In an earlier entry, I wrote about gastroparesis, a complication of diabetes that damages the vagus nerve and slows the emptying of food from the stomach into the intestines. The symptoms are bothersome and can seriously affect your quality of life. If this is happening to you, there are several ways to get relief.
The treatments for gastroparesis include changes in diabetes medications, adjustment of meals, specific medications for gastroparesis, and other medical treatments.
If your diabetes wasn't in good control before gastroparesis, you may need to take additional oral medicines or insulin. Due to the delayed gastric emptying that occurs with gastroparesis, you also may be advised to take insulin after a meal instead of before the meal.
This helps to match the timing of digestion with your insulin's peak level. By taking your insulin after a meal, you can adjust the dose precisely based on how much food you have consumed instead of guessing how much you might eat before your meal.
General diet recommendations for gastroparesis include eating six small meals per day instead of three larger meals. Smaller, more frequent meals help relieve feelings of early satiety (fullness) and can help make sure you are getting enough nutrients and calories.
Because liquids pass through the intestines more easily than solids, your doctor may recommend a liquid diet until you get relief from bothersome symptoms. In general, you should avoid high-fat and high-fiber foods because they slow down digestion.
Several medications are used to treat gastroparesis. Some increase the time interval when the stomach can empty itself, some stimulate muscle contractions in the stomach and GI tract, and others decrease nausea and vomiting. Your doctor can determine what medications are right for you.
If inadequate nutrition becomes an issue, your doctor may prescribe alternative ways of taking in additional or all nourishment, such as using a feeding tube or even an intravenous line, referred to as parenteral nutrition.
And finally, current medical treatments include Botox injections and gastric electrical stimulation. Botox injections are given to immobilize the opening of the stomach and allow the food to move into the intestines and continue to be digested. Gastric electrical stimulation uses a gastric pacemaker implanted into the stomach wall to stimulate the nerves in the stomach so they continue working.
Your doctor and diabetes educator can work with you to find the best treatments for your gastroparesis.
