Texas teen shares battle with rare digestive condition

AUSTIN, Texas — Camilla Latshaw loves food, but she can’t enjoy a normal meal like most people.

“I’ve cried because I want to eat so bad,” Camilla said. 

She says her family and doctors knew something was wrong ever since she was a baby. 

“I remember being like six or seven waking up in the middle of the night throwing up and having pain in my stomach at school,” she said.

That was usually after eating a meal.

Camilla remembers the pain was sharp and nagging, but as she’s aged, it’s become more of a diaphragm pressure and fullness with stabbing pain episodes. 

She says doctors would dismiss it as a stomachache.

“I’ve seen so many (doctors),” Camilla said. “They always thought it was anxiety, or that I was a teenager that didn’t want to eat.” 

Things took a turn in 2020. She remembers eating a chicken sandwich. The experience was so bad she turned to eating things like crackers with broth or macaroni and cheese. 

She became so weak she ended up in the emergency room. She was given nausea and acid reflux medications and sent on her way. 

In 2021, Camilla says another doctor gave up on her, which led her to a dark place mentally.

“I honestly thought that was it for me or something,” Camilla said.

She started art therapy to cope with what had been a long journey, with no answers.

“It’s just been a long time,” Camilla said, holding back tears. “All I ask from doctors is that I just wanted my normal life back.”

As her tears dry, she can tell you today what has been causing her pain all this time. 

“Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome is a really rare disease and has a 33% mortality rate,” Camilla said.

Camilla was diagnosed with Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome or SMAS with the help of Dr. Edgar Navarro Garza and his team at Harbor Health. 

“I say all the time I wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for him,” she said.

SMAS is a digestive condition that happens when a portion of the intestine that’s connected to the stomach is squeezed by blood vessels. The blockage can cause pain, fullness, nausea, vomiting and weight loss. 

0.3% of the world population is estimated to have SMAS, according to smasyndrom.org.

“It’s that case that you’re going to see once in your life as a clinician,” Navarro Garza said. 

The pediatrician worked with many medical specialists to come to Camilla’s rare diagnosis. 

“As a clinician, you need to be humble enough to know when you need to redirect the care of a patient to someone else,” Navarro Garza said. 

Harbor Health is helping Camilla manage her condition. She has undergone surgery and is on Total Parental Nutrition or IV nutrition. Camilla tries to eat every day but says it’s only for taste. She still can’t tolerate food, so it drains out through a tube. 

“We should have the best interests of our patients, trust in what our patients tell us, and advocating for them, especially in the pediatric world,” Navarro Garza said. “It’s a lot of advocating for patients and their families.”

Camilla also receives emotional support through a health coach.  

“I stepped in to do a lot of care coordination, referrals, check in on Camilla when Dr. Navarro is busy with other patients,” Karla Jurado said.  

Camilla sees Jurado differently, acknowledging that seeing her in person is like seeing a friend for the first time.

Their communication is primarily virtual.  

Camilla remains under evaluation for other possible medical issues and is still looking for answers for her SMAS diagnosis. The 2024 high school graduate is now looking towards a brighter future.  

“My dream is to be in the medical field because I would love to help other kids like me,” Camilla said.