‘GASTRIC OP ORDEAL RUINED MY LIFE’
A FORMER social worker who developed an eating disorder after suffering major complications with a gastric bypass operation says the ordeal has “destroyed her life”.
Hazel Orchard, from Dinas Powys in the Vale of Glamorgan, said she became morbidly obese and could not wash or dress herself after decades of unhealthy eating.
After being turned down for a gastric bypass procedure on the Welsh NHS, she found a private hospital in England willing to carry it out for £10,000.
But just days after the operation she said she developed agonising stomach pains and needed surgery at the University Hospital of Wales (UHW) in Cardiff to fix a “ruptured bowel”.
As a result of further complications – and the fact her stomach was a fraction of the size it used to be – Hazel developed an eating disorder which saw her weight plummet from 22st to just 5st 7lb.
The 58-year-old mum said her mental battle with food left her suicidal and led to her being sectioned twice.
She said she was now being given expert help from the eating disorder team at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board who she describes as “unsung heroes”.
“This has cost me my friendships, my dignity, and taken away my livelihood and identity,” she said.
“I’ve been told I’ve lost 78% of my body weight but that’s still taking into account the weight of my excess skin. “This nearly cost me my life.” Hazel, who grew up in a “deprived” family whose staple meal was sausages and “mountains” of chips, said her weight eventually made her incontinent.
“I couldn’t reach my feet, I couldn’t put on my tights, and I couldn’t carry out my own personal hygiene needs,” said Hazel.
“I inquired about a gastric bypass on the NHS but because I had no problems with my blood pressure or my cholesterol and didn’t have diabetes I didn’t meet the criteria. I fully accepted that.”
But after signing up to a private medical company, which referred her to Spire Little Aston Hospital in Birmingham, she underwent a laparoscopic gastric bypass operation in September 2013 at a cost of £10,000.
It involves creating a small “pouch” at the top of the stomach using staples, which fills up with food quickly and gives people the sensation of fullness.
“Basically, for the rest of your living days you are unable to eat anything other than child portions of food,” she said.
But after returning to Wales, Hazel said she soon felt severe abdominal pain and called her GP out-of-hours service which referred her to the Welsh Ambulance Service.
She was then taken to A&E at UHW where she says the staples from the procedure had ruptured her bowel, which meant no food could go down or up.
“I asked the doctor if I was going to die because that’s how bad I felt,” she said.
“My daughter and my neighbour, who were both with me, were told to prepare themselves for the worst.”
Hazel said she took legal action against the surgeon involved in the operation but the doctor was found not to be in breach of his duty because the complication came from a staple.
“And as part of my deal with the medical company the £10,000 was meant to cover the operation and three years of aftercare,” she said.
“But the company then went into liquidation, leaving me trying to get help from the NHS again.”
In February 2015, Hazel said she needed a further life-saving procedure when she developed internal adhesions which had wrapped themselves around her bowel.
“It was cutting off blood supply to my bowel,” she added.
“Thankfully the surgeon at UHW was able to save my bowel so I wouldn’t need a colostomy bag for the rest of my life.”
Hazel said for years after the bariatric procedure her diet consisted of jars of baby food, natural yoghurt and flavoured water.
And because she was so repulsed by the smell of food she would avoid big supermarkets and buy all her food at her local corner shop.
“I created this safe bubble for myself,” she added.
“I knew in my local shop if I went to one aisle I could get my 0% natural yoghurt, then in another I could get my fat-free Philadelphia.
“My fear of food was so great that I would rather die than put on any weight.
“I’ve lost so much weight I now wear clothes suitable for children aged 12 to 13 years old.”
She said Wales desperately needs a specialist adult eating disorder unit.
“Eating disorders are often associated with young women who want to look like models but it affects men and older people too,” she added.
“And there are also many types of eating disorders around.
“Having an eating disorder can be very isolating and lonely. If you have a drug or alcohol addiction there are support groups – but what is there for people with eating disorders?”
She also praised the work of the NHS who came to her aid following the complications from the private procedure.
“I spent £10,000 privately but through my follow-up operations, and help from the eating disorder group and mental health services, I would have cost the NHS far more.”
Richard Foulkes, hospital director, Spire Little Aston Hospital, said: “We are unable to comment on this particular situation as a matter of patient confidentiality.
“However, we would like to reaffirm that at Spire Little Aston Hospital our top priority is always the welfare and safety of our patients.
“We take this responsibility seriously and set high standards across every aspect of the hospital. We act quickly and thoroughly if we know these standards have not been met.”
Hazel, who can no longer work, decided to speak out about her years of suffering ahead of Eating Disorders Week which runs from February 26 to March 4.