'I thought I had a UTI on holiday - the agony was because my pancreas had died'
'I thought I had a UTI on holiday - the agony was because my pancreas had died'
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A hairdresser's romantic island getaway turned into the holiday from hell when she discovered her "UTI pains" were caused by the death of her pancreas. Phoebe Rowe was five days into her Tenerife holiday with 25-year-old partner Ryan Butler when she began experiencing tummy pains. The 22-year-old had been hospitalised with a urine infection four months prior, and believed her symptoms had returned. Phoebe, who lives in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, decided to combat her symptoms with over-the-counter painkillers, so that she could continue enjoying the Canary Island holiday.
But when she woke up the following day vomiting with excruciating stomach pain, Phoebe rushed to a hospital where she was told she had pancreatitis - a serious condition where the pancreas becomes inflamed over a short period of time. Doctors on the island soon discovered Phoebe was fighting severe necrotic pancreatitis - as 90 percent of the vital organ had died.
Phoebe was sent to intensive care where hospital staff drained four litres of toxic fluid that had dispersed from her pancreas. Her loved ones were told she may not survive, with doctors describing her as a "walking miracle" when her symptoms began to improve. After three weeks in intensive care while still abroad, Phoebe was able to return to the UK, but must take medication for the rest of her life.
Phoebe said: "The holiday was something we'd both been looking forward to for a while. We were five days into the holiday and I started having this tummy ache. We went to the local pharmacy and got some painkillers. I kind of brushed it off. Then the next day I woke up with extreme pain, vomiting and had a temperature.
