Teenager, 18, has only eaten a biscuit every day for 2 YEARS because of her chronic illnesses which stop her from being able to digest food
- Rose Kelble, from Stevensville in Maryland, US, has various serious illnesses
- She cannot walk or leave the house on her own because she is so weakened
- Miss Kelble takes 20 pills a day and IV fluids and needs physiotherapy
- She says seeing her girlfriend in the evenings is a ‘patch of light in the dark’
A teenager who suffers from various serious illnesses has only been able to eat a single biscuit a day for the past two years.
Rose Kelble, 18, from Stevensville in Maryland, US, has to rely on a feeding tube for all her calories because her body is unable to digest real food.
Managing to eat a single graham cracker – an American snack similar to a digestive biscuit – each day for a couple of years, she has now even had to stop eating those.
Her illnesses, which affect her stomach, immune system and skin and joints, mean she is so weak she cannot even walk to the bathroom at home without assistance.
Miss Kelble takes 20 pills a day to manage her conditions, which worsened when she contracted a virus aged 16, leaving her life on hold while she tries to recover.
She says her girlfriend, Molly, helps her cope with the predicament and that she hopes to go to university when she is better.
Rose Kelble, 18, has only managed to eat one biscuit a day for the past two years because her illnesses mean her stomach can’t digest food so she gets her calories from a feeding tube
Miss Kelble suffers from gastroparesis, which is most likely to be the cause of her inability to eat.
The condition, believed to be caused by nerve damage, prevents the stomach from digesting food properly and can cause vomiting and nausea.
She also lives with three other serious conditions – Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Mast Cell Activation Syndrome and Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome (MALS).
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Ehlers-Danlos syndrome affects the joints and skin, making Miss Kelble more prone to dislocations and bruising, and weakening her body.
Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) is a condition in which the body’s immune cells are triggered without reason and attack the patient’s own body.
Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome (MALS) restricts the flow of blood to the stomach and other organs.
Ms Kelble – who was born with the four conditions – has to be hooked up to a feeding tube as her source of calories.
For the past two years, she ate a single graham cracker every day because it was the only food she could properly digest.
But now she is even taking a break from the 60-calorie square-shaped biscuits because have they make her sick.
Miss Kelble said: ‘Every day is a battle. I wake up ready to fight for my life back like I did the day before.
‘When I’m home by myself, I lay in one spot and cannot even walk to the bathroom.
Miss Kelble is made so weak by her illnesses, which affect everything from her joints to her stomach to her immune system, that she cannot leave the house without help and struggles to walk on her own
Miss Kelble has suffered with her debilitating collection of illnesses for her whole life, but her condition worsened when she contracted a viral infection at the age of 16, meaning she missed most of her final year of high school and has put her life on hold ever since
‘I used to try to eat a graham cracker at night, but it would make me feel so nauseous that I would immediately regret it.
‘Now I’ve even eliminated the graham crackers because they’ve been causing me to vomit, just like any other food would.
WHAT IS GASTROPARESIS?
Gastroparesis affects the normal movements of muscles in the stomach, preventing it from emptying properly.
It affects more than 1.5 million people in the US to some extent. Up to four per cent of people suffer in the UK.
Due to the condition affecting digestion, it can cause nausea and vomiting, as well as problems with people’s blood-sugar levels and receiving adequate nutrition.
Other symptoms may include:
- Feeling full after a few bites of food
- Acid reflux
- Abdominal bloating and pain
- Weight loss
- Lack of appetite
Gastroparesis can occur as a complication of diabetes, or after surgery or an infection.
It is believed to be caused due to damage to a nerve that controls stomach muscles.
Certain medications, such as antidepressants or pain relievers, can slow gastric emptying and cause similar symptoms.
Complications can include severe dehydration from vomiting, malnutrition, a reduced quality of life and undigested food hardening in the stomach, which can be life threatening.
There is no cure. Treatment focuses on dietary changes, such as eating smaller meals more frequently and chewing thoroughly.
Medications can help to ease nausea and vomiting.
Surgery to fit a feeding tube may be required if patients are unable to tolerate any food or liquids.
Source: Mayo Clinic
‘It often bothers me that I can’t enjoy the foods everyone around me eats freely.
Daily symptoms for Miss Kelble include dislocation, bruising, weakness, nausea and depression.
While she has had the conditions her whole life, a virus in 2016 caused her illness to worsen.
As a result she missed most of her final year of high school and put her life on hold after graduation.
Now, she has to stay home to try and recover from the debilitating illnesses and has to take a cocktail of medications every day.
‘Due to limited abilities, I am unable to work, drive, eat, shower, or even walk on my own,’ Miss Kelble said.
‘It is hard to maintain many friendships due to the fact that everyone else’s lives are progressing and mine is on pause until I get better.’
At night, however, she is able to go to the grocery store and walk with help from her girlfriend Molly, also aged 18.
She credits her partner for being her main source of motivation to stay positive.
Miss Kelble said: ‘When five o’clock rolls around, my girlfriend comes home and it is like there’s a small patch of light in my dark.
‘I am able to go to the store with her and it’s the most exciting thing in the world.
‘I do everything in my power to maintain a positive outlook and Molly is my main source of positivity and happiness.’
Miss Kelble’s current treatments include taking more than a dozen medications and receiving physical therapy.
While she tries to be as optimistic as possible, she knows it will be years before she is like her old self again.
‘Throughout my medical journey I have tried countless treatments,’ she added.
‘My current ones are heavy duty medications, two litres of IV fluids everyday, tube feedings and physical therapy.
Miss Kelble (pictured) says she owes her girlfriend, Molly for much of her positivity and that being able to go out to the supermarket with her in the evenings is ‘the most exciting thing in the world’
The 18-year-old says she must take eight pills twice a day and four in the afternoon, as well as doing physiotherapy which is progressing ‘slowly’ because her condition is so poor
Once Miss Kelble’s health improves she says she wants to go to university and become either a psychologist or a translator
‘I take about eight pills twice a day and four in the middle of the day. My physical therapy is progressing very slowly due to how poor my condition is.
‘It is going to take years to see progress.’
Once her health improves, Miss Kelble plans to attend college and work towards becoming either a psychologist or translator.
She said: ‘I don’t have much of a life right now, but it’s what I have to do for the moment.
‘I plan on going to college once I get better. Before my illnesses put me out of school, I was very intense about school and keeping up my grades.’
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