Patient casebook: Toilet troubles
Many people are embarrassed by this condition. But I refuse to be
Feeling my stomach grumble, I quickly grabbed my school bag and headed to the door. I needed the loo – fast. ‘Where are you going, Jess?’ my mates called.
‘Back in a mo,’ I grimaced.
It was January 2013. I was 13 and felt rough, couldn’t stop going to the loo, was exhausted.
‘I need a day off school,’ I grumbled to my parents the next day, after rushing back to the bathroom.
‘I’m sure it’ll pass,’ my mum Jane said to me. We thought it was a tummy bug. But a few days later, I was still unwell.
And even when I went back to school for a week or so, it wasn’t long before my symptoms were back.
Needing the loo all the time, loss of energy, nausea. Soon, I needed to go up to 20 times a day and had blood in my stools. My weight plummeted to just 7st. ‘This isn’t right,’ Mum said. So, in March 2013, my dad Scott took me to our GP. He referred me to Manchester Children’s Hospital for a colonoscopy – a procedure using a camera to assess my bowels.
I was put on antibiotics and then the doctor diagnosed me.
‘You have Crohn’s disease,’ he said – it’s an inflammation of the gut and sadly, there is no cure, so I’d be stuck with it for life.
‘I’m relieved to have a diagnosis,’ I told my family. Of course, it was lifechanging. Straightaway, I was prescribed medication and steroids and a special protein-shake diet to help me regain the weight I’d lost.
But I knew now what
I was dealing with, and I wouldn’t let it win. After two long months off school, I returned to the classroom.
‘I’ve got Crohn’s,’
I told friends and peers.
I knew that it could be an embarrassing problem – I’d often need to rush to the loo – but I wouldn’t let myself be ashamed of it.
Instead, my confidence soared. I took to social media to tell my followers about my condition.
And as the years went on, I trained to be a make-up artist and content creator on social media, spread the word about Crohn’s.
I even connected with other make-up artists with Crohn’s. I used to be a shy teenager – not any more!
I have to take tablets daily and have a vitamin infusion in hospital every two months. And I’m aware of triggers that can cause a flare-up – spicy or fatty foods and stress.
But I’m still raising awareness about Crohn’s. I want to help other young people with Crohn’s regain their confidence.
The disease affects everyone differently, with varying symptoms and severity.
I know that it’s hard
– but I want you to know you’re not alone.
I used to be a shy teenager – not any more!