Megan McNeil, who lives in Belfast, Northern Ireland, had a problem with bleeding every time she went to the toilet and had bouts of diarrhea for a long time. Afraid to share this situation with those around her, Megan had to tell what happened when her mother found a bloody napkin in the toilet when she was 17. The young girl said, “My mother immediately made me a doctor’s appointment. Here, flexible (bendable) sigmoidoscopy (a method used to examine the large intestine) was performed for me. First, I was told that there was only a few cm of inflammation in my intestines and I was diagnosed with proctitis. I was sent home with anti-inflammatory drugs.” .
According to the news in Milliyet; Megan, who got worse and worse within 3 months after going to the doctor, had uncontrolled bleeding and had to go to the toilet sometimes 15-20 times an hour. Tired of standing on the toilet for days and nights, Megan’s psychology was also turned upside down. The young girl was accustomed to living with the symptoms of the disease, which were getting worse with each passing day, and what had happened to her could not be found.
IT CAN’T EVEN START FROM ITS PLACE
Megan, who lost weight rapidly with the loss of blood and remained emaciated, so to speak, consulted another doctor. This time, the doctors told him that his appendix had ruptured, but it quickly became clear that this was not the problem. Megan, who was about to pass out from the pain, had low blood pressure and had difficulty even going to the toilet. The young girl, who stayed in the hospital for a day, was diagnosed with ‘ulcerative colitis’ as a result of all the tests performed. She was also told that she should take biologic drug therapy and high-dose steroids to be administered intravenously every 6-8 weeks. Megan McNeil said, “This whole process took about 4 months. I stayed in the hospital for 1 month to get my complaints under control.”
After her diagnosis, Megan continued to commute to and from the hospital for a full year. However, in the last few months his condition had deteriorated. None of the drugs she took were of any use and her body was giving signals that she needed surgery, and that was it… Megan, who was taken into surgery urgently, was fitted with a stoma (intestinal) bag. Saying that he would probably have died without this surgery, Megan said, “People think this disease only affects the gut, but it’s much more than that.”
After recovering from the surgery, Megan could not do her daily routine for a long time alone. The biggest destruction for Megan was the damage that this disease had created in her body. Doctors say there is still hope, although her illness greatly reduces her chances of becoming a mother. On the other hand, 21-year-old Megan organizes social responsibility projects for people who struggle with these problems and whose disease cannot be diagnosed. Describing her experiences through social media, the young girl also models for big brands.
‘IT’S NOT THE END OF LIFE, IT GAVE ME BACK MY LIFE’
Walking around with a bag on her body, Megan commented, “Many people see it as the end of life, but it gave me my life back. I want to be an older sister figure for young people who have gone through a similar journey and feel that nobody understands them. It is very important to raise awareness.” Megan McNeil is now much better than before. First of all, he has a diagnosed disease and a treatment that works. Megan, who now knows much better what to do, summarized her feelings as follows:
“My body has taken so much from me, betrayed me over the years. Now I’m ready to win it back and show what thousands of people have gone through.”
‘LIFE DANGEROUS TO THREAT’
Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory disease that affects the intestines. It is estimated that there are approximately 100-120,000 inflammatory bowel patients in Turkey. Ulcerative colitis patients are also included in this group.