A mother who suffered severe bloating that made her look "six months pregnant" was repeatedly told by doctors her symptoms were anxiety, until a specialist test revealed a rare bowel disorder.
Rebecca Fargie, 36, from Batley in West Yorkshire, endured constipation, sickness and stomach pain so severe that morphine could not relieve it. During six years of symptoms, she took up to 21 laxatives a day in a desperate attempt to achieve normal bowel movements, while professionals dismissed her concerns as "all in her head".
Diagnosis after years of pain
It was only after a specialised colon study that doctors found an irregularity in the muscles lining her bowel. She was diagnosed with slow transit constipation, a rare type of bowel dysmotility, in 2024. The pain first developed in 2020 when she gave birth.
Doctors tried without success for another two years to treat the issue. Earlier this year, Rebecca finally had ileostomy surgery and now has a stoma bag. She is sharing her story to tackle the stigma around gut health.
Life with the condition
Rebecca's symptoms began in 2020 when she was 30 and 20 weeks pregnant with her youngest child. She experienced sharp stabbing pains, cramping, colicky pain, and pain radiating into her back, as well as constantly feeling full after eating. The pain could last from several hours to days.
After giving birth in March 2020, her symptoms worsened significantly. She said the constipation became more severe and the pain unbearable, worse than labour. Over the next four years, she repeatedly visited doctors but was told there was nothing seriously wrong and her symptoms were "simply constipation".
Doctors removed her gallbladder in 2021, hoping it would resolve the problem, but the surgery failed to improve her symptoms. She continued to experience severe symptoms and had repeated hospital admissions, including a four-week stay due to faecal impaction.
Treatment and recovery
In 2024, following further specialist testing, Rebecca was diagnosed with slow transit constipation. She underwent a colonic transit study, which checks how fast food and waste move through the large bowel, according to the NHS. Slow transit constipation is caused by the muscles lining the bowel not working properly, according to charity Guts UK.
Treatment options, including a sacral nerve stimulator, were unsuccessful. In winter last year, her colorectal specialist recommended surgery to form an ileostomy, which brings the end of the small bowel through an opening in the abdomen to allow waste to pass into a stoma bag. She had the surgery in March and now lives with a stoma on the right side of her stomach.
Rebecca said: "The pain was horrific, it used to be that bad it got to the point where I'd drop to the floor and couldn't see - it would then just wipe me out for the rest of the day. It has been hell, as it is not just me that's suffered but my family too. Hearing my kids cry because they don't like seeing their mum in pain was horrible."
She added: "Since my surgery, I don't have that same swelling anymore, and it has made such a difference to how I feel in myself. I'm still recovering and dealing with fatigue, so I've only recently been able to start doing a little swimming and getting back to the gym."
Sharing her story
According to a YouGov poll commissioned by Guts UK, 28% of adults who have experienced digestive symptoms have felt embarrassed by them. Rebecca has shared her story to support Guts UK and encourage others to speak up about digestive problems.
She said: "Digestive conditions can completely take over your life, and speaking up sooner could get you support and treatment you need earlier. I doubted myself for years, but nobody knows your body better than you do. If something doesn't feel right, keep asking questions and don't give up."
Julie Thompson, Guts UK's Information Manager, said: "While many people with constipation improve with lifestyle changes, laxatives or other treatments, a small number of people with severe slow transit constipation continue to experience debilitating symptoms despite specialist care. For these patients, surgery may be considered as a last-resort treatment option when other therapies have failed, however it is incredibly rare."
