Derbyshire woman, 21, with chronic constipation has bowel removed
By ITV Central Production Journalist Nick Reid
A Derbyshire woman was left so severely bloated by chronic constipation people thought she was pregnant.
Constant pain, tiredness and being bloated were just some of the issues Dani Buonaguro had to face each day as she has been forced to live with her condition since the age of four.
The now 21-year-old, of Holbrook, near Belper, made the decision to have an ileostomy back in December last year, which saw her bowel completely removed.
She now wears a stoma bag which she says has changed her life for the better and something she is proud to have.
Dani and her boyfriend Tom Iliffe want to raise awareness about ileostomies and stomas, showing that it is nothing to be embarrassed about and they want to raise awareness about how they can change people's lives.
Dani said: "Before the ileostomy I was constantly bloated, constantly tired and just always in pain.
"People would even come up to me in the supermarket telling me where the baby aisles were.
"Even when I was in hospital people would say to me that should be in the maternity ward.
"It really used to really get me down.
"Making the decision to have the operation was one of the best things I have done, it has totally changed my way of life for the better.
"Wearing the bag can make people very self conscious, but it shouldn't do. It is a good thing and it is something people should really consider.
"I wear whatever I want now, i'm not bothered if it is hidden or not. I know it means I can live a much better life and means I wont get other conditions when I get older."
What is an ileostomy?
The NHS says an ileostomy is:
where the small bowel (small intestine) is diverted through an opening in the tummy (abdomen)
the opening is known as a stoma
a special bag is placed over the stoma to collect waste products that usually pass through the colon (large intestine) and then out of the body
For Dani, she has had all of her bowel completely removed. The stoma bag means she has had to change her diet - and greens tend to cause a lot of issues.
She said: "It is really strange, before the ileostomy I had to each things that were high in fibre, but now that has changed round and I have to eat things low in fibre.
"This is to slow me down needing to go to the toilet as much, so I have to be careful what I eat.
"I know it is going to get easier and I should be able to live my life, be able to do things and not have the pain, tiredness or bloated-ness that I have had all my life."
Tom, her boyfriend, says he is so proud of Dani after everything she has been through.
The 26-year-old said: "I want to shout it from the rooftops that is it ok to have an ileostomy.
"People see it and don't know how to take it. Trolls can also be very mean and say this kind of thing is disgusting. This is just wrong.
"Over the last few months she’s been nothing but brave and heroic throughout the recovery.
"When you say stoma and ileostomy many people look at you gone out and this seems to be such a sensitive subject that many people don’t realise how big or what it is.
"They don’t understand the day-to-day struggles people go through with this operation and what they go through in general life."
Tom said that It’s ok to have a colostomy or Ileostomy and that there is nothing wrong wearing a bag.
He said: "I am so proud of Dani with everything she has been through, she is just amazing and a real inspiration.
"We want to show the world that it is ok to have the stoma, that it is a positive thing and that it change people's lives for the better.
"Thank you in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me."
Tom will be running the Derby 10k on April 10, to raise funds for Colostomy UK.