Woman Who Didn't Eat Food in 7 Years Tells Her Story

Meet a 25-year-old woman who has not eaten any
food or drink any liquid for seven years and will
never eat again due to a rare condition which left
her stomach paralysed, Bolton, England, UK.
Mrs Nichols has not eaten food for seven years and
gave birth to children William, three, and Felicity, 11
months despite not being able to eat during her
pregnancy

The first time Nicola Nichols felt ill was in 2008, she
could eat or drink and vomited up to 50 times every
day. After undergoing several tests the young woman
was diagnosed with gastroparesis – a condition in
which the stomach muscles are paralysed, resulting
in food remaining in the stomach for an abnormally
long time. It is usually caused by diabetes,
Parkinson's or as a complication of surgery, but
sometimes there is no clear cause and sufferers
report they after coming down with flu, a virus, food
poisoning or after taking antibiotics.

Nicola Nichols, 25, has to be fed through a tube
directly into her bloodstream
Mrs Nichols is kept alive by a food and glucose bags
that feeds directly into her blood stream, and a
glucose bag that provides her with energy. She has a
food bag two days a week and a glucose bag five days
a week, which both have to be stored between two
and eight degrees. Despite the chronic illness, she
has managed to give birth to son William, three, and
11-month-old daughter Felicity.

The two children were both born healthy despite
their mother being unable to eat for two.
Mrs Nichols has been told she will never eat again,
but she says despite this, she feels lucky and her and
her husband Ben, 27, call their children their 'two
miracles'

Speaking about her unusual condition the woman
says, "We always say that you take eating and
drinking for granted until you can't do it. I still cook
the kid's teas and it smells and looks great but if I
even had a bite then I'd be in crippling pain. It has a
real impact on your life because you can't make any
last-minute decisions – everything has to be planned
months in advance. You have to have the bag
delivered there, the bag has to be stored in a fridge
between two and eight degrees, everything has to be
deep cleaned – sometimes it just really isn't worth it.