FRESH help has been offered to a woman told to live on just water to keep severe pain from an infected gallbladder at bay until she can have an operation.

FRESH help has been offered to a woman told to live on just water to keep severe pain from an infected gallbladder at bay until she can have an operation.

Bonnie Collins, 28, of Kingsbury Road, Trimley St Mary, was told she would have to endure the pain and wait four months for an op or Ipswich Hospital would not get paid by the primary care trust for her treatment.

The hospital has denied this and says patients are treated according to clinical need and urgency.

However now she has been told she will have the operation on December 1 and been offered other help in the meantime to control the pain.

She said: “I have been given an appointment next week with a dietician to look at nutrition and hope this will enable me to eat something other than water without feeling pain.

“I have also been offered an appointment with a different GP to talk about pain management.

“Officials at Ipswich Hospital say they can do the operation on December 1 which means I should be fit and well for Christmas.”

Mrs Collins, whose husband Jacob, 29, is a BT employee, said she had received lots of letters of support and encouragement from other people who had suffered gallbladder problems.

The self-employed events co-ordinator and greeting cards designer said: “I didn't expect such support and it has been very helpful to hear other people's experiences and to have such nice messages of support.”

Suffolk Coastal MP John Gummer has written to Ipswich Hospital chief executive Andrew Reed seeking an explanation about Mrs Collins' situation.

Her problems started when her gallbladder became infected four months ago. She was advised that living on a special low-fat diet was the only way to stop the pain but this did not work and so was told living on just water was the only way to stay pain-free.

She has since twice been admitted to hospital suffering severe pain but was sent home after a few days and told to wait for her operation.

Ipswich Hospital said everyone was treated on the basis of clinical priority with cases classed emergency, urgent and routine, where it is felt a patient can safely wait for an operation, to ensure patients are treated “in turn”.

WEBLINK: www.ipswichhospital.org.uk