Why I had my bum removed
Beth Coldrick, 37, from Dorset, is grateful and proud to have a stoma!
Growing up, I had a wonderful upbringing. I was always active and out playing with my friends and family. Life was good, but as I child, I was always complaining of stomach aches to my parents Wendy, 71, and Dave, 84.
I don’t remember them too much to begin with, but as the years passed, my stomach and gut pains only got worse.
By the time I was in my midteens, I suffered with severe bloating and cramps.
Naturally, everyone assumed it was just my hormones, so I tried to get on with things.
I moved to London to study Graphic Design and Photography at university, and I was determined to live a full life.
Only, from then on, my stomach issues continued to progress.
At 20-years-old, I found myself constantly feeling sick and running to the loo. I couldn’t even drink as it would set my stomach off.
Doctors suspected it was IBS, but things were only getting worse.
I couldn’t eat lactose and I had to religiously check my food and what I was eating.
However, despite all the pain and constant need for the toilet, I refused to let it control my life.
So much so, I moved to South Africa for 10 months, before jetting off to Australia.
Alongside studying beauty therapy and nutrition, I spent my days surfing and soaking up the sun.
However, by now, my gut issues were so bad that I couldn’t go anywhere without a toilet nearby.
I suffered with bloating, gas and wind, and it just wasn’t nice.
I was embarrassed, but I didn’t want to hide it from people.
Any plans had to be centred around a toilet and I found myself cancelling a lot of the time. I needed people to know why.
I powered through for four years, but eventually, my body just couldn’t cope.
By now I was so poorly, and I needed answers as to why.
Over the years, I’d seen various doctors and specialists, but I still didn’t have an official diagnosis.
Returning home to the UK, almost immediately, I was rushed to hospital.
I’d spent hours on the toilet in crippling pain and I was completely zapped of energy.
‘You have Crohn’s disease, Beth,’ the doctor told me in 2009.
It had been mentioned in the past, but now it was official.
In a way, I was just glad to finally have a diagnosis.
After years of suffering, I’d lost so much weight and I was fed up with being in pain.
Doctors immediately put me on a course of steroids and drugs, and within a few weeks, things started to settle.
With Crohn’s, my gut was always going to be an issue, but with the right medication, I was able to manage it.
So, I set up my own beauty company and tried to live my life to the full again. Only, I still had to be so careful. I had to avoid certain foods and drinks, and I couldn’t exactly be spontaneous with plans.
After all, I still needed a toilet close by just in case.
Over the years, I got used to managing my condition.
I’d have a bad flare up almost every winter and I spent a lot of time in hospital.
Due to all the medication, my skin was also super sensitive and broke out in spots.
I couldn’t find anything to control it and in the end, I started mixing my own balms, oils and creams to help. I tried so hard to live my life, but it was hard.
The steroids made me pile on the pounds and I still spent most of my life on the toilet.
Before long, my happy, up-beat self was deteriorating.
I tried to stay positive, but it was hard. Over the years, the flare-ups would cause me to pass large amounts of blood and in turn, leave me collapsed on the floor.
So much so, in the end, I had to shut down my beauty business as I
I needed a toilet nearby at all times
just couldn’t keep on top of it.
Any stress would trigger a flareup and I was miserable.
I hardly left the house for a year, and I could barely leave the toilet.
Most days I would have to go at least 30 times.
I felt weak, lethargic and very ill. Stuck on a diet of potatoes and chicken, I avoided anything that would potentially cause a flare-up.
The cycle continued for years, and in April 2019, I decided enough was enough.
I’d had a bad episode of fainting, throwing up and passing blood, and I’d been rushed to hospital.
‘I can’t do this anymore,’ I cried. ‘I want a stoma bag.’
A stoma bag had only been mentioned to me the year before, but I’d brushed it to one side.
I was just desperate to live a normal life.
Only now, I couldn’t take it anymore. I was fed up of living my life this way.
I remained in hospital for nine days, where I scrolled through Instagram looking at beautiful girls with stomas themselves.
It was the confirmation I needed. I wanted this.
It’s not an easy decision to make, but doctors agreed it would be the right one for me.
So, just two weeks later, in September 2019, with my parents and partner Andy by my side, I was taken down to theatre for an Ileostomy. ‘See you on the other side,’ they all smiled beforehand.
The surgery was a success and within a week, I was back resting at home.
I taught myself how to clean my stoma, and nurses were amazed at my progress.
It took some getting used to, but I wasn’t weirded out at all.
To be honest, I was just so glad to have it.
Sadly, despite having the stoma bag fitted, I was still passing copious amounts of blood, so I had a huge decision to make.
‘We can remove everything, including your bum,’ the surgeon had told me.
Having the stoma was an easy decision.
It could be reversed later down the line, but if I had the full surgery to remove my rectum, there would be no going back.
I had some thinking to do, but in August 2020, I went ahead with the life-changing surgery.
By this point, I’d grown used to my stoma, and I just wanted to live a normal life.
I was ready to say goodbye to years of pain.
It was the biggest operation I’d had, and the recovery was tough.
For seven weeks, I couldn’t sit down or lie on my back.
I even had to get a ‘Shewee’ to go to the toilet.
It was difficult, but it was worth it, and my family were a great support.
Nearly a year on and life is so much better. For the first time in 11 years, I am finally living drug free.
A stoma is a lifelong disability, but it’s worth every second.
I can’t lift anything too heavy and have to wear a support when walking the dog, but I don’t mind.
I feel so much better, and although Crohn’s still lives within my body, I can finally get on with my life again.
Back in 2018, I officially launched my new beauty brand BAO skincare, and I can now finally run it full-time.
At first, it was just a personal project to keep me busy while at home, but now it’s my career and I’m so proud of how far I’ve come.
After years of steroids and medication, my skin took a huge blow, and I couldn’t find anything that would help apart from my own natural remedies.
BAO skincare is for those with hypersensitive skin who are struggling to find natural products that work for them.
After years of struggling myself, it’s nice to be able to help others.
Although I’m all smiles now, I can’t deny it was tough.
When my Crohn’s was at its worst, my mental health took a dive bomb.
I was on antidepressants and I didn’t know how I would cope.
Thankfully, I am now out the other side, but I can’t stress the importance of speaking out.
Speak to you family and friends, and get a second opinion if you feel need to.
Listen to your body and although it sounds cliché, take up something like yoga to help relax your mind.
It may not help your inflammatory bowel disease, but it may just keep you sane.
I’ve suffered with gut issues since I was a child, but finally the future is looking bright.
I’m proud of my stoma and I want others to be, too.
We’re still beautiful and if anything, it’s a mark of all we’ve been through.
I had a huge decision to make