What is SMAS?

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I realized that I mention SMAS a lot, and some of you may not be fully aware of what it is. SMAS stands for Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome. Only 0.3% of people in the United States are known to have it. Sadly, I was one of those people. SMAS happens when part of the duodenum is compressed by the Superior Mesenteric Artery. When this happens, it is almost like a kinked hose or a pinched water balloon. If you were to step on a hose hard enough, no water would be able to pass through. The same thing happens with the duodenum when the Superior Mesenteric Artery does this. If you don't know what the duodenum is, it is be the tube between the stomach and the small intestine. Its job is to squeeze the stomach contents through the digestive tract. With SMAS, it took away my ability to eat, because there was no way for food to pass the kink. Since I went misdiagnosed for so long, my SMAS caused a lot of damage to my duodenum. SMAS is very rare and misunderstood, and unfortunately it is something that I have had to live with.

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