BIZARRE: Meet woman suffering from rare disease which makes her appear heavily pregnant (PHOTOS)

Swollen stomach: Hayley Barley, 24, suffers with rare Hirschsprungís disease which regularly causes her abdomen to swell Swollen stomach: Hayley Barley, 24, suffers with Hirschsprung’s disease which regularly causes her abdomen to swell to the point she looks pregnant

A mother-of-four has told of her anguish of constantly having to tell strangers she is not pregnant because of a rare condition which causes her stomach to swell.

Hayley Barley, 24, suffers from Hirschsprung’s disease which regularly causes her abdomen to swell to the point where she appears heavily pregnant.

Mrs Barley revealed she is regularly asked for her due date and offered seats on buses from well-meaning people who have mistaken her serious bowel condition for pregnancy.

She said: ‘It’s nice that people are kind, but their kindness just makes me feel more self-conscious.

‘I’m normally size eight, and it’s devastating to go through such a drastic change.’

Mrs Barley, who is mother to Frankie, aged five, Sommer, four, Marshall, three, and one-year-old Caitlin, is being supported by her husband Frank, 42, as she prepares to undergo a life-changing surgery in December to remove most of her damaged bowel.

The operation, which surgeons hope will stop the alarming swelling, will require her to be fitted with a colostomy bag.

‘It’s ruining my life,’ she said. ‘I have kids to look after, which is difficult enough without having to deal with my condition.

‘I try to laugh it off when I’m out and about and people congratulate me for my ‘pregnancy’. I keep a smile on my face, but it’s always a difficult thing to hear.

‘It’s very thoughtful when people offer me their seat if I’m standing on a bus, but it also makes me feel awkward.’

People are usually diagnosed with Hirschsprung’s disease when they are children, but Mrs Barley did not begin to experience the stabbing pains and swelling associated with the condition until she was 12-years-old.

Rare: Mrs Barley is often mistaken for being heavily pregnant by strangers who ask when her due date is Rare: Mrs Barley is often mistaken for being heavily pregnant by strangers who ask when her due date is

The condition means that part of her large intestine doesn’t have any nerves, making it extremely difficult for material to pass through her digestive system.

The result is frequently painful and dangerous bloating. Her stomach swells over the course of a month until the point where she is so bloated that moving and bending is extremely painful for her.

She has visited hospital 69 times since 2009 for emergency procedures to relieve the pressure on her abdomen.

If left untreated the condition, which is diagnosed in approximately one in 5,000 children, can lead to life-threatening infections.

Even doctors have been misled by Mrs Barley’s outward appearance.

Drastic measures: Mrs Barley, who is normally a size eight, now intends to have an operation to remove most of her bowel to stop the bloating Drastic measures: Mrs Barley, who is normally a size eight, now intends to have an operation to remove most of her bowel to stop the bloating

She recalled: ‘In December last year the pain became unbearable. My belly was the biggest it had ever been, and I couldn’t stop being sick.

‘Frank volunteered to look after the kids while I went to see a doctor. The first thing the GP asked was how far along I was.

‘I tried to explain I wasn’t pregnant and went through my medical history. But after he felt my stomach he was sure I was expecting and he even suspected I was in labour.

‘He told me to go to hospital, explaining that the symptoms of my condition might have masked an actual pregnancy.

‘I attended hospital but, of course, I wasn’t pregnant at all.’

Now Mrs Barley, from Birmingham, is coming to terms with having a colostomy at the age of 24.

She said: ‘It’s a drastic step but I’m looking forward to not being in constant pain. Some people might look at me and think my ‘baby bump’ is a blessing, but it’s been nothing but a curse.’

Brave decision: Mrs Barley, pictured with her husband Frank, 42, knows the surgery is a drastic step but says it will be worth it to end the pain of her condition Brave decision: Mrs Barley, pictured with her husband Frank, 42, knows the surgery is a drastic step but says it will be worth it to end the pain of her conditionRead more: Daily Mail

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