A mum says she was forced to plan every journey around the nearest loo after a devastating side-effect from her C-section left her living in agony for years.
Jenna Robinson’s nightmare began after she gave birth to her daughter by caesarean section eight years ago.
The now 38-year-old was struck down with crippling constipation, pain, bloating, fissures and piles – and says it took over her life.
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“I had to plan journeys around toilets. I was in constant pain and bloated all the time,” Jenna, from Beverley near Hull, Yorkshire, told Need To Know.
“Once, we went to the seaside with my children but had to turn straight back because the pain was unbearable.”
The mum-of-three spent years desperate for answers and underwent extensive tests for Crohn’s disease and colitis – but they all came back clear.
She endured multiple treatments, including several rounds of anal Botox injections to try to relax the muscles.
Eventually, she was diagnosed with chronic fissures and piles, which caused daily pain and bleeding.
Jenna said: “Everything always came back clear.
“That was incredibly frustrating – I needed answers, and it felt like nobody could give me them.”
She believes her problems were triggered after her C-section.
Jenna said: “I had a caesarean section and one of the side-effects can be constipation.
“I hadn’t been to the toilet for eight days and was advised to try a suppository.
“Ever since then, I’ve never been the same.”
She was later diagnosed with slow transit constipation – a condition where stool moves extremely slowly through the bowel, making it difficult or even impossible to pass normally.
Jenna also lives with functional neurological disorder (FND), diagnosed in 2019, as well as fibromyalgia.
She said: “My neurological consultant explained that slow transit constipation could be another umbrella symptom of FND.
“Having both diagnoses together made everything worse – I have a lot of body pain, and passing stools became incredibly difficult.”
At her worst, Jenna would not open her bowels for at least nine days at a time.
The relentless physical pain began to shatter her mental health too.
She said: “I would have panic attacks before going to the toilet because I knew how painful it would be.
“I’d bleed heavily and pass blood clots.
“It felt like trying to put a triangle through a circle – it just doesn’t work.”
After eight years of suffering, Jenna finally underwent surgery to create a loop ileostomy – a procedure which forms a temporary opening in the small intestine to divert stool away from the bowel.
The former dental nurse, who worked in the job for 15 years and is now considering a part-time return, says the operation transformed her life.
Although the ileostomy could be reversed, she does not expect to go down that route.
She said: “My quality of life is so much better now.
“After the surgery, it was like somebody waved a magic wand.
“All my pain and discomfort slowly disappeared.
“Having an ileostomy comes with its own challenges, but I would choose these challenges over what I was dealing with before, every single time.”
Looking back, Jenna says being listened to made all the difference.
She said: “I changed consultants from a male to a female, who I felt was more compassionate and really understood my symptoms.
“She referred me to dietitians and pelvic floor physiotherapy, although unfortunately that didn’t help me.
“But she was the one who ultimately saved my life.”
Now she is determined to raise awareness of slow transit constipation and urge others not to suffer in silence.
Jenna added: “I want people to know there are other options, and that it’s OK to keep asking questions and pushing to be listened to.
“I waited eight years for the right treatment – I hope others don’t have to wait as long as I did.”
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