Long term, out-of-control diabetes destroys nerves in the body, including in the stomach where muscle walls must move food along in your digestive tract. This slow-down interferes with digestion, causes nausea and vomiting and makes blood sugar control even worse. The condition is called gastroparesis and that's the diagnosis 41-year-old Melissa Harris received that was making eating painful and sometimes impossible for her.

'Its certainly been a year Ill never forget,' says Melissa. 'I lost about 140 pounds in less than a year. I went days without eating solid food because I couldnt keep it down. My life was miserable.'

Melissa's struggle with chronic nausea and vomiting landed her in University Medical Center Brackenridge more than a dozen times. 'I was in and out of the hospital for dehydration, placed on a feeding machine, Harris said. I became really weak and had to use a walker and as a result, I lost my job.'

Following bouts of vomiting over months and insertion of a feeding tube directly into the stomach that still didn't work, Melissa became one of the first Central Texans to be treated with a new procedure called Enterra Therapy, where an electrical stimulator similar to a heart pacemaker is implanted.

General surgeon John P. Sabra, MD, part of Melissa's medical team, performed the minimally invasive implant during which electrical leads are place in the stomach, then attached to a neurostimulator inserted underneath the skin of the abdomen. Based on the same type of technology as heart pacemakers, this device delivers mild electrical pulses to stimulate the nerves and smooth muscles of the lower stomach, helping to control the nausea and vomiting.

Growing Treatment Approach

Gastroparesis is often associated with uncontrolled diabetes along with certain medications, cancer treatments and some types of surgery. As the incidence of diabetes continues to rise across the nation, the need for surgical management of gastroparesis is becoming more common.

'Gastroparesis can be an incapacitating disease,' comments Dr. Sabra. 'Patients experience severe nausea and vomiting, sometimes up to 10 to 20 episodes on a daily basis. This disease is clearly life-altering and inhibits any ability to lead a normal life with its interference on job performance as well as social interactions.'

Changes in diet and medication sometimes help control symptoms of gastroparesis, but are not always effective. Plus the drugs used may also cause unwanted side effects.

'Many people suffer from gastroparesis and don't realize this therapy is a treatment option,' says Dr. Sabra.

UMC Brackenridge is one of only a small number of hospitals where the treatment is available. 'Studies evaluating patients who have received the implant demonstrate significant reductions in nausea and vomiting in the majority of patients,' adds Dr. Sabra.

Besides heart pacemakers and this device, a growing number of electrical stimulators are being developed to treat various medical conditions, including Parkinson's disease and epilepsy, back pain, high blood pressure, urinary incontinence and others.

More About Gastroparesis

Nausea and vomiting are the most common symptoms of gastroparesis and usually occur several hours after eating. Other symptoms include:

• Feeling full after just a few bites
• Bloating in abdomen
• Heartburn
• Loss of appetite
• Rapid weight loss
• Changes in blood sugar level

Soon after surgery, Melissa found relief and her results have been dramatic. Shes back to eating the food she loves and plans to begin looking for a new job soon.

John P. Sabra, MD
General Surgeon

Texas Surgical Group
313 East 12th St., Ste 100-104
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 324-9650
www.texassurgicalgroup.net

Dr. Sabra served with United States Navy in the Middle East. He graduated from Brown University School of Medicine and completed his residency in General Surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center/Parkland Memorial Hospital. He is board certified with the American Board of Surgery and a faculty member for graduate medical education at UMC Brackenridge.