Dr. Sunil Amin is a gastroenterologist at the University of Miami Health System. For more information about the G-POEM procedure, click here or visit the UHealth blog.
MEET SAMANTHA COWAN:
Ten years ago, the simple act of eating became difficult for Samantha Cowan.
“When I would eat, I would immediately feel like the food was just trying to come right back up,” says Samantha. “Bloating and just constant stomach pain.”
Samantha was diagnosed with gastroparesis, a condition where the stomach does not empty properly, says UHealth gastroenterologist Dr. Sunil Amin.
“As a result, you experience symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, bloating, and something called early satiety, which means you take a few bites of food and you get full very quickly,” says Sunil Amin, M.D.
When other treatments failed, Samantha went to see Dr. Amin who is performing a new procedure called G-POEM. UHealth is one of the few centers in the country offering this highly specialized procedure.
“Doctor, what is G-POEM and what does that stand for?” asks anchor Pam Giganti.
“G-POEM stands for gastric peroral endoscopic myotomy,” Dr. Amin says. “It’s an endoscopic procedure that’s minimally invasive, that we perform through the mouth, and we cut the muscle called the pylorus, which is at the end of the stomach.”
The muscle opens and closes allowing food to enter the small intestine.
“By cutting it, we allow it to relax and thus allow food to enter the intestine much more easily,” says Dr. Amin.
Samantha had the G-POEM procedure in April.
“I stayed overnight in the hospital and was able to go home the next day,” Samantha says.
Now she can enjoy meals with her family and friends without worrying.
“The nausea is gone. The pain is gone. It’s really been life changing for me,” says Samantha.
FOCUSING ON YOU
Focusing on You: Innovations in Modern Medicine is a series of healthcare-related stories airing regularly on WPLG Local 10. For more stories like this one, visit YouTube channels for UHealth, the University of Miami Health System.
Above content provided by UHealth, the University of Miami Health System