- 5 weeks ago
Shut-Ins- Britain's Fattest People (2015) Season 3 Episode 1- AJ - Part One
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00:00Southampton, a city by the sea, but behind these doors is a woman who has not set eyes
00:15on the ocean for almost a decade.
00:20Claire has been bedbound and shut in for the last eight years.
00:24I hate being shy and it's the worst thing ever. This is like a slow death. You know, you
00:32could think of all the worst ways to die, this to me is worse than anything I can imagine.
00:36It feels like the whole world has forgotten me.
00:4349-year-old Claire weighs 197 kilos and lives within the four walls of what used to be her
00:49living room.
00:50I sleep here, eat here, get washed here, go to the toilet here.
00:57She is unable to walk more than a few steps at a time.
01:01I do feel trapped when I'm stuck in on my own. There is no one in this planet can make me
01:10feel more ashamed of myself right now for how I am for me.
01:18Claire struggled with her weight from an early age. She had a difficult upbringing and was
01:23never close to her mother.
01:26Looking back then, I used food to comfort myself because I didn't have anything else.
01:33By the time she was 21, she was married and already weighed 127 kilos. And over the years,
01:40she continued to pile on the pounds.
01:43Eight years ago, Claire developed necrotising fasciitis, a terrifying flesh-eating illness
01:50which almost killed her and left her shut in and bed bound.
01:53I allowed myself to get like this. I should have done something about it. But it was becoming
02:00hard to change.
02:02Being super morbidly obese has taken a terrible toll on her body.
02:08I think my belly button is somewhere underneath this lump down there, somewhere. This is my
02:16side bit and should be more around there and my belly should be up on here.
02:22And her weight has left her with life-threatening health problems, including diabetes, which means
02:27she has to inject herself daily with insulin.
02:30She is plagued by constant skin infections and parts of her body have become abnormally swollen.
02:40In here is my knee. I've lost it in there somewhere. So that happened a couple of years ago.
02:45That was really uncomfortable.
02:48But Claire isn't alone. She lives with her 19-year-old daughter, Jasmine, who remembers
02:53very different times.
02:56When I was younger, my mum was happy. She was always laughing with the friends at the
03:03time. We were always like singing to songs and everything. My life is completely different
03:09to what it was before.
03:12Since she was 11 years old, Jasmine has been putting her mother's needs first.
03:17I didn't really want to go to school because I didn't want to leave my mum. I wanted to stay
03:22with her because she needed my help.
03:24Jasmine brings Claire food, helps with her personal care, and does most of the housework.
03:39And she's even on call for her mother at night.
03:43Thank you, my love. It's constant care. I'm like a big baby that needs constant looking after.
03:53Yes, that feels great, William.
03:56With her only escape being a part-time job, Jasmine has little time for a life of her
04:00own.
04:01My social life is non-existent. I think the last time I went out with my friends was a couple
04:08years ago, years ago, really. This is frozen.
04:11Claire's weight is putting it under enormous strain. I love my mum, don't get me wrong, but it's
04:27very difficult to, like, get up in the morning sometimes because of what I have to do.
04:35Pop it right, push it right under. I'll try and, there you go.
04:40You shouldn't have to look after your mum. Your mum looks after you. It's not her fault. And if she could, she would change everything. Sorry.
04:52Jasmine has an older sister, Tracy. It's all dry. She used to shoulder most of the load. But four years ago, she moved out and is now a single mum to her two children.
05:05Yeah. Is that good? I feel like I have escaped, but I'm still being dragged back in, even though I've got my own space.
05:14Every day, Tracy returns to cook dinner.
05:17I don't want to feel like I need to be with mum to make sure that she's okay all the time.
05:23I want to concentrate on my own little family.
05:30I want a life just like everyone else.
05:32Now all three of them are trapped in a situation they can't seem to break out of.
05:37I don't want to be a burden. I wish that I didn't have to be looked after.
05:42I want them to just have a life. I don't want them to be shut in.
05:47Aware of the pressure she has been placing on her daughters, Claire desperately wants to change.
05:53She's been trying to diet, but with so little to do all day, she still turns to food for comfort.
06:00Carbs are my trigger food. I like bread and pasta a lot and pork pies and pies.
06:09I'm just a carb fiend, really. If it's a carb, I'll eat it.
06:13Even the dogs are addicted.
