Woman suffering from bizarre disorder eats 4,000 washing-up sponges and 100 bars of soap

Dental nurse Kerry Trebilcock has eaten 4,000 washing-up sponges and more than 100 bars of soap due to a rare disorder.

The 21-year-old loves nothing more than covering them in hot sauce, Ketchup or mustard for added flavour and also dips them in tea or hot chocolate like biscuits.

Her disorder - known as pica - is so bad that she gets hungry while taking a shower, doing the washing-up or just walking down the cleaning aisle in supermarkets.

The disorder causes victims to crave objects that are not food and other sufferers eat metal, coal, sand, chalk — or even lightbulbs and furniture.

Kerry, of Mylor, Cornwall, believes she got the bizarre disorder after being infected with hookworm while on holiday to Morocco in 2008.

Her favourite bar of soap is organic lemon and lime and Kerry said: "I have been very particular about the type of sponges and soaps I'd eat and how I'd prepare them.

"If I went out for the day I'd carry a small plastic bag of cut-up pieces of sponge with some tomato and BBQ sauce in Tupperware. I was never without a 'snack'."

Source The Mirror
Additional : Huffington post

Well that is one of the most bizarre disorders ive heard about in a long time. But on the other hand i bet she has clean teeth

She says she thinks she developed this after being infected with hookworm but i cant see how that would contribute to a disorder that is obviously a mental condition. Seems strange , even if she did have a craving to eat these non edible items she could always choose not to.

This is a mental illness.

Somebody should get her to go and see someone.....fast.

Let me guess. The link you failed to provide is to the "National Enquirer."

I believe this post...i have a friend that when she enters depressed states she eats chunks of carpet, hair, dirt, and soap (liquid and bar)...Pica is a lot more common than people think, it usually goes unreported though unless the person harms themselves from eating odd things

reply to post by PhoenixOD


wow thats ridicules. lol, i feel the same about this as i do about people who "suffer" from hoarding- tell them to grow up, act like an adult human, eat right, and throw your old stuff away. its not a mental disease that we should petty them for; imo, its a medical condition they have fed on their own choosing, and could stop by their own choosing.

people are given so many excuses to why they are the way the are that people no longer accept responsibilities for their actions, and continue to live in such a manor because others baby them, and do not fix the problem.

your kid wont pay attention in class? lets give him pills. you eat dumb stuff? you have a mental disease. you cant take the time to not use drugs, and get a job? the government should provide you a life style the same as those who live right and do collect an income.

my ideas would be...

your kids dont pay attention in class? be the parent and correct your childs behavior (imo, pills=lazy parents)
you eat dumb stuff? tell them to eat right or become institutionalized
you cant take the time to stop using drugs and get/keep a job? you are a failure, and should either give up or move on...(keep in mind for almost 5 years ((im only 22)) i sm*ked we*ed everyday without rest (((i have several sever stomach and immune system disorders, and the 5 pills a day i used to pay for and take, i have not refiled one prescription in the past 5 years))) and i could still get my high school diploma, still was given a large 5 figure scholarship to be a student coach for a top 3 naia collegiate football program, went from side job to side, including working for a major regional bank, and my current position of operations manager for a multi million dollar logistical company....i say all that only because anyone who wants to say my views are harsh and the economy and no jobs cry cry cry...the jobs are there for those who want them, and find them.)

reply to post by NightGypsy


No thats a real disease Nightgypsy

pica

There are different variations of pica, as it can be from a cultural tradition, acquired taste or a neurological mechanism such as an iron deficiency, or chemical imbalance. It can lead to intoxication in children which can result in an impairment in both physical and mental development.[2] In addition, it can also lead to surgical emergencies due to an intestinal obstruction as well as more subtle symptoms such as nutritional deficiencies and parasitosis.[2] Pica is oftentimes culturally accepted and is not deemed inappropriate. Pica has been linked to mental disability and they often have psychotic comorbidity. Stressors such as maternal deprivation, family issues, parental neglect, pregnancy, poverty, and a disorganized family structure are strongly linked to pica.

Pica is more commonly seen in women and children,[3] where it affects people of all ages in these subgroups. Particularly it is seen in pregnant women, small children, and those with developmental disabilities such as autism. For children with autism, suffering from pica disorder has seemed to be even more dangerous. Children eating painted plaster containing lead may suffer brain damage from lead poisoning. There is a similar risk from eating dirt near roads that existed prior to the phaseout of tetra-ethyl lead in petrol (in some countries) or prior to the cessation of the use of contaminated oil (either used or containing toxic PCBs or dioxin) to settle dust.

1,440 items found in the stomach of a patient suffering from pica. Taken at the Glore Psychiatric Museum, Saint Joseph, Missouri.

Source Wiki

When I was a youngster I use to eat glass cups.

These people would probably do much better if they started eating edible earth/clays like bentonite, shilajit, etc. Mainstream food is nutritionally bankrupt and there are important minerals in earth that people really have no other way of getting. Primates and all sorts of animals all eat dirt... pregnant women sometimes get pica, too.

