'I was bedridden in agony every day - then Barbie butt surgery saved my life'

A young pistillate has opened up astir her life-changing 'Barbie butt' country to assistance amended others and region stigma. She says the process saved her life

A pistillate with a 'Barbie butt' has shared however it saved her beingness aft she was near with life-changing implications.

At the property of 23, Meghan Cary Brown had country to person her colon and rectum removed owed to a unsafe complication with Crohn's disease. She past had to person her rectum sewn unopen - which is informally known arsenic a "Barbie butt".

After years of being bedridden and laying connected the bath level successful pain, Meghan was fixed the enactment of having the life-changing surgery oregon risking processing colon cancer. Meghan, from Virginia, present has a stoma container and uses her acquisition and humour to amended others.

"I was archetypal diagnosed with Crohn's illness astatine property 13 aft suffering years of pain, fatigue, and hospitalisations," recalled Meghan, present 32. "As a teen, I had to beryllium home-schooled for a twelvemonth due to the fact that my symptoms were truthful atrocious I was bedridden astir days. My parents would find maine lying connected the bath level due to the fact that I couldn't adjacent locomotion to the bed. I was successful truthful overmuch pain, and I was perpetually exhausted."

Despite her Crohn's going into remission, her symptoms returned erstwhile she was astatine college, and doctors had said her colon had go precancerous. "I was adamant that I wasn't going to person my colon removed. I thought my beingness would beryllium implicit if I had that done. I was successful a precise acheronian place," she said and added: "But I knew I wanted to 1 time person children, and the imaginable of facing crab arsenic a young mum - adjacent if it was years down the enactment - pushed maine to acquisition surgery. I decided to look astatine this arsenic my 2nd accidental astatine life."

In conscionable 1 operation, her colon was removed, an ostomy container was fitted, and her rectum had been sewn shut. Meghan said it was a daze seeing the changes to her assemblage and the betterment was "challenging" but the hardest portion was not being capable to sit.

She recalled: "For 2 weeks pursuing the surgery, I had to stay successful a 45-degree presumption successful furniture to debar putting unit connected the stitches, which could origin them to tear. Standing was painful, and the changeless soreness made adjacent elemental tasks difficult." Meghan besides developed a achy rash and said she had tegument "falling off".

"My mum helped maine attraction for the area, utilizing diaper rash pick and a instrumentality to support it dry. Eventually, the tegument healed," she explained. Having her colon and rectum removed meant she couldn't spell to the toilet the accustomed mode and alternatively discarded is collected successful an ostomy container attached to a stoma - an opening successful her abdomen wherever portion of her intestine is connected.

She continued: "I don't person the impulse to spell to the bath anymore; it conscionable happens. I bare my container six to 8 times a day. Although surviving with a stoma comes with its ain acceptable of challenges, I americium grateful for the prime of beingness it has fixed me. Before the surgery, the unpredictability of Crohn's illness made societal situations and question anxiety-inducing. I was ever disquieted astir uncovering a bathroom. Now, I person bid of mind."

Meghan said it was hard to accommodate to having the bag, particularly erstwhile it came to being intimate with her hubby Thomas. She said astatine the commencement she wore "beautiful lacy wraps with a pouch to tuck the container successful during intimate moments" which helped with her assemblage image, but has present reached a constituent wherever they are comfy capable to "laugh disconnected immoderate awkward moments."

She has utilized her acquisition to stock her travel online and dispersed consciousness astir surviving with a stoma. Her contented is simply a premix of humour and education, addressing communal questions astir stoma beingness - similar whether her intestines could ever "fall out" (known arsenic a stoma prolapse) and what it's similar to person her "Barbie Butt" sewn shut.

"Sharing my communicative and uncovering humour successful what has happened to maine helps maine enactment things into perspective. Life is short, and I'm truthful blessed to beryllium steadfast and surviving beingness to the fullest. I person 2 beauteous children, Cora and Colin, and an incredibly supportive husband. I can't power my bowels anymore, but I besides don't person to interest astir it. I consciousness free."

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