Mum: Doctors told me I was just one day from death
A CROHN’S disease sufferer was just one day from death when doctors removed her decaying bowel – before it poisoned and killed her from the inside.
Rowena Chadwick-Smith, 36, had been living with illness for 12 years but never imagined it might prove fatal.
But when she felt faint and had a searing pain in her stomach she was admitted for surgery at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary in West Yorkshire.
Doctors realised her bowel was decaying inside of her and breaking apart – killing off her other organs in the process and triggering her body to shut down.
The bowel decay was caused by Crohn’s – which causes inflammation of the bowel and can lead to abdominal pain, severe diarrhoea, fatigue, weight loss and malnutrition.
An emergency procedure was the only option, and Rowena underwent a gruelling seven-hour operation.
She has been left with a 20cm scar on her stomach and a stoma bag – a constant reminder of her brush with death.
Doctors told Rowena that if she hadn’t had the operation she would have been ‘dead within a day.’
The mum-of-one, from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, said: “I’m lucky to even be alive.
“This disease has changed my life and it can be devastating for those unfortunate enough to have it.
“The pain I have endured since I was diagnosed I would not wish upon my worst enemy. It is debilitating and affects every aspect of your life, reducing the quality of your life and preventing you from completing basic everyday activities.
“My whole life has been affected. I can’t do nearly as much as most people can. I can’t walk long distances. Before all of this, I could march up mountains. Crohn’s made me a ghost of myself.
“Thanks to the amazing work of the NHS gastroenterologists, surgeons, dieticians, nurses and A&E, I have been able to regain some quality of life and I am now not suffering from stomach pains any more.”
Rowena, who is studying for a PhD in Vocal Production and Music Technology, had a sharp stabbing pain all of a sudden in April 2019.
Her son Cameron, 16, and husband Robert, 66, who is a retired handyman, urged her to go and visit A&E after she described her symptoms.
Rowena said: “I’ve always had pain because of my Crohn’s, but nothing like this before. “I could feel my vision going, and it felt like someone had set my organs on fire. It was the worst pain I had ever experienced in my life, I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.”
Upon arrival at the hospital, medical staff immediately realised that Rowena’s symptoms were far more serious than she had initially thought.
She was whisked into a surgical ward, where a gastroenterologist examined her and realised they had to act fast.
“My internal organs were extremely inflamed,” she said.
“The doctors told me that the inflammation markers of a normal, healthy body are five and below. Mine were measured to be 386.
“I remember seeing many concerned faces around me, but eventually the pain became too much and I blacked out.”
Seven hours later, Rowena woke up dressed in a hospital gown. Surgeons
My bowel was... falling apart and seeping into
my bloodstream, poisoning my body.