A woman has described how sudden cramps led to her being diagnosed with a life-changing condition.
Instead of going on holiday or to festivals with her friends, 24-year-old Kirsty Heron from Swinton spends most of her battling stomach pains and crying in her bed.
In 2020, at the age of 21, she was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis - a long-term condition where the colon and rectum become inflamed.
It is usually quite painful and can have a debilitating effect on someone or lead to severe complications, the M.E.N. reports.
Speaking about the condition she suffers daily with, Kirsty said: “I felt like my life had been put on hold.
“For a young girl like me to have her life put on hold by an illness was upsetting. To be diagnosed with something you had never heard of before was scary.
“I was crying nearly every day because I thought I shouldn’t have to live my life like that at such a young age – waking up with no energy, not being able to eat or have fun.”
Symptoms for the condition can include diarrhoea, passing a small amount blood with stool, abdominal pain and cramping, rectal pain, urgency to defecate, inability to defecate despite urgency, weight loss and fatigue.
Admin worker Kirsty was at home when she suddenly felt cramp pains.
And when she climbed out of bed to use the toilet she noticed a large amount of blood in the toilet bowl, prompting her parents to take her to hospital.
Kirsty explained: “I had no other symptoms. It was a stinging pain, like when you have an ulcer in your mouth but it was in my stomach. I was losing quite a lot of blood. It was quite scary.”
At hospital, the Manchester woman was sent for a scan when it was discovered her bowl was inflamed, with the result showing she had ulcerative colitis.
Over the next three years, Kirsty was offered a range of different medications, but her body rejected every single one of them.
“I was in constant pain and I constantly felt tired,” Kirsty added.
“I had no energy and I was scared of eating because every time I ate the stinging pain was horrendous. I was in and out of hospital because the flare-ups were so bad.
“I couldn’t go out and enjoy myself without worrying whether I would need the toilet or whether I would make it to a toilet. I was so drained from it all.”
Kirsty revealed she would need the toilet up to 20 times a day.
She said: “I’d be up all night going to the toilet. You think you’re going to sleep because you’re that tired but you don’t because you’re in constant pain. I was going to the toilet between 15 and 20 times a day.
“I would spend all day watching telly and having half-an-hour sleep here and there. I’d be woken up by the pain.
“Being 24 years of age, I felt like I should have been going out with my friends and family. I used to go to the gym a lot too – then nothing.”
In February, she was rushed back to hospital after a bad flare-up and she was given the option of a stoma bag.
Speaking about the decision she said: “I met with the surgeons to discuss my options and at this point I was more than happy to have the surgery.
“I just wanted my life back. But I thought, ‘How am I going to wear my everyday clothes?’ thought people would see it. My anxiety was through the roof. I thought people were going to know I had a stoma.”
Kirsty was also offered a second bag, called a mucous fistula, which helps divert mucous out of her body.
The surgery instantly resolved Kirsty’s suffering and she describes it as the “best thing” she has ever done.
She explained: “Even though it’s been three weeks, I feel so much better.
“I’ve been doing everything. I’m so happy to have my life back how it was three years ago before I got diagnosed.
“It's the best thing I’ve ever done. I’ve never felt better and I can start living my life as a young girl. Even if I have two stoma bags, I’m glad I’m not in pain anymore and I can go out and enjoy time with family and friends.
“I want more people to know about ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease and stoma bags - that even if you have a bag, it doesn’t stop you doing what you want to do.”
