Life-changing device gets Evesham dad home to his young family - The Evesham Observer

Life-changing device gets Evesham dad home to his young family

Evesham Editorial 24th Jun, 2022   0

AN EVESHAM dad who faced six months in hospital after the agony of a perforated bowel has returned home to his young family in just six weeks thanks to an innovative new device.

Daniel Waters, who was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease when he was 19, was taken to the Worcestershire Royal Hospital by ambulance in the early hours of Friday, April 29 after waking up suffering extreme abdominal pain.

But rather than miss out on life with his family, including a six-month-old baby, the 33-year-old is now home after he became one of just 40 patients in the country to receive an innovative, life-changing medical device to manage his condition.

After a CT scan confirmed the perforated bowel, Daniel underwent emergency surgery where nearly a foot of damaged small intestine was removed and a stoma – an opening on the abdomen connected to the digestive system – had to be created to allow waste to leave his body.




Despite making excellent progress in intensive care, it soon became apparent Daniel’s remaining bowel was not absorbing enough nutrients.

Unable to eat or drink, he was instead being fed a liquid nutrient diet 24 hours a day bypassing the digestive system but his weight dropped by more than a stone.


The warehouse worker faced four months or more in hospital on a cocktail of more than 160 tablets a day and a restricted liquid diet until his strength could be built up for a further operation to re-join the two ends of his bowel and reverse his stoma.

But away from his wife Natalie, five-year-old Pixie and six-month-old Kitt, it was a situation Daniel and his medical team were keen to avoid.

Pamela Sivathondan, Consultant Bowel and IBD Surgeon was informed about ‘The Insides System’ which enables the intestinal losses from the stoma to be reinfused into the intestine.

“The Insides System has only been used in around 40 patients across the UK and approximately 150 worldwide, so it was an innovative solution and it was a bit of a pipe dream,” she said.

It was a dream which became a reality and Daniel returned home last Wednesday (June 15) a week after being fitted with the device to end a ‘rollercoaster’ few weeks.

“The prospect of spending months in hospital without being able to eat or drink, or be at home with my family, was not a nice one,” he said.

“Pixie has repeatedly asked ‘when are you coming home’ so to be able to leave just one week after having this innovative device fitted is amazing.

Since being fitted with the device, Daniel has come off all medication and is already eating and drinking small amounts.

He will require monthly visits to maintain the device in addition to home visits from community Stoma nurses before a follow-up operation which could leave him Crohn’s free by the end of the year.

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