And the Doctor said…

Mark spent most of the night suffering from nausea, and eventually vomiting (at 3:30 in the morning). We had no idea what it was. Both of us felt that the Reglan that he takes for his Gastroparesis was not working. But we are not doctors, so who knows?

Gastroparesis, also called delayed gastric emptying, is a medical condition consisting of a paresis (partial paralysis) of the stomach, resulting in food remaining in the stomach for a longer period of time than normal. Normally, the stomach contracts to move food down into the small intestine for digestion. The vagus nerve controls these contractions. Gastroparesis may occur when the vagus nerve is damaged and the muscles of the stomach and intestines do not work normally. Food then moves slowly or stops moving through the digestive tract.

Mark called me about noon — already back from his primary care physician. He told his doctor about his symptoms. The doctor felt that he was having a flare up of the gastroparesis. He told Mark that he felt that it would pass if he continued to take him medication as prescribed. He said if he has some nausea or vomiting, he could take the Compazine Suppositories. He feels that this flare-up will pass.

He said that if it does not pass, he will refer Mark to a Gastroenterologist for evaluation. The doctor said that there is really no other drug, other than Reglan, that will help this condition. He did admit that there is another drug but it is prescribed for chemo patients who have severe nausea, and it is not something that he prescribes.

Mark said that he felt pretty good when I talked to him at lunch. No nausea, but some minor indigestion. I hate that he is always sick and not feeling well. It makes it hard for us to enjoy our time together. He spends his time being sick, and I spend my time being worried. It’s not a good combination.

Right now he is at dialysis. I asked him if he was feeling well enough to drive himself, but he insisted that he was. I suppose that he knows better than I do. Or else he did not want me to leave work to take him to his treatment. I don’t know. I just hope he really is feeling better.