MY STORY
How it all began. My gut health journey and colonics

My journey with gut health and detoxification began when I was 14 years old. Like many other young women, my toilet habits weren’t something I openly discussed. In fact, they weren’t something I ever really thought about at all. I was just glad I didn’t seem to get caught out having to do a number two at school and I didn’t any have siblings or anyone I had to share a toilet with so my issues with constipation went completely unnoticed for years. It was quite convenient actually…until my body became so toxic it just shut down. I was sick, and no one new why. I was missing school, had no energy, could barely get out of bed, skin white as a ghost, had constant migraines, headaches, bloating, distended sore abdomen, couldn’t focus and was just a shell of the active, lively, athletic girl I had once been. What was happening to me?

 

Sitting in the emergency room one night, I had a suspected burst appendix to do the excruciating pain l was in. The contractions in my stomach mimicking those of labour. My worried parents and I waiting for the doctor to come in with the xrays and when he did we were all in for a shock.

 

“When was the last time you went to the toilet?” he asked? All eyes on me and I just sheepishly shrugged. “Girl, you’re full of shit!” He announced with a bit of a laugh! Thinking this would be an easy fix. The xrays clearly showed the compaction level in my colon was overwhelming, with poo literally impacting my lungs, all up under my rib cage. They sent me home with a box of laxatives and the instructions to “eat more fibre” whole grain bread, whole wheat cereals, that sort of thing should do the trick.

 

The problem was, that didn’t “do the trick”.

 

I tried over the counter laxatives and nothing moved.  I could eat the entire box. I tried suppositories, 60 ml fleet enemas from the chemist and nothing moved. I tried high strength fleets liquid laxatives, with some relief (and a whole lot of gagging) however it didn’t solve the problem and it could take hours to kick in. It didn’t help fix anything either, the constipation remained constant. From one a litre bottle of fleets, to three in a day just to get things to move a bit  so I could go to my swim meets or go to my formal and not look 9 months pregnant. So I could breathe, because my lungs were so compacted with poo. My skin was poor, my eyes yellow, my breathe stinky, my moods low and my mind in a complete fog. Not to mention the incredible pain in my abdomen from the compaction and bloating from the fermentation of the waste sitting there.

 

When the fleets stopped working all together, and that foul liquid just sat and sloshed around in my gut with no release, I finally had to resort to taking daily colonoscopy prep. I had to take days off school so I could take the colonoscopy prep just so I could attempt to release my bowels. When things did release, it felt amazing. Relief. My body was so desperate for a cleanse but all I was doing was putting more and more chemicals in and getting minimal amounts of waste out.

 

Bread and other whole grain fibres did not help one bit, in fact they seemed to make me feel even more full. Everything felt hopeless as nothing was improving.

 

I saw gastroenterologists, had colonoscopies, blood tests, rectal examinations, trial drugs, ate radioactive sandwiches so they could track it’s movements, had ultrasounds…but they uncovered nothing. To the medical world everything was “normal.” Except that one of the largest organs in my body had ceased to function and my body was slowly poisoning itself for no given reason. My only option next according to the doctors (some 2 years of trying to get things to move under their care) was to remove 90% of my colon which was likely dead and sew it to my small intestine. This would result in a likely a colorectal bag down the track and diarrhoea for the rest of my life if the surgery took. It only had a 70% success rate and as I was so young, it was likely that it would not last my whole life and it would need to be repaired in 10-20 years.

 

I remember feeling so hopeless. So scared and so ashamed.

 

Desperate for another option, I went searching for natural alternatives. My first meeting with a naturopath, I had a food allergy test which resulted in an off the chart reaction to refined sugar, wheat and dairy. All stapes in my diet as an American teenager. I removed those immediately and was amazed at how quickly my energy levels shot up, my brain began to defog and my migraines went away. My skin was no longer puffy and I could feel the life returning to my body. It didn’t change my bowels though, so although other areas were improving, the biggest problem remained the same, I was not eliminating.

 

 

That’s when we discovered colonics and enemas. What truly saved my life.

 

Through whispers, a friend of a friend suggested trying colon hydrotherapy to my mother for my bowel issues. Again, happy to try anything we made an appointment and the rest is history.

 

The colon hydrotherapy machine gently began to hydrate all of the compacted waste matter in my colon with water allowed my body to finally release all of those built up toxins that were making me sick. All of the years of compaction were washed away in a few regular sessions and although as the toxicity was coming out it made me feel quite nauseous, the end result was magical.

 

The more toxicity I removed from my body, the better I felt and in one session I lost 10 pounds. I felt like my old self again, energetic, my skin cleared, I didn’t have that pain in my tummy anymore and I was so grateful that we hadn’t gone down the road of surgery that would have altered my life forever. The only problem was I still wasn’t able to go to the toilet in between sessions and due to the cost and inconvenience, I could only have a colonic once a week. I was relying on the colon hydrotherapy sessions but found myself uncomfortable in between.

 

Until I discovered ENEMAS! And that is how the Happy Bum Co was born.

 

When I shared my discomfort in between sessions with my colon hydrotherapists at the time, they had an easy solution. Try an enema at home! In those days, it was a hot water bottle that doubled as an enema and had a hose attached with a rectal tip, however, it worked similar to the colonic fill. You filled up the bag, allowed the 2 litres of water to flow into the colon and then sat on the toilet to release. It was brilliant! A mini colonic at home!

 

When I started doing enemas, it really changed my life. It gave me freedom and control as I could do them anytime, anywhere and the relief was immediate. There were no chemicals involved, no side effects and I could do them as often as I needed. Enemas allowed me to move my bowels every day, meaning I was so much more comfortable and far less toxic!

 

I have been doing daily enemas with 2 litres of purified water for 15 years now. I have a colonic once a week to clear the transverse and further back in the colon that I can’t reach with just my enema. I live a healthy, fulfilling and active life. I graduated from the University of QLD in Business, travelled the world, am happily married, have two beautiful children (well one is on the way) (have done enemas and colonics throughout both pregnancies) and have adopted an entirely plant based and low tox lifestyle. I wake up everyday joyful, full of life and so grateful for the ability to feel this way. To not be in pain anymore and have learned to treat my body as a temple, appreciating it for what it does well, and never shaming it for what it doesn’t.

 

In 2013 I followed my passion in gut health to become a Colon Hydrotherapist, and in 2017 I opened my own colon hydrotherapy clinic in Brisbane where I’ve helped thousands of other people who have gut and other health issues, one of the main ones for women being constipation. Turns out I wasn’t alone after all.

 

After opening my own clinic and passionately teaching my clients about the use of enemas at home and in-between sessions, I realised there was not much on offer. In fact, I couldn’t even find anything that was good enough quality to stock in my own clinic so my next mission was clear. I created the Happy Bum Co and made my own. A product I am so incredibly proud to offer worldwide and to all of my nearest and dearest. Happy Bum Bags take away that clinical feel, are playful and fun and our brand is designed to put a smile on your face every time you use the kits. They are the highest quality, extremely easy to clean and are part of a wellness movement in detoxification. People can benefit from enemas for so many different reasons, whether it be relieving constipation, decongesting the liver, lowering inflammation or as a part of a natural cancer fighting regime, its time their power be known and they become a staple in regaining and maintaining optimal health.