Doctors told me my organs were FAILING after I took two bites of Christmas dinner and collapsed

• Lucy Harman, 20, from West Sussex, was doubled over in pain during dinner 
• She had two bites of the meal before being rushed to the hospital on Christmas
• Before the incident Lucy noticed she had rapidly been losing weight 
• The musical theatre student lost a whopping 4st in just 30 days in 2020 
• Read more: Strictly’s Amy Dowden shares snap of a Crohn’s disease flare-up 

A musical theatre student who took two bites of her Christmas dinner before doubling over in pain and being rushed to hospital, where she was told her organs were failing, is now helping other people seek medical help.

Lucy Harman, 20, from Chichester, West Sussex, was in her first year of university in September 2020 when she noticed herself rapidly losing weight – however, scared that it could be a serious illness, Lucy kept quiet about her symptoms.

Despite losing 4st in 30 days, she tried to carry on as normal, but on December 25 she was rushed to hospital and diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, a lifelong condition where parts of the digestive system become inflamed.

Lucy said: ‘Because I left it so long, I ended up needing a feeding tube for six months to give my body a rest.

Lucy Harman, 20, from Chichester, was doubled over in pain after two bites of her Christmas dinner and was rushed to hospital where she was told her organs were failing due to Crohn’s disease 

Lucy first noticed that something was not right in September 2020.

She said: ‘I’d just moved to university and I started to feel really weak all the time and I couldn’t keep my food down.’

She added: ‘I had really bad tummy pain and blood in my stool, and the symptoms gradually got worse over time.’

But despite her worrying symptoms, Lucy did not tell anyone, saying: ‘I think I was in denial. I told myself that it was just because I was eating badly or stressed about uni.

Lucy began posting videos about her journey on TikTok, where she now has over 1m likes on her page and nearly 5k followers

‘But deep down I think I was scared that it was serious, so I buried my head in the sand. I was terrified, so I ignored it and hoped it would go away.’

What is Crohn’s disease?

Crohn’s disease is an agonising digestive condition that blights the lives of 115,000 people in Britain and as many as 1.6 million in the US.

Symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhoea and potentially dangerous weight loss. Magician Dynamo is a famous sufferer.

Eight out of ten patients will need a part of the intestine removed as it becomes so damaged it prevents digestion.

Its cause is still not known and there is currently no cure but some with the condition have considered their diet to be a factor.

However, bacteria is already known to play a major role in causing Crohn’s disease, in addition to genetics and diet.

Conventional treatment is with drugs that suppress the immune system’s production of a protein called TNF, which causes inflammation. 

Another sign that something was wrong was Lucy’s drop in weight. 

She explained: ‘I lost about four stone in 30 days, which was obviously very drastic, but because I was away from home, my family didn’t know at first.’

She added: ‘When I came home to Southampton for Christmas break, my mother commented that I was looking a lot skinnier.

‘I have quite a round face but you could see my cheekbones.

‘But, as I do musical theatre, I’m training for eight to 10 hours a day, so the weight loss was easily explained by that.’

Lucy’s reluctance to seek medical advice stemmed from wanting to see her grandparents.

She said: ‘It was the year we were allowed to bubble up with another household for Christmas and the plan was to spend it with my grandparents, who I hadn’t been able to see properly in months due to the pandemic.

‘I missed them so much and I was so focused on making sure I could see them that I didn’t want anything to ruin it.’

She added: ‘My family quarantined for two weeks before Christmas so that it was safe to see my grandparents and I feared that going to the doctor, and possibly needing to go to hospital, would ruin my chances of spending the day with them.

‘Plus, I’m a self-proclaimed Christmas lover, I decorate my flat in October and have watched every Christmas movie at least 20 times each. 

‘My whole focus was on powering through to Christmas.’

Lucy’s worsening health came to a head on Christmas Day.

She said: ‘On the day, I saw my grandparents and it felt like a massive relief, almost like my body could give up at that point.

