![[ Beasley Allen Law Firm Logo ]](http://www.reglan-lawyer.net/wp-content/themes/system-unity/images/logo.png){kind=logo}
Gastroparesis sufferer finds relief through surgery
April 8th, 2010 by Jennifer Walker-Journey
Surgery was all Mary Carter could hope for. The 27-year-old lover of food wanted to be able to eat again. But after a brief illness, she was unable to eat without becoming ill. She suffered from gastroparesis, a condition in which the stomach takes too long to empty its contents. It can cause serious problems for sufferers, including dehydration and malnutrition.
When we first told you about Mary, she was gearing up for an innovative surgery that would place a device called the Enterra into Mary’s abdomen. Her doctor, Richard McCallum, founding chair at the Paul Foster School of Medicine at Texas Tech University, called it a very powerful anti-nausea, anti-vomiting tool. For Mary, it was a glimmer of hope. “Even if my symptoms got 50 percent better, it would be a huge change in my day,” she said.
Milder cases of gastroparesis can be treated through diet changes, however many sufferers must turn to medications such as Reglan (metoclopramide). But medication is not always an option for patients who must be on them for several months or years. Reglan has a black box warning against long-term use of the drug (more than 12 weeks) because it can cause a serious movement disorder known as Tardive Dyskinesia.
For Mary, surgery seemed to be the most logical solution.
Just days after surgery, Mary told News Channel 9 that her dreams were realized. She is able to eat and drink things she wouldn’t have even dared to try before surgery. “I’ve been eating ice cream every night, so it’s a whole new world,” she said.
Related posts:
