A County Durham mother-of-six who has been left with debilitating life-long pain and has been unable to have sex with her husband since 2011 has settled her medical negligence claim.
The mum, from Bishop Auckland, who wishes to remain anonymous, claims that a Gateshead hospital failed to advise her of the risks associated with TVT mesh, which is considered a 'controversial' device.
The Trust have now apologised for their actions at the time.
As part of the settlement, the mum of six says that had she been properly advised of the risks associated with the procedure – well-documented at the time – and shown alternative options, she would not have consented to the surgery.
Following the birth of her fourth child, the Bishop Auckland mum started suffering from stress incontinence in 1997.
By 2010, her symptoms had worsened, and she was referred to the gynaecology clinic at Gateshead’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where, a year later at the age of 38, she had surgery to insert the mesh.
Straight after the procedure, she was in horrendous pain and, in 2015, a piece of blood-stained fabric mesh “fell out” while having a bath.
In the following years, she attended multiple appointments and assessments due to vaginal soreness, dribbling incontinence, and chronic pain that left her unable to sit or have sexual intercourse. Struggling to cope with symptoms, she started self-harming.
As well as suffering sharp, stabbing and burning vaginal pain, she requires catheterisation and has been fitted with a permanent neuromodulator to restore normal bladder function.
Now, Lime Solicitors’, who led the case against the NHS Trust, said that the medical negligence claim against the Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, revealed that medics failed to advise the mum of the risks of and alternatives to the surgery.
The anonymous mum said: “I remember being so fed up, I just wanted to be put back to normal so I could move on with my life. The only option I was given was to stay as I was and continue wearing pads or to have an operation to put a tape in. My choices were presented as either undergo this operation or remain incontinent.
“Straight after the surgery I was in horrendous pain and remember being on the floor crying. I still find things very difficult and my mental health has severely deteriorated as a result of having the TVT procedure.
“My husband and I have not been able to have intercourse since 2011, which makes me very angry and upset. He was diagnosed with a rare heart condition around a year before I underwent the procedure and has been very ill himself but ended up being my carer.
“I feel very upset that I can’t live a normal life. The ongoing pain and urinary issues I suffer impact all aspects of my daily life. I am lucky my family have been so supportive. I never thought I would have been left in pain for so many years.”
Lime Solicitors, which represented Yvette Greenway-Mansfield in the largest known settlement for vaginal mesh, is continuing to fight for dozens of women left with life-changing complications by the net-like implant, which acts like a hammock to support the urethra.
Figures suggest there were 127,000 mesh implants between April 2008 and March 2017, but campaigners believe the actual number is higher.
Michelle Harper, medical negligence Legal Director at Lime Solicitors, who led the claim, said: “For years, women have been given the option of surgical mesh insertion as a solution for prolapse and incontinence.
"As a result, many women have found themselves in excruciating pain from mesh that has eroded, contracted and protruded into other areas of the body.
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“Hospital trusts owe a duty of care to ensure they obtain patients’ fully-informed consent to any surgical procedure and advise of the likely risks that could arise as a result."
She added: "However, in our experience, many gynaecologists have proceeded to surgery prematurely before exhausting all behavioural and medical options.
“There is a real lack of knowledge when it comes to mesh and those affected are made to feel like the pain they are going through and the symptoms they are experiencing are not bad – there is almost a disbelief from medical experts.
"We have worked on many cases where doctors have deemed to know what is best for women instead of empowering them to make their own choices and decisions.”
In response to the incident, a spokesperson for Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are committed to providing the highest quality of care to our patients. Ms Newton’s* experience of surgery in 2011 fell short of these expectations.
“We apologise and deeply regret the pain and suffering Ms Newto has gone through.
“The health and wellbeing of our patients is our top priority. We are always continually reviewing our practices to ensure we provide safe and effective care.”
*Lime Solicitors’ has changed the name of the woman to allow them to provide a statement.
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