A Welwyn Garden City grandmother is joining other women in taking legal action after a controversial operation left her in excruciating pain, which cost her £22,000 to try and fix.
Doreen Day, 70, was originally recommended surgery after suffering from vaginal prolapse and had a mesh fitted in 2007.
Doreen told the Welwyn Hatfield Times that she woke up from the operation screaming in agony and begged for the surgeon to take the mesh out but he did not.
The controversial surgery left her in constant overwhelming pain, unable to enjoy sex.
The mesh that was fitted can shrink once implanted which means it can cut through tissues causing pain and complications.
In the past 10 years, women from all over the world have come forward who are now wheelchair bound, in constant agony, unable to walk, and have had partners leave them because of mesh complications.
In May, the Welwyn Hatfield Times published an article about another WGC resident whose life had been destroyed since she had mesh surgery in 2015.
The surgeon who performed Doreen’s operation could not remove the mesh so the grandmother-of-two spent £22,000 of her and her husband Tom’s savings to fly to LA in November 2015 to meet Dr Raz - a surgeon who has removed thousands of meshes from women.
Doreen said: “There was no surgeon in the UK I could trust who had the expertise to remove the mesh so after a lot of research I discovered Dr Raz.
“Me and my husband couldn’t afford it and had to take a massive chunk out of our savings to go but I needed to.
“I needed my life back.
“I’ve been so lucky with Tom because he is my absolute rock.
“He has been there for me every single step of the way and even came to LA with me.”
Sadly, even though Dr Raz was able to remove the mesh, Doreen still suffers with chronic pelvic nerve pain caused by the original operation in 2007 and has to take strong painkillers.
Doreen said: “I want to warn women who are suffering from incontinence and prolapse, and men and women who need hernia repairs to please consider other options and not have a surgical mesh fitted.
“Every day since I had mine I worry about the pain.
“It’s stopped me living my life to the fullest and I’ve missed out on so many things because of it.”
Kath Sansom, 49, a journalist with Archant, launched a campaign group called Sling The Mesh, after also suffering as a result of a mesh operation in 2015.
The group, which has almost 3,000 followers, is calling for better patient information, a National Register to track mesh problems and ultimately the TVT, TVTO and POP operation to be suspended in England Wales and Northern Ireland.
Kath’s tireless campaigns have helped to raise a debate about the operations in Parliament with a group of MPs behind her.
She is also leading legal action on behalf of women who have suffered as a result of the mesh, including Doreen.
Welwyn Hatfield MP Grant Shapps has had several constituents who have suffered from this surgery contact him.
Mr Shapps said: “I have heard of the devastating problems and seen the distress that the mesh can cause so I am naturally extremely sympathetic to anyone who has suffered from this procedure.
“I do know the government recently established a working group in order to consider everything about this procedure from the consent process, quality of clinical practice and also the available data.”
Mr Shapps added: “I have been liaising with my parliamentary colleague Owen Smith MP about the campaign.
“I understand there is also an upcoming parliamentary debate on this issue and together with the Sling the Mesh campaign, it is very good that this issue is receiving the scrutiny it clearly deserves.”
Doreen is keen for anyone who has gone through this operation and wants someone to talk to contact her by emailing doreen.day2@gmail.com
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