Michelle suffers with multiple health issues due to her condition
A British woman has opened up about being diagnosed with PSC – after spending years desperately hoping she’d escape it. Michelle Timmons has endured chronic health problems for several years, experiencing severe abdominal pain, bleeding, urgent toilet needs, and overwhelming fatigue.
The 30 year old has also witnessed her father struggle with identical issues caused by Ulcerative Colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease, alongside a rare condition called Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC), which triggers inflammation and scarring of the bile ducts both inside and outside the liver.
Michelle, who received her Ulcerative Colitis diagnosis in 2019, had desperately hoped she wouldn’t be amongst those who also develop PSC. Yet the mum of two was struck down with the same condition as her father, despite displaying no clear symptoms initially.
“I felt frightened and overwhelmed,” Michelle, from Birmingham, said. “I was aware that PSC can sometimes occur alongside inflammatory bowel disease, but it was still a huge shock when I received the diagnosis.
“Having seen first-hand the impact these diseases had on [my dad’s] life made the diagnosis particularly emotional and something I had always hoped I wouldn’t have to face myself.” Following her Ulcerative Colitis diagnosis, Michelle underwent regular health check-ups, and during one set of blood tests in 2020, doctors discovered her liver function was abnormal.
Since she was already enduring severe symptoms – including fatigue, bleeding and abdominal pain – due to her condition, she hadn’t suspected that something else might be going on. She added: “Looking back, the fatigue was probably one of the most challenging symptoms because it is something people often can’t see or understand.
“PSC can be difficult to spot because symptoms are often vague or may not appear until the disease has progressed.” The senior dental nurse was already being monitored by the gastroenterology team, who carried out further investigations into her abnormal results.
She had an MRCP scan, which is a specialised MRI scan that examines the bile ducts and liver. It was the MRCP that ultimately confirmed the changes linked to Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) and resulted in Michelle’s diagnosis.
While it was a “relief” to finally have an explanation, Michelle admits it was “difficult to hear” that she had the same condition as her father, who recently died from bowel cancer. She said: “My father also lived with both Ulcerative Colitis and PSC, so I was already aware of the condition and some of the challenges it can bring.
“PSC is a rare condition and when you’re first diagnosed there are so many unknowns.” Michelle explains that because her dad had lived with PSC for many years, she “knew how serious the condition could be”.
She added: “That made the diagnosis even harder to process because I had seen first-hand the impact it can have on someone’s life. “My dad’s PSC had progressed to the point where he needed a liver transplant, but unfortunately due to other health problems he wasn’t able to have one.
“Seeing him go through that was incredibly difficult and naturally made me worry about what the future might hold for me. Knowing that PSC can progress over time and that some people may eventually need a liver transplant was one of the things that frightened me most when I was diagnosed.”
Nevertheless, Michelle chose to concentrate on “what she could control” and maintaining her health as effectively as possible. As there is currently no cure for PSC, Michelle’s treatment centres on monitoring the condition and managing symptoms or complications.
She undergoes regular blood tests, scans, specialist appointments and continuous monitoring by her liver team to closely track how the condition is developing. Michelle explains that living with PSC “means living with uncertainty” and that despite occasionally feeling well, she understands this could shift at any moment.
She added: “It has made me more conscious of my health and the importance of attending appointments, blood tests and scans. Balancing this alongside full-time work and raising two young boys can be challenging, but I try not to let the condition define me.
“I love spending time with my family and friends, being social, making memories and getting out and about, but I am always aware of how my health can impact those plans. Sometimes I have to think ahead, make adjustments, or accept that I may not have the same energy levels as everyone else.
“Despite that, I try to make the most of every opportunity and not let my conditions stop me from enjoying life.” Alongside PSC, Michelle has undergone extensive treatment for Ulcerative Colitis, including immunosuppressive medications, biologic infusions and surgery.
‘I have more health procedures to come’
In June 2026, she’s scheduled to have a total proctocolectomy with a permanent ileostomy, a surgical procedure that creates a new pathway for digestive waste to leave the body when the large intestine needs to be bypassed or removed. This follows years of battling severe bowel disease, and could also help alleviate her PSC symptoms.
She said: “My surgeon has explained that removing my bowel and rectum may also have a positive impact on my PSC. As the inflammation caused by Ulcerative Colitis can contribute to ongoing stress on the body, there is hope that removing the diseased bowel could help reduce the risk of my liver condition deteriorating as quickly in the future.
“While there are no guarantees, knowing that the surgery may benefit both my bowel disease and potentially my long-term liver health has given me additional reassurance that I am making the right decision. While it is a huge adjustment, I am hopeful it will give me back a quality of life that my bowel disease has taken away.”
Michelle’s PSC is currently being closely monitored, with her liver function remaining stable. Although her condition was identified through routine blood tests, she is urging anyone experiencing symptoms such as persistent fatigue, itching (particularly at night), abdominal pain, jaundice, dark urine, pale stools, unexplained weight loss, fevers and night sweats to seek medical advice without delay.
She added: “PSC is a rare disease that many people have never heard of, yet it can have a profound impact on someone’s life. Because many of these symptoms can be mistaken for other conditions, PSC is often discovered through abnormal blood tests and further investigations, as it was in my case.
“I recently lost my dad to bowel cancer, which has made my own health journey even more emotional. It reinforced how important it is to listen to your body, seek medical advice when something doesn’t feel right, and not be afraid to talk openly about conditions affecting the bowel and digestive system.”
What is PSC? NHS guidance
The NHS website defines PSC as “a chronic liver disease in which the bile ducts, which are the tubes that carry bile from the liver to the small intestines, become narrowed from inflammation/swelling and scarring called fibrosis. Over time, the scar tissue builds up and can block parts of the bile ducts completely.” It says the blockages can occur in any part of the bile duct system/tree. This can be inside the liver itself or outside the liver. The NHS says: “PSC can rarely lead to liver cancers and so requires monitoring by liver specialists.”
