Sarah Brown – 2013

University of Glasgow

Brown Family on Crohns and Colitis walk in York 2013

Brown Family on Crohns and Colitis walk in York 2013

I normally write a report on what I have been doing with the money given to me this year and how it has helped me with my degree. It is true that the money has been invaluable to me as it has helped me pay my fees for my third year of medicine but this year I thought I would write an article about why I needed the money in the first place in the hope that it will be informative and
helpful to anyone in a similar situation.

In 2008, during my 2nd year studying Biology at the University of Sussex, I began to get stomach pains, cramps and I noticed that I needed to rush to the toilet frequently
where I would often pass a lot of blood. I also felt tired and was really struggling to
concentrate on my studies. After several visits to the doctor and many uncomfortable
camera tests I was told I was suffering from Inflammatory Bowel Disease or IBD. I had
never heard of this condition but after some research I discovered that it was an autoimmune disease that caused inflammation and bleeding in your intestines, especially your large bowel that leads to abdominal cramping, diarrhoea and weight loss. Although this was a nuisance to me I didn’t worry too much about it as my disease tended to flare up very rarely, about twice a year, and was easily treated with a short course of steroids.

In July 2011, however, after my first year studying medicine at the University of Glasgow I was suffering with a particularly bad flare up of the disease that was not improving despite 3 weeks of high dose steroids. By this point I was going to the toilet upwards of 20 times a day including all through the night, passing mostly blood and feeling very feverish. Despite feeling unwell I didn’t think it was something a different combination of medications couldn’t fix. So I turned up at my local A&E and explained how I was feeling and asked for some different medication. It was at this point that the doctors told me I would need to be kept in hospital and given IV steroids and antibiotics. For 2 weeks I was desperate to get better and be allowed home but day by day I became more unwell until I had to take morphine for the pains in my stomach. It was then that the surgeons appeared in my hospital room to tell me that my large bowel was at risk of rupturing and that the best treatment option was to have an operation to remove it completely.

This news was completely devastating. The operation would require me to have my large bowel removed and then part of my small bowel brought out of my abdomen to form what is called a stoma. I would then need to wear a bag over my stoma that I would have to change regularly. I was determined to avoid this option and try anything else I could to get better. Unfortunately, despite moving to a specialist hospital and trying a very powerful drug that suppressed my immune system I continued to deteriorate and surgery became the only way I could survive.

The first few weeks living with a stoma were the hardest of my life. I battled with my self-confidence and body image as well as the physical weakness that I had been left with after almost 6 weeks in a hospital bed. My family and boyfriend were an incredible support to me which made it easier to come to terms with what I had been through and how it had ultimately saved my life. Eventually I learned to live with my new circumstances and it very quickly became my new normal allowing me to get on with my second year of medical school.

The following summer I was offered an incredible operation that would reverse my stoma and create an artificial large bowel. Understandably, I jumped at the opportunity to have the reversal as it would mean I could say goodbye to my stoma, however, it was not without its drawback. My bowels would never function entirely normally and I would need to go to the toilet more often than most people, plus I would need to put my body through another 5 hour operation and an extensive 12 week recovery period.

Since I have had this operation I have been very slowly improving and adapting to my new situation. I have not had a smooth recovery as I have had to have a third operation in June of this year but I am hoping that I have now turned a corner.

IBD, namely Crohns disease and Ulcerative Colitis, is an incredibly common disease that affects thousands of people across the world. There are many sufferers including former rugby captain, Lewis Moody and Olympic rower, Steve Redgrave. Both of whom have recently spoken out about the struggles they face when managing the condition and the affect that this has had on their careers and their lives.

Despite the difficulties regarding my health in the last few years, I have been determined to do as well as I can in my medical degree so I can qualify and then do my best to help others who suffer from any long term illnesses.

I wrote down my story so that I could highlight the significance of this disease and the effect it can have on an individual and their family but also the positive and determined outlook that can be left in its wake.

I hope I have successfully done this and been of some comfort to anyone reading this that is in a similar situation.

I would like to thank the Old Wandsworthians for allowing me to focus on improving my health by removing other worries such as earning money to pay my University fees.

Comments are closed.