A woman diagnosed with a rare disorder that makes her unable to pass urine has opened up about the battle to get doctors to take her seriously.
One night in late 2018, Anna Gray's life would be turned completely upside down after she woke up and discovered that she was suddenly unable to wee.
The following weeks and months would see the 27-year-old battling to get doctors to take her condition seriously, who urged her to 'keep trying' to wee at home and giving her advice such as 'turning on the tap' while in the bathroom or prescribing laxatives.
Advert
After several painful days of being unable to wee, Anna ended up needing an emergency procedure to drain two litres of urine from her bladder.
Doctors then ran further tests on her and discovered there was no activity in her bladder.
In February 2019, Anna was diagnosed with a rare condition called Fowler's Syndrome, after doctors concluded that her bladder would 'never work normally again'.
According to Fowler's Syndrome UK, the condition causes either 'full or partial urinary retention' due to an inability of the bladder's muscles to relax. The condition is found exclusively in women and those assigned female at birth.
Advert
It's not currently known what causes the condition, with research adding that it impacts roughly two in a million women.
No longer able to wee naturally, Anna had a permanent catheter in order to manually drain urine and has found the diagnosis difficult to adapt to.
"It's had a massive impact of every area of my life," she said. "Last year I was predominantly housebound - it's affected me seeing friends or dating."
She continued: "Accepting it was a life-long condition was a lot to get my head around and I was in hospital for my mental health last year.
"But I'm slowly getting there, and now I'm used to the bag."
Advert
The condition has also caused a number of complications for Anna, including ending up in 'intensive care' after developing sepsis in her stomach.
"I developed sepsis and deteriorated massively," she said. "I remember thinking I was dying."
Anna is now determined to raise awareness about her condition and hopes that speaking about will help to decrease the 'taboo' of women talking about going to the toilet.
"I'll wear shorts and tops where you can see it - it doesn't bother me anymore," she said, adding: "People ask questions and I'm fine with that.
Advert
“At first I thought I must be the only person in the world who was going through something like this, it’s so isolating to be in that position. But finding a community of people who understand it has been incredible."
Topics: Health
Brenna Cooper