About

Not many people know that I was diagnosed with Bile Acid Diarrhoea in August 2017. I started having gallbladder issues in early 2012, which involved a lot of pain and a hospital dash for a few months before discovering I had gallstones. I had my gallbladder out in December 2012, within a couple of weeks I couldn't eat anything without having to very quickly run to the toilet afterwards. I thought it was just my body getting used to having no gallbladder ... But it carried on! Over the next 5 years, I went back and forth to my GP surgery, often leaving in tears, seeing various doctors who kept telling me it was IBS and would send me for an ultrasound and give me tablets to help with stomach cramps. During this time, I was referred to a Gastroenterologist who sent me for a few tests, nothing came back so I was discharged with sachets of powered medication to take, which didn't help all that much and actually made things worse at times. I also discovered BAD UK, and became part of their online group of many other people who suffer the same as I was and I began to learn about Bile Acid Diarrhoea. One day I was at the point where I felt like I couldn't cope anymore and took another opportunity to see a doctor, this time one I hadn't seen before, who actually listened and referred me back to a Gastroenterologist. The Gastroenterologist asked me if I had a Sehcat scan ... No I hadn't and I knew this was the scan to diagnose Bile Acid Diarrhoea .. I actually left the doctors feeling happy! I was quickly sent for the scan and within a few weeks I was diagnosed with Bile Acid Diarrhoea, given different medication and I have got my life back again! It has been a journey to find the right balance of medication and lifestyle changes, but I now consider myself stable with this condition. I do have the odd flare occasionally, but it soon passes. I have since become part of BAD UK team, I love the community feel of the BAD UK online group, it's somewhere you can talk about your issues and know that someone will understand. I also run my own Facebook page for the condition, where we have 9.7k members, with the help of my fabulous admin/moderator team it is another successful group providing support for those with this condition. It is so important to raise awareness of Bile Acid Diarrhoea as it is a little-known condition, that many people suffer from and they may not even know it. BAD UK is a small charity run entirely by volunteers who give up their time to raise awareness of Bile Acid Diarrhoea. You can find out more about the charity, via this website link - www.bad-uk.org