A sales assistant who was struck down by agonising stomach cramps is showing off her bikini body after a lifesaving operation left her with a colostomy bag.
Heather Grant, 23, was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease – a type of inflammatory bowel disease – last July, after three years of crippling pain.
In December, Miss Grant, from St Helens, Merseyside, underwent a lifesaving operation to remove part of her bowel but complications caused a deadly amount of fluid to build up in her stomach.
She was taken back down to theatre five days later and fitted with a colostomy bag.
Miss Grant, who had been in agony for months, felt relieved she was no longer suffering but devastated about how her life had changed in just a few days.
Heather Grant was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease after years of pain. She now wears a colostomy bag but says she will wear a bikini with pride in the summer – and is sharing her story to help others with the conditon
Now, five months later, she has booked her first holiday and is proudly showing off her bikini body to help others with the condition.
The sales assistant said: ‘I’m so lucky I survived the operation but when I first woke up I was devastated to see they’d fitted me with a bag.
‘I never thought I’d feel confident enough to wear a bikini again, I was just so embarrassed and disgusted with myself at first.
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‘But I knew it had saved my life and it felt amazing not to be in agonising pain.
‘Now I’m really happy and back to my normal self, I know in the future I can have it reversed but now I’ve lived with a stoma bag for the past five months, I know it’s not that bad at all.
‘I hope other people with diagnosed with Crohn’s disease can read my story and see that life does go on after the operation.’
Miss Grant first began suffering from stomach cramps in 2013 – doctors first dismissed her symptoms as period pains and IBS.
She said: ‘I finally had the MRI scan I needed last summer and that revealed I had Crohn’s disease.
‘It was a shock when they revealed I needed surgery to remove part of my diseased bowel.
She suffered from complications following surgery to remove part of her bowel and needed a colostomy bag fitting. By this time, her weight had fallen to six stone and she was unwell
Heather in hospital with her mother, Susan and boyfriend, Niall Roughley, after her lifesaving surgery
‘I had no idea how serious my condition was until I woke up in unbearable agony after my operation.
‘I weighed just six stone after being unable to eat for such a long time.
‘I was screaming in pain before nurses realised something serious was wrong and I was taken back down to theatre, my stomach was filling with blood due to a complication with my first operation and I needed a stoma bag.
Her parents Susan, 45, and David Bell, 49, and boyfriend Niall Roughley were told it was a close call but she pulled through the four-and-a-half hour operation.
‘My parents have been my rock throughout it all and so has my boyfriend.
‘I’m so excited to finally be able to go on holiday without having to worry about my toilet habits or severe pain.
‘I’ve been through so much in the past year but I can’t wait to get on the beach in Greece now.
‘I have some lovely bikinis to wear and I’m so thankful to those surgeons that saved my life, I have my whole future to look forward to now.’
The surgery has left her with a seven inch scar on her stomach but she insists nothing will hold her back.
She said: ‘I’m not bothered by my scar and at the end of the year, I’m hoping to have a stoma reversal.
Miss Grant, pictured before with bloating (left) and after the operation (right) says she was horrified by the colostomy bag at first. But five months on, she said it will be a relief to go on holiday without the symptoms
‘I hope my story gives other people who are diagnosed with Crohn’s disease the confidence to show off their scars and colostomy bags, we have nothing to be assamed of.’
Isobel Mason, nurse consultant who works at Crohn’s and Colitis UK said every 30 minutes someone in the UK is diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease or ulcerative colitis – the two main forms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).
The chronic conditions can cause ulceration and inflammation in the colon or any part of the digestive system.
Symptoms can include diarrhoea -often with blood – severe pain, extreme fatigue, and depression.
‘Weight loss is also a key symptom but not always as dramatic as in this situation,’ she said.
‘At present there is no cure for Crohn’s and Colitis, but drugs and sometimes surgery can give long periods of relief from symptoms.
‘This means one in 210 people are living with these unpredictable, life-long and potentially life-threatening conditions.
‘Crohn’s and Colitis UK provide high quality information and personal care, support life-changing research and campaign vigorously for more knowledge, better services and more support for people affected by IBD.’
For information on the condition go to www.crohnsandcolitis.org.uk
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF CROHN’S DISEASE?
The symptoms of Crohn’s disease vary, depending on which part of the digestive system is inflamed.
Common symptoms include:
- recurring diarrhoea
- abdominal pain and cramping, which is usually worse after eating
- extreme tiredness (fatigue)
- unintended weight loss
- blood and mucus in the faeces (stools)
Crohn’s disease can cause a number of symptoms including cramping and diarrhoea
Less common symptoms include a high temperature, nausea and vomiting, joint pain and swelling, irritation of the eyes, areas of painful and swollen skin, and mouth ulcers.
Some people experience severe symptoms, but others only have mild problems.
There may be long periods, lasting for weeks or months, where a sufferer has very mild or no symptoms (known as remission), followed by periods where the symptoms are particularly troublesome (known as flare-ups or relapses).
Children with Crohn’s disease may grow at a slower rate than expected, because the inflammation can prevent the body absorbing nutrients from food.
Crohn’s sometimes causes additional health problems, which may be in the gut itself or can involve other parts of the body.
Complications in the gut may include strictures, perforations and fistulas
Source: NHS Choices