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Rose KelbleYoung American woman with gastroparesis
Date of Birth: 01.01.2000
Country:  USA |
Content:
- A Young American with Gastroparesis
- Health Decline and Medical Challenges
- Medical Treatments and Hope for the Future
- About Gastroparesis
- Feeling full or bloated after eating small meals
A Young American with Gastroparesis
18-year-old Rose Kauble from Stevensville, Maryland has been surviving on just one dry cracker per day for the past two years due to a chronic condition that prevents her from digesting food. Entirely dependent on a feeding tube for liquid nutrition, Rose's body cannot process regular nourishment.
Struggling with multiple debilitating illnesses, Kauble can only tolerate a single whole-wheat cracker each day. Her health issues include gastroparesis, a weakened stomach; an irregular immune system; and skin and joint problems. She lacks the strength to even walk to the bathroom without assistance. Kauble takes 20 pills daily to manage her rare and dangerous conditions.
Health Decline and Medical Challenges
Kauble contracted a virus at age 16 and has been in medical limbo ever since, with no clear prognosis or cure in sight. She relies heavily on her girlfriend, Molly, for support and dreams of attending college if her health ever improves.
Kauble's gastroparesis, a digestive disorder that affects the stomach's muscle activity, is compounded by Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), and Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome (MALS). With Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, she experiences collagen defects, leading to frequent dislocations, bruising, and weak muscle tone. MCAS is a poorly understood condition where immune cells randomly activate and attack the body's tissues, causing reduced blood flow to the stomach and other organs.
Due to the quartet of ailments she has faced since childhood, Rose has to supplement her nutrition through liquid formulas. For the past two years, her body has only been able to tolerate one cracker per day without triggering vomiting. Lately, she has even had to forgo her daily 'treat' because of persistent nausea that would occur when she ate a second cracker at night.
"I fight every day," says Rose. "I wake up ready to fight to get my life back that I had the day before."
"If I'm home alone, I'll just lay in one spot and won't be able to get myself to the bathroom." Subsisting on a single crunchy snack, Kauble is heartbroken when she sees others enjoying all the foods their stomachs can handle.
Her daily life is filled with dislocations, bruises, weakness, nausea, and depression. Her condition worsened in 2016 after she contracted a virus and was forced to drop out of high school in her senior year. Instead of a diploma, she received a handful of prescriptions and a cocktail of medications.
"My limitations prevent me from working, driving, eating, taking a shower, or walking by myself," says Rose. "It's tough to hold onto friendships when people's lives are moving forward and mine is just on pause until I get better."
Kauble often takes evening walks to the grocery store with her girlfriend, 18-year-old Molly. "My girlfriend comes home around 5, and that's the highlight of my day."
"I'm able to go to the store with Molly, and that's the most exciting thing that ever happens in my world." Kauble insists that she tries her best to remain positive, with Molly serving as her main source of happiness.
Medical Treatments and Hope for the Future
In addition to her "medication mix," Rose undergoes physical therapy as part of her extensive and ongoing treatment regimen.
"My current treatment includes high-dose medications, two liters of IV fluids each day, tube feeding, and physical therapy," says Kauble. "Eight pills twice a day, another four in the afternoon. And physical therapy is very slow progress because I'm so sick."
"It's going to take years to see progress," says Rose, adding that she refuses to give up on her dreams of becoming a psychologist or translator. "I was very much into my studies and improving my grades before I got too sick to keep going to school."
About Gastroparesis
Gastroparesis affects the normal muscle activity of the stomach, causing impaired emptying of stomach contents. Over 1.5 million people in the United States have some form of the condition, while an estimated 4% of the population in the UK is affected.
Aside from nausea and vomiting, and indigestion, those with the condition can also experience blood sugar problems and an inability to get adequate nutrition. Other symptoms include:
Feeling full or bloated after eating small meals
Acid refluxAbdominal bloating and pain
Weight loss
Loss of appetite
Gastroparesis can develop as a complication of diabetes or after surgery or infection. Some medications, such as antidepressants or pain relievers, can slow gastric emptying and cause similar symptoms.
Complications include severe dehydration due to persistent vomiting, malnutrition, reduced quality of life, and food buildup in the stomach. There is currently no cure for gastroparesis, but managing the condition involves eating slowly and frequently, chewing food thoroughly, and taking medications to control nausea and vomiting. In cases where a patient cannot take in enough food or fluids, a feeding tube may be necessary.
