A mum has shared her harrowing health battle after dramatically losing weight despite only hoping to drop a few pounds – now she’s “wasting away.”
When Esther Newton tried on her favourite trousers, which she had been struggling to fit into, and found they were loose, she thought healthy eating had paid off.
But then, the mum-of-one, aged 51, began to worry as her rings started slipping off and soon, her daughter, Charlotte, 21, said she was “wasting away.”
In the space of one year, the teacher’s weight dramatically dropped from 10st 7lbs to 7st 4lbs without any dieting efforts still being made.
Then, in September 2022, she sought out medical advice and was diagnosed with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, a condition which affects digestive functions.
Now, she’s sharing insight into her harrowing ordeal in a bid to raise awareness for a condition which has “taken away” her life, with no known cure.
“I thought that the life was being suck out of me at one point, as I couldn’t do the things I loved,” Esther, from Nottinghamshire, told http://NeedToKnow.co.uk .
“I was a shell of myself and I didn’t know how much more I could take.
“My family were so worried about what was going on and I do always like to keep going, even on my darkest days.
“My daughter’s comments were a bit of a sting, but I knew that if she noticed something wasn’t right, then I needed to be concerned.
“I had realised I wasn’t well, but I was trying to ignore it.”
Prior to her diagnosis, the mum felt uncomfortable within her body and recalls feeling self-conscious about her “bingo wings.”
She tried cutting out fatty, sugary foods and carried out more exercise in her daily life, where after losing a few pounds, she was happy with her progress.
But then, after concerns growing with her fast-paced weight loss, she sought out medical advice in July 2021 and was told that she could have ovarian cancer in March 2022.
As a result, and to minimise risk, Esther underwent a procedure to have her ovaries removed.
She said: “I don’t think I took it in, as it happened so quickly.
“It was too much to take in, I felt numb and I just wanted a straight answer.
“Part of me felt like it would be awful to have cancer, but at least I would know what was wrong.”
Then, in May 2022, the mum was told she didn’t have cancer, but her debilitating symptoms, such as cracked lips, loss of appetite and straw-like hair, continued to worsen.
In a bid to find her long-awaited answer, she visited a gastroenterologist who confirmed her condition – and Esther was overjoyed to have an exact diagnosis.
Now, she’s currently taking medication to help with her painful side effects and is able to enjoy food once again, while also slowly putting on weight.
She added: “It was so good to know what was wrong with me after years of suffering.
“I feel so lucky, as had it been anything else, it would have been far more serious.
“It’s a pain that there’s no cure, but if [taking medication] means I’ll feel better and have more energy, then it’ll all be worth it.
“It’s really important to keep looking for answers until you find it, I had never heard of my condition, so many of us aren’t aware of what’s truly wrong with us.
“Now, I’m gradually getting back to my old self and I’m finally starting to have a new lease of life.”
