An incredibly brave woman who has 'two holes next to her bum' has opened up about her own experiences with the condition in a bid to raise awareness, while also discussing the first time she realised 'something wasn't right'.
Jordy, who goes by @itsjordysworld on TikTok, uses the platform to educate others on Crohn's disease - something she has lived with for a lot of her life.
And one of her most recent uploads gives an in-depth insight into how and why she discovered she had 'two holes next to her bum'. Have a listen:
The 24-year-old, who has suffered from severe Crohn's disease since being a child, has spent a lot of her life in and out of hospital thanks to the condition which has seen her undergo multiple surgeries, including a full colostomy - a procedure that diverts one end of the colon (part of the bowel) through an opening in the stomach.
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Alongside undergoing these gruelling surgeries and experiencing the painful side-effects of Crohn's, Jordy also came to the realisation she has two holes next to her bum - which is known as Perianal disease.
According to Healthline, Perianal disease is a type of Crohn’s disease that causes inflammation around the anus and can lead to pain, swelling, bleeding and incontinence.
Speaking in the recent TikTok, she said: "I've had Crohn's all through other parts of my digestive tract, but I had never experienced Perianal disease, and I don't exactly know how it began."
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Jordy went on to explain how one day when she was working from home, she suddenly started to feel pain when sitting down and using the toilet for a number two.
The young woman decided to sit in front of her mirror and 'spread a big V for victory', which lead her to notice there was a 'bulge between my lady bits and bum' - an area known as the perineum.
Jordy soon went to the emergency room but ended up leaving after sitting there for around six hours in a lot of pain. The next day, however, she called the gastroenterology team at the public hospital who immediately told her to come in as they believed she had a perianal abscess.
This lead to Jordy eventually having surgery on her bum following a 'traumatic stint' in the emergency department and a short stay unit, allowing the discovery of a perianal abscess that had turned septic.
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"I also had a fistula tract - which is a tract between your rectum and the outside of your skin - so basically, I now have two permanent [seton] drains," Jordy explained.
"They look like little cable ties between that hole and my bum hole, so I have two rubber bands basically hanging out of my bum 24/7."
The TikToker explained further how when these examinations are done under anaesthesia, they clean out the entire abscess and fistula tract - 'leaving me with two gaping holes next to my bum hole'.
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She also added: "It literally feels like they're 2mm away from my lady bits as well, so they're really uncomfortable. But I've had them a long time now so I'm used to them."
Following this horrific experience, Jordy would go on to have a further 11 procedures on her bum in the time span of just eight months because the Perianal disease was just 'so unbelievably aggressive'.
This ultimately resulted in her being fitted with a colostomy bag - a bag which is attached to the opening made in the stomach which allows the bowel to empty itself.
Regardless of the pain Jordy has endured during her life so far, she's eager to teach others about the ins and outs of Crohn's disease and is clearly remaining incredibly positive and optimistic about life with her condition. You can read more about her story here.
Emily Puckering