A 17 -year -old girl identified as Emma has revealed her struggle with gastroparesis, a rare medical condition that has prevented her from eating a meal since birth.
Emma shared her experience in a Tiktok video published in July, which began trend on Monday under the name of user Emmakok. In the clip, he explained that he has lived all his life depending on the feed tubes for survival because his stomach does not work.
She said: “Hello, my name is Emma. I am 17 years old and I have a chronic disease called Gastroparesia. Gastroparesis simply means that my stomach is paralyzed; it does not work. Because my stomach is paralyzed, you cannot digest any food. What also means that I cannot eat any food, and that is why I have two feeding pumps.”
“These are the two; they are for my intestines and stomach. I have had these two food pumps since I was a baby, so I have never eaten anything in my life.”
Although it can occasionally handle small amounts of honey, tea or water, Emma revealed that he has never eaten common foods such as hamburgers, chocolate or spaghetti.
“I can eat the smallest pieces such as honey or a cup of tea or simply a little water, but no, I have never eaten a hamburger or chocolate or spaghetti or anything. That makes it even more difficult because food is a great thing in someone’s life.”
He also talked about the challenges of living with a condition that remains relatively unknown, saying that patients are often dismissed or misunderstood in medical environments.
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“Gastroparesis is not a well -known disease, and that makes it difficult for patients who have gastroparesia. We are not very well heard in hospitals, but we have real symptoms. But doctors call you anxiety or stress, and that makes us feel quite stupid.”
Emma finished her video with a call for a greater awareness of the condition.
“I am doing this video to share this disease, to spread awareness, to be heard. So, please, just listen.”
According to the Cleveland Clinic, gastroparesis is a condition that causes partial stomach paralysis. It is a functional disorder that affects the nerves and muscles responsible for digestion, which makes stomach contractions weaker and slower than normal. As a result, the food remains in the stomach more time than it should, instead of moving gently towards the intestines.
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