Gastroparesis is a disorder characterized by insufficient transport of food in your stomach to your small intestine. The effects of this disorder can seriously diminish your body’s ability to access the nutritional content of your food. Potential treatments for gastroparesis include dietary adjustments and the use of a feeding tube to bypass your malfunctioning stomach.
Gastroparesis Basics
Gastroparesis is caused by damage to your vagus nerve, which normally controls your stomach’s ability to contract and force food to flow into your small intestine, according to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, or NDDIC. Without full assistance from the vagus nerve, your stomach retains food for an abnormally long time, leading to consequences that include poor absorption of nutrients. In most cases, gastroparesis-related vagus nerve damage stems from the long-term effects of diabetes. Other potential causes include gastroesophageal reflux disease, complications of stomach surgery, disorders of your smooth muscle tissue or nervous system, bulimia, anorexia, viral infections and the use of medications such as narcotics or anticholinergics.
General Dietary Guidelines
If you have gastroparesis, poor digestion can lead to the formation of solid food masses in your stomach called bezoars, according to the American College of Gastroenterology. In turn, these bezoars may cause blockages that stop your stomach from emptying and trigger symptoms such as pain and nausea. You can help prevent the formation of bezoars by eating a diet that is low in fatty foods and raw, fibrous vegetables. You may also need to eliminate these foods from your diet entirely. If you do eat foods with a high fiber content, cook them until they are soft and chew them thoroughly before swallowing. Your doctor may also ask you to eat smaller meals throughout the day rather than three larger main meals.
Liquid Diet
If you have severe gastroparesis, your doctor may prescribe a diet based on pureed or liquefied foods, the NDDIC reports. Most individuals on this type of diet can meet their nutritional needs when they also use liquid nutrient supplements. However, if damage to your vagus nerve is severe, you may not gain proper nutritional support from a liquid diet. If this is true for you, your doctor may prescribe surgical implantation of a feeding tube, which will allow you to bypass your stomach altogether and place liquefied food directly into your small intestine.
Bloodstream Access
If a feeding tube is ineffective, your doctor may also use a temporary approach called parenteral nutrition, the NDDIC explains. In this approach, your doctor will use a small tube called a catheter to directly access a vein in your chest. He will then use this catheter to insert liquid nutrients directly into your bloodstream. The exact blend of nutrients used will vary with your particular needs.
Additional Approaches
In addition to nutritional approaches, your doctor may treat gastroparesis with medications that include domperidone, metoclopramide, cisapride and erythromycin, the American College of Gastroenterology reports. If you have severe symptoms, you may also undergo a surgical procedure called a gastrotomy, which involves the placement of tubes to help empty your stomach and relieve nausea and vomiting.
Member Comments