X Factor’s Lloyd Macey reveals he lost six stone at uni from Crohn’s disease and praises Dynamo for making his health battle public
The singer has opened up to The Sun Online about how his weight plummeted during the illness. He has now managed to control the disease through diet and is once again a healthy size
X FACTOR star Lloyd Macey has revealed he lost six stone in weight after being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease.
After falling seriously ill with food poisoning during his first year at university, the singer spent months in and out of hospital before he was diagnosed with the incurable bowel disease.
Superstar magician Dynamo recently opened up about his struggle with the condition, which left him seriously ill last year.
He’s now recovering but admitted last month he’d been diagnosed with arthritis as a result of his illness.
After hearing his story, Lloyd, 23, bravely opened up about his own struggle with Crohn’s in an exclusive interview with The Sun Online.
Lloyd’s weight dropped dramatically and he admitted waiting to find out what was wrong was one of the most terrifying moments of his life.
He explained: “I’d lost so much weight and I’d been so ill after getting food poisoning.
“In an effort to diagnose my condition, the medical staff conducted to numerous colonoscopies and endoscopies but I remained without any real idea of the reasons for my illness.
“The uncertainty and the fear it caused both my family and me I found just as difficult to deal with as my physical symptoms. I can remember sitting quietly in a hospital room with my parents waiting to see the consultant.
“We couldn’t look at each other and deep down I think we all feared the worst, so when the specialist called us in and informed me I had Crohn’s Disease my first reaction was an equal mix of relief and confusion.”
Lloyd, who’s currently working on his debut album, now controls his Crohn’s through his diet and admitted he felt lucky his condition wasn’t as severe as others he knows that are living with the condition.
He added: “I currently I can control my symptoms through exercise, breathing and diet.
“Singing and the breath control that it involves helps me deal with my condition, the more I
train and the harder I work the better I feel but I’m always aware that many of my friends are not so lucky.”
The star – who starred in last year’s series of the ITV singing competition – also praised Dynamo for speaking so candidly about his experience of Crohn’s.
Lloyd explained: “Recent photos of Dynamo in the press and his openness in discussing his condition will I’m sure help other sufferers.
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“It’s really important for people in the public eye to speak out about their own conditions in order for people to gain a greater understanding.
“Alongside Dynamo and myself there are thousands of other sufferers in the UK and the more people who come forward and speak about their own conditions the more knowledge everyone outside our community will have.
“Between organisations such as and of course the wonderful NHS, the support out there is amazing and if you or anyone you know has been diagnosed, remember that you’re not alone.”
Many people who suffer from Crohn's experience weight loss either due to lack of appetite due to symptoms such as nausea and abominable pain, or diet changes.
Dynamo suffered from swelling and fluid retention, which is believed to be a side effect of his treatment as it is caused by high dose steroids used to tackle both Crohn's and arthritis.
Carol Cooper, Sun Doctor
CROHN’S disease is a chronic condition that causes long-term inflammation in the gut, leading to pain, diarrhoea and anaemia.
Crohn’s disease is a chronic condition that causes long-term inflammation almost anywhere in the gut, leading to problems like pain, diarrhoea, and anaemia. Some develop complications like a narrowed gut and trouble absorbing vitamins.
While there’s no permanent cure, many people with Crohn’s manage to stay well on drug treatment tailored to their particular symptoms. Immune suppressant drugs, steroids, and other medicines are all used for Crohn’s.
Food poisoning is an infection that affects the gut. This is why it can make Crohn’s symptoms flare up.
It can even lead to arthritis. In most cases this is a ‘reactive’ arthritis, which is temporary and eventually subsides without causing joint damage. All the same, it can be very painful and incapacitating.
High dose steroids are often prescribed for a flare-up of Crohn’s, and they’re useful for reactive arthritis too. But in the mean time they can lead to fluid retention and weight gain, as well as acne and stretch marks.
Dynamo’s disease should soon be under control again so he can return to his normal life and shed the fluid he has put on.
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