Man who gave in to craving for Haribo sweets ends up spending six days in hospital

A lorry driver from Yorkshire ended up in hospital after he "overdosed" on a massive 3kg catering pack of Haribo's cola bottle sweets due to a sudden craving.

Nathan Rimmington, who operates an HGV business in Barnsley, South Yorks, had a hankering for some cola bottles and decided to order them online rather than making the trip to his local supermarket.

The 33-year-old opted for a 3kg 'bulk bag', which retails for £18 on Amazon and is typically purchased by small businesses like sweet shops.

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After receiving his hefty bag of sweets, Nathan indulged himself over three evenings post-dinner, consuming a staggering total of 10,461 calories.

However, a day or two later, the father-of-one began experiencing excruciating stomach cramps.

When his condition didn't improve, he scheduled a GP appointment, and upon noticing his skyrocketing blood pressure, excessive sweating, and cramps, the doctor referred him to hospital.

Hospital staff initially suspected Nathan was suffering from severe food poisoning, but when tests showed high levels of gelatine in his system, he sheepishly admitted to his sweet binge.

Gelatine, present in most gummy confectionery, can trigger bowel blockages when eaten in vast amounts – with some severe cases requiring surgical intervention.

Medical professionals diagnosed Nathan with acute diverticulitis, the sudden swelling and infection of the large bowel, and he was connected to IV drips to cleanse his system.

Now battling 'cola bottle PTSD', Nathan reveals he hasn't gone near any of the treats since the ordeal last year - despite a cheeky mate purchasing him a bag for his birthday.

Nathan revealed: "I just had a hankering for cola bottles. I went on Amazon, as I couldn't be bothered going to the shop, and I saw this big pack of Haribo. It was £18 for 3kg and I thought 'that's alright' so I bought it. I was right giddy about it coming. I haven't really got a sweet tooth, I just fancied Haribo cola bottles."

Within three days, Nathan had demolished the entire pack: "The next day my stomach was in absolute agony. Wednesday came round and I couldn't even get out of bed and was sweating, it was awful.

"I sat there thinking 'enough's enough I've got to go to the doctors'. I was literally lying on the floor in the waiting room because I had shocking sharp stomach pains."

Nathan's GP sent him to Rotherham Hospital in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, when they discovered his blood pressure was dangerously elevated and he was perspiring profusely, alongside the stomach cramps.

Initially puzzled, medics conducted a series of tests and ultimately found elevated levels of gelatine in Nathan's system, prompting them to question his confectionery consumption habits before reaching a conclusive diagnosis.

Nathan's blood pressure and temperature were "through the roof," and he wound up being detained in hospital for six days.

At first, he explains, medics suspected he was experiencing a severe bout of food poisoning: "Then they said 'you've got loads of gelatine [in your system], do you eat a lot of sweets?' I said I'd had some cola bottles, they asked me how many and I said 'three kilos'.

"I didn't think that was bad. They were laughing and joking about it with me."

Following the discovery of what caused his agony, medics ordered him to have nothing by mouth and connected him to IV drips throughout his six-day admission.

Twelve months after the agonising episode, Nathan revealed: "It was my own stupid fault, I've not eaten a cola bottle since.

"On my birthday my best mate bought me a 3kg bag of cola bottles as a joke. It's like PTSD, I see a cola bottle now and think I'm going to end up in A&E. My advice to avoid the same thing happening to anyone else would be just do it in moderation, don't go full blast and get kilos of it at a time."

Haribo have been contacted for comment.

WHAT IS DIVERTICULITIS?

According to the NHS, diverticulitis is a condition that impacts the large bowel, leading to abdominal discomfort and other symptoms. It's triggered by small bulges or pouches in the intestinal walls known as diverticula.

Alongside infection or inflammation of the intestine, other symptoms can encompass severe, constant stomach pain, high temperature and bleeding or passing mucus from your bottom.