DRAMATIC IMPROVEMENT IN QUALITY OF LIFE

Chris’s symptoms first began about five years ago. Woken up in the middle in the night with an irritated, painful sensation in his esophagus and stomach, his symptoms could be so severe as to cause gagging and retching. Despite attempts with different medications, the episodes continued, and last year began to increase in frequency.

I just wanted the pain to go away.”

Chris’s endoscopy results showed that he was retaining food in his stomach. He was then referred to a cardiologist to rule out any cardiac conditions that could be causing his symptoms. No abnormalities were found, yet stress test results were inconclusive. Chris was also a diabetic who was struggling with a number of related conditions. With so many unknown factors, he felt confused. Thankfully, he was a Best Doctors member and had access to a dedicated team and world leading expert to help him sort everything out.

Best Doctors kept in constant contact with me and I liked how I could ask as many questions as I needed to. Everything went perfectly.”

The Best Doctors team sent Chris’s case to an internationally leading gastroenterologist who specialized in esophageal disease and gastrointestinal motility.

On careful review, the expert felt that his symptoms were due to gastroparesis, a condition in which the poor functioning of the muscles and nerves of the stomach prevent it from emptying properly. In his opinion, the root cause of the problem was diabetes and the resulting nerve damage, which was causing the pain. He nonetheless advised Chris to confirm the diagnosis and its degree of severity by undergoing a gastric emptying study. The expert felt that it was also important to rule out coronary artery disease, and urged Chris to proceed with a repeat stress test to be absolutely sure.

The expert provided Chris with recommendations on medications to improve his gastric emptying and relieve the pain, irritation and reflux symptoms. He also made sure to provide indications on dosage changes, depending on his initial response to treatment, as well as testing to pursue if his condition did not improve. The report concluded with advice on glycemic control and lifestyle changes that would stabilize Chris’s overall health.

Chris shared the report with his treating doctors and was started on the treatment recommended by the Best Doctors expert. Having completed the stress testing and ruled out any cardiac issues, he is now symptom-free, sleeping better and feeling much healthier overall.