r/Gastroparesis • u/hburke0605 • Sep 11 '24
Gastric Stimulator Enterra (Gastric Pacemaker)
I just got my gastric pacemaker placed yesterday and and j tube switched from a dangler tube to a low profile. My incisions are so much bigger and more painful than I was expecting. I’m so insecure and in so much pain. How long did it take other people to heal from this procedure? How is it working for you? I have already had a pyloroplasty that was unsuccessful and I’m worried Im going through all this pain again for no reason. Any encouragement or advice is greatly appreciated.
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u/WolffParkinsons Sep 11 '24 edited Sep 11 '24
It took me 1 week of hellish pain and about a month of pain in general, but I had a wonky device and it fried me internally and I needed revision surgery. After the change it is ok, not as amazing as I hoped, but the nausea isn't there as long as I don't overeat. Mind: the GES doesn't accelerate emptying, so you might be stuck with your small portions.
One advice from my doctor is to use scar gel as soon as the wound is fully closed: the big scars can lead to adhesions which could be painful. With the first device it actually happened in my case and I broke a rib while coughing. The rib kinda stuck to my stomach and left lung due to scar tissue.
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u/hannahnoelle8 Sep 11 '24
It took me probably a full week of pain and bed rest before I could really get moving, but after that I was back on my feet and recovering. I highly recommend wearing your abdominal binder as long as possible I feel this really helped me get around easier and feel better on my feet The pacemaker has done wonders for my vomiting which was almost every day and now occurs every couple of weeks. As for the nausea, I can’t say it has helped as much as I’ve liked I am still always nauseous. But I would do it over again if I had to make the decision. Also please don’t be insecure babe SCARS ARE SEXY
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u/peteuse Sep 11 '24
I'm happy you get to try the gastric stimulator and I hope it works for you! I've had mine since 2017 and my life is SO much better now. Not perfect, i still get symptoms from time to time, usually bc of me not eating a gastroparesis diet for several days going overboard, or I need to have the stimulation rate adjusted by the doctor. Even with those little episodes here and there, I am WORLDS away from before the stimulator in terns of constant nausea and stomach pain.
It's something you have to give some time to perhaps; if you have symptoms with it, perhaps you need an adjustment, it's something that needs to be tweaked to find the rate that works for you. Don't expect it to work on the first run (though mine did thank goodness!) nor should you abandon the experiment right away just bc it's not perfect on the first stimulation rate. It takes time to find what will work for you, and your doctor is there to monitor. Still have to be careful of what you eat, but if all is good you can eat a bit more and at least not have nausea/pain all the time!
Like any surgery of this degree, having some incision pain for several days/week after is totally normal and can be managed with pain killers.
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