NEED TO KNOW
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Paula Sojo’s popular TikTok video shares how her worsening symptoms were ignored until emergency surgery uncovered a serious complication related to Crohn’s disease.
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Sojo notes that she experienced symptoms for years and believes that earlier recognition could have altered her health journey.
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Now in remission, she leverages her platform to educate others about “red flags” and empower those living with ostomies through her brand Osto•me Fashion.
When Paula Sojo was 18, she looked into a toilet bowl and saw blood, a moment that made it clear to her that something was very wrong.
Reflecting on her experiences, Sojo expressed a wish that her doctors had been better informed, indicating that they seemed to overlook the pieces of her symptoms for years. “Early detection matters,” she emphasizes.
Her story gained traction on TikTok after she made a “Put a Finger Down” video detailing the months leading up to her Crohn’s disease diagnosis. Crohn’s is classified by the Mayo Clinic as an inflammatory bowel disease that leads to inflammation in the digestive tract.
In the viral clip, now with over 32 million views, Sojo shares how her intensifying pain was misdiagnosed as “probably just hemorrhoids.”
But, she insists, the warning signs started long before her 18th birthday. “My symptoms didn’t just crop up then,” she clarifies, saying she had frequently visited doctors throughout her life.
She recalls chronic canker sores that made swallowing water painful and wonders why no one recommended seeing a gastrointestinal specialist.
Her health deteriorated rapidly once she turned 18, particularly during the pandemic when online college classes kept her from getting out of bed.
The fatigue was suffocating. Joint pain affected her hands to the point of making texting unbearable, and she experienced a troubling loss of appetite, leading to significant weight loss.
“I’m almost six feet and I dropped to nearly 90 pounds,” she says. Faced with the sight of blood, she called her family doctor for an immediate appointment.
In response, she was handed hemorrhoid cream and told she might be spending too much time on the toilet. “He said, get off your phone. Stop scrolling,” she recalls, reflecting on the sense of dismissal.
Weeks passed as she used the cream, while her condition worsened with fevers and severe pain that made walking difficult. Eventually, she insisted on going to the hospital alone due to COVID restrictions.
At the emergency room, she was told, once again, that it was likely hemorrhoids, though she left with a scheduled colonoscopy to “rule out” any other issues. After persistent calls from her mother, she was eventually seen sooner.
Arriving for the procedure, she was in distress with a high fever and panic. “I didn’t know what was wrong, but I knew it was bad,” she explains.
Waking up after the colonoscopy, she received life-changing news: “You’re being admitted for surgery,” the doctor informed her.
This marked the start of a six-month hospital stint that involved multiple surgeries. Sojo faced complications such as abscesses and fistulas, which led to sepsis.
“I would go septic, nearly dying every single time,” she says, recalling the gravity of her situation. A temporary ileostomy was performed as a last resort.
At such a young age, the physical agony was intense, but the emotional impact was equally significant. “At 18, self-confidence is everything,” she notes.
She mourned her lost health, independence, and the college experience she had envisioned. Friendships changed during her hospital stay, and her boyfriend of three years ended their relationship following her ileostomy surgery.
“I was grieving everything,” she says. The drastic weight loss and the addition of a medical device made it hard for her to recognize her own body.
After trying various medications without results, Sojo underwent a proctocolectomy, which involved removing her rectum, anus, and colon, making her ostomy permanent. The recovery was lengthy and painful.
However, the surgery provided stability in her life, and her Crohn’s has remained under control since then.
As time passed, her grief shifted into a sense of clarity. “My energy is precious,” she explains, reflecting on how her chronic illness taught her to treat her energy like a valuable resource.
This new perspective led to surprising developments. Years after her surgeries, Sojo began considering the aesthetics and usability of ostomy products during her adjustment period.
Alongside her family, she launched Osto•me Fashion, designing fashionable ostomy covers that allow others to feel confident rather than clinical. She says the brand has made a global impact since its inception.
Living with an ostomy, she stresses, doesn’t mean the journey ends there. Through her social media and business, she aims to demystify ostomies and highlight the importance of awareness surrounding Crohn’s disease. “If someone had just caught it early,” she reflects, “things wouldn’t have escalated so badly.” Sharing her experiences, she hopes others learn to recognize the warning signs and advocate for their health.
She defines resilience as not just about pretending everything is fine, but rather getting up each day and trying. “Some days, that might just mean brushing your teeth,” she says. “If you can still say, no matter how tough tomorrow feels, I’m just going to give it a shot, that’s incredible.”
