Jo Wood: Medical Blunder left me in agony for two years

Jo feels fitter at 60 than she did when she was in her 40s

AFTER a meal out one night at a restaurant in Dublin in January 1989, I went outside and suddenly got such severe stomach pains they left me doubled up and gasping for breath," says Jo Wood, former model and ex-wife of Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie.

 

"I'd had food poisoning before so I knew it wasn't that. I was taken to hospital where the doctor said that it could be my appendix that was causing the problem but that it was more likely to be Crohn's disease.

"I'd never heard of Crohn's and as I was booked to go to Morocco with the Rolling Stones only days later, I just brushed off the doctor's words, took painkillers and as I felt better, went away with the band.

Jo, left, Ronnie and their daughter Leah

"I was fine for a few weeks but then when I came home I was in agony again. I went to a different hospital, had a lot of tests and then was told that I had Crohn's disease."

Crohn's disease is a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a chronic condition that can cause ulceration and inflammation in any part of the digestive system.

According to the charity Crohn's and Colitis UK, at least 115,000 people in the country have been diagnosed with the condition which causes diarrhoea, often with blood, severe abdominal pain and extreme fatigue. At present there is no cure for the condition but drugs and sometimes surgery can give long periods of relief from symptoms.

"My symptoms were mainly the acute abdominal pain," says Essex-born Jo who has four children, Jamie, 41, from her first marriage, Leah, 36, and Tyrone, 30, who she had with Ronnie, stepson Jesse, 38, and eight grandchildren.

I'm convinced that if I hadn't taken myself off the steroids and cleaned up my diet, I might have been ill with the appendix problem for much longer

Jo Wood

"The doctors gave me steroids and other drugs to control the condition. Occasionally I got diarrhoea but never with blood, that was when I was taking the medication.

"Back then I still liked to drink and enjoyed eating out. In fact, I loved burgers and fried chicken and as my children were all small, having a takeaway was part of our life. I took the medication but unfortunately for me, it made me feel awful.

"My face went pimply and looked fat, I was bloated and just felt emotionless. I felt utterly wretched. Shortly after my diagnosis, my father died. It was a very miserable year.

"A year later a newspaper did a story on my health problems and I was then sent a sack of mail from readers who were keen to share their stories about how they were living with Crohn's disease.

"One of them was from a herbalist called Gerald Green who offered to treat me. At that time I had no experience of using alternative therapies and was so ill with the side-effects of the medication I was taking I just jumped at his offer.

"I drove down to Hastings, East Sussex to see him and he asked me all about my diet. I was really surprised to find out he thought my diet of takeaways and processed food was a problem. I'd never thought about my diet at all up to that point.

 

"He recommended that I switch to an organic, wheat-free, dairy-free diet and take herbal remedies. So that is what I did and over the next two months I slowly changed my eating habits. I cut down drinking and slowly weaned myself off the steroids.

"I knew I was taking a risk coming off medication but after two months, I felt so much better it made sense to me.

"Then out of the blue in 1991, at a friend's house, I was suddenly gripped with excruciating stomach pain again. I can't remember much about the tests that were done but the doctor I saw in London, a Professor Farthing, said he thought I might not have Crohn's disease after all. He said I needed exploratory surgery to see what the problem was.

"It was then that they discovered that I had actually had a perforated appendix which had caused inflammation in my large and small intestine. So the diagnosis of Crohn's disease was wrong. The doctors removed part of my intestine and my appendix and after 10 days in hospital I went home.

"Looking back, I was enormously relieved to have found out the real cause of the pain and delighted that I didn't have an incurable condition I'd have to take medication for, for the rest of my life.

"In fact, I'm convinced that if I hadn't taken myself off the steroids and cleaned up my diet, I might have been ill with the appendix problem for much longer.

 

"The doctors said it could have been fatal if it hadn't been treated so I was pretty lucky. I am passionately convinced about how we need to eat a pure diet in order to stay well and have eaten organically ever since.

"My children didn't mind the change in diet. I would just grow my own vegetables and buy organic meat and buns and make them homemade chicken burgers.

"When the Stones went on tour I had a portable stove made that was shipped around the world with us so I could source local organic food and cook healthy meals on it."

Jo, who turned 60 earlier this year, says she is now fitter than she was in her 40s. "I go to the gym four times a week and have finally quit smoking," she says proudly.

"I am a huge fan of organic living and natural therapies. I've used homeopathy for minor accidents and the occasional headache or upset stomach for years.

"I recently had acupuncture for a few months which got rid of the migraines I have suffered for many, many years.

"Later this year I am planning to relaunch my range of organic skincare products too.

"My health is important to me - having eight grandchildren keeps me on my toes and with two more about to arrive this year, I need all my energy for my family.

"I took a risk going with complementary therapies but it really paid off for me."