Warning: This article includes images and information some people may find upsetting...
A dancer has opened up about the moment she realized that her "anorexia" was actually a rare stomach condition after watching an episode of Grey's Anatomy.
Olivia, from Jersey City in New Jersey explained that she was in severe pain whenever she ate, and while doctors tried to get to the bottom of what was wrong with her condition, they simply didn't have an answer.
Social media saved this girl from anorexia:
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Per the Metro, Olivia's condition rapidly worsened when she was 17, and within the space of a year, her weight plummetted from 140lbs to 88lbs because she was in severe pain whenever she tried to eat. So much so that she struggled to eat more than 600 calories a day.
Speaking to the Metro, Olivia said: "I was tracking my calories and I was lucky if I managed to eat more than 600 calories a day. Eating any more just wasn’t possible and I was starving to death."
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Olivia revealed how she had made countless visits to doctors in order to discuss her sickness and stomach pains, but failed to gain a diagnosis that explains her symptoms, saying: "I’ve always felt poorly but I started to believe the doctors when they said I was anxious and might have anorexia.
"I never wanted to eat a lot because it hurt, and I ended up being convinced by what the doctors said. I’ve had so many tests and not a single doctor could find anything medically wrong with me, but I knew something was horribly wrong."
However, Olivia's life changed for the better in October 2018 when she saw down to watch an episode of Grey's Anatomy - specifically, season 15 episode 5 - which introduced her to a rare condition known as MALS.
One of the characters was experiencing the same symptoms as her and received a diagnosis of MALS on the show. But prior to this, Olivia had been repeatedly told that she was suffering from anxiety and anorexia.
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She said: "One of the characters had the exact same symptoms as me and was diagnosed with MALS on the show, and I just thought: 'Wait, surely that’s too good to be true'.
"It was like a light bulb moment and from that point on I was convinced I had the same thing. Up to this point all I kept getting told it’s all in my head, that I had anxiety and anorexic…
"After watching that Grey’s Anatomy episode I looked up MALS on the internet and that’s when I knew I had it for sure."
According to WebMD, MALS - median arcuate ligament syndrome - is when the median arcuate ligament, a band of tissue shaped like an arc in the lower part of your chest, sits lower than normal, creating pressure on the celiac artery.
This is the artery that delivers blood to your stomach, liver, and other organs, and when the blood flow is decreased, it can cause pain that flares up whenever sufferers try to work out or eat.
Olivia's hunch was right and after she was formally diagnosed with MALS, she sought out life-changing surgery.
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This happened thanks to the help of Dr. Richard Hsu, a leading expert in MALS, based at Stamford Hospital, Connecticut, who offered Olivia connective surgery after a series of consultations. This involved an operation that repositioned the blood vessels in her stomach that were causing her so much pain.
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Olivia is pictured above after her life-changing surgery.
She captioned this picture: "January 22nd... my 'rebirth' day! After finally receiving a diagnosis, I underwent one of the biggest surgeries a human can go through in order to reclaim my life.
As much as I would prefer to keep this struggle to myself and avoid publicly displaying myself as what I once believed would paint me as a 'pity me' poster child, I now know have an obligation to share my MALS journey in order to help others struggling.
"If you or someone you know is struggling with GI issues and has been to more than two Gastroenterologists with no answers, look into MALS or other vascular compressions. It might just save a life."