Fife man hopes discussions around bowel condition will reduce stigma

Jack Devereaux (23) from Glenrothes was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in September 2021 after finding blood in the toilet almost every day for four weeks.

He said: “I was initially so embarrassed by this, and thought it was something I was eating that had caused it so I tried to keep it from my family and friends.”

The condition affects one in 227 people in the UK according to Crohn’s and Colitis UK. It is considered lifelong and unpredictable. Whilst those affected may have periods of good health, flare-ups or relapses can happen at any time.

Eventually Jack contacted doctors and received his colitis diagnosis. He received oral medication to help manage the bleeding. However, after an initial period which saw a reduction, his condition returned to normal in January 2022 and gradually got more severe.

Jack was studying for a BSc in Sports and Exercise Science at Abertay University Dundee when his symptoms flared up again. Despite things worsening, including having to visit the toilet more than seven or eight times a day, the pressure of studying at university meant Jack decided to leave his condition to see if it got better on its own. However, by April 2022 it again worsened.

Jack said: “I started getting very bad abdominal cramps frequently throughout the day and night. I went to hospital at the end of May, and received an oral steroid to help calm the inflammation down.”

By June, Jack had been admitted to hospital to help with the inflammation ,and doctors began experimenting with different medications and pain relief. Eventually, they settled on biologics, a drug made from living organisms.

However, there was more frustration as treatment did not work and it was decided emergency surgery was the only option. He had the inflamed bowel removed and given an ileostomy bag towards the end of July.

Jack said: “I had been a very fit person with a lot of muscle mass, I lost six and a half stone and could barely walk. Now I am medication free, and receive very little trouble from colitis in the remainder of my bowel and have gradually recovered my weight and health."

Jack is looking to run the Edinburgh Marathon in aid of Crohn's and Colitis UK, and while he is still conscious that there may be setbacks, he is now more prepared for managing his condition.

He said: “Since coming out of hospital, I’ve taken a lot more care of my health, and have researched a lot about this new way of life for me, so there are few surprises, and anything that happens can be managed. I am going to be running the marathon, just 10 months after being discharged. I want to do this to raise awareness of Inflammatory bowel disease, the symptoms and push early diagnosis.

“I also want to raise awareness about the work that Crohn’s and Colitis UK does to provide essential information for what is a largely unknown medical condition – and for it to keep being able to fund essential research. I also want to show people that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. If you believe you can do something you can achieve it with a good plan, and good support from the important people around you”.