Treating one of my "Qualifying Conditions" known as? Gastroparesis

I have this year been diagnosed also with gastroparesis: for me, it doesn't matter how it was gotten to me, and with a very all too often feeling with many, it's something that really is frustrating: pain wise, it's hard to treat, and hard not to.

For me, I use a variety of things, depending on budget, but we'll look at gastroparesis first.

But below are listed multiple treatments.  What is disturbing to me is the safety profile on the medications-I use something for heartburn, but my best treatment are manual manipulations by a naturopathic physician who is very good at doing them: and also diagnosed an additional hiatial hernia, and since I am not a canidate for any further surgery-nor do I want any-I have decided to make a level best effort on my side to learn to use the medical marijuana to treat it.  I simply feel that the treatments below are too invasive, and also I hate the idea of black box warnings, when a less toxic medication-though sure, anyone can have an allergy, an adverse reaction-even to a bit of MMJ, it's not hard to be one that is uncertain-if you had a bad reaction, my first question would be what happened.

All to often, the answer is clear when I learn that even my own case, I had a bad reaction-buying it on the street, someone had with good intent, but a friend with a not so good intent was the one who somehow added or what have you, something that would put anyone in the emergency room.

And yet-I figured with the safety of having labs and so forth-to ensure safety, unless you live in Michigan, or know how to grow this yourself-and know well how to do it, then sure, I would say absolutely make sure you have a permit, live only in one of the 18 Legal states, and last?

Have those present in your life who will keep you honest.

Anyhow, I have until recently been what I call an "Indica Girl", and though Indica's (a type of useable/smokeable plant-there is also the Sativa, and then most predominantly an indica/sativa hybrid makes up the highest number of marijuana plants.

Through a year of treatment, I have found that being able to pare down a list of medications that was embarassingly wrong I find it funny-of note, a friend informed me Stage Four doesn't exist.

Sure it does.  But really?  With the joke of access to treatment to both RSD and for the gastroparesis, I decided to go ahead and try the Sativa my dispensary had sent with a delivery about a month ago.  I consumed about maybe during the day?  Perhaps one bowl.  The next 24 hours were fairly uncomfortable, and I treated with an Indica-dominant hybrid.

The Sativa I forget the name, but was of the following values:

Sativa 70%/Indica 30%
THC-17%
CBD-2.3

The Indica is a local house plant, Indica-dominant-

Indica 90%/Sativa 10%
THC:  19%
CBD-undetectable


What I figured on day 3, as I began to feel really the benefits of my treatment settle in as this time, I was putting together as half the bowl-the Sativa dominant, and the other half, side by side for me, and I then found less discomfort because the effect of the Sativa for me was not the stimulation, or even a tendancy of a sativa to cause this but actually I felt the following:

• I felt far more calm, mellowed out
• Sleep was improved
• My stomach began to pass food into the gut, and I was able to eat, and to hold in medications (though less toxic ones) that were less toxic on my system.

I hadn't expected any of those effects, but thee I was.

When your stomach can't move on it's own, it's far more difficult to take in nutrients naturally and ones that in fact were more natural, I was very uncomfortable for about a day.  When I realized that perhaps using a combination in one bowl to treat both the RSD-related pain with the Indica-the Sativa had the unexpected effect of waking up my gut.

I plan to discuss more of using medical marijuana, and though direct advice I clearly cannot share, experience and information, that is another story.....

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GASTROPARESIS

Gastroparesis is a condition in which your stomach cannot empty itself of food in a normal

fashion. It is caused by damage to the vagus nerve, which regulates thedigestive system. A 

damaged vagus nerve prevents the muscles in the stomach and intestine from functioning, 

preventing food from moving through the digestive system properly. Often, the cause of 

gastroparesis is unknown.

However, the causes of gastroparesis can include:

• Uncontrolled diabetes

• Gastric surgery with injury to the vagus nerve

• Medications such as narcotics and some antidepressants

• Parkinson's disease

• Multiple sclerosis

• Rare conditions such as: Amyloidosis (deposits of protein fibers in tissues and organs) 

  and scleroderma (a connective tissue disorder that affects the skin, bloodvessels, 

  skeletal muscles, and internal organs)

What Are the Symptoms of Gastroparesis?

There are many symptoms of gastroparesis, including:

• Heartburn or GERD

• Nausea

• Vomiting undigested food

• Feeling full quickly when eating

• Abdominal bloating

• Poor appetite and weight loss

• Poor blood sugar control

What Are the Complications of Gastroparesis?

