Every now and then you may get a sneezing fit. But what does that amount to? Maybe 10 sneezes in quick succession. It is hardly debilitating.

However, the common sneeze is a very different story for 12-year-old Katelyn Thornley from Angleton, Texas. The seventh grader suffers from an unknown condition that causes her to sneeze over 12,000 times a day.

The strange ailment started only this year at the end of one of her clarinet classes:

I just started in little spurts, sneezing,” Katelyn explained. “I thought it was like, I’m allergic to something or didn’t wash out my mouthpiece the right way.”

Within days the sneezes had spiralled out of control, with Katelyn averaging 20 sneezes a minute all day long. Clearly a condition that makes living a normal life almost impossible. “I’m constantly in pain with my abdomen, my legs are weak, I can barely eat,” she said.

Her parents and doctors are trying everything to help her. After consulting six physicians, none were able to offer an explanation or cure.

It’s hard to watch,” Katelyn’s father said. “Anything you talk to her about that irritates her – you can see it spike and continuous sneezing. It’s easy to trigger.”

Doctors have ruled out allergies and viruses, however some believe it might be a stress-related reaction or a nervous tick.

The ailment is clearly taking its toll on poor Katelyn.

Sometimes I wish I could leave my body for a little while so I could watch myself sleep and be at peace because even in my dreams, I sneeze,” she said. “I don’t care what they do, I just want it to stop going on for too long.”

(Source: Mirror.co.uk)