Kelly Fidoe-White, 36, suffers from anxiety over Trimethylaminuria condition which produces strong bodily odours including rotten fish, onion and faeces
Kelly first became aware of her condition when she was in school and
kids always taunted her about smelling of fish. Kelly gave excuses,
saying that she ate a fish sandwich, however, when the smell never
reduced and she ran out of excuses, she became the object of extreme
bullying.
To combat the smell, she began spending a lot of time in the shower,
scrubbing her body till it was red, had four showers a day, soaking herself in deodorants and
perfumes, yet nothing worked and the bullying only worsened. Now, she
copes by taking a cocktail of medications, but is unsure if they have
any effect or not.
Trimethylaminuria is a condition which causes one's body to be unable to
break down a compound found in food that contains a substance called
Choline, meaning a lot of ingredients are off the menu. People suffering
from the condition regularly produce a range of strong bodily odours
including rotten fish, onion and faeces. Kelly describes her own smell
as 'fishy-oniony'.
The condition is relatively unknown, even amongst doctors, and affects
between 300 – 600 people worldwide. This means that Kelly had to
research and diagnose herself and a test was done, confirming her
diagnosis. There is no cure for the condition and Kelly handles it now
by taking a cocktail of medications but is unsure if they have any
effect or not.
To limit the number of people she comes in contact with, Kelly works a
night job where colleagues say you can tell if she's been in a place and
some of her co-workers make complaints about her smell. She has found
love now and she revealed that her husband's acceptance of her condition
has helped boost her confidence.
Kelly Fidoe-White sits with her husband Michael as she confronts living with fish-odour syndrome
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