"Mesh complications ignored!"

After several years of having stomach pain and several hospital admissions where they diagnosed ‘constipation’ to be the issue, I am now finding out that this has all been caused by having a mesh implant for POP around 10 years ago. 

At the time of going in for surgery for my triple POP I was under the impression that mesh was already banned in Scotland. On the morning of my surgery the surgeon explained they would be using a mesh sling. I then asked “Is mesh not banned in Scotland?”  His reply to this was that yes, it was indeed banned for many procedures but for my procedure it was still allowed and “100% safe”. I again asked if he was sure it was safe as I was concerned having heard of mesh injured women. This time he smiled warmly and assured me he wouldn’t be putting anything in to me that would hurt me. 

Now, several years later I have just found that my bowel problem (diarrhoea) for the last 6 months with accompanying 2 stone weight loss, is due to a narrowing of my bowel due to ‘adhesions’. My prolapse has returned too which is the first sign that mesh has failed. Yet it seems the NHS are reticent to admit the mesh has failed and is causing this issue. I was referred for the wrong scan (which I waited 8 months for only to find out that it was the wrong scan) and sent to the wrong clinics too. 

My GP seems to only want to deal with treating the ‘upset stomach’ and I feel like I am screaming into the void for someone to help me and to help me before this part of my bowel completely closes and dies! It’s already only as wide as a pencil as was found on colonoscopy and my fear is having to be admitted as an emergency and take my chances on whichever surgeon happens to be on duty. 

Why is it that the NHS don’t want to refer us for the help we need with mesh injury? Because they know it’s another legal case? This is MY LIFE and to be honest, I’ve so little quality of life these days as I’m pretty much housebound because of my pain and embarrassing trips to the toilet - if I were a dog they’d put me to sleep. 

We mesh injured people need action and we need action quickly in some cases. At 5’8” and now under 9.5 stones, I can’t really afford to lose much more weight! Yet I’m being left to take stool bulking meds to try and prevent me soiling myself. Is this really the standard of care we have been promised? 

I do have other health conditions too so struggling to cope with the complications of mesh injury on top of these is making my life unbearable. Still, I suppose if I end up taking my own life it’ll be one less legal claim for the NHS to deal with. Perhaps that’s the real strategy?