A mum-of-one, who believed her health symptoms were due to stress, was given the shock of a lifetime as doctors reportedly told her she had just 24 hours left to live.
When Victoria Danson, 33, started experiencing frequent bouts of “excruciating” abdominal pain, coupled with constant fatigue, she assumed her busy lifestyle was taking a toll on her body.
The hairdresser sought out medical advice, claiming she was at first diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome – and a year later, Crohn’s Disease, an inflammatory bowel condition.
But soon, her life was hanging in the balance.
Victoria was rushed to hospital, where an abdomen abscess was found, which had caused life-threatening sepsis – giving her just 24 hours to live.
Defying the odds, she is sharing the harrowing ordeal to educate people about the “invisible” illness that has turned her life “upside down”.
“It was rapidly taking over my body, as the infection in the abscess was spreading fast,” Victoria, from Chorley, Lancashire, told NeedToKnow.co.uk.
“My consultant advised me that if he didn’t remove it there and then, I wouldn’t have survived another 24 hours.
“He told me the abscess was resting on my ovaries and there was a chance of it bursting, which would make me infertile.
“I didn’t even have time to really take in what was going on.
“All I knew was that I was in agony and would do anything to get rid of the pain.
“I was telling them I didn’t want an ileostomy bag but it was my only option of survival.”
Victoria was rushed into emergency surgery where 18 inches of her bowel was removed and a double-barrel stoma, along with an ileostomy bag, was fitted to help drain waste.
Before the surgery in 2014, she was “care-free”, working 60 hours a week and going out with her friends – but that had all been taken away in an instant.
She said: “Initially, I didn’t think I could carry on living, and I couldn’t see how I was going to be able to continue with my active lifestyle.
“I was bullied growing up for my ginger hair at school and now I had another fear of being different once again.
“However, this [surgery] has improved my quality of life, but the Crohn’s Disease is back in my small bowel – so I’m still a long way off recovery and will need further surgery again.”
Since then, she has given birth to a little boy, now aged seven [not named for privacy reasons], but is still working towards getting her “old” life back.
Victoria said: “I find taking herbal supplements, drinking green tea, having homemade soups and avoiding caffeine helps with symptoms.
“I’ve had to change my whole diet and there’s lots of foods I have to avoid as it’s not worth how ill they’ll make me feel.
“Skin-on food, sweetcorn, mushrooms and anything high in fibre is a no-go.
“I’ve had to do a lot of inner work to accept my condition.”
The mum has set up her own support group, ‘Crohn’s and Colitis Support Lancashire’, which has also helped her in her own journey.
She added: “I have supported hundreds of patients with their diagnosis.
“I feel like I’ve had to re-build my whole life around my bag – so I want to be able to empower and inspire body confidence.
“There isn’t any emotional support and that’s why I set up this group.
“I’ve also found that the gym has been my saviour in growing body confidence.
“Now, I hold workshops in universities and share my story to educate students on how much living with an invisible illness can impact every aspect of life.
“I have managed a good eight years with no medication and I have had the option of a reversal, but I chose not to go ahead with this because I have more control over my bowel with my bag.
“I’m living proof that with the right mindset, you can still achieve your goals no matter what – but always get medical advice if you’re not sure.
“It could save your life.”