06:19Jasmine and Tracy are also gaining a worrying amount of weight.
06:23This is our sweet drawer. So we put like chocolate in there, crisps, doughnuts if we have them.
06:32So that's for me.
06:35Oh, it's affecting our weights terribly because we're not doing anything.
06:38Because we're stuck in dealing with mum.
06:40And it does run with me that I'm going to be like that.
06:43And I don't want that. And I especially don't want it for me because of my kids.
06:46Don't want to put them in the same situation that mum's put me into.
06:50They are far bigger than I was at their age, the pair of them.
06:55I just don't want them to be in a bed like me.
06:58Don't forget to scream.
07:01After eight years stuck in a bed, Claire dreams of a different future.
07:07I'd love to be able to go out with my grandkids and walk my dog.
07:12And strange things like washing up and ironing, just normal things.
07:17I'd like to be able to do those things.
07:23Nick Carter is a consultant bariatric surgeon who works at her local hospital.
07:29He's known Claire for the last five years and has been encouraging her to lose weight.
07:34He thinks the only way she will ever be able to leave her house is to have stomach reducing surgery.
07:41It's crucial that Claire has surgery because without it she will die younger.
07:47And the complications that she's having at the moment will multiply.
07:51It would be fair to describe her as a ticking time bomb.
07:56Today he wants to find out if she has made enough progress so he can finally help her.
08:01Now, you look like you've lost weight.
08:05Well, I hope I have because I have tried to keep myself on to a fairly good diet.
08:10What is your hope?
08:12To be able to get out again.
08:14To leave the house?
08:15Yeah.
08:16That's what I want, I want to have my life back.
08:18What are your fears?
08:20Going here, leaving the kids.
08:23What we need to work out is whether we can do a safe operation on you.
08:28Yeah.
08:29I think we need to get you up to the hospital to see the whole team.
08:32Yeah, well I'll try anything and do anything.
08:34Good.
08:35Yeah, I'm not going to give up.
08:37I get the impression that Jasmine and indeed Tracy, her other daughter, must be there all the time looking after her and doing everything for her.
08:47But if she can get mobile and do her own cooking, toileting, cleaning, her daughters will be free.
08:56For Claire, any hope of being able to escape her house now rests on getting through a surgical assessment.
09:04You don't want this on?
09:05No, thank you a lot.
09:06It would have been everything for me to go outside.
09:09There was no amount of money in the entire world that could be given to me to top the feeling of being able to go out and not be stuck in here.
09:21Just looking out at life passing you by.
09:25Claire has been trapped in her house for the last eight years, only leaving when she needs to go to hospital.
09:38Take your time.
09:40It takes a specialist ambulance team to move her.
09:45Ready to leave her.
09:47Today she's going for a bariatric surgical evaluation at the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth.
09:53The thought of going outside the house after being shut in for so long is scary.
09:59The thought of people looking at me is scary.
10:03I think it's because I'm ashamed of my own body.
10:06Coming to the pool?
10:07Yes.
10:08Too big to fit through her own front door, Claire has had to have large patio doors fitted in her living room.
10:16OK.
10:17Here we go then.
10:19You got a window, Claire?
10:20Yeah, I can look out.
10:21It'll be exciting.
10:22See stuff.
10:23Claire is one of the most challenging patients that her surgeon, Nick Carter, has ever had to deal with.
10:32I think the public will see Claire and blame her for where she's got to and they won't see the struggles that she's had around food and around her medical problems that have helped contribute to the stage that she ended up at.
10:50One more time.
10:51That's it.
10:52Nick's hoping that bariatric surgery could help her lose up to 95 kilos within a year.
11:01So if I can just have a look under here, please, to have a look and see where we can safely do the operation.
11:07As a result of her 197 kilo weight and her battle with her skin infection, her stomach is swollen with an enormous 13 kilo lump.
11:16You've still got ongoing problems with discharge. They've been dribbling on the floor here.
11:20Yeah. Every now and again it just, for some reason, just leak with water.
11:24You can see where the infections are and the soreness.
11:27Before he can book her in for surgery, Nick has to judge if he can navigate around this infected mass.
11:33So does it always flop over on this side?
11:36Yeah, it drags me right over.
11:39I think there's a safe way to get into your tummy to do the operation, which is good.
11:44And I'll hopefully just have you in hospital one night and then we'll get you home again.
