'Doctors said bloating that made me look pregnant was anxiety - then they discovered rare bowel disease'

'Doctors said bloating that made me look pregnant was anxiety - then they discovered rare bowel disease' Rebecca Fargie, who lived for six years with constipation that caused crippling pain sometimes for days after eating, said doctors had told her her issues were all in her head A mum left distressed by severe bloating that made her look "six months pregnant" was told by doctors she was just suffering from "anxiety" - until they discovered something in her bowel. Rebecca Fargie, 36, said she has lived for years with constipation, sickness and stomach pain so severe that not even morphine could relieve it. During the six years that she experienced the issues, she ended up taking up to 21 daily laxatives in a desperate bid to gain normal bowel movements, all the while being repeatedly fobbed off by professionals who tried to tell her the issues were all in her head. It wasn't until she underwent a specialised colon study that doctors discovered an irregularity in the muscles lining her bowel that Rebecca was finally given an answer. She was diagnosed with slow transit constipation, a rare type of bowel dysmotility, in 2024, years after the pain first developed when she gave birth in 2020. But the pain didn't stop there, as doctors tried without success for another two years to treat the issue. Rebecca, from Batley in West Yorkshire, finally had ileostomy surgery earlier this year, and has been fitted with a stoma bag. She is now sharing her story to tackle the stigma around gut health. She said: "The pain was horrific, it used to be that bad it got to the point where I'd drop to the floor and couldn't see - it would then just wipe me out for the rest of the day. It has been hell, as it is not just me that's suffered but my family too. Hearing my kids cry because they don't like seeing their mum in pain was horrible. "Doctors constantly telling me it's all in my head didn't help. I have had to leave jobs because of the number of times I was in and out of hospital and how poorly I had been. “Since my surgery, I don’t have that same swelling anymore, and it has made such a difference to how I feel in myself. I’m still recovering and dealing with fatigue, so I’ve only recently been able to start doing a little swimming and getting back to the gym. "It made me feel alone, sad and disappointed that no one actually listened or believed me. I was the one going through the pain. I was in a dark place and my mental health has not been the best." "I know how embarrassing it can feel talking about digestive symptoms, but now I know there is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of." Rebecca's symptoms first began in 2020, when she was 30 years old and 20 weeks pregnant with her youngest child. She would experience sharp stabbing pains in her stomach, along with cramping, colicky pain, and pain which radiated into her back, as well as constantly feeling full after eating any food. She said the pain would sometimes last between several hours and a number of days. The mum said although dietary changes brought some relief, like cutting out red meat like joints of beef, she knew something still wasn't right. And after giving birth in March 2020, her symptoms became significantly worse. She said: "The constipation got more severe, and the pain became unbearable, worse than labour. "I had chronic back pain and severe abdominal pain and was constantly in and out of hospital." Over the next four years the mum says she was repeatedly visited the doctors but was told there was nothing seriously wrong and that her symptoms were "simply constipation". She said the situation hurt her mental health. Doctors removed her gallbladder in 2021, hoping it would resolve the problem but the surgery failed to improve her symptoms. Rebecca said: "They said where the pain was it was my gallbladder and I had a scan and they said they couldn't see much but small inflammation." "When they woke me up after the operation on the table just before going into recovery the pain was still there in the same place I remember pulling my oxygen mask off and screaming because the pain was excruciating. "I was given morphine, but the pain never truly went away. A year later I was still in the same pain if not 100 times worse." Rebecca continued to experience severe symptoms and had repeated hospital admissions, including a four-week stay due to faecal impaction. She says she was often told the pain was related to her gallbladder surgery, anxiety or was "all in her head". In 2024, following further specialist testing, Rebecca was finally diagnosed with slow transit constipation. She underwent a colonic transit study which checks how fast food and waste move through your large bowel, according to the NHS. Slow transit constipation is a less common form of constipation caused by the muscles lining the bowel not working properly, according to charity Guts UK. This results in sluggish movement of stool through the large bowel, leading to severe constipation, pain, bloating and a reduced urge to open the bowels. Rebecca said: "Getting a diagnosis finally gave me an explanation for everything I'd been experiencing. After years of being told it was just constipation, it was validating to know there was a genuine underlying condition causing my symptoms." The mum underwent treatment options like a sacral nerve stimulator, in attempts to help her pass the toilet but they were unsuccessful. A sacral nerve stimulator is a small medical device like a pacemaker that sends mild electrical pulses to nerves in the lower back to treat bladder and bowel control problems, according to the NHS. In winter last year Rebecca’s colorectal specialist then recommended surgery to form an ileostomy. It is an operation that brings the end of the small bowel through an opening in the abdomen to allow waste to pass into a stoma bag. She underwent the surgery in March, and now lives with a stoma on the right side of her stomach. Rebecca said: "Coming to terms with having surgery was incredibly hard and, to me, it felt like the last option. All I wanted was to be able to live a normal life with my family. "For so long my life was controlled by pain, hospitals and fear of food. Now, for the first time in years, I finally feel hopeful for the future. "I cannot wait to make happy memories with my children and finally start living instead of just surviving." According to a YouGov poll, commissioned by the charity Guts UK, 28% of adults who have experienced digestive symptoms have felt embarrassed by them. Rebecca has shared her story to support Guts UK, the national charity for the digestive system, to encourage others to speak up about any digestive problems they may have. She said: "Digestive conditions can completely take over your life, and speaking up sooner could get you support and treatment you need earlier. I doubted myself for years, but nobody knows your body better than you do. If something doesn't feel right, keep asking questions and don't give up. "I'd like others who are going through similar to know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, even if it doesn't seem like it now." Julie Thompson, Guts UK’s Information Manager said: “While many people with constipation improve with lifestyle changes, laxatives or other treatments, a small number of people with severe slow transit constipation continue to experience debilitating symptoms despite specialist care. "For these patients, surgery may be considered as a last-resort treatment option when other therapies have failed, however it is incredibly rare.”