I weigh just 3 stone at 36 as rare condition is starving me to death
A WOMAN is fighting for her life as a rare condition starves her to death.
Nicolette Baker, 36, weighs only three stone (20kg) as she cannot eat or drink without suffering agonising pain.
She had been misdiagnosed with the mental illness anorexia her whole life, until, seven years ago, doctors finally discovered the true cause of her inability to eat.
The hopeful 36-year-old is now desperately trying to raise money for her “last chance” of surgery in Germany.
She says without it, “I will die as I become weaker and weaker and more organs starve of blood supply”.
Nicolette told Cornwall Live: “I don’t know if I’ll make it until the surgery date but I’m living for each day and the hope that I can get better is giving me something to look forward to.”
Nicolette has an extremely rare disorder called Superior Mesenteric Arterial syndrome (SMAS) that affects an estimated 0.1 to 0.3 per cent of people in the US.
It’s when the first part of the small intestine (duodenum) is compressed, causing food to build-up instead of passing through.
Nicolette described her small intestine as like a pinched drinking straw compared to a normal sized garden hose.
The symptoms are severely debilitating, the Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center states, including pain, fullness and vomiting within half an hour of eating.
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