11:50Yeah.
11:52I'm looking forward to this. It's going to be great. You're going to do really well.
11:54Yeah. Thank you.
11:57Yes!
11:58Yay!
11:59All systems go.
12:01I nearly cried then.
12:05It's the news Claire has been hoping for.
12:08But she will also need a second surgery in a few months' time to deal with her misshapen abdomen.
12:14There we are. It's coming.
12:16She's costing the NHS thousands of pounds in terms of managing her medical problems.
12:22Doing a relatively cheap operation to try and prevent all of that, it's a no-brainer.
12:28Claire's bariatric surgery is booked for two weeks' time.
12:31She's been put on a strict diet to drastically reduce the size of her liver to make operating on her possible.
12:43Allowed only 800 calories a day, solid food has been substituted for four pints of milk.
12:49Maybe I could just lick a biscuit.
12:53You're going to hate it by the end.
12:56Like, never having milk ever again.
12:59Jasmine and Tracy are determined to keep Claire on track.
13:04But as hunger bites, tensions in the house start to mount.
13:08Why you can't put it in there is beyond me.
13:13So I'm just talking to myself.
13:16Mum gets quite agitated and stressy when she gets hungry and a bit moody as well.
13:22And she snaps quite easily as well.
13:24Jasmine, I think, gets the run of it because she still lives at home.
13:28In my red book is the photo corners.
13:31I also need my tatty teddy one because that's what...
13:34Where's that?
13:35I don't know, love.
13:37Maybe in there.
13:39How is your mum being safe?
13:41Um, she's okay.
13:48Mum was, like, talking about salty popcorn and then she said about getting it
13:54and I was feeling really bad because I wouldn't get it for her.
13:59Oh, that's so annoying.
14:01Why can nothing in this house ever be just left alone?
14:05I know she needs me to get things for it but it's just...
14:09Today's, like, very constant.
14:12Well, it's either got to be in there or in the cupboard.
14:16Well, then you know what we're going to have to do?
14:19We're going to have to...
14:20Well, I've lost my booklet and now you can't find that.
14:24I'm sorry but it's not acceptable.
14:32Sorry.
14:43Although Claire wants her daughters to have a life of their own,
14:47she admits that she finds it hard to let them go.
14:50I am a bit of a, you know, overbearing mother sometimes
14:53but I like the thought of having my kids still with me.
14:56Families should be together.
15:00I can't imagine the family just going like that.
15:03I don't...
15:04Well, I wouldn't let it happen anyway.
15:10It's not just Claire that has difficulty letting go.
15:13Jasmine was only 11 and had just started secondary school
15:20when her mum had necrotising fasciitis and nearly died.
15:24Life was really different when mum came home.
15:27She would be in pain all the time.
15:29It was very difficult to go somewhere
15:32and not be worried about what was happening at home.
15:35It was weird because I wanted to stay with my mum
15:38but I wanted to go out at the same time
15:40so it was very difficult for me.
15:43Now, if I do go out, I constantly worry about my mum.
15:51After Claire's bariatric surgery, the family will face major changes.
15:56So to help them deal with this,
15:57they'll be having regular sessions with psychologist Emma Bennett.
16:01People want change but actually change is unfamiliar
16:06and therefore often scary in its own right
16:09and there's something about a situation that isn't great but you know it.
16:12It's less terrifying than something that's completely different
16:16where the rules have changed.
16:17So what do you think you and Jasmine would come to know
16:20if your mum does start to become independent?
16:22I feel nervous about what my role will be when mum's all better.
16:27Jasmine's always really had the mother role
16:30rather than the daughter role, you know.
16:33I was interested in how much of your day you'd be down here
16:35or how much time you'd get just to yourself.
16:38Yeah, I don't really get that much time.
16:41Do you ever go out and about on your own?
16:43I do but I don't really...
16:45She has to be forced to do it.
16:47Yeah.
16:48I don't know why I feel so like anxious about leaving mum on her own.
16:53What would your guess be when you go out and about
16:55what it's like for your mum to stay here?
16:58Um, isolated, depressing, sad.
17:03Do you think she worries about things?
17:05Yeah, worrying about being on your own.
17:08I still try and encourage them to go out but it's difficult.
17:11Yeah.
17:12You want your children to be able to go out for them
17:13because they're your children and you know that your children need some freedom
17:16at the same time you can desperately want them to stay here
17:18because it's very frightening.
