A WOMAN was left needing a wheelchair for months after suffering severe side
effects from incontinence surgery.
Karen Griffiths, 51, began suffering problems with her bladder after she had
children. The mother opted for a transvaginal tape (TVT), which is a mesh
that is put below the bladder to help keep the internal organs in place so
aiding stress incontinence.
Far from helping her situation the treatment left her in severe pain, with
claims TVT is flawed.
The tape can come apart, with segments of it making their way into tissue in
the body.
This has been dubbed “the cheesewire effect” thanks to the harsh
cuts that are caused internally, and it’s what happened to Karen.
She said: “It was agony and I can only compare the pain to being stabbed
with a piece of glass.
“I could not walk and it was clear it had to come out. But at that point
I thought I had just been very unlucky and my situation was a one-off.”
Karen couldn’t stand up or walk and was forced to have surgery so some of the
mesh could be taken out.
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She has two daughters and believes the two-hour labour she experienced with
her youngest, who is 21, could have caused her bladder to prolapse.
Following the birth she had some incontinence issues, but they worsened five
years ago. She was nervous about exercising and being around people – even
coughing or laughing could leave her needing a change of clothes.
So she visited her GP who explained the procedure to her.
She said: “I didn’t ask many questions, I just trusted the advice I was
being given by professionals that is was safe and that it would improve my
situation.”
Initially things went well, but after six weeks Karen developed infections and
started to feel pain. The lacerations inside her body left her needing a
wheelchair, and she was forced to have another operation after two months.
She was also left so swollen she looked “eight months pregnant”.
It took time for Karen to be able to walk again after the ordeal. She was left
depressed and it affected her relationship, which is why she has now made it
her mission to inform others of the bloating and painful side effects which
can come with TVT.
Many women have suffered the same plight, leaving them with pain and
infection. On top of this, in some cases incontinence can become an even
bigger issue and women’s sex lives can be impacted.
She said: “It has been horrendous. I wish every day that I had not had it
done but women are still being offered this procedure and are not fully
aware of the consequences.
“I want to share my story to reach out to them so they can at least
consider the implications. I wish I had been given that chance.
“I had no idea this surgery had caused so many problems for so many women.”
Around 13,500 women have the operation annually on the NHS and it’s the most
common way to treat stress incontinence. As many as one in 10 of those are
thought to experience some of the problems Karen went through.
The mother-of-two is now backing a campaign called Sling The Mesh, which is
the brainchild of Kath Sansom who wants use of the mesh stopped too.