The 46-year-old Parenthood star, Monica Potter, is definitely not pregnant.
She posted a photo of her swollen belly on her social media platforms to raise awareness about the disease she's suffering from.
I have something to share... pic.twitter.com/5lhOpTsfyQ
— Monica Potter (@monicapotter) January 17, 2018
Only a few hours after she made the post, her social media feeds were flooded with messages congratulating her on her fourth pregnancy.
Awww!! Happy for you! Congratulations!
— courtney jarbeau (@kirtney) January 18, 2018
That's not what the post intended, but she's glad it's been getting a lot of attention.
"So we posted something yesterday about my belly, and thank you for all of the well-wishes "” I'm not pregnant. I'm kind of a little old to be pregnant, but you never know," Potter explained in her personal video. "But what I wanted to bring to everyone's awareness was some issues that I've been having with my belly, and sometimes these issues aren't talked about."
Here's what the star has been suffering from.
Potter said she was diagnosed with colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease, after dealing with "belly issues." She's been battling the disease for almost two years.
"I haven't really talked about it. It's not really glamorous," she confessed. "I've had to wear adult diapers sometimes driving Molly [her daughter] to school. That's not really glamorous either. But I think finding the right healthcare provider and dealing with these issues can prolong your life and also diagnose things you might not really understand."
Potter is encouraging people to get a colonoscopy test after learning that one in 24 women will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer.
"I've had a few friends pass away from colon cancer, and this is something I wanted to share with you," she said. "I'm okay, I'm just getting ready for my yearly checkup to look at what's going on down there. I noticed the bloat in my belly and I thought that I should share this."
Watch her YouTube video describing her experiences below:
Currently, there is no "cure" for the disease, but certain types of colon issues can be treated with medicines and changes in diet.
