Teen's rare illnesses cause her body to reject food

A teen can barely eat more than a biscuit a day due to suffering several chronic illnesses.

Rose Kelble, 18, of Stevensville, Maryland, USA, battles a number of conditions including Ehlers-Danlos and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome.

Also living with Gastroparesis and Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome, her body rejects any food or beverage she consumes, forcing her to be hooked up to a feeding tube as her source of calories.

For the past two years, she ate a single graham cracker biscuit 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 recently left her vomiting.

Ms Kelble also battles joint dislocation, bruising, weakness, nausea and depression on a daily basis.

While she has had the conditions her whole life, a virus in 2016 caused symptoms to worsen, leading the teen to miss most of her final year of high school and put her life on hold after graduation.

“Every day is a battle,” she said.

“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.”

The teen said she used to eat the biscuits at night but now they give her nausea “just like any other food” does.

“It often bothers me that I can’t enjoy the foods everyone around me eats freely,” Ms Kelble said.

“Due to limited abilities, I am unable to work, drive, eat, shower, or even walk on my own.

“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, she is able to go to the grocery store and walk with help from her girlfriend Molly, aged 18.

She credits her partner for being her main source of motivation to stay positive.

“When 5pm rolls around, my girlfriend comes home and it is like there’s a small patch of light in my dark,” the teen said.

“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.”

Ms 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. My current ones are heavy duty medications, two litres of IV fluids every day, tube feedings and physical therapy,” she said.

“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, the 18-year-old plans to attend college and work towards becoming either a psychologist or translator.

“I don’t have much of a life right now, but it’s what I have to do for the moment,” Ms Kelble said.

“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.”