IMPLANTATION OF THE MEDTRONICS "ENTERRA" GASTRIC STIMULATOR

Humanitarian Device: The Enterra® Therapy system for gastric electrical stimulation is authorized by Federal Law for use in treatment of chronic intractable (drug refractory) nausea and vomiting secondary to gastroparesis of diabetic or idiopathic etiology. The effectiveness of this device for this use has not been demonstrated. What does this mean?

Three months ago I came to the point where I could not eat or drink anything without vomiting or lying in bed crying from the extreme nausea. On May 13, 2013, a Medtronics "Enterra" Gastric Stimulator was implanted in my upper abdomen to try and stop the horrible nausea. So far, my device's 'frequency' has been upgraded three times, but the nausea remains. I have to take nausea medicine and a medicine to help empty my stomach, but the nausea remains. My gastroenterologist is reluctant to increase the frequency of the device because it will make the device's battery not last as long (normally 5-10 years). But I am suffering and I hope when I see the doctor tomorrow he will increase the frequency high enough where my nausea will cease. Anyone out there have this implant? What's your story, I would love to read it.

I know it’s been a while since you posted and I hope you are feeling better. I’m hopping you got the doctors to agree with you bc I’m facing somewhat of the same situation and not sure what to do. I’ve only have my device for two months and it’s been adjusted twice, I go back to the Dr next week. I also had a post op infection where part of my incision opened back up but thankfully that has finally healed. The Drs still have me on Reglan four times a day and I can’t make it thru the day without zofran twice a day and sometimes phenergan too. The Dr doesn’t want to change my settings either, says I will get used to the stimulator, it takes time, but I DON’T want to take all these extra meds! That’s why I had the surgery! So please tell me you had a good outcome! I could really use some help here on this, anyone’s success stories would help too really! Thanks!

My Enterra gastric stimulator, I’m very, very happy to say, has eliminated 98% of the horrific nausea; it took eight adjustments to the device’s stimulation frequency over a period stretching from May 20, 2013 to October 2013. Even though my nausea is refractory (does not respond to any drug), I was continuing to take the Zofran prescribed to me at the very beginning at 4mg every 4 hours—to no avail, then decreased to 4mg every 6, then had a near-fainting spell and stopped taking it altogether. I did ask for one more uptick in the frequency, but the doctor told me that any higher would cause quite a bit of pain.

I know you’ve been told that your Enterra has to be adjusted upward a little at a time, which is awful because of the terrible nausea you’re wanting to get rid of NOW. My doctor told me that in everyone’s body he’s treated, it can take a wide range of frequencies to control nausea. He said there was an individual whose device was set even higher than mine...and some very low. The guidelines for the Enterra specify that it has to be very gradually adjusted, so they do just that. The most important thing that my implantation doctor told me, was that right after an adjustment or “bumping up”, you HAVE to give the device time to do its work. Eventually, mine did—and thank God it’s working perfectly.

Hang in there, my friend. I know that you do not want to take the medications any more, but keep taking them unless you are having some really bad side-effects, like fainting or something worse (tell your doctor!) I will be praying for you, that your device will hit the right frequency this next adjustment and you will have no more nausea.

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