• News
  • Life
  • TV & Film
  • Beauty
  • Style
  • Home
  • News
    • Celebrity
    • Entertainment
    • Politics
    • Royal Family
  • Life
    • Animals
    • Food & Drink
    • Women's Health
    • Mental Health
    • Sex & Relationships
    • Travel
    • Real Life
  • TV & Film
    • True Crime
    • Documentaries
    • Netflix
    • BBC
    • ITV
    • Tyla Recommends
  • Beauty
    • Hair
    • Make-up
    • Skincare
  • Style
    • Home
    • Fashion
    • Shopping
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
Submit Your Content
Woman whose colon and rectum have been removed feels more confident with stoma bag

Home> Life

Published 14:03 30 Sep 2022 GMT+1

Woman whose colon and rectum have been removed feels more confident with stoma bag

Holly is proud to show off her stoma bag

Ali Condon

Ali Condon

Featured Image Credit: Collect/PA Real Life

Topics: Life, Health, Real Life

Ali Condon
Ali Condon

Ali is a journalist for LADbible Group, writing on all things film, music, and entertainment across Tyla, LADbible and UNILAD. You can contact Ali at [email protected].

X

@alicondon

Advert

Advert

Advert

A woman who has had both her colon and her rectum removed has claimed that her stoma bag actually makes her feel more body confident.

Holly Fleet, 28, had to undergo an emergency operation in 2021 which resulted in her getting a stoma bag fitted after suffering terribly from ulcerative colitis. This would inflame her colon and rectum, causing her to pass profuse amounts of blood until it eventually perforated her bowel.

Despite having no issues with her bowels before, Holly suddenly started experiencing excruciating stomach pains in January 2020 - but decided it must have been down to stress.

Holly was suffering terribly from ulcerative colitis.
Collect/PA Real Life

Advert

"I got a new job as a journalist working overnight for a newspaper, starting work at 11pm and finishing at 7am", said Holly.

"When the pain started, I just put it all down to changing my routine and eating at different hours but it just seemed to get worse."

It wasn't until 2021, when Holly had a jarring experience that saw her pass a worrying amount of blood in the toilet, she rushed to the doctors for a colonoscopy. Medics told the journalist that she had proctitis and was given medication for the inflammation.

But it wasn't long before the symptoms kicked back in.

Advert

Eventually, the symptoms got so bad that Holly had no choice but to move back in with her mum, so she could be looked after.

One night, when the pain made Holly think that she was 'going to die', she was rushed to St Thomas' Hospital in London, where doctors then spent 10 days trying to figure out what was going on.

Eventually, it was decided that a stoma was the only option for Holly.

The 28-year-old had to get a stoma bag after having her colon and rectum removed.
Collect/PA Real Life

Advert

“They could see the colitis had spread everywhere in my colon. My bowel was basically perforating and I was at the risk of getting sepsis and dying," recalled Holly.

“When they told me I was having a stoma, I thought ‘Well that’s it, that’s my life over'.”

Holly, who was also newly single, was especially worried that her stoma would hinder her attempts at finding love - that was until she met Callum.

"When we first started talking on Hinge, I didn’t mention my stoma bag - but he ended up seeing it on my social media.

Advert

"I told him if he didn’t want to talk to me any more, I would understand, but he said he didn’t mind or care that I had a stoma. I just felt so relieved and happy."

Callum has been an amazing support system for Holly, and helped her get through a more recent surgery to have her rectum removed last month.

“Although I had my stoma working, I was still bleeding profusely because there was still inflammation in my rectum,” she explained.

Holly has her boyfriend Callum as her support system.
Collect/PA Real Life

Advert

“And a lot of people don’t realise, but Crohn’s and colitis can be a catalyst for getting cancer, which I just didn’t want to risk.”

Now, Holly has learned to accept her stoma and learned to love her body - even calling herself 'Stoma Babe' as a tribute to the late Dame Deborah James, who bravely battled bowel cancer.

Holly has since been documenting her journey on both TikTok on Instagram in an effort to reduce the stigma and normalise stoma bags.

"You never see glamorous people or fashion models wearing stoma bags.

"Instead, there is this perception that you should cover up – but that isn’t me, I like to wear crop tops and tight dresses and a stoma bag shouldn’t mean you can’t do that."

Follow Holly on Instagram and TikTok at @stomababe, or to support her fundraising go to: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Holly-Fleet2

Choose your content:

14 hours ago
a day ago
2 days ago
  • Getty Stock Images
    14 hours ago

    Red flags that could mean someone has 'smiling depression'

    The condition is also commonly referred to as 'high-functioning depression'

    Life
  • Getty Stock Images
    a day ago

    How to tell if you actually have ADHD or not following 'rise in self-diagnoses'

    Two doctors have shared their expertise on the subject

    Life
  • NHS
    a day ago

    Woman who went for simple eye test gets told she's having a heart attack without realising

    Norma Booth, from Stockport, Greater Manchester, credits the NHS' latest blood pressure testing protocol in opticians with saving her life

    Life
  • Getty Stock Image
    2 days ago

    'Matcha mouth' explained by doctor as woman hospitalised after experiencing 'painful' side effects

    The Japanese drink is made from the finely ground powder of green tea, and specially processed from shade-grown tea leaves

    Life
  • Woman who 'died for 24 minutes' reveals what she saw on the 'other side'
  • Doctor shares 6 common signs of colon cancer in young people
  • Woman forced to have leg amputated after dropping perfume on her foot
  • Woman almost dies after weight-loss jab leaves her with hole inside organ