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Original poster

Ulcerative Colitis and BMI of 12

134 replies

HermioneMakepeace · 26/10/2020 06:56

Hi, I am posting on behalf of a friend. She suffers from Ulcerative Colitis. She has a flare up every few months. She is having a particularly bad run at the moment due to a lot of stress in her life. She is hardly eating and her BMI is 12.

Does anybody hear know anything about UC and have any tips for things that might help? She is on meds, but they are not working and the hospital are saying there isn't anything more they can offer.

Thanks.

OP posts:
SquidInALid · 10/12/2020 21:52

I really think she needs to be back in hospital. The situation is very serious and she needs treatment to get her on a pathway of recovery.
You sound like a great friend but she needs specialist care.

Original poster
HermioneMakepeace · 10/12/2020 22:13

There is something else I found out which is horrifying and I wasn’t sure whether to post here or not as it is quite identifying (I’ve told everyone IRL).

My friend has been on anti-anxiety medication for years. For some reason that we can’t ascertain, her GP stopped it 2 years ago. So since then she has been buying Valium from a ‘friend’. This friend has been charging her £10 each pill! There is also some concern over the quality of the pills and whether they are genuine.

In addition, my friend has been giving this person other money and buying her furniture. My friend inherited some money a while back. She really needed it as she has been on benefits for years. But we wonder how much of the inheritance she has given to this friend.

I know that this will out me to people who know me, but my priority is helping my friend. I asked DH what we should do, and he said “ask on Mumsnet” 😁.

OP posts:
Embracelife · 10/12/2020 22:17

Report to ss as a vulnerable adult
Make a report f to her gp

www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/caring-carers-and-long-term-conditions/can-i-speak-to-a-gp-about-someone-elses-health/

yikesanotherbooboo · 10/12/2020 22:22

You don't have the full story here OP.
She is on no medicine to rote the her stomach or oesophagus and nor is she on anything for inflammatory bowel disease. She is being treated for malnutrition to a point in that she is being given vitamins but in someone with such a low weight she should be under the strict care of a dietician or be in hospital.
Is she fully cooperating? It all sounds very odd and your update isn't reassuring. Covid is a problem . Would she agree to a GP telephone or video appointment with you present to support her?

Original poster
HermioneMakepeace · 10/12/2020 22:26

You don't have the full story here OP.

I think that too. Even she was asking why no one seems to be talking about the Colitis.

OP posts:
Original poster
HermioneMakepeace · 10/12/2020 22:27

Just to add, the oesophagus thing a neighbour told me today as she read it in her medical notes.

OP posts:
Piratedoor · 10/12/2020 22:42

Just from experience anyone with a BMI as low as 12 would be put in a wheel chair to stop them losing after more weight, that would be taken very seriously, something doesn't add up with what she's telling you

INeedNewShoes · 10/12/2020 22:44

This is an enormous mess, if it’s true.

It’s becoming weirder every post OP (not doubting YOU necessarily but the information you’re being given).

To be honest I think it might be time to step away. If she’s paying a ‘friend’ £300 per month for pills there’s a complex web of shit here that won’t be in your power to untangle.

I’d phone her GP, phone social services and then I’d consider you’ve done everything you can and cease involvement.

Original poster
HermioneMakepeace · 10/12/2020 22:51

Weirdly, some of our mutual friends knew about the illegal Valium. She’s very stubborn and I suspect minimises things.

BTW, I really appreciate all the support from this thread and would hate anyone to think I’m making it up. I am absolutely happy to provide proof of anything I’ve said via PM.

OP posts:
StillWeRise · 10/12/2020 22:52

Yes, report to adult social services as a vulnerable adult
The story about the drugs and selling stuff is concerning and something the hospital need to know
You can't rescue your friend I'm afraid- you need to give the people who can help all the information you have, and leave it with them.

Fennelandlovage · 10/12/2020 22:57

Has she looked into the specific carbohydrate diet? She is clearly quite sick. Agree with others she should probably be in hospital having IV drugs right now.