17:19Yeah.
17:20And I did that.
17:21I would say to them go out and then please don't be long.
17:23Yeah.
17:26For Tracey and Jasmine, being shut in isn't about being in that room in their house.
17:30It's about the nature of the relationship as it is with Claire at the minute
17:35and possibly at times it's close to the point of stifling.
17:39It's been two weeks since Claire started her milk diet and she's managed to lose nearly 13 kilos.
17:51I'm quite proud how well I've done actually.
17:54Thank you, ma'am.
17:55Thank you, darling.
17:56I mean, it's torture.
17:57In your head you feel like you want to eat.
18:00Today she's finally getting the surgery that will start her on the path to freedom.
18:05What to bring with you? Relevant paperwork.
18:08We've got a hairbrush.
18:09Yep.
18:10And a cone.
18:11But Jasmine is worrying about the realities of life with a less dependent mum.
18:16The dynamic of us is going to change.
18:21I think that's what I can't get my head around at the moment.
18:25I just think that we can do more.
18:27I just... I don't know why. I'm upset.
18:31I think, Jasmine, you've found it the hardest, haven't you?
18:34Of all of us, including me, you've found it the hardest.
18:38If we get past mum having an operation, the bit where she is, like, more independent
18:49and she doesn't need me would be quite scary, I think.
18:53Because I've only known, like, to look after mum.
18:56It would be very scary for me, I suppose.
19:03You know what, Cher?
19:04Yeah.
19:05You know, everything I've done is to get to this point.
19:08But I know the hard work is going to come afterwards as well.
19:16It's nice to be out and to see other things going on.
19:20It certainly makes you appreciate things a bit more when you're stuck inside.
19:26So today is a big challenge with Claire.
19:28I'm always anxious in the patients who are this big.
19:31And I have put the cameras in before and had to bail out
19:34because you can't do the operation if the liver hasn't shrunk enough.
19:37It's too dangerous.
19:39See ya.
19:40Are you OK?
19:41You're going to move in.
19:42Yeah.
19:43I want to hug you across.
19:44Wait.
19:47See you later on.
19:48Yeah, OK.
19:49Bye.
19:51Nick is concerned about another problem that has recently come to light
19:55and could be connected to Claire's weight.
19:57She's reported that she's been having persistent gynaecological bleeding.
20:04There's always an anxiety in ladies of her age and her size
20:07who present with bleeding that there might be an underlying cancer.
20:13While she's under general anaesthetic,
20:15consultant gynaecologist Natalia Povolotskaya will take some biopsies from Claire's uterus to be tested.
20:25Thank you. I'm done with that bit.
20:28Right. I just need to work out where the ribs are.
20:31Now Nick will take over the operation.
20:33I think this is the only safe place here.
20:39But before he can proceed,
20:40he checks if there are any other signs of cancer.
20:44If he sees any, he won't be able to continue with the surgery.
20:50Fingers crossed we don't see anything.
20:53So far so good.
20:55So I'm a bit more encouraged.
20:57I'm going to smile a bit more now.
20:59With no obvious signs, Nick decides to go ahead.
21:04The liver is enormous.
21:08He needs to lift her liver, but it's still very large.
21:12It's still not doable at the moment.
21:15So that's the spleen at the top there, the slightly bluish one.
21:19The purple one we're lifting up.
21:21Yes, we can do it.
21:23Aha!
21:25Now he's able to start the surgery
21:28that will reduce Claire's stomach to a quarter of its current size.
21:33So I'm dissecting the stomach now.
21:35So you can see that everything to the right is coming off
21:38and that tube is all we're going to leave her with, this bit here.
21:42All this is coming off.
21:45So we're done.
21:47Count.
21:49Specimens labelled?
21:51Yes.
21:53From a sleeve gastrectomy perspective,
21:56the operation has actually gone very well and I'm very pleased.
21:59Still anxious about what's going on down in her pelvis.
22:03The question is, has Claire got an underlying cancer?
22:14Morning.
22:15Morning.
22:16Hi Claire.
22:17Following her investigation,
22:19gynaecologist Natalia has come to tell Claire what she thinks she has found.
22:24What I saw made me concerned.
22:29Yes. Yeah.
22:31It made me concerned that it's likely to be cancerous, Claire.
22:37Yes. Yeah. Yeah.
