Imogen Knight was diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in April 2023 after she had been having problems eating and suffered ‘unbearable pain’. Imogen’s symptoms were initially put down anxiety, but after losing almost three stone in weight, her symptoms worsened and she was admitted to hospital. She was then diagnosed with IBD at Southampton Children’s Hospital (SCH).
The 14-year-old said: “I started suffering around October 2022 and I noticed that as soon as I ate, I would have to go straight to the bathroom. It got worse very quickly, and the pain soon became unbearable. I would go all day without eating as I didn’t want to eat at school, so would wait until I got home.
“I was just glad that they finally knew what it was, and I had a chance of getting better. I was exhausted and my body was exhausted from all the pain, I was hardly going to school, and it was just a horrible time.” Imogen was put on a treatment plan, but it did not stop her symptoms or slow the disease and in March this year, she underwent a surgery with a subtotal colectomy, a procedure that involves the removal of her large bowel.
The procedure has left Imogen having to use a colostomy bag for the rest of her life. She said: “The bag saved my life. I’m still getting used to it and it’s been a bit of a rocky road, especially with some of the things that people say but I don’t care.
I don’t feel ill all the time anymore and it means I can be normal again and enjoy my Sun.