I'VE GOT FIGHT LEFT IN ME!

Nadine Lennon, 31, from Wexford, was told she had IBS, but the truth was much worse...

- KEZIA REYNOLDS AND EMMA DUNN

Lounging on the sofa, all I wanted was to sit back and relax.

I had been feeling poorly and wanted to rest while the kids were quiet.

Feeling my stomach churn, I knew I had to go straight to the bathroom.

‘I think I have a bug,’ I said to my now fiancé Leigh, 30. ‘I should be OK in a week.’

Only two weeks came and went, and I still needed to go to the toilet constantly.

I was also losing weight and not eating as much as usual.

So, in March 2020, I booked in to see my GP.

As we were in lockdown, I went alone, leaving Leigh with our two children, Nathan, nine, and Daisy, four.

‘I think you just have IBS,’ my GP told me. ‘Try changing your lifestyle a bit.’

Taking his words on board, I changed my whole diet.

But I was still losing weight, and while at first I was pleased with my new figure, it wasn’t long before my loved ones began to get concerned.

‘Nadine you’re becoming far too skinny,’ my parents Sandra, 59, and Tommy, 60, told me. ‘We’re worried about you.’

Pulling out my phone I snapped a selfie.

Examining the photo, I saw how skinny my face looked.

My cheekbones were poking out at sharp angles, and I seemed so small and pale.

Getting up, I headed to the mirror, examining my arms and stomach.

My bones were visible – it was a sobering sight.

This has to be more than IBS, I thought.