Tayla-Jaye Gregory, 20, has been living with a bizarre medical condition which causes sudden collapses – triggered by eating SANDWICHES.
Tayla-Jaye suffers from postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTs) – a rare condition which makes her likely to pass out – but doctors were baffled as to what was triggering the fainting episodes.
After hundreds of tests, medics finally pinpointed one of the triggers of her fainting – too many carbs.
Since restricting her diet, aspiring model TJ has gone from fainting up to three times a day to only four times over the past five weeks.
TJ, from Banstead, Surrey, said: “Carbs were one of the only things I ate as I’m quite a fussy eater, and being told I couldn’t have them anymore was devastating.
“I didn’t realise the carbs were a trigger until I had a hospital appointment where they asked me about me about my diet.
“I eat a lot of carbs, and doctors suggested I cut down drastically.
“I love sandwiches, my family used to call me the sandwich queen.
“I lived off sandwiches and cups of tea – my favourite was Dairylea and chicken, and I loved steak and onion crisps.
“When I eat them and it causes me to faint, it’s like a sugar rush.
“My head becomes fuzzy and everything I see becomes a blur.”
TJ has suffered with numerous bumps and bruises after falling, to more serious injuries like concussion and even a gash to her leg requiring stitches.
She was left needing 19 stitches to her leg when she collapsed while eating a picnic – dropping a glass which shattered and became embedded in her leg.
As her fainting spells got worse and worse, doctors fitted TJ with a heart monitor to keep track on her heart activity when she collapses.
The device monitors TJ’s heart 24/7 and sends daily data back to the hospital, to help medics find a cure.
As well as suffering with debilitating PoTs, TJ also has chronic Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), which causes her joints to dislocate several times a day – and means her fainting could be fatal.
Despite being diagnosed at just 13 years old, it only became a real problem for TJ when she hit 18 and started fainting more and more.
Her first major collapse came when she was on stage, performing in a dance show.
TJ said: “My mum said after she could see me changing colour and losing breath on stage.
“It was quite dramatic – everyone was shocked and scared, but I didn’t know anything about it til after.
“We presumed it was because I was working hard in the show, maybe heat exhaustion.
“Until then I didn’t really know PoTs could cause fainting, I thought it was just dizzy spells.
“It wasn’t until later that we realised the PoTs had made me collapse, and carbs were to blame.”
TJ’s mum Adele added: “I almost want to wrap her in bubblewrap – the collapses won’t kill her, but the fall could.”
TJ has even got a reputation for herself in some of the family’s favourite restaurants, after collapsing following carb-laden dinners of noodles and pasta.
TJ said: “Not many people know about my condition, because I don’t tell them.
“It’s very complex, and because I look fine on the outside it can be hard to grasp, not many people understand it.
“Most people I know only ever see me on a good day, so to them I look fine.”
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