A Scottish mum has made an incredible lifestyle change in losing five stone, in order to help her following a painful pelvic organ prolapse.
Karen Bell, now 35, was first diagnosed with the condition after the 19 hour birth of her first daughter back in 2011.
The issue is more commonly found in older women and can cause bladder leakage and bowel problems. At its worst for Karen, she literally had to push her organs back in after they 'fell out'.
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Karen's doctor advised her that excess weight around her stomach had led to the prolapse and told her to diet. She has since gone from 17st 7lb to a healthy weight of 11st 12lb.
She said: "I can't believe it took for my bladder and womb to fall out for me to finally shift the weight, but now I'm fit and healthy to run around and play with my kids."
Speaking of when she first noticed the prolapse in 2011, she said she initially felt a heaviness in her abdomen following the birth of her first child.
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She explained: "I didn't know what was happening but it was only when I tried to put a tampon in that I realised I couldn't."
After Karen discovered a tennis ball sized bulge, doctors diagnosed her with pelvic organ prolapse. At the time they told her the condition was manageable and she should simply push the bulge back in place with a wet towel.
She explained: "I didn't want to leave the house because I felt disgusting. I couldn't wear jeans because they were tight and I'd feel the bulge between my legs."
Karen is now mum to Erin, nine, Orla, five and Jack, three. As she ballooned in weight her children called her 'Humpty Dumpty'.
Things came to a head for Karen when she was out carrying some heavy shopping and her insides, including her womb, 'basically fell out'.
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She said: "When I looked down and saw what was between my legs, I was horrified.
"It was a fleshy tennis ball-sized bulge, it looked like brains.
"When I told my doctor she said she'd only ever seen this condition in one other patient, a 91-year-old woman, I just wanted the ground to swallow me up.
"It was only when they finally referred me for corrective surgery that I finally had the confidence and motivation to shift the pounds. I finally feel my age."
Thankfully for Karen she eventually had surgery in February 2019. Her pelvic floor was repaired and her womb was attached to her spine to hold it in place.
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Finally, with a determination to get herself better once and for all so she could be more active in her childrens' lives, Karen made the decision to lose weight - switching out her diet of takeaways and biscuits for meals cooked from scratch.
She said: "I had a newfound confidence. I could finally wear what I wanted without worrying about that bulge showing.
"I felt so much better and that made me want to eat better too."
Featured Image Credit: Triangle NewsTopics: UK Community, Health