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

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

Lucy Dare was diagnosed with Crohn's disease in 2019 after years of uncertainty, but has continued to face struggles

At the age of 12, Lucy Dare began to struggle with eating and excessive toilet use, but neither she nor her doctors knew what was going on.

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.

Lucy was originally misdiagnosed with an eating disorder before doctors found she had Crohn's disease

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.

In 2019, Lucy spent five months being fed through a tube, as anything she ate was being voided from both ends of her body, before she was then admitted to an eating disorder inpatient unit in north London.

"Because I was such a low weight, and a young girl, they just assumed it was an eating disorder," she explains.

"They admitted me into an eating disorder unit, for six months to stay away from home.

"It was really horrible."

Lucy has struggled to keep down a job due to Crohn's, but says fitness work has given her "clarity, control, and strength"

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 is still struggling to find medication that works for her, and faces regular visits to A&E due to chronic pain and digestive symptoms.

Crohn's disease has also made it difficult for Lucy to get work.

"I did have a job last year, but I lost it because I kept having time off all the time for Crohn's. So I haven't been able to work or anything," she says.

"It's just been a lot of ups and downs."

However, she has found the benefits of fitness in managing her condition.

"Fitness gives me clarity, control and a sense of strength that the illness often challenges," she says.

What is Crohn's disease?

Crohn's disease is a long-term condition where part of the gut becomes inflamed.

It cannot currently be cured, but its symptoms can be managed through various treatments and medications.

Common symptoms include diarrhoea, blood or mucus in faeces, stomach pain, fatigue and loss of appetite.

Symptoms most commonly start in teenagers and young adults, but Crohn's can happen at any age.

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