Billie Anderson, now 27, is urging people not to ignore symptoms such as blood in their stool and frequent trips to the toilet.
A woman who dropped to just five stone was told she would die “within a few months” at just 20-years-old.
Billie, who lives with her boyfriend, Marcus, 27, who works for a construction company, told PA Real Life: “I really do believe that if I hadn’t been so afraid of the symptoms I’ve been experiencing and I’d seen a doctor sooner, then I don’t think I would be in the position I’m in now. Just getting diagnosed early, getting it under control and seeing a professional is so important because I lost years of my life.
Referred to a specialist, Billie’s symptoms were not considered to be signs of cancer and while she was still experiencing pain and blood in her stool, she recalled “ignoring” the issues. 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.”
Seeing that his daughter was still in a lot of pain, Billie’s dad sought a second opinion and, within days of her trip to A&E, the then-20 year old was seen by a gastroenterologist. There, the doctor said he thought Billie had an inflammatory bowel disease and further testing revealed her diagnosis of ulcerative colitis.
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. She said: “Life after surgery was a mental and physical adjustment because I had been so used to the feeling of pain and my stomach being stressed all the time, and the mental impact of that was enormous.
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