WHEN Marina Heale learned she must live with using a colostomy bag she felt suicidal.

Now a self-help group she founded in Brynmawr is getting inquiries from far afield.

The monthly group attracts patients from all over Gwent, many of whom are regulars, though some just attend for a few weeks while they build confidence.

It has been 15 years since Mrs Heale, 64, of Brynmawr, a former community nursing sister, had a stoma operation. It was her experience after that which led her to decide to try to help others.

"I had to have radiotherapy and suffered a burst colon as a consequence," she said.

"It was a difficult time and I thought after the operation that my life was over. I felt suicidal, did not feel able to go anywhere.

"There was little or no aftercare. The doctors had done their job and the stoma nurses could not see everyone regularly because of their workloads. I heard that other people had similar feelings to me and I came to the conclusion that we might be able to support each other."

The group is open to anyone who has to live with an ostomy bag as a result of stoma surgery. Colostomy is the most common consequence of such surgery, but there are different types of ostomy depending where on the body the surgery has been performed.

"We have about 20 regulars to the meetings and I recently had an inquiry from someone in Swansea through a friend," said Mrs Heale.

"It can be very difficult for stoma patients to face the world again because ostomy is still very much a taboo subject. People who come along find it helpful to talk to others about common experiences or problems, because it shows they are not alone, not isolated, and that can be a great relief."