text: Hattie Gladwell is just 19 but the teenager has already undergone a terrifying operation which left her with an ostomy bag, which she'll have to wear for the rest of her life. Now the pretty redhead from West Sussex has shared her story with the world in a bid to rid the stigma around those living with a stoma (a surgically created opening in the abdomen) and a bag. Writing on her amusingly frank and startlingly honest blog morethanyourbag.com, Hattie opens up about life after undergoing emergency surgery for ulcerative colitis. Scroll down for video . 19-year-old Hattie Gladwell was fitted with an ostomy bag after under-going surgery for ulcerative colitis, now she shares her experience on her blog morethanyourbag.com . She reveals all about what it's like to wear a bikini for the first time, how to have sex with a bag and how learning to live with it has affected her mental health. Hattie was admitted to hospital on January 26th of this year although she had long suffered from problems with her health after an inflammatory bowel condition was misdiagnosed. She told MailOnline: 'I was sent into hospital with suspected appendicitis, but after two failed colonoscopies, my appendix out and excruciating pain, I finally had emergency surgery for my stoma. 'The cause turned out to be ulcerative colitis but the symptoms had been fobbed off as "women's troubles" for years.' Ulcerative colitis is a long term condition where the colon and the rectum become inflamed and things became so bad for Hattie, she had to have her colon removed and an ileostomy bag fitted into her small intestine. She found the change to her body difficult to deal with. She said: 'At first, I was scared I wouldn't be able to live a normal life. I was scared of what people would think, and how I could go on to hide it. Hattie says that her boyfriend has been a great support - on her blog she details how the couple have maintained their sex life with her bag . 'For the first few weeks I was unable to look down at my stomach without wanting to cry. 'At only 19, there is so much pressure to be attractive to society that I wasn't sure I would cope with something that wasn't deemed "normal".' The ostomy bag would collect waste from Hattie's body which had been diverted through her stoma. But before long brave Hattie decided that she could not let the operation or her bag ruin her life. She said: 'A couple of weeks after surgery, I decided the worst thing I could do to myself was hide such a traumatic experience. 'My stoma is a part of me now it is what saved my life and I have no reason to be ashamed of that.' Hattie has a stoma (left) through which waste passes from her body into her bag (right) Hattie has opened up about what it was like to wear her bikini again for the first time since she had her bag fitted saying she felt happy to be in the water . She her blog which she explains is, 'a blog for those getting used to life with a stoma.' She said: 'Since speaking out, I have come to terms with my body and the change it has faced. I have become determined to make sure my life doesn't change. And I love it. 'I've never felt more open minded, I've never appreciated life more. My life hasn't changed in the slightest, if anything, I've changed. I've become more confident after choosing to embrace my body. 'I've become more understanding, and now all I want to do is raise awareness for IBD [inflammatory bowel disease] and ostomy.' Hattie revealed that she's had a huge amount of support from her friends and family, especially her mother. She said: 'My mum was pretty much my rock during the whole thing. She spent the first couple of weeks helping me with my bag before I became more independent again. I wouldn't have coped without her.' On her blog Hattie shares her experiences of getting back to normal life with a stoma. Including putting on a bikini for the first time. Since having her bag fitted Hattie has tried to continue her life as normal, pictured here dressed up with a friend for a night out . She revealed: 'Going out in my bikini was a little nerve racking. But although I started off feeling self-conscious I quickly realised that this is the body that I will be living with, and that if I wanted to do things deemed as "normal" I needed to get over any flaws I feel are there.' Hattie continued: 'I also needed to forget about what other people may or may not think. Because it's not their opinion that is going to keep me going – it's mine. 'I decided to wear a bikini because I remembered how good I felt wearing it last year - my first ever bikini that I'd had the courage to buy after being so body conscious for so long. 'I remembered how little fear I felt when people looked at me. I didn't want to fall back into that place where I'd hide in my towel as soon as I got out of the water. 'I told myself that my stoma is nothing to be ashamed of. So I wore the bikini that made me feel beautiful last year, and instead of falling two steps back, I moved one step further towards that self esteem I so desperately want to maintain.' Hattie plans to keep her blog going full time and says that she hopes to raise more awareness of people living with an ostomy bag . Hattie shared another photo of herself with her ostomy bag attached to her stomach . Describing the moment she headed for the pool Hattie said: 'I left the changing rooms and walked over to the pool. As my is scar very prominent I was expecting stares and fingers. But my expectations were wrong. 'Nobody stared, nobody pointed. I slowly got into the pool – not wanting to jump in, in case the pressure of the water caused my bag to float away. 'I was able to get into the pool with ease and began swimming. The water felt amazing. I couldn't even feel my bag while in the water. 'It was as if for that amount of time none of this year had happened, no surgery, no stoma, no bag. I was taken back to last year, I felt as if I was back on that same day where I felt absolutely amazing. 'I swam a few lengths before getting out to use the steam room. I was a little breathless as it was the most exercise I'd done in a while.' Hattie also says that her boyfriend Angelo Caponi has been a big part of rebuilding her confidence. She said: 'My boyfriend and I have been together for two years, meeting early 2013. We live together so there's not really much choice but to be open with him about everything. 'Which has actually been great for me as I feel so comfortable with my body around him. Our sex life hasn't changed one bit. 'Of course, the first few weeks we were very cautious and he was a bit wary as he didn't want to hurt me. 'But for me, sex was never an issue. We always had such an active sex life before the surgery and I didn't want that to change.' As for the future Hattie plans to carry on her blog which is sponsored by SecuriCare Medical and clinimed.co.uk, in order to raise awareness and end the stignma around IBD and ostomy.
target: Hattie Gladwell was fitted with an ileostomy bag in January this year .
  She had undergone emergency surgery for ulcerative colitis .
  The 19-year-old  blogs about her life with her bag fitted to small intestine .
  She reveals all about her sex life and the effect it has on her confidence .