'I live my life with a stoma bag - checking my poo could’ve saved my life'

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Over 200,000 people in the UK are living with a stoma bag - a small, waterproof pouch used to collect waste from the body. For many, adjusting to a colostomy can be extremely difficult at first, taking a toll on their mental and physical health.

The surgery can impact a person's self-confidence, as well as their intimate relationships due to the stigma surrounding stomas and pooing into a bag.

Lucy Jane, a 24-year-old local influencer from Rochdale, has a bowel disease called Ulcerative Colitis. This is a long-term condition where the colon and rectum become inflamed, and small ulcers can develop on the colon's lining, which can bleed. READ MORE: 'I can't even have a kebab without worrying about days of pain afterwards' When Lucy was 17, she began experiencing symptoms such as extreme fatigue, which at first she chalked down to being stressed out while studying for her A-levels.

But when she noticed blood in her stools, Lucy knew something was wrong. “I'd sleep for days and I'd still be exhausted - that was the first symptom I noticed.