22:39I'm sorry to tell you all that.
22:40That's fine now. No, it's fine.
22:42Lose more weight because of what Mr Carter did yesterday.
22:47And then hopefully we'll arrange for joint operation to get the cancer out.
22:54Oh, just do anything you say.
22:56So let's just crack on, Joy, and do it.
23:01It's not, you know, don't worry about me.
23:04I'm fine.
23:06Absolutely fine.
23:08I know.
23:09It's fine.
23:10It's fine.
23:11It's fine.
23:13With the biopsy results confirming that it's cancer, Claire will now have to undergo a hysterectomy.
23:20This operation can only be done safely if she loses more weight.
23:24It's cancer.
23:25I'll deal with it like I deal with everything else.
23:29And I'm sure that there'll be times where I get a little bit of a, you know, wobble.
23:37You can't be strong all the time.
23:40I've got what I wanted done.
23:42And now I'm just looking forward to going out.
23:45The news is a bitter blow.
23:48Just as the family hoped that things were going to get better.
23:53It's fine.
23:54It's fine.
23:55It's fine to worry, guys.
23:57OK?
24:02She has been my entire life.
24:04If she was gone, it would be like, well, what the hell am I doing here?
24:10What is the point?
24:20Two weeks ago, Claire had bariatric surgery to help her lose weight.
24:25Ready?
24:26During the operation, surgeons discovered she had cancer of the uterus.
24:31With the cancer part of my diagnosis, you know what?
24:34I just want to get the weight off and get out.
24:37You know what? I just can't see anything else at the moment.
24:41So let's get this done.
24:43Let's keep those blinkers on.
24:44Let's just keep focusing on what I've got to do.
24:49Because of the cancer and the need to remove an infected lump on her stomach,
24:54Claire now faces another operation.
24:57But before this surgery can go ahead, she must lose more weight.
25:02Surely I've got to have lost something.
25:04I mean, I can feel my knee now, which I couldn't even see my knee before.
25:09Ian, this one.
25:12Yeah, and your one.
25:14Her health problems have shocked her daughters, Jasmine and Tracy,
25:18into trying to lose weight themselves.
25:20Me and Tracy started a new diet.
25:24This will be like my first salad.
25:27I really don't like salads, so hopefully this one's going to be okay.
25:32Going through this process of helping mum, and we also need to help ourselves as well.
25:37I don't want to change my food.
25:41I like my food.
25:43Yeah, and it shows.
25:45Shut up.
25:46We're all trying to get a little bit fitter and a little bit slimmer.
25:49So we're all there to help each other.
25:51Ready?
25:53So lift the knee up, straighten it out.
25:57Then bring the knee back up again, and then down.
26:00Bed-bound for over eight years, Claire needs to start to build up the strength in her muscles.
26:06So she's having regular sessions with physiotherapist Georgie Gulliford.
26:10Okay, ready? And up. Good.
26:13The aim today is for Claire to get to the next room.
26:17Try not to take it too far in front of you.
26:20I could only walk for six or seven steps, and then have to come back again.
26:25And now it's like double that.
26:28Can you reach with your right hand to touch my hand?
26:30I've learned that actually those little things turn into big things.
26:34You know, one day you can't walk, next day you're lifting your foot off the ground.
26:38All the way around. Don't land just yet.
26:40Can you feel the back of the bed?
26:41Yep.
26:42Good. Okay.
26:44These little improvements leave Claire wanting more.
26:47I think actually I've become more restless now.
26:50I would like to go outside, and it's becoming a bit of a,
26:52like, oh, where can I go out?
26:54And now I'm becoming a little bit impatient.
26:57I tend to get a little bit more snappier than I was.
27:02Claire's frustration is making Jasmine and Tracy's lives much harder.
27:07She demands more of our time.
27:10I don't want to do this.
27:12Well, just hoover the rug, that rug.
27:14I can't, hoover the rug, there's dog food everywhere.
27:17Oh, my.
27:19She's too used to having us about doing things.
27:22Because it's not like we don't want to be there for her, but...
27:25It's relentless, and it's not our choice.
27:29We have to.
27:31I think, like, she doesn't really understand that we want time apart from her.
27:38Because we've had, like...
27:40It's not a mean thing.
27:42I think she thinks it's like we're trying to push her away.
27:44It's enough to do that.