Original poster
HermioneMakepeace · 10/12/2020 22:57

She had a call from SS when I was there today and I spoke to them. They were talking about a Care Package and I had to push them to find out what was on offer. Basically, no home help, no Meals on Wheels or indeed anything useful. It seemed the ‘Care Package’ was just an assessment but then... nothing.

OP posts:
Youngatheart00 · 10/12/2020 23:04

I think you need to be be careful that you’re not overstepping boundaries and giving more than you can afford to give here.

I have a family member with colitis and as other posters have said, none of those medicines are for the management of it.

She needs to nourish herself. If she can’t / won’t eat, look at Complan or similar (food supplements / shakes) but honestly, it’s not your job to be a doctor. You may not know the full story.

Original poster
HermioneMakepeace · 10/12/2020 23:10

I’ve just had another look at Colitis symptoms and she definitely has a few of them. I think maybe a doctor once told her she had it and she’s latched onto that.

I remember when we were younger if we were out she would have to dash to the loo with diarrhoea every time at least once.

OP posts:
Original poster
HermioneMakepeace · 10/12/2020 23:10

I will try to buy Complan, thank you.

OP posts:
Youngatheart00 · 10/12/2020 23:13

With a BMI as low as hers if colitis were the issue my experience tells me they would be surgically removing the affected part of her bowel and she would be left with an ileostomy (bag). Your friend sounds very troubled. Has she no family or any other support other than yourself?

Original poster
HermioneMakepeace · 10/12/2020 23:19

Her BMI has gone up massively since she was admitted into hospital. She is still thin but around 6 stone at 5’ 4” so much better than before.

She has loads of friends. She’s really popular. When I was with her today her phone was constantly pinging with messages of support. And these are normal, professional, stable people. The ‘drug dealer’ ‘friend’ is an anomaly.

OP posts:
MissMarks · 10/12/2020 23:25

Are you sure it isn’t an eating disorder??

MissMarks · 10/12/2020 23:27

The diarrhoea on nights out could have been anxiety.

Original poster
HermioneMakepeace · 10/12/2020 23:30

@MissMarks yes I’m sure. It all seems to come from the nausea. She’s always had a good appetite, although she doesn’t have a sweet tooth so has always been slim.

It seems to flare up every so often. Then she has nausea and diarrhoea and then stops eating.

I do, however, wonder if there is a mental health element. She doesn’t cope well with some types of stress and the flare ups seem to be triggered by events in her life. For instance, there was some building work being done in her street. The noise and the mess WAS awful, but she seemed to be really affected by it and the flare up she had at that time was terrible.

OP posts:
Original poster
HermioneMakepeace · 10/12/2020 23:33

The diarrhoea on nights out could have been anxiety.

Definitely. We have wondered if she has agoraphobia. She will only go to places she knows. If she is forced to go somewhere outside of her comfort zone, she gets ill.

It was triggered by a trip to a park in Paris when she has in her early twenties. She had a massive panic attack in the park and has never left the country - or indeed her town - since.

OP posts:
ArosAdraDrosDolig · 10/12/2020 23:40

I wouldn’t be so sure it isn’t an Eating Disorder OP. It can be very difficult to spot and sufferers can eat well in front of people / eat then purge / starve to compensate / be devious in filling their plate with very low calorie food.

She could be abusing laxatives and dashing to the loo, or be dashing to the loo to vomit.

I don’t know your friend and can’t say this is the case but she sounds very unwell physically and mentally.

Original poster
HermioneMakepeace · 10/12/2020 23:42

Honestly, she’s not like that. Although I can see why you’d think that.

OP posts:
MissMarks · 10/12/2020 23:44

I would agree with Aros. Could well be more a psychiatric issue. Is she a high achiever?

PandaBearCub · 10/12/2020 23:47

If she’s a bmi 12 then she needs to be an inpatient under the care of a dietician specialising in eating disorders (so she can gain weight safely). She would also be able to be fed through a tube.

She needs to gain weight. Her incredibly low weight will only worsen her condition and malnutrition will also cause other issues like organ failure, osteoporosis and low red blood cells. She needs to force down 3 meal replacement drinks (Ensure) plus food.

UC should be the least of her issues really. I had a friend who had a very low bmi. A very intelligent young woman who died of heart failure.