RELATIONSHIPS & FAMILY

Bowel hell survivor Claire tells JOAN McFADDEN why life-changing surgery won’t stop her living life to the full – even with a few mishaps along the way

A LIFE-CHANGING medical emergency made young mum Claire Sandford realise the importance of family and friends.

When she was 25, Claire was struck down by a bowel infection. The resulting surgery saved her life but left her with a stoma, where bodily waste is collected in a bag that sits outside the body.

For a young woman, it was devastating. Her recovery was far from easy and coming to terms with the stoma was a real challenge.

But with the support of her current partner, daughter and her two best friends – and some true grit on her part – Claire is happy, healthy and confident. And she hopes to inspire other young women facing a similar ordeal.

She said: “When you’re in your mid-20s, working, having fun with your friends, dating and finding your way in the world, how you look is part of that.

“I took pride in my appearance. I ate healthily, exercised and looked after my hair and makeup.

“I had only been going out with my boyfriend Jim for 10 months when this all happened and suddenly I was desperately ill and undergoing major surgery to save my life.

“Not only that, I now faced a lifetime of having a bag attached to me. It affected me dramatically, really knocking my confidence.

“I was very weak for a long time and I was off work for nine months. It took a long, long time to come to terms with what had happened to me.

“I couldn’t wear the clothes I used to wear and to start with, I couldn’t exercise or go out with friends. They came to me as I recuperated. I felt different, no longer young and carefree.”

Support practitioner Claire, of Annbank, Ayrshire, said the nature of her illness meant it was a difficult subject to broach.

She added: “It’s certainly not an easy subject to talk about.

“I’d had bowel problems since I was 18 or 19. My doctor thought I had IBS and gave me peppermint tablets. These didn’t help but it’s hard to be assertive over something like this when you’re young.”

As the pain and discomfort worsened, Claire’s GP eventually took blood samples amd decided to refer her for further tests.

She said: “I got an urgent call from the surgery, saying I had to go there immediately.

“The doctor said I had to go to hospital immediately as my bowel was severely infected. I collapsed in the surgery because my body was shutting down and I was rushed to hospital in an ambulance.”

The pain was so intense that she had to be given morphine and her memory of the next few days is mercifully blurred.

Claire, 33, added: “I can’t remember much at all. I was filled with steroids to try to fight the infection. The pain was indescribable and I was begging for help.”

Her condition stabilised but then worsened again and she was rushed to emergency surgery to have the infected bowel removed.

Claire said: “I was told what was happening but I didn’t take it in. I remember the stoma nurse coming in and using a black pen on my belly to mark where the stoma would be.

“But I honestly didn’t realise that I’d wake up with a bag on my tummy where all my poo would go.”

It can be difficult to see a friend go through something so challenging and Claire is very generous about the few pals who drifted away.

She added: “If nothing else, it showed me