know, but it’s worth the ask. The medications can make conditions worse. The pain meds slow down your gut too.
my first thought is WHEN are you taking each med. do you take food with it? How much? How much fluid? If you have been vomiting at night, what meds are you taking near bedtime? The evening doses may need spaced out differently.
random thought-
meds are absorbed in different areas of the stomach, colon. this may effect therapeutic levels.
there are meds for this but most don't seems to help a lot.
there are gastric pacemakers that can be quite helpful.
there is hope. It’s frustrating & a lot of trial & error.
if you want to forward your med list, dosages & times to me, I can look at it and see if there is any simple timing suggestions.
I am sorry you have this.
gastroparesis sucks. it‘s like the juggling shards of glass. It’s quite frustrating.
do you know what caused he gastroparesis? Most people don’t know, but it’s worth the ask. The medications can make conditions worse. The pain meds slow down your gut too.
my first thought is WHEN are you taking each med. do you take food with it? How much? How much fluid? If you have been vomiting at night, what meds are you taking near bedtime? The evening doses may need spaced out differently.
random thought-
meds are absorbed in different areas of the stomach, colon. this may effect therapeutic levels.
there are meds for this but most don't seems to help a lot.
there are gastric pacemakers that can be quite helpful.
there is hope. It’s frustrating & a lot of trial & error.
if you want to forward your med list, dosages & times to me, I can look at it and see if there is any simple timing suggestions.
I am sorry you have this.
I know I'm always going on about acupuncture, but I think that could really help with the knee pain and sciatica, and maybe also your stomach issues. If cost is an issue, I could recommend some ways to find affordable care.
I could also try to recommend some foods that might help, but your condition is serious enough and complicated enough that I'd feel more comfortable if a professional handled this.
Hugs @Bbear82
I could also try to recommend some foods that might help, but your condition is serious enough and complicated enough that I'd feel more comfortable if a professional handled this.
Hugs @Bbear82
You might want to search for acupuncture schools in your area. Once you've found a school, there's usually a link from the school's web page for a teaching clinic.
Teaching clinics usually offer reduced cost, or even free treatment. In some cases, there will be special discounts for certain people, or they may offer free theater treatments (a professor treats you while students observe). Teaching clinics typically offer both acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, as well as other treatments.
Community-style clinics also offer reduced cost treatment. Patients are typically treated in a group setting. Some places will treat people in reclining chairs gathered in a single large room, or on treatment tables separated by curtains (I prefer treatment tables). Some clinics offer both chairs and tables.
A search for community acupuncture clinics in your area may turn up some results. There are also two networks of community-style acupuncture: www.POCAcoop.com in the US and Canada, and acmac.net in the UK.
Some health insures will cover acupuncture. In Massachusetts, for example, there is a healthcare plan partly covered by medicare and partly covered by state funding that offers 36 acupuncture treatments per year.
Teaching clinics usually offer reduced cost, or even free treatment. In some cases, there will be special discounts for certain people, or they may offer free theater treatments (a professor treats you while students observe). Teaching clinics typically offer both acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, as well as other treatments.
Community-style clinics also offer reduced cost treatment. Patients are typically treated in a group setting. Some places will treat people in reclining chairs gathered in a single large room, or on treatment tables separated by curtains (I prefer treatment tables). Some clinics offer both chairs and tables.
A search for community acupuncture clinics in your area may turn up some results. There are also two networks of community-style acupuncture: www.POCAcoop.com in the US and Canada, and acmac.net in the UK.
Some health insures will cover acupuncture. In Massachusetts, for example, there is a healthcare plan partly covered by medicare and partly covered by state funding that offers 36 acupuncture treatments per year.
I have done acupuncture through a chiropractor. The dr wanted to help enough that he waived my copay. — so there are caregivers that really want to help. 😁 it’s cool.
I have used acupressure with great relief through the years,
as I write this, I remember getting an acupressure wrist band for nausea. Pretty inexpensive & helpful. I got it at a Walgreens. but it was years ago.
I have used acupressure with great relief through the years,
as I write this, I remember getting an acupressure wrist band for nausea. Pretty inexpensive & helpful. I got it at a Walgreens. but it was years ago.
In an ideal world, the consultants dealing with you for each discipline, ie gastro, MH and pain would get together to create an agreed treatment plan drug wise. Such is the conflict of potential side effects you're facing here. And that's before they consider adding any anti-emetics which could potentially enhance the CNS side effects of your psych meds which may require perhaps a dose adjustment. But I guess that's theoretical at the moment.
For the moment, just as thought in relation to your gastroparesis, due to the markedly reduced gastric transit times, this could be affecting drug absorption or ease of taking your meds. I'm not sure if you've been having any difficulties but an option could be switching where possible to liquid formulation or chewable preps. For instance risperidone is available in orodispersible tablets and solution, lamictal as chewable/dispersible tabs.
But options are there, hope your docs will be able to arrive at a treatment plan to suit you.
For the moment, just as thought in relation to your gastroparesis, due to the markedly reduced gastric transit times, this could be affecting drug absorption or ease of taking your meds. I'm not sure if you've been having any difficulties but an option could be switching where possible to liquid formulation or chewable preps. For instance risperidone is available in orodispersible tablets and solution, lamictal as chewable/dispersible tabs.
But options are there, hope your docs will be able to arrive at a treatment plan to suit you.
Hugs Bbear.
I could try to offer a home remedy for vomiting, but I'm a little reluctant to do that because there's some complexity to your condition, and you're also in a fragile state. I couldn't guarantee that a home remedy wouldn't make things worse, which is why I'd rather that you saw a professional.
More hugs
I could try to offer a home remedy for vomiting, but I'm a little reluctant to do that because there's some complexity to your condition, and you're also in a fragile state. I couldn't guarantee that a home remedy wouldn't make things worse, which is why I'd rather that you saw a professional.
More hugs