Even with agriculture, for thousands of years, think about the minute amounts of dirt that would be ingested along with amazing organic heirloom vegetables. Dirt is a major source of B12, for example.

en.wikipedia.org...

The link is for a quick overview of terra preta, one method of making INCREDIBLY powerful soil in the Amazon, that goes back for thousands of years.

Wow, that actually makes me gag just thinking about it. That pic with the sponge, (my mouth is turning inside out right now) how many germs are in that filthy bogging thing?

It actually reminds me of a dry teabag. For some reason I have a phobia of chewing one of them, even though I don't think I've tried it. Unless someone gave me one as a baby? (I will kill them if I ever find out about it.)

So?

This guy I found on YouTube drinks Caulk, toiletpaper, listerine, hair spray..

Yes pica is real and probably more common than you would think. You should check out the show "My strange addiction" on TLC, many of the episodes have people who suffer from pica. People used to think that pica was related to vitamin deficiencies and although it can in the case of iron deficiency most cases are not. Seems to be a kind of unhealthy coping mechanism, just like you get relief from drinking a beer, they feel better after eating a bar of soap. Problems arise from eating toxic substances or things that can stay in the digestive tract and cause blockage (no fun). On "my strange addiction", the shows I have seen so far have highlighted people eating nail polish, clothes detergent, cat food treats (exclusively), tape, and I saw another show where the girl ate her own hair.

My wife eats bath sponges and has done her whole life. I think it's a nasty habit, but as she actually "craves" the taste and the texture and she even has favourite places that she sends me to buy the sponges for her. lol

She's a crazy lass, but I do love her.

Rev

Disorder, illness be it as it may, Something i noticed,

there's no shortage of ORAL FIXATION in Americans,

from kids to elderly, so many oral fetishes and always having something in their mouth

and utter disregard for their nutrition nor health nor weight nor GREED. Nor MODERATION.

While others starve to death worldwide. What a shame.

I used to eat (alot) of paper as a child, my Mum used to refuse to cook, or allow us to cook for ourselves, as a sort of punishment, controlling type thing. I developed anorexia eventually, as I think a balancing out, and attempting to take control reaction. And paper sometimes helped, or participated in that. I would guess that this woman has a similar story. Us wierdos don't just get wierd overnight, there is always a pathology that can be followed, assuming one wants at some point to normalise, some, of course, prefer to revel in their weirdness, and profit from it. Depends largely on whether it is life threatening or not. My anorexia was, and in the end, I wanted to live. So....

reply to post by CALGARIAN




Today I learned why not to eat dry tampons. Thanks for that first video. Very informative.

Well, it's supper time in Illinois...

Originally posted by revmoofoo
My wife eats bath sponges and has done her whole life. I think it's a nasty habit, but as she actually "craves" the taste and the texture and she even has favourite places that she sends me to buy the sponges for her. lol

She's a crazy lass, but I do love her.

Actually...haha...I did that too, and the texture is strangely pleasing...filling too. But no nutritional value it has to be said.

ETA...just watching that guy...also I ate crayons...not so nice...and Germoline, which I loved, it actually tasted like root beer, but I didn't know that until much later in life when I first tasted root beer

Pica, while nothing new, is fairly rare. It seems to be becoming more common, though....

An NBC tv show (cant say which one for confidentiality reasons) will have one of its main characters suffering from pica in an upcoming episode....

where do they get the nutrition from this???yuk

Originally posted by eeks4
where do they get the nutrition from this???yuk

I don't think that that is the point, or rather sometimes it is the point. It can be indicative of an oral and anal fixation...because what goes in, does according to nature have to come out, and generally it does so fully intact...so...well, I'll leave that to your imagination. In my case I just used it to fill me up, so that I wouldn't be hungry and therefore wouldn't have to ask (beg) for food...others, I suppose, it is so that they don't want fattening foods. It really depends much on the individual. This particular woman, in the OP, eats her sponges with a variety of sauces it seems, presumably she therefore derives some nutrition in that way. And I would also gather that she eats some normal foods too.

Slightly different, but worth studying, if only for the freak value, is Albert Fish, who had all manner of eating fetishes, including a strong, pathological taste, for small children...

en.wikipedia.org...

Originally posted by kokoro
Yes pica is real and probably more common than you would think. You should check out the show "My strange addiction" on TLC, many of the episodes have people who suffer from pica.

I was watching that show with some friends once and there were sufferers from pica on it, but some of the "pica sufferers" honestly seemed more like desperate people wanting 15 minutes of fame. They seemed to enjoy the show and being interviewed more than actually displaying any real shame or love for their addiction.

I've heard pica is real, but I don't think shows like the one on TLC give pica and other related mental disorders credibility.

One episode I saw had a girl who loved eating chalk and I think hand soap, and surprise surprise you find midway that she is also a struggling actress in Hollywood. That show just annoys me.