A woman who dropped to just five stone and was told she would die “within a few months” at 20 years old following a bowel disease diagnosis is now urging people not to ignore symptoms such as blood in their stool and frequent trips to the toilet after she had her large intestine removed in life-saving surgery.
In late 2017, at 5ft 2ins tall, Billie’s weight plummeted to five stone, her resting heart rate reached 140bpm and she was warned she would die “within a few months” if she did not undergo surgery to remove part of her bowel and be fitted with a stoma bag – which she did in January 2018. Billie first started experiencing symptoms aged 19 after she had moved from her hometown, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, to Portsmouth for university.
She said: “I just made up my mind that I was fine because the doctor had said I was fine, and I decided to ignore the fact that I was still finding blood every 10 minutes.”Within four weeks, she went from being “functioning” to not being able to walk or hold a conversation. There, the doctor said he thought Billie had an inflammatory bowel disease and further testing revealed her diagnosis of ulcerative colitis.She said: “Despite being on medication, I was still rushing to the toilet 20 times a day and I couldn’t put any weight on.
On January 2, 2018, Billie underwent the six-and-a-half-hour operation to remove her large intestine and be fitted with a stoma bag before spending three days in intensive care.
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