27:45It's about us becoming older and wanting to do things with our lives.
27:49I reckon she always wants one of us about, at least one of us about.
27:53Nothing's going to change unless she changes.
27:56It's just as simple as that.
27:58But Jasmine has always felt conflicted about separating from her mother.
28:04With Claire clinging on to her more than ever, she is finding life difficult.
28:10So today she is going to see psychologist Emma Bennett.
28:13What comes next after the next surgery?
28:19I think just more freedom, I suppose, to do what I want.
28:23And have you started to have a little bit of that freedom?
28:27To be honest, not really.
28:29I feel like either me or my sister has to be in the house at the moment.
28:34If you were to do something nice, what would be the first thing you'd want to do?
28:38Or who would be the first person you'd want to see?
28:41My sister. I think I would go with my sister.
28:44So what would happen if you got out of here today and you rang Tracy
28:47and you said, this week we're going for a meal?
28:49What would stop you doing it?
28:51I guess I would have to ask Mum if we could do it because we need permission.
28:56And then if we do go out, we have a limited time
28:59because then my mum starts to text us and go, where are you?
29:05And then when we get home, we get an argument saying, why were you so late?
29:10My impression is that a lot of this is driven by fear.
29:13Your mum is probably terrified because she loves you and she wants to keep you close
29:17and she'd use any strategy she can in desperation to try and keep you close.
29:21To my mind, the task is to take tiny opportunities.
29:25Even if it's ten minutes of freedom, you start really, really small
29:31so that you don't go from all to nothing.
29:34Then that, to me, would seem like a good way to start.
29:40To change the relationships that they've got at the minute would take a huge amount of courage
29:45and the ability to withstand a fair amount of distress and pain between them.
29:48I think if you ask most people, could you, would you walk away from your mother or the closest person in your life?
29:56The answer to that would be no.
30:04Two and a half months after her bariatric surgery, Claire has already lost almost 13 kilos.
30:10You alright there, Claire? Yeah, fine, thank you.
30:14But today, she's having the operation that could make her more mobile and save her life.
30:20See you tomorrow. Yeah, see you tomorrow.
30:23Love you. Love you too, bye.
30:25It is going to be another step further into her getting back to where she was,
30:30but there is nervousness and worry, making sure she comes out of it alright.
30:39Not only is Claire having the large lump on her stomach removed,
30:43but she's also having a hysterectomy.
30:46Are you feeling a bit more mobile than we were?
30:49No, I don't feel more mobile. The lump now is definitely...
30:52It's got worse, yeah.
30:54Her surgeon, Nick Carter, is gearing up for a long and difficult operation.
30:57Can you lift up for me?
31:00I think the risks to Claire today are much more than the last operation.
31:06Removing the uterus is a big operation.
31:09Dealing with the skin is a very big operation.
31:12And doing the two together, which we're sort of forced to do,
31:17has compounded the risks to her.
31:20She has a much more significant chance of dying on the table.
31:23We're all set. I promise we'll take good care of you, alright?
31:27Yes, I know you will.
31:29We've got a lot of people rooting for you today.
31:31Yeah, there's a lot of people rooting for me. Thank you.
31:35First, Nick will deal with Claire's lump and excess skin.
31:40But her shoulders look as square as you might think.
31:43He will have to open her up, but it's proving tricky to figure out her basic anatomy.
31:49So I've tried to square it up as much as possible.
31:52Yeah.
31:54But if you do that, you can get some idea of where you are.
31:57Yeah.
31:59So I'm going to start this side and get to about halfway
32:01and then probably remove this bit.
32:03It's always a bit like having your hair cut.
32:05You don't want to have too much off in the first pass
32:07because you can't put it back on again.
32:09There's a real danger here that we take off too much
32:12and then we can't get the skin together.
32:13All of the stuff that we're cutting at the moment is above the muscle.
32:24So it is literally just fat cells that have swollen.
32:28Nick cuts away 13 kilos of infected fatty tissue.
32:33Now gynaecologist Natalia will deal with the cancer.
32:38So what you see here, it's a big uterus.
32:43The uterus is full of cancer.
32:46So what we're going to do, we're going to take all this uterus together with the cancer out.
32:54Claire has been in surgery for seven hours
32:57and with the hysterectomy complete, Nick can at last start to close her stomach.
33:01Right, okay to start, do you know what I mean?
33:03Yeah.
