This rare condition means that this woman will always smell like fish

Publish Date
Tuesday, 21 February 2017, 10:45AM
Photo / Barcorft

Photo / Barcorft

Trimethylaminuria - That's probably a word that you have never seen before, let alone had to read aloud, but for Kelly Fidoe-White it's one that she knows far too well.

It's a condition that means that she always smells like fish and can't do anything to cover it up or get rid of it.

People that suffer from the condition have the inability to break down a certain compound in food, which means that they could smell of either feces, onions, or fish. 

Because of this condition, Kelly has works as a night shift radiographer in order calm the severe anxiety that she suffers from being around other people. She even used to shower up to four times a day in order to try and get rid of the smell, but it still wouldn't leave her.

"As far as I know, this condition affects 300 to 600 people worldwide – it’s not very well known."

As well as smelling like fish 24/7, Kelly has no sense of smell, so it's difficult for her to work out which foods make the odors worse, and which ones reduce it.

When Kelly was younger she used to tell people that she had eaten fish paste sandwiches every time someone questioned her about the weird smell. 

Check out this video where she talks about what living with 'Fish Odor Syndrome' is like:

 

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