I’ve ‘died’ four times due to rare condition that causes me to vomit up to 30 times a day
A BRIDE-TO-BE has been left unable to eat for four years while battling a rare condition - that has seen her die four times.
Young mum Jessica Elliott dropped to just 5st 6lb after developing an aggressive form of Crohn’s disease.
Her condition is so severe she vomits up to 30 times a day, with her stomach valves firing back food like a “pinball machine”.
The 25-year-old, of Southampton, Hants, has been clinically dead four times this year.
In January, she suffered a cardiac arrest after her potassium levels dropped so low that her heart stopped beating.
Despite undergoing countless treatments, Jessica, who is mum to five-year-old Alfred, has been told there is nothing the NHS can do other than repeatedly restart her heart and send her home.
“This year alone I’ve been in hospital nine times and I’m terrified that the next time could be the last,” revealed Jessica.
“Some days I can’t even take a sip of water without being violently sick.
“It doesn’t matter how little or often, if there’s any volume to it it will push back.
“It’s very challenging. I’m just sick of being sick.”
Jessica, engaged to partner Josh Tarrant, 28, was diagnosed with Crohn’s seven years ago, but in October 2016 her health took a sudden turn for the worse when she developed upper GI intestinal failure.
Jessica added: “I just woke up one day and everything I was eating and drinking was coming back up.
“It progressively got worse and since then I’ve been in hospital countless times.
“At one point I was there for four and a half months.
“I’ve had lines into my heart, botox injections in my stomach, all sorts, but nothing helps.
“The valves in my stomach and esophagus don’t work in synchronisation, so rather than pushing down food as they’re supposed to, they act like a pinball machine and flick up.”
This year Jessica’s condition has deteriorated drastically as medics have battled to save her life multiple times.
She said: “My heart has stopped three times in eight months this year and my lungs have failed and stopped too, so I’ve been clinically dead four times.
“My body just can’t cope with it any more, it just can’t keep going any longer.”
As well as forcing her to give up work as an estate agent and mortgage advisor, Jessica’s illness has taken its toll on those around her, especially Josh, who is step-dad to Jessica's son Alfred.
“Josh is so good, he copes with me being poorly really well and he knows just by looking at me that I need to go to hospital,” she said.
“I try to adapt my day to fit around Alfred as much as I can.
“I’ll rest while he’s at school so we can do something together when he gets home and be a normal mum but sometimes I am really ill and my family and friends will step in.
“He knows mum is poorly and I feel terrible for him. I can’t help but feel guilty.”
What is Crohn's Disease?
It is a condition that causes inflammation of the digestive system.
The inflammation is the body's reaction to injury or irritation, and can cause redness, swelling and pain.
It is often described as a chronic condition and although sufferers will have periods of good health, there are flare-ups where symptoms are more active.
It is one of the two main forms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease - the other is a condition known as Ulcerative Colitis.
It can be caused by the genes a person has inherited, an abnormal reaction of the immune system and is probably triggered by something in the environment.
Next year Jessica and builder Josh were supposed to be celebrating their wedding, but the couple have been forced to postpone it until 2022 as a result of Jessica’s health and the coronavirus pandemic.
“Josh and I are planning our wedding but there’s been a few times when I’ve thought I don’t know if I’ll make it that far,” Jessica added.
Now, the pair are hoping to raise £20,000 through a page to pay for pioneering surgery in Germany that could save her life.
“It’s my last chance to see my baby grow up,” Jessica revealed.
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“It’s the target that’s keeping me going. Hopefully by then I’ll have made it to Germany and can start getting my life back.”
Currently there is no cure for Jessica’s condition, but a clinic in Germany has the enhanced technology to offer more invasive testing and are able to perform an operation that extends the oesophagus and ties it around the stomach to stop vomiting.
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“In the future we obviously want to get married and maybe even have a child together," Jessica said.
"But all I really want is to be normal and have my life back.”