'I don't want to leave the house because of Crohn's'

"Facing numerous difficulties throughout her teenage years, she was then misdiagnosed with an eating disorder, before it was finally confirmed in 2019 that she had Crohn's disease. Now 21, Lucy says she is still struggling to hold down a job and manage everyday life, as she battles with the incurable condition. "I don't want to leave the house because of the pain and the anxiety," she says."

"The first signs of Lucy's condition included rectal bleeding, severe abdominal pain, weight loss, fatigue and using the toilet up to 15 times a day. This caused her to lose weight, and at 13 years old, she weighed just 38kg (5st 13.8lb). Combined with her need to use the toilet urgently after mealtimes, doctors began to assume she had anorexia or bulimia."

"When her symptoms failed to improve after months in the unit, Lucy was finally referred for an endoscopy and colonoscopy, which revealed she had Crohn's disease. This, however, did not mark the end of her struggles. Lucy later experienced a perforated bowel due to the disease, which left her vomiting faeces, and had to undergo life-saving surgery to remove 60cm (23.6in) of her small intestine. "The recovery was hard and long, just a long time of being uncomfortable and in pain," she says."

Lucy began experiencing rectal bleeding, severe abdominal pain, fatigue and up to 15 toilet visits per day at age 12, causing significant weight loss. By 13 she weighed 38kg and physicians assumed anorexia or bulimia due to low weight and urgent bowel movements. In 2019 she required five months of tube feeding and a six-month admission to an eating-disorder unit. Endoscopy and colonoscopy later confirmed Crohn's disease. A perforated bowel led to vomiting faeces and emergency surgery removing 60cm of small intestine. Ongoing treatment has been difficult, with persistent pain, anxiety, trouble maintaining work, and challenges finding effective medication.

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