"Eating Food Is An Experience I Miss": 25-YO Woman, Diagnosed With Stomach Paralysis, Hasn't Eaten In 8 Years

"You don't realise how much life revolves around food until it¡¯s taken away from you."
These words from a 25-year-old patient with paralysis of the stomach, or gastroparesis, points out the distress she has lived with since she was three. Unable to drink or eat anything for eight years, she is now sharing her story.

As per GI Society, Gastroparesis affects approximately 4% of the population.

Liz had to fight to get diagnosed

Liv Rose started experiencing stomach pain at the age of three but doctors initially thought it was just a stomach ache.

By the time she turned 17, she could only eat bland food like plain pasta or chicken and often vomited undigested food.

Eventually, she was diagnosed with gastroparesis, a condition where food moves slowly through the stomach, and pan-gut dysmotility, which affects the normal functioning of the gut.

Liv Rose/ SWNS

Gastroparesis causes symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, bloating, and feeling full quickly due to damaged nerves controlling stomach emptying.

"I had to fight to get diagnosed. My parents were made to feel they were overbearing. You don't realise how much life revolves around food until it's taken away from you," Liv explains.

She recalls: "I went to the doctors frequently but I was dismissed."

Liv even had to go to an eating disorder unit.

Representative image/ Unsplash

"I spent all day at a unit being assessed before they realised I was showing no signs of an eating disorder."

Finally, after undergoing a gastric emptying study, Liv was diagnosed with gastroparesis in March 2017.

Also read: This Woman Was Called Lazy For Being Always Tired, Then She Was Diagnosed With A Rare Condition

From Botox in stomach to Hickman line

To manage her condition, Liz received botox injections in her stomach to help the sphincter hold food and aid its passage.

Now, Liv has a Hickman line that goes straight into her heart to provide her with nourishment.

Liv Rose/ SWNA

However, she still faces challenges.

Liz must regularly clean the feeding tube to prevent serious infections like sepsis. Moreover, the tube puts pressure on her kidney and liver, adding to her concerns.

Rose has had to adapt to not being able to eat anymore - she hasn't taken water or food for eight years now.

"When I could eat, I still savored the taste of food," she reminisces. "Food is such a big part of life. It's an experience. I won't stay in the room when my family are eating. I miss ice cream. I miss pizza ¨C just fun foods."

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