Made In Chelsea alum Louise, 34, proudly revealed her stoma bag in an Instagram post, after years of battling ulcerative colitis – which causes the colon and rectum to become inflamed.
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In her caption this morning, she wrote: “HOW DO I DISCLOSE THIS SORT OF NEWS?
“It’s not exactly exciting like a big pregnancy or gender reveal announcement!
“Hey look i’m having a boy… Hey look i’ve got a stoma! So I guess i’ll just stand here. Proud in stature. With my new friend. Le bum bag
that represents life. And hopefully a better one
“Isn’t it bizarre that this little grey pouch is the price I pay for good health!
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“I say good riddance to that nasty menacing colon! Please be kind.”
In her video, the influencer lifted her top to reveal the pouch, which she told fans “saved my life”.
Louise has openly discussed her ongoing battles with ulcerative colitis, as well as the autoimmune disease lupus in the past.
Back in February, fans were left fearing for her health after her fiancé Ryan Libbey revealed she was back in hospital.
He did not disclose the reason at the time.
The personal trainer wrote in an Instagram Story, “Louise has been in hospital for 12 days now. We don’t know when she will be ready to come home yet.
“But thank you to everyone who has sent messages of love and support to our family. It does help.”
Louise has also been battling PTSD and anxiety since she nearly died giving birth to her son Leo-Hunter in 2021.
She recently revealed that she has written a book called Lucky – which tells the story of her traumatic pregnancy.
Announcing her project, she told fans that she now feels “ready” but also “petrified” to step into a new chapter.
She said: “I finally feel ready to share my story. I feel proud, It’s a form of closure. I’m closing this chapter and getting ready to enter a new chapter.
What causes ulcerative colitis and how is it treated?
It is thought to be an autoimmune condition, which means the immune system wrongly tries to attack healthy tissue.
The theory generally thought to be correct is that the immune system mistake ‘good’ bacteria inside the colon as a threat and attacks, causing the colon to become inflamed.
It is unknown why the immune system can behave in this way, but it is thought to be a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
Medication can be taken to relieve symptoms and prevent them from returning.
These include aminosalicylates, corticosteroids and immunosuppressants.
An option for some people is to have colon removal surgery.
“I feel like a huge weight is being lifted off my shoulders, but equally I feel petrified.”
Alongside a video revealing the news to her followers, she wrote: “So much to say, but I seem to have writers block today.
“Not ideal timing given that I have a particularly big announcement to get off my chest and it very much involves the theme of ‘writing’.
“So I’ll just count myself in – 3, 2, 1 … I have written a book.
“I feel slightly sick with nerves. A couple of years ago I experienced a series of distressing events that completely derailed me.
“They turned me from a highly functioning, happy and fairly successful young adult into a vegetable almost overnight.
“The journey to get from that place to where I am today has felt like hell on earth but I finally feel courageous enough to share some of the details of what happened to me and to examine my personal lived experience since.…in one tidy space.
“Introducing my book: LUCKY.”
She said how she was told by people she met in her recovery that if she shared her story it would help other people in the same position.
Louise explained that it’s taken her “a really long time” to accept what happened to her and thanked her followers for their support.”
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