33:05Okay.
33:08Uh-oh.
33:10But there's a problem.
33:12The blood pressure is persistently down.
33:16Claire's heartbeat has become fast and irregular,
33:19so Nick must work as quickly as possible.
33:22What's this blue, this one, 30-30?
33:26This is challenging, this is a completely different level of play.
33:30Finally the operation is over.
33:45But Claire faces an uphill battle.
33:48The next 12 hours is critical in terms of getting her stabilised from the operation
33:54to try and correct the blood pressure, correct the pulse rate, back to normal and steady.
34:01Back at home, her daughters are relieved that Claire is out of surgery.
34:06I know that she's still going to need care afterwards,
34:09because obviously her mobility is not going to be really good straight away.
34:14It's given us hope that one day she'll be able to do more things by herself
34:19and she won't need us there.
34:29Seven months ago, 49-year-old Claire from Southampton
34:33was super-morbidly obese, bed-bound
34:36and hadn't been able to walk out of her own home for over a decade.
34:39Right, ready? Yep, you go. Look how quickly that was.
34:46Now, after bariatric surgery and the removal of a 13-kilo lump from her side,
34:52her physiotherapist, Georgie Gulliford, wants that to change.
34:56Here we go, you ready for this? Yes.
34:59Right, OK.
35:01Be careful when you come over the threshold, is it correct? Yep. That's it.
35:05Hello, world.
35:09OK.
35:11All the way down. Now, don't take too big a step down here, cos you've got the slope.
35:14Watch about the level of these plants. Yep.
35:16Stop. Stop here? Yeah.
35:18You all right? Yep.
35:20Done it.
35:21The last time I went outside on my feet, it was probably 10 to 12 years ago.
35:26So what I did today is not just a little step, that's a huge step for me.
35:33Although Claire is making great progress physically,
35:36adjusting emotionally has proved much more difficult.
35:41I was thrilled with all the surgery that's been done,
35:44but, oh, my God, my head is just all over the place.
35:47I never thought that the problem would be in my head rather than in the physical stuff.
35:54There's not a day go by I don't snap at these lot.
35:58It is worse than I am acutely aware of it being a lot worse.
36:02I think it's just all the changes, isn't it?
36:04I don't know the answer myself. I don't, I don't get it.
36:08Jasmine had hoped her mum's newfound mobility would lead to more time for herself.
36:13She's been able to do a lot more, but I don't think I am more independent.
36:20I still have to ask to go out.
36:24Psychologist Emma Bennett wants to find out what is at the root of Claire's anxiety.
36:30Both the girls were hoping for a bit more freedom.
36:33And I was thinking about your relationship with your own parents and particularly your mum.
36:38Oh, it was rotten. Mum died, I didn't shed a tear.
36:41I think, looking back on it now, we've had her eyes.
36:44She wasn't ready to be a mum.
36:46She was wanting to go out still.
36:48Yeah. Have a good time.
36:50And what was it that she did?
36:52Jess was never there.
36:54She would go out and leave us on her own.
36:55And it used to scare the living daylights.
36:57And we used to spend all night before we went to sleep calling her to make sure she was still there.
37:01What were you frightened of?
37:03Her leaving and not being there.
37:05How much of that do you think is still being lived out now?
37:09Because I suppose you're describing this terror of being left alone.
37:13And it seems to me that this is also some of the struggles you're having now.
37:18Yeah.
37:19Which is how to cope with your daughters developing their own lives when you're potentially getting more independent.
37:26I know full well that I probably smother them a bit.
37:31I don't like the thought of them leaving.
37:33But I know that I can't have them here forever.
37:36It does seem interesting that those themes are the most important ones then.
37:41Because it seems like they still are now.
37:43I guess.
37:45Being together, not being alone.
37:46There are aspects of it that you could hold in mind.
37:50Which is how to help them be free.
37:53And how do you cope with them being freer.
37:56With the ultimate goal that you actually hold onto them so they don't completely flee.
38:03Claire hasn't realised the tune that she's dancing to.
38:08She's not sitting there thinking, I was scared my mother would leave me so now I'm not going to let my children leave me.
38:12It's not a plan that you make.
38:13It's what happens as you're doing other things.
38:17As the weeks pass, Claire's life is starting to transform.
38:22Surgery has helped her slim down from 197 kilos to 146 kilos.
