Gastroparesis sufferer urges, Never give up!
September 11th, 2009 by Jennifer Walker-Journey
Be your own advocate. That is what the Gastroparesis, etc… blogger suggests for people, like her, who suffer from gastroparesis, a condition in which the stomach takes too long to empty its contents. The blogger can be found at gpadvocate.wordpress.com.
The Gastroparesis, etc… blogger was diagnosed with the condition in 2004, and in that time has gathered a great deal of information on treatments for the debilitating condition, which she readily shares on her Web site. Gastroparesis is individualized and a treatment that works for one person may not work for another, she says.
She has tried a long list of treatments from Botox to acupuncture to Reglan, but few have worked well for her. She will receive a gastric neurostimulator, also known as a gastric pacemaker, next week. “It took four months to get the procedure approved by my insurance company, but in that time I gained a great deal of knowledge and collected a plethora of resources which I am anxious to pass along.”
The blogger also passes on to her readers information about new treatments and drug warnings, such as the recent black box warning on metoclopramide, also known by the brand name Reglan, and the newly approved Metozolv ODT, an orally disintegrating version of the same medicine. The black box warning notifies patients and health care workers of an increased risk of a serious movement disorder known as Tardive Dyskinesia associated with long term use of metoclopramide.
Whatever course of treatment sufferers of gastroparesis choose, the blogger offers this advice: “Be your own advocate. Truly, in every way. Do your own research. Try everything for yourself. And never, ever give up!”