Filer 26-year-old has rare stomach condition

Times-News (Twin Falls, ID)

Jan. 29--FILER -- Without being able to eat, the only thing keeping Tara Tatton going is nutritional shakes.

In November, the 26-year-old Filer resident was diagnosed with idiopathic gastroparesis, meaning her stomach is paralyzed. The cause is unknown.

She was recently hospitalized for a week and a feeding tube -- which was placed a week before Christmas -- was removed.

"They decided to pull my feeding tube out because it pretty much failed me," Tara said Friday.

Her body rejected it.

"I couldn't tolerate the formula at the rate at which it was supposed to be dispersed," she said.

Tara, a 2008 Kimberly High School alumna, is now on a liquid-only diet. She can manage to consume only one or two 8-ounce bottles of Ensure each day.

On an average day, she's getting 350 to 400 calories. On a good day, she gets 700.

"My health is declining every day," Tara said, and she's experiencing excruciating lower abdominal pain. "I need to get well not just for myself, but for my family."

Tara and her husband Kolby Tatton -- a Twin Falls High School alumnus who's a full-time graduate student in an online health care administration program -- have a 3-year-old daughter, Aspen.

Family and friends are pushing to raise $25,000 to help cover the cost of treatment at a comprehensive facility such as the Mayo Clinic or University of Utah hospital. As of Friday, they've raised more than $4,000.

Tara and Kolby -- who both grew up in the Magic Valley -- have Idaho Medicaid health insurance, but say insurance wouldn't cover those out-of-state treatment expenses.

"We're kind of at the end point here," Kolby said.

Doctors have wondered if an intestinal motility disorder may be the cause of the problems, Tara said, but testing is expensive.

Out-of-state treatment is generally covered for Idaho Medicaid recipients when a medical provider recommends it, said Tom Shanahan, spokesman for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.

A vendor handles prior authorizations. Certain procedures or medical devices may not be covered by Medicaid.

In addition to gastroparesis, Tara has many other medical conditions, including chronic kidney stones, interstitial cystitis, occipital neuralgia myalgia, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, a weak immune system, a high heart rate, severe post-traumatic stress disorder, schizoaffective disorder, possible postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, and clinical depression and anxiety, her husband said.

Growing up, Tara spent time living in both the Magic Valley and Utah.

The Tatton couple recently moved back to the Twin Falls area and they've living with family members in Filer.

Tara said her daughter is full of energy. "It's nice to have people to help take care of her."

From normal to nightmare

For four months, Tara was vomiting 40 to 50 times a day. She didn't know what was causing the problem.

She visited a couple of doctors, but they didn't know what was wrong, either.

"It was a nightmare trying to figure out what the heck was going on with me," she said.

After the couple moved back to the Magic Valley, Tara finally got a diagnosis: idiopathic gastroparesis.

Tara said her stomach muscles don't work properly, causing her to "vomit profusely."

Doctors in Twin Falls are amazing, Tara said -- especially, her gastroenterologist Dr. Seth Wheeler with St. Luke's Magic Valley Medical Center. Tara said he's very knowledgeable about gastroparesis.

But she said her case is too complex and requires more care. "They are getting to the point where it is out of their hands."

Her doctor has suggested the Mayo Clinic would be a good place to receive treatment. But Tara said it would cost $18,000 just to get inside the door.

The University of Utah is her next option. She has been referred there and is waiting for a phone call to figure out what's next.

Another challenge: Tara is allergic to a medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration for gastroparesis.

Beyond getting help for herself, Tara wants to raise awareness about gastroparesis.

It can be a struggle to get a diagnosis and find treatment options, she said: "Not much is known about this disease."

___

Visit The Times-News (Twin Falls, Idaho) at magicvalley.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.