38:33And now she can get out by herself.
38:35It's just nice to have the sun on me.
38:38That is amazing.
38:39It's the sun on you, the smell of the grass.
38:42Seeing stuff that's not behind a window.
38:45Claire's able to help out with household chores.
38:50I can do stuff for myself instead of having to rely on to the girls to do stuff for me.
38:56Her confidence is growing.
38:57I know that it looks kind of a little bit odd down there but I am absolutely thrilled.
39:03I really love my belly now. I'm so pleased with what has been done. I'm so happy.
39:08Down here I've lost so much weight on my arms and I just think, look at that skinny.
39:13I do. And I just, you know, it's such a thing to wake up and just, you know, look at yourself and have that self-confidence.
39:22And she's had some good news following the unexpected hysterectomy she had because of a cancerous uterus.
39:28I got my letter from Natalia, my gynaecologist, and there's no more treatment. It's clear. Everything is clear.
39:35There's nothing else to be done. I think she said to me I should have a long and happy life.
39:40After battling with some of her demons, Claire is finally trying to let her daughters have more freedom.
39:47I've had a long chat with Jasmine. We kind of sorted a lot of things out between us.
39:52I did say to her that I hope that she feels that she's able to go out and do stuff.
39:57You know, she doesn't have to be here 24-7.
40:00With her mother's blessing, tonight Jasmine is trying out a new activity.
40:07Hello. Hi. How are you? I'm fine, thanks. Jack. Hi, I'm Jasmine. Good to meet you.
40:12I kind of got lost and I was too busy, wrapped up in myself and what was wrong with me, to sometimes listen to maybe what they needed.
40:21My mum's relationship has gotten better since the operation and seeing a psychologist.
40:35I feel more open to talking to her about things now.
40:42I'll gain more independence. I feel happier.
40:46You're going to do this one and I'm going to do this one because I've got a really high pitchfork.
41:03The people here were really friendly. They came up and talked to me and asked about if I was coming again and if I enjoyed it.
41:17Yeah, it felt really good. Just to get out and talk to other people and not be at home.
41:24For eight long years, Claire has lived her life behind closed doors.
41:34Her greatest wish, to go out with her daughters and grandchildren.
41:39Today, that dream is about to come true.
41:42So, where are we going, Teddy? Seaside. Seaside.
41:47Yeah. Good boy.
41:49And who's coming with you today that doesn't normally come?
41:51Erm, Nanny. Nanny?
41:54It's my turn to be Grandma now.
41:57I was really quite emotional actually because I've never been able to do that.
42:03Do we have a walk along here then? Yeah.
42:05Yeah.
42:06Alright, so now I can walk with you now, can I?
42:09Do you think that might be a little too fast?
42:13We all lost hope that Mum's going to ever get better or leave the house.
42:17Things are starting to change now. Mum's going out more and she's not having to allow me as much.
42:23Hopefully I should have more freedom to myself and with my boys.
42:27Am I in your way? Can you get it in, yeah?
42:30Everything we've been through has made us pull together.
42:34Even though we have our differences and we have all the arguments, we still haven't given up.
42:40Now we can look further into the future, which is amazing.
42:44Right, we're going over there. Race you. Ready? Teddy, go!
42:48Come on, Teddy! Come on!
42:53I'm not shutting any more.
42:55What can you see out there today?
42:56Hi!
42:58Water.
43:00I notice myself just drinking everything in.
43:02The things that you probably take for granted every day, that when it's taken away from you and then given back to you.
43:07The trees look greener and the houses look brighter.
43:10And I just hope that I never take anything for granted again.
43:13My tree and the tree is to break those oohing.
43:15And I love when I was gathering.
43:16But I'm beautiful.
43:18That's when I got dressed pink.
43:19Keep ellerรคching around looking for you so decades,
43:20that's everything I can just do.
43:21Let's go!
43:23Anyway, I have one week that can twist at the beginning of where I was the beginning of the day.
43:24I'll be in the middle of the road like over there.
43:25This is what I am!
43:27freezer at home is about St. Joe who is St. Joe.
43:30The Imagery of St. Joe has beenenty cl inverting.
43:32If...
43:34Really?
43:35Pretty good.
43:36The sun is supposed to never come out.
43:37Here's the day.
43:38Our next day.
43:39I've been assigned!
43:40And I'll be in freaking out at yesterday.
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