Archive for the ‘Diabetes and Gastroparesis’ Category

SmartPill Helps with Diagnosing Diabetes and Gastroparesis

December 23, 2011 by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Diabetes and Gastroparesis 

Diagnosing easier

New technology is allowing doctors to diagnose gastrointestinal disorders easier than ever before. The SmartPill GI Monitoring System is a capsule monitoring device that is ingested by the patient at the doctor’s office. The patient is then fitted with the wireless data receiver. The receiver can be attached to the patient’s belt for easy mobility. The SmartPill capsule, which is about the size of a large multivitamin, can be easily worked through the gastrointestinal tract. While on its “travels” the SmartPill collects data such as pressure, pH and temperature levels, which are sent to the wireless receiver. This data is then used by the doctor to determine the disorder that the patient is suffering.

The SmartPill procedure is intended to replace costly and invasive procedures to determine the cause of gastrointestinal symptoms. Patients who have experienced unexplained vomiting, stomach spasms or bloating can relax now that they do not have to undergo surgery.

Diabetics in particular are more likely to need this diagnosing system. Due to their different digestive systems, diabetics are more prone to gastrointestinal tract disorders. The SmartPill system will be able to help doctors better evaluate and diagnose their diabetic patients.

The SmartPill GI Monitoring System will be particularly helpful in diagnosing disorders such as gastroparesis, which is delayed stomach emptying. Gastroparesis affects millions of Americans every year, especially those with existing disorders such as diabetes or irritable bowel syndrome.

For diabetics, gastroparesis makes controlling blood sugar levels more difficult, as a delay in digestion causes blood glucose levels to rapidly rise when food enters the small intestine. This causes glucose levels to be erratic and difficult to control.

 Once the patient’s SmartPill results have been examined, doctors can more effectively diagnose the symptoms, and more precisely prescribe what is needed. For gastroparesis, doctors often prescribe Motilium, or its generic equivalent, domperidone. Domperidone, a dopamine antagonist, works on the gastrointestinal tract by both promoting gastric movement and easing gastroparesis symptoms. These effects are created by works by blocking the action of a chemical messenger in the brain which causes the feeling of nausea and vomiting, as well as by increasing the movement or contractions of the stomach and intestines, allowing food to move more easily through the stomach.

Diabetes and Gastroparesis Linked

November 15, 2011 by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Diabetes and Diet, Diabetes and Gastroparesis 
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Many people with diabetes suffer from gastroparesis, or slow stomach emptying. As a matter or fact, diabetes is the most common cause of gastroparesis. That’s because chronic high blood glucose levels can damage the vagus nerve – which controls the movement of food down through the digestive tract.

In a double whammy, gastroparesis can make diabetes worse by making blood glucose control more difficult. When food that has been delayed in the stomach finally enters the small intestine and is absorbed, blood glucose levels rise. Since gastroparesis makes stomach emptying unpredictable, a person’s blood glucose levels can be erratic and difficult to control – a diabetic’s nightmare.

How do you self-treat gastroparesis? The simplest and healthiest option is to change your eating habits. Eat six small meals a day instead of three large ones to prevent the stomach from becoming overly full. Avoid high-fat and high-fiber foods, as fat naturally slows digestion and fiber is difficult to digest. If you have gastroparesis, carbonated beverages are also not your friend. In more severe cases, a liquid or pureed diet may be required for awhile.

If a dietary adjustment isn’t providing the relief from gastroparesis you need, there is a medicinal option in the form of prescription domperidone. Doctors prescribe domperidone for gastroparesis and other digestive ailments across the world. Both generic domperidone, and its equivalent name brand Motilium, have been available in Canada for many years.

To learn more about which basic dietary guidelines for gastroparesis, and to watch a video explaining the disease and the connection between diabetes and gastroparesis on hubpages.com, >Click Here<.

Diabetes and Gastroparesis: A Vicious Cycle

July 18, 2011 by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Diabetes and Gastroparesis, Diabetes Control 
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Photo credit: Ambro

Diabetes is the most common cause of gastroparesis, or delayed stomach emptying. That’s because years of high blood glucose damage the vagus nerve, which controls the movement of food from the stomach through the digestive tract. Both type 1 and type 2 diabetics are at risk of gastroparesis.

When the vagus nerve is damaged, food either moves too slowly through the digestive system, or doesn’t move at all. As a result, people with gastroparesis often feel bloated, feel full after eating a small amount, and may experience heartburn, stomach and abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, and acid reflux.

Gastroparesis is a vicious cycle for a diabetic. Not only does uncontrolled blood sugar lead to gastroparesis, gastroparesis leads to poor blood sugar control due to the irregular passage of food through the digestive system. When food is finally absorbed, blood sugar levels may rise unexpectedly.

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Six Signs You May Have Gastroparesis

April 18, 2011 by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Diabetes and Gastroparesis, It's Complicated 
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stomach

Lithograph from a 1918 edition of Gray's Anatomy

Gastroparesis sounds like a long and scary word. In laymen’s terms, it’s a disorder in which the stomach takes too long to empty its contents. Normally, the stomach contracts to move food down into the small intestine for digestion, using the vagus nerve, which controls the movement of food from the stomach through the digestive tract.

Gastroparesis happens when the vagus nerve is damaged, and the muscles of the stomach and intestines do not work normally. Food then moves slowly or stops moving through the digestive tract. So, if your stomach has been feeling sluggish, read on for some common gastroparesis symptoms.
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