A stand-up comic has described how she survived on Haribo sweets and bran flakes for a year due to digestive problems. Sianny Thomas lived on the unusual diet to control symptoms of Crohn’s disease – an inflammatory bowel disease – before she was diagnosed.
The 36-year-old, who is also an office manager, has joined a campaign to encourage young people with digestive problems to use an online symptom checker, rather than delay seeking care. Charity Crohn’s & Colitis UK warned that delaying treatment can leave people needing stronger medication or even emergency surgery to remove part of the bowel.
Ms Thomas said she ate the gummy sweets because they were the only thing she could eat without being sick. She added bran flakes to her limited diet after reading advice online. “I lost three stone, my eyes became sunken with dark circles, and my hair and nails went really dull,” she said.
