Andrea McLean has revealed a startling symptom she’s grappling with following a severe bout of pneumonia. The former Loose Women presenter mentioned that while she appears ‘kind of normal’ in the mornings, by the evening, it looks as though she’s ‘swallowed a balloon’.
Despite discomfort at home, Andrea also finds herself opting for loose-fitting clothes to conceal her bloated stomach when going out. Fortunately, she’s discovered a beneficial remedy, which she’s keen on sharing with her fans who might be dealing with similar bloating or digestive problems.
“I start the day looking kind of normal,” the 55-year-old told her 300,000 Instagram followers. “Then, by dinner time, I look like I’ve swallowed a balloon. Which is bad enough if I’m at home, but if I go out, it means I have to wear something baggy to hide it, and that doesn’t feel tight. Not fun.
“Some of you may know I was very poorly at the start of the year, and ended up on very strong antibiotics for a while. This completely messed up any poor little bacteria that were hanging on for dear life in my gut. This meant all kinds of added issues – let’s just say I felt pretty sluggish, and the bloating was off the scale. It was nasty.
“I was recommended Gut Works by @drveganco and thought I’d give it a go. (I’m not vegan, but I’m open to trying anything that helps!) And it did!”
Last December, Andrea spent a week ‘sweating and shivering with a raging temperature and chills’ before collapsing on the bathroom floor. It took an hour before her husband discovered her in this state, prompting him to dial 999 immediately.
Paramedics whisked Andrea away to hospital where she underwent several tests and scans. The diagnosis was grim: acute kidney injury, sepsis, and severe pneumonia, which caused a dramatic reduction in her lung capacity.
Over several days, Andrea received intensive treatment, including ‘super-strong antibiotics’, various pain relief medications, and continuous intravenous drips. She has expressed how overwhelming the experience was, describing it as a ‘sensory overload’ with the incessant glare of harsh lighting, distressing cries nearby, and a pervading ‘smell of poo’.
Sharing her ordeal on Substack, Andrea said last month: “Note to self; being a big brave girl and not saying how much pain you’re in when you’ve lost 80% capacity in one of your lungs to severe pneumonia and infection is not a smart move. Get on the strong stuff ASAP.”
Despite being back at home, Andrea’s journey to full health continues. Only earlier this month, she suffered another setback with a black eye resulting from fainting on her bathroom floor.
“I wish that I had a super exciting story as to why. I didn’t leap from a moving car or parachute off a building,” Andrea previously joked on Instagram. “Nope. I just woke up yesterday morning and got out of bed too fast, I guess before I’d properly woken up. By the time I’d walked the few steps to the bathroom I thought: ‘I don’t feel too good..’ and fainted. I landed on my face.
“Literally face planted onto the bathroom floor. I have been checked out at A&E and thankfully my cheekbone isn’t broken, and I won’t lose any teeth. I was really lucky.
“Lesson learned. Take a moment. I’m not quite ‘better’ yet.” However, her situation seems to be improving, thanks partly to incorporating Gut Works supplements into her routine.
“I felt better after a couple of weeks,” Andrea said, reflecting on her experience with supplements this past weekend. “The bloatedness calmed down, things were moving more like they should and I started to feel a difference. It’s been about two months now, and I feel more like myself again, but better.”