A mum lost six stone in the space of eight months due to a 'mystery' illness which is "ruining her quality of life."
Sharon Hollingsworth went from 13st 7lbs to 7st after she started suffering from severe stomach and bowel pain.
The 45-year-old, from Newton-le-Willows, said she has been back and forwards to the doctors and had countless hospital appointments over the last three years, during which time she has been given a number of different diagnoses.
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They include: gastritis, oesophagitis, diverticular disease, kidney stones, and a cyst on her liver.
Despite this, Sharon said it's still unclear what the real cause of the chronic stomach pain is and she now struggles to even eat one meal a day.
Sharon told the ECHO: "I don't know the real answer to what's going on. I wake up every day and go to bed every day in severe pain, from my rib cage down to my groin and it goes straight through to my back.
"It's a clawing feeling, like your intestines are wrapped in barbed wire."
Sharon said she first went to see her GP in January 2018 after she fell over in her conservatory at home and hurt the left side of her body.
She said: "The GP sent me for some physio. I had about three sessions and they sent me on my way.
"It just continued nagging at me and then all of a sudden, within a month or two, when I was eating I was getting a burning, gnawing pain and it wouldn't go away.
"I noticed I was getting full quicker and I had a lack of appetite. I wasn't as hungry and I had a lot of acid reflux."
Sharon first went to the doctors about the stomach pain in April 2019, and after undergoing tests she was diagnosed with gastritis, oesophagitis and small sliding hernia.
Since then, the 45-year-old said she has been given a range of different pain medication and has undergone an operation to remove kidney stones, but nothing has been successful in getting rid of the pain.
During her last hospital appointment, Sharon said she was told the only way forward was pain management.
She has now set up a Gofundme page with the hope of raising enough money to seek private treatment including a virtual colonoscopy.
Sharon said: "I've had suicidal thoughts because I'm in such extreme pain. I've tried every pain killer going and they're not working.
"It's been life changing. I can't work anymore. I want my life back. I'm sick of crying in agony. I'm sick of having no quality of life. I'm only 45.
"I know my body and I know something is wrong. I've been fine for 42 years of my life."
Since losing six stone, Sharon said she has managed to put two stone back on but she can only manage to eat the equivalent of one meal a day due to the pain.
She said: "Eating sends it through the ceiling.
"I try to keep [meals] as simple and small as I can. The more solid the food is the worse the pain is because I can't digest it fully."
If you would like to donate to the fundraising page click here.