Lucy first noticed that something was not right in September 2020, but decided against telling anyone because she feared a serious diagnosis  

Lucy’s reluctance to seek medical advice stemmed from wanting to see her grandparents and family at Christmas amid the Covid-19 pandemic (pictured with her grandmother and mother) 

It was Lucy’s mother who initially noticed something out of sorts in her daughter after she returned from university in Southampton having lost a lot of weight

‘I was very weak and as we sat down to our Christmas dinner, my body was shaking.

‘I had about two bites of my food before I ended up sort of passing out on the sofa.’

She added: ‘I told my mother that I didn’t feel well, my whole body was shaking at this point and I was rushed to hospital that evening.’

Lucy awoke in hospital on Boxing Day to be told she was suffering from severe malnutrition and dehydration.

Lucy awoke in hospital on Boxing Day to be told she was suffering from severe malnutrition and dehydration, and ended up being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease

After being admitted to hospital at Christmas, Lucy had to have a feeding tube for six months to give her body a rest (left and right, in hospital)  

Lucy was told by doctors her organs were going into failure because they were under a large amount of pressure, saying her body had ‘essentially given up’  

She said: ‘It took them a long time to access my veins because they were completely shriveled up.

‘Once they did eventually manage to get a look at me, they told me that my organs were going into failure because they were under so much pressure, my bowel was very close to being ruptured and my stomach wasn’t working properly.

‘My whole body had essentially given up at that point.’

Lucy spent the week between Christmas and New Year in hospital being treated with steroids and immunosuppressants.

Lucy said medics struggled to access her veins as they were so ‘shriveled up’ and her bowel was close to being ruptured

Lucy spent the week between Christmas and New Year in hospital being treated with steroids and immunosuppressants  

After undergoing an MRI scan, she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease during her stay at Southampton General Hospital.

She said: ‘To give my body a rest, I was given a feeding tube for around six months before I slowly built up to eating properly again.

‘But I have to stick to plain food like rice and chicken so I don’t irritate my bowel.’

After her diagnosis, Lucy began posting videos about her journey on TikTok, where she now has over one million likes on her page and nearly 5,000 followers.

After her diagnosis, Lucy began posting videos about her journey on TikTok, where she now has over one million likes on her page and nearly 5,000 followers  

She said: ‘At first, I made story time videos about my life and health issues, then I started making comedic videos around the topic.

‘I’ve had a lot of lovely responses from people who have been dealing with similar things but one comment that stuck out to me was a guy who saw my videos and realised he had similar symptoms so he got checked and found out he had colon cancer.’

She added: ‘Luckily, because it was caught early, it was very treatable. It was amazing to hear that my videos had helped him so much.’

Now, Lucy is working with Crohn’s & Colitis UK on their Cut the Crap campaign. 

Lucy, pictured with her family, is keen to share the story of her diagnosis with others who may be suffering similar problems 

Having started her TikTok page to talk about her journey with the condition, she now shares details of her personal life with her followers (pictured, with her partner Tom)  

She said: ‘The campaign is all about helping people to get an early diagnosis and prevent people from being in the situation I was in.

‘You can fill out a questionnaire about your symptoms and it will give you advice, and also email you a letter to take to your GP.

‘This would have been useful for me because I was so terrified and I didn’t want to talk to a doctor, so having a pre-done letter would have really helped. 

Lucy and her partner Tom, who recently celebrated their two year anniversary, are determined to raise awareness for the condition 

The 20-year-old is determined to stop the stigma around bowel talk with her content, which she shares online with fans 

‘I feel very lucky to be part of this campaign and I want to do anything I can to break down the stigma surrounding bowel talk.’

She added: ‘Any change in your health, if it’s your bowels or anything, you should get it checked because it’s better to be safe than sorry.

‘Crohn’s can happen at any age but an early diagnosis will help you get your life back on track.’

Lucy, pictured left  with her partner Tom, said she ‘feels very lucky’ to be raising awareness for the condition

If you enjoyed this read more…. 

 New NHS blood test provides hope for people who suffer from Crohn’s disease. 

 Scientists claim to have CURED Crohn’s disease.

24-year-old woman documents her struggle with Crohn’s ‘I’m in severe pain and have 1,000 cuts in my mouth’ 

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