For years James Wilson thought the knot in his stomach was a symptom of anxiety. It wasn't until February last year that he learned the truth about his health.
James has Crohn’s disease, the lifelong condition in which parts of the digestive system become inflamed. He's still coming to terms with it. But he hopes that by talking about what he's going through, that he can help others.
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“I was first introduced to Crohn’s disease years ago because I used to watch Dynamo [the magician] on the telly and I saw he came out in the news saying he had Crohn's disease, and that was the only time I'd ever heard of it,” he told the Manchester Evening News.
“I was diagnosed in February last year, basically, my whole life, I've had issues going to the toilet. I just put it down to general anxiety - not wanting to go in public, not wanting to go at other people's houses, but I also struggled to go physically and always felt some kind of discomfort or pain in my stomach,” he said.
Research carried out by scientists at the University of Nottingham -funded by Crohn’s & Colitis UK and Coeliac UK - concluded that there are over 500,000 people in the UK living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), the two main forms of which are Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis.
Common symptoms include sudden diarrhoea, stomach aches and cramps, blood in your poo, fatigue, and weight loss - which can flare-up from time to time, with periods between each one known as remission.
However, even though it is believed to impact so many of us, experts say there is a 'need for increased public awareness' of the conditions.
James, a Manchester-based Tik Tok star better known as @jamesmorrell_ is using the popular social media platform to break down barriers.
“When I was 26, last year, I got really ill and then, after a week and a half of being severely ill, fatigued, shivers, just general unwellness and stomach ache, I went to the doctors," he said.
“The paramedic at the doctors felt my stomach and he said I need to go to the hospital ASAP because my appendix was about to burst.
"I rushed to the hospital and more or less immediately after a few examinations and an MRI scan overnight, I was told I have Crohn's disease,” he said.
James says he has been on an 'up and down' journey with his mental health ever since colonoscopy results confirmed his condition.
“I struggle with comparison anyway, when it comes to living a lot of my life on social media and stuff. But when I was told that, the weight of comparison was otherworldly because I couldn't get it out of my head that I wasn't normal anymore," he said.
“All I wanted was to be whatever I deemed normal and that was being a young lad in my 20s, hanging out with friends, girlfriends, social media - all this kind of fun stuff,” he said.
James says all he wants is to be able to go to social events without being in discomfort, “have a coffee without the hell storm of cramps that come afterwards” or “have a dirty kebab and not have to worry about not being able to go to the toilet for five days afterwards.”
“All these ‘normal things’, or things that I deem normal, I can't do without a constant thought in the back of my mind saying 'is that gonna cause me any kind of pain or discomfort?
"How long am I not gonna be able to go to the toilet for and is there any point to me doing anything other than just eating plain white, chicken, and rice, and not leaving my flat?
“It's just frustrating and upsetting to be honest,” James said.
But the actor and funny man, who boasts 348k followers on Tik Tok and millions of views, has decided to use his platform to help him through his journey with Crohn’s disease, in the hope of helping others.
“As soon as I was diagnosed, I more or less went straight to social media and immediately started talking about it.
“Every now and again, a video would come out where I was at the hospital or at the doctors and I'm lost and upset.
"At that time when I was filming those kinds of videos talking about my health, at each and every one of those points I was severely lost and I needed some kind of output.
“What putting stuff out there on social media does for me is gives me a voice, helps me feel heard, but also I know in the back of my mind that it's reaching people that feel the same - isolated, alone - and don't have a voice,” he said.
James says the feedback from viewers has been that “it's really refreshing to see somebody with a platform talking about it so openly and honestly” which makes him feel like some positive can come out of his diagnosis.
Recently, James began to develop Alopecia which is a disease that happens when the immune system attacks hair follicles and causes hair loss.
While this was another difficult blow for him, he decided to use the experience as an opportunity to raise funds for Crohn’s & Colitis UK by shaving his head.
In just under a week, he raised £12,500 for the charity, and, as the fundraiser remains open, the donations continue to mount.
In a message for those impacted by IBD, James said: “Don't be scared to go to a GP which I know it's difficult in today's climate but make sure you don't go unseen, or unheard.
“An influx of people who have Crohn's have reached out and told me their story and it's mad inspiring. When you're feeling unwell, don't feel ashamed and guilty from taking a day off work or letting some people down because you can't get out of bed. Your health is important and you have to put yourself first.”
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