Some of the complications of gastroparesis include:

• Food that stays in the stomach too long can ferment, which can lead to the growth of bacteria.

• Food in the stomach can harden into a solid collection, called a bezoar. Bezoars can cause obstructions in the stomach that keep food from passing into the small intestine.

• People who have both diabetes and gastroparesis may have more difficulty because blood sugar levels rise when food finally leaves the stomach and enters the small intestine, making blood sugar control more of a challenge.

How Is Gastroparesis Diagnosed?

To diagnose gastroparesis, your doctor will review your symptoms and medical history. He or she will also give you a physical exam and may order certain blood tests, including blood sugar levels. Other tests used to diagnose and evaluate gastroparesis may include:

• Barium X-ray: You drink a liquid (barium), which coats the esophagus, stomach, and 

  small intestine and shows up on X-ray. This test is also known as an upper GI 

  (gastrointestinal) series or a barium swallow.

• Radioisotope gastric-emptying scan (gastric scintigraphy): You eat food that contains a 

  very small amount of radioisotope (a radioactive substance), then lie under a scanning 

  machine; if the scan shows that more than 10% of food is still in your stomach 4 hours 

  after eating, you are diagnosed with gastroparesis.

• Gastric manometry: A thin tube that is passed through your mouth and into the stomach 

  measures the stomach's electrical and muscular activity to determine the rate of 

  digestion.

• Electrogastrography: This test measures electrical activity in the stomach using 

  electrodes placed on the skin.

• The smart pill: This is a small electronic device that is swallowed. It sends back 

  information about how fast it is traveling as it moves through the digestive system.

• Ultrasound: This is an imaging test that uses sound waves to create pictures of body 

  organs. Your doctor may use ultrasound to eliminate other diseases.

• Upper endoscopy: This procedure involves passing a thin tube (endoscope) down the 

  esophagus to examine the lining of the stomach.

What Is the Treatment for Gastroparesis?

Gastroparesis is a chronic (long-lasting) condition. This means that treatment usually 

doesn't cure the disease. But there are steps you can take to manage and control the 

condition.

Some patients may benefit from medications, including:

• Reglan (metoclopramide): You take this drug before eating and it causes the 
  
  
  stomach muscles to contract and move food along. Reglan also decreases the 
  
  
  incidence of vomiting and nausea. Side effects include diarrhea, drowsiness, 
  
  
  anxiety, and, rarely, a serious neurological disorder.
• Erythromycin: This is an antibiotic that also causes stomach contractions and 
  
  
  helps move food out. Side effects include diarrhea and development of resistant 
  
  
  bacteria from prolonged exposure to the antibiotic.
• 
  
  Antiemetics: These are drugs that help control nausea.

People who have diabetes should try to control their blood sugar levels to minimize 

the problems of gastroparesis.

Dietary Modifications for Gastroparesis

One of the best ways to help control the symptoms of gastroparesis is to modify your 

daily eating habits. For instance, instead of three meals a day, eat six small meals. In 

this way, there is less food in the stomach; you won't feel as full, and it will be easier 

for the food to leave your stomach. Another important factor is the consistency of 

food; liquids and low residue foods are encouraged (for example, applesauce should 

replace whole apples with intact skins).

You should also avoid foods that are high in fat (which can slow down digestion) and 

fiber (which is difficult to digest).

Other Treatment Options for Gastroparesis

In a severe case of gastroparesis, a feeding tube, or jejunostomy tube, may be used. 

The tube is inserted through the abdomen and into the small intestine during surgery. 

To feed yourself, put nutrients into the tube, which go directly into the small intestine; 

this way, they bypass the stomach and get into the bloodstream more quickly. 

Using an instrument through a small incision, botulinum toxin (such as Botox) can be 

injected into the pylorus, the valve that leads from the stomach to the small intestine. 

This can relax the valve, keeping it open for a longer period of time to allow the 

stomach to empty.  

Another treatment option is intravenous or parenteral nutrition. This is a feeding 

method in which nutrients go directly into the bloodstream through a catheter placed 

into a vein in your chest. Parenteral nutrition is intended to be a temporary measure 

for a severe case of gastroparesis.

Electrical stimulation for Gastroparesis

Electrical gastric stimulation for gastroparesis uses electrodes that are attached to the 

stomach wall and, when stimulated, trigger stomach contractions. Further studies are 

needed to help determine who will benefit most from this procedure. Currently, only a 

few centers across the country perform electrical gastric stimulation.