Topics: The Vivienne, Mental Health, Drugs, UK News, Health
A young British woman was left 'peeing jelly' after taking between 5 and 10 grams of ketamine a day over the course of three years.
Paige Collins, who is from Hampshire, UK, first took the drug when she was 19 years old while out partying with her friends.
This then snowballed into a daily habit which saw her spending £1,000 ($1,292) per month.
The 25-year-old said: "It started as a once-in-a-blue-moon thing then it was a weekend thing then [it] started picking up during covid to week days and then every day.
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"Initially I really enjoyed it. It took me three years to realise I was addicted.
"I would start off getting one or two grams a night and then at the start of 2024 I was doing between five and 10 grams a day."
After three years, she began experiencing intense pain and a need to go to the bathroom around 50 times a day, where she noticed that she was urinating 'jelly'.
Revealing that the jelly-like substance turned out to be her 'bladder lining', she said: "I had absolutely no clue this could happen. Even when I knew [and] it was at its worst I still continued to do it.
"It was awful, I was in pain. I was stuck in a cycle of waking up, doing it, crying, saying 'I'm never going to touch it again' then picking it up again'.
"I was nipping to the loo 50 plus times a day.
"It was ruining my life. I couldn't go out for four or five months of 2023, I didn't leave the house."
In 2021, she then sought the help of doctors, where an ultrasound and a cystoscopy revealed that her ketamine usage had shrunk her bladder so small that it was only able to hold 30ml - which she says is 'just over a shot' at 25ml.
According to the NHS, a healthy bladder should be able to hold between 400-600mls of urine, meaning Paige's holds just five percent of that.
Despite feeling 'awful' when told her diagnosis, Paige said she felt 'a bit of relief' as she feared she might have to have a urostomy bag.
"They've already said the damage is irreversible. There's nothing I can do to make my bladder the way it once was." she continued.
Paige has been clean for nine months, however, she still struggles with bladder issues, which has impacted her ability to work, and is undergoing bladder instillation treatment to stretch her bladder, as well as help with inflammation and pain.
By sharing her story, Paige hopes it will deter others from turning to the drug.
"Ket was an escape mechanism for me, which I know it also is for lots of other people," she continued. "I was a party girl. Even now I still like going out dancing, but I don't take ket when I go out.
"I just want to raise awareness as I know the physical and emotional pain this has caused me and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy."
If you want friendly, confidential advice about drugs, you can call American Addiction Centers on (313) 209-9137 24/7, or contact them through their website.
