Gastroparesis group to petition Sen. McCain about criticism of IBS funding
Last December, Sen. John McCain identified Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) as an illness unworthy of receiving funds for research, citing an earmarked $665,000 for the Cedar Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, for equipment and supplies to research the debilitating condition. This triggered the Gastroparesis Patient Association for Cures and Treatment (G-PACT), an organization that raises awareness of gastric mobility disorders, to write a petition to present to Sen. McCain on March 8, 2010. The petition stresses that the money is used to assist in the “funding innovating GI motility research by Cedars Sinai to study the use of various antibiotics to enhance GI mobility and prevent severe bacterial overgrowth in various GI motility disease,” usage deemed worthy by many who suffer from GI disorders.
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.