A 54-year-old woman from Nakuru is appealing to medical experts to help her diagnose a strange illness that has seen her confined in her house for two years.

Priscilla Kaniaru fell ill in 2013 but doctors have not been able to connect the symptoms she has been experiencing to any particular diseases

Ms Kaniaru has been experiencing various symptoms including increasing weight from 120kg to the current 145kg a thing doctors have been unable to explain.

“I was told that my fatty acids are viewed as a virus hence the body is producing more fat to protect itself,” she said during an interview at her home in Kiamunyi, Nakuru County.

Among other symptoms she is experiencing are fluid retention and painful lumps under the skin.

UNABLE TO MOVE

“It becomes a serious problem for me to move and do my daily activities,” she added.

Her major challenge has also been pain in the muscles coupled with muscle weakness.

She has also been fighting with breathlessness and is often forced to use an inhaler

“Breathing has been a huge task and I often feel the lack of oxygen at night.

“I have to sleep on many pillows so as to create an airway. I also get a lot of sleep when seated but in bed it is a problem,” she added.

Ms Kaniaru also says that she sometimes forgets a lot of things.

“I have a major challenge with the lack of concentration and forgetfulness,” she added.

RECURRING LUNG INFECTION

She also has a recurring lung infection with fluid retention and her feet are often swollen, dark and hard.

“I have been to India twice to seek treatment but many doctors do not know what is wrong with me.

“They suggested lupus disease but the tests have proved negative. I have also been getting a sodium deficiency which has forced me to take a lot of salt,” she added.

The mother of two now calls for help from medical experts to end her agony.

“I can’t understand why sometimes my feet and hands swell which sometimes lasts for months.

I also have frequent salt cravings, and feeling like I have malaria fever which disappears after I take a fluid with salt in it,” she says.

She says that she has gone to many private hospitals in Kenya but none has succeeded in diagnosing her problem.

Though Ms Kaniaru is set to go to India for more tests, she insists she would prefer to get help from a doctor in Kenya.

“I am sure there is someone who will be willing to determine what is wrong with me,” she concludes.