JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – Imagine if every time you tried to eat something, you got sick. That's what can happen to those with gastroparesis. Most often it occurs in people with diabetes who have nerve damage, making them unable to digest their food properly. In the past, little could be done for severe cases, but now a new pacemaker for the stomach is changing that.
Something as simple as having a slice of pizza wasn't possible for Pam Thompson earlier this year.
"I would have to have just a little tiny piece and then 50/50 on whether I was going to be sick or not" Pam Thompson told Ivanhoe.
Diagnosed with gastroparesis 25 years ago, Pam's stomach wouldn't digest food properly and she couldn't eat anything without throwing up.
Thompson explained, "Almost every day, sometimes 2 or 3 times a day, I just couldn't keep anything down. I was always nauseous, never wanted food, didn't want to smell it, cook it, or see it."
Medications failed, but thanks to a new pacemaker device placed under the skin, Pam is getting her appetite back.
John Petersen, D.O., FACG, FACP, Board Certified Gastroenterologist at Borland-Groover Clinic and on the medical staff of Baptist Medical Center in Jacksonville told Ivanhoe, "It's changed her life."
Dr. Petersen says gastroparesis is a condition where the nerves that control stomach functioning are damaged. It's typically seen in diabetics like Pam, but can strike anyone.
"They can't accept a meal properly," said Dr. Petersen, "They can't grind a meal into the right size and shape to get out into the intestine so it can be absorbed."
The gastric pacemaker uses electrical stimulation to get the stomach to contract and do its work. Doctors can monitor functioning and make adjustments as needed.
Doctor Petersen told Ivanhoe, "I think it's a massive breakthrough for the people that just had nothing to look forward to."
Now Pam can eat without worry and focus more attention on her dog Tango.
Patients can also get gastroparesis after a viral infection impacts the nerves. Symptoms include loss of appetite, nausea with vomiting, bloating and weight loss.