A HIGH flying career as an air hostess with an international airline was always Clare Isaac’s dream job, but after years working as a British Airways worldwide cabin crew member, a debilitating bladder condition left Clare barely able to work in the job she loved so much.
Clare, from Cardiff, has severe overactive bladder syndrome, a condition where sufferers feel an urgent and frequent need to go to the toilet, even when their bladder isn’t full.
The impact of the condition on Clare’s career was dramatic - despite trying a huge variety of treatments.
Clare, who lives with her two children and her partner John, explained: “The effect on my working life was huge - I had to visit the toilet every half an hour, which is very disruptive and difficult, especially when you’re working on long-haul flights. “Ultimately though, it was a lack of sleep that meant I had to consider giving up work – the condition meant that I had to get up eight or nine times a night, and I was left exhausted and unable to fly.
Clare spent years visiting doctors around the world – desperate to find a treatment to solve her condition and make her working life easier. She said: “I’d been treated with bladder rinses and antibiotics in this country, but nothing worked, so I ended up scouring the internet looking for other options. I even flew to doctors in America who could prescribe me a specialist drug that wasn’t available in the UK, but that didn’t work either.”
Finally, in 2005, Clare was told about a specialist treatment for overactive bladder syndrome, using Botox, available close to home, at Spire Cardiff Hospital. Clare said: “I’d heard of Botox injections for getting rid of wrinkles, but not for the sort of problem I had! “I was initially dubious, as I’d tried so many treatments before, but the Botox treatment I received at Spire Cardiff Hospital was miraculously effective.”
Miss Meena Agarwal, the consultant urological surgeon at Spire Cardiff Hospital who treated Clare explained:
“The Botox treatment works by temporarily paralysing the muscle that causes bladder spasms, meaning the patient doesn’t feel the frequent need to urinate anymore. Botox to the bladder is a fairly new treatment and has been highly effective in Clare’s case.”
The procedure involved inserting a cytoscope in Clare’s urethra with a fine needle on the end, to administer up to 20 injections of Botox in the bladder wall. Clare said: Although I experienced a small amount of discomfort, the treatment wasn’t painful and the result has been absolutely life-changing. “The treatment does ‘wear off’ after eight months or so, when I have to return for more injections, but I’ve been able to return to work, and I have to say I’m delighted with the Botox. I can’t thank Spire Cardiff Hospital and my surgeon Miss Agarwal enough for giving me my normal life back.”
