This 25-year-old British woman hasn’t eaten in eight years after being diagnosed with a paralyzed stomach

A Chester, UK, lady who has a paralyzed stomach has been surviving on her heart for the last eight years after being unable to eat or drink anything. Doctors classified Liv Rose’s stomach symptoms as “tummy aches,” despite the 25-year-old patient’s struggles with them since she was three. She struggled to eat anything except boring meals like chicken or basic spaghetti.

When Liv used to throw up undigested food, her symptoms were first written off as an eating problem. She was finally diagnosed with pan-gut dysmotility, a condition in which the gut does not operate normally, and gastroparesis, a condition in which food goes through the stomach more slowly than it should.

Liv now has a Hickman line that runs straight to her heart, providing her with nourishment. “I have had stomach pains since I was three, and pain when I eat,” said Liv, who is unable to work. To acquire the diagnosis, I had to battle for it. It left my parents feeling quite stressed. You never realize how important food is in life until it’s taken away from you.

“I went to the doctor a lot, but I was turned away,” she said. “Kids get stomach aches,” they stated. The discomfort became greater as I gained weight. At the age of 17, Liv’s health started to worsen much worse. She said, “I was consuming bland stuff. Rich food hurts more. I was consuming tasteless fare like pain chicken and spaghetti without any sauce.

When Liv, then 17 years old, began throwing up out of the blue in 2017, her symptoms became worse. She would throw up every time she attempted to eat, going from once a week to once a day. She continued having food come back up. She was evaluated for the whole day at a facility, and it was concluded that she showed no symptoms of an eating issue.

After that, Liv had monitoring and a stomach emptying study, and in March 2017, she was told she had gastroparesis. In order to aid with her issues, she was given a nasal feeding tube and many therapies. In an attempt to keep the sphincter in place and facilitate the passage of food, Liv had Botox injected into her stomach. However, after doing testing on Liv’s digestive system, physicians found she also had a stomach issue. In late 2017, at the age of 18, Liv was given the diagnosis of pan-gut dysmotility.

In order to feed Liv directly via her heart, she was fitted with a Hickman line in January 2018 since she was still underweight and malnourished. Liv must properly and often clean the tube since blood infections like sepsis are a serious concern. Her liver and kidneys are also under strain from the tube. It’s a really terrifying way to eat, she said. I maintain a steady weight. My eating habits are consistent. I’m much more energized now. My standard of living has increased.