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Mom’s life is ruined after mystery sickness makes her look anorexic

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Mom's mystery sickness makes her look anorexic. Image: Caters/www.magazinefeatures.co.za
Mom's mystery sickness makes her look anorexic. Image: Caters/www.magazinefeatures.co.za

A young mom's life has become a living nightmare after a mystery 'reverse morning sickness' illness caused her to shed over 25kg since her daughter's birth – making her look anorexic.

Sinead Tanner (20) first started to experience drastic weight loss after the birth of her daughter Sienna, now one, in January 2017.

Doctors still baffled

Initially dismissing it as long-lasting morning sickness, she is now incapable of holding food down and vomits up to 20 times a day.

Sinead from Eastleigh a town in Hants, England, has even come close to death and was admitted to hospital in January 2018 with her organs at risk of collapse.

But over a year on from her daughter’s birth, doctors are still baffled as to what’s causing her to suffer so much.

“Every day can be a struggle; it’s hard. People often assume I’m anorexic. I’ve had people stare and make comments.

“When I’m walking out with family and we walk through a shopping centre and people stare, my mom will say ‘I wish you wore baggier clothes.'

“It's almost like she was disgusted at me. I'm not ashamed of it though.”

Sinead said that her condition has put massive restrictions on what she can and can’t do with social occasions now impossible for her.

Horrible and uncomfortable

Since she gave birth to Sienna, her health has gradually declined.

A once healthy and active runner and swimmer, Sinead is a shadow of her former self, weighing just 25.4kg and is severely frail.

“I used to love swimming and I used to go running all the time. I have a wheelchair I have to go out in sometimes and I get very tired and breathless easily.

“It's horrible and uncomfortable.”

Sinead said her weight plummeted after she gave birth but doctors have been unable to diagnose the cause of her condition.

She now suffers seizures as a result of potassium loss and has to take medication daily just to stay alive.

“I noticed that something was wrong when the sickness from my pregnancy carried on.

“I wasn't able to keep any food at all. I could keep it down for an hour but it didn’t even digest. Now I take 13 tablets each morning and each night.

“It's difficult to keep to the routine and to always remind yourself.

“Doctor’s tried giving me a feeding tube at one point but I wasn’t able to even keep that down.”

'I feel like and awful mom'

Sinead and her partner Saiman Chung (36) are now trying to raise money using gofundme to seek treatment privately.

She said that her condition has also dragged her away from spending time with her young daughter - and all she wants is to find a treatment for her condition.

“I get quite upset when I have to go to the hospital. I feel like an awful mom because I’m not there for Sienna and I’m making her go through this at such a young age.

“It’s heartbreaking. We don't know how much longer this will go on for and we don't see an end."

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