Behind the Hashtag: How Billie Anderson uses #NoColonStillRollin to talk about body changes, sex and dating

"I just didn't want it to be true, I just wanted to be normal," Billie Anderson remembers of the day she learned all 5ft of her large intestines were to be removed.

Around a year after the university student was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 2017, she underwent the invasive procedure known as a colostomy.

And like every one in 500 people in the UK, she now lives with a stoma bag which collects waste outside her body.

Billie soon found a network of people who could support her online and uses #NoColonStillRollin to share how she adjusted to her new body and learned to talk about everything from sex to stretch marks.

The shock of the diagnosis

Billie found out about her condition when she was just 20 years old.

"Between my diagnosis and my surgery, I was probably one of the worst human beings you could have come across," the 22 year old told ITV News.

Around 6,400 permanent colostomies are carried out in the UK each year.

But the prospect of removing a part of her body that was almost as long as her terrified Billie.

The temporary ileostomy Billie was booked in for was a lot to take in for the then 20 year old student.

She put a call out for help online and was overwhelmed as around 150 messages of encouragement came in from strangers.

But adjusting to her physical change soon proved challenging amid her studies at the university of Portsmouth.

Adjusting to the change

When she first got a stoma, it took Billie close to two hours to change it and shower. Credit: Billie Anderson

Billie had to learn how to care for her body and build a weekly bag-changing routine into her lifestyle.

"It's terrifying, you get in there and you suddenly see this like little worm poking out of your stomach and it's weird and it doesn't look right."

Shortly after her surgery she developed skin issues from changing her bag incorrectly.

"Everything sort of plummeted quite quickly and I couldn't work out why because this was supposed to be a good thing and suddenly it wasn't a good thing anymore," she added.

The knock to her confidence made her again reach out to the online community for support.

They reassured her that feeling overwhelmed and guilty was a natural response.

She said: "You now have an entirely new body that takes a lot to really understand and so talking to them really helped."

Helping others with a hashtag

Around 50,000 posts on Instagram have the hashtag.

Armed with advice from her online friends, she uses #NoColonStillRollin to encourage people to talk about their experience online.

The hashtag has been used around 50,000 times on Instagram so far.

Billie's blog and social media accounts are littered with pictures of her bag on show to let people know she is open to talking about her operation.

Now that she's comfortable with her condition, Billie receives all sorts of questions from across the country asking for tips and words of wisdom.

"Relationships, dating, online dating, sex all of that," are among the few topics people are curious about, she said.

"When I was on Tinder for example, I had a photograph of myself in a bikini on the beach with my bag.

"If someone doesn't like it, that's their problem not yours," she added.

And the one thing she would tell her fellow bag wearers?

"It's about confidence."

Plus, she says, talking about your situation.

"I've found that people are a lot more understanding than you'd think they'd be," she said.

Colostomy UK provides information on stoma surgery, support and advice can be found on their website and by phone on 0800 328 4257.