Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

In a country that celebrates most holidays and occasions with great spreads of food, living with gastroparesis can be difficult. Gastroparesis is a condition in which the stomach takes too long to empty its contents, causing stomach pain, nausea and vomiting, which can lead to poor nutrition and, in severe cases, death. Those who suffer with it must be on restrictive diets and take medications or treatments to keep the symptoms at bay. The condition can make socializing – especially during activities centered on food – uncomfortable for sufferers.

Gastroparesis is unpredictable – there are good days and bad, making it hard to manage. There is often no explanation for a drastic change in symptoms from one moment to the next. Because sufferers often do not look sick, gastroparesis, called a “silent illness,” is often disregarded by those who don’t understand it.

G-PACT, www.g-pact.org, is an organization that was founded in 2001 to help increase awareness of gastroparesis and another serious gastrointestinal motility disorder, chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction (CIP), in an effort to seek funding for better research into the causes of and treatment for the disorder. The site also gives sufferers a community where they can share personal stories and triumphs.

G-PACT aims to help find more options for suffers of serious GI motility disorders. “These conditions are not just inconveniences. They are disabling, and in some instances, can even be fatal,” according to the Web site. “There are few treatment options available, and even those have complications and limited effectiveness. Little attention has been given to these illnesses for research due to lack of awareness of the need.”

One of the few treatments available for gastroparesis is metoclopramide, sold in the U.S. under the brand name Reglan. Earlier this year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a black box warning on the drug after numerous reports of a serious movement disorder known as Tardive Dyskinesia were associated with the long term use of Reglan.

According to the organization’s Web site, “GI motility disorders are under-recognized, so therefore ignored by many medical companies, pharmaceutical companies, and the FDA.”

Related posts:

• Gastroparesis organization raises awareness through video
• Gastroparesis group to petition Sen. McCain about criticism of IBS funding
• August is Gastroparesis Awareness Month
• Sufferers of chronic conditions raise awareness for invisible Illness week
• New medical center to focus on gastrointestinal disorders

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 10th, 2009 at 9:58 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.