After mesh hell, we’re being flown home to face more suffering
Janet slams ‘crazy’ US scheme
A MUM who went to the US to have mesh removed under a government scheme has said women are coming home needing further surgery as the contract doesn’t allow post-op repairs to be carried out.
Janet Weatheritt had mesh inserted in 2012 to repair a prolapse of the bowel and the following year had mesh inserted to repair a bladder issue but says she was left in excruciating pain.
The 53-year-old is one of a huge number of Scots women with life- changing complica-ations from mesh.
In August she went to the US where, under the mesh removal scheme, the cost is funded by NHS Scotland and the Scottish Government.
However, she had too return home requiringng further surgery becausese the contract did not extend to repairing her prolapsed bowel andd blbladder.dd ShShe has since been told many specialists here don’t have the skill-set.
Janet, from Morningside, Lanarkshire, said: “I had mesh to repair a bowel prolapse and again with a bladder issue. The mesh worked as scaffolding and since it’s been removed I have had ongoing issues with my bladder and bowels again.
“It’s criminal to think I’d been under general anaesthetic for seven hours and the American surgeon had the capability to do the repairs, whereas at home we don’t but I still had to return home without them done.
“It’s crazy they pay for people to go but won’t pay for women to have repairs.
“The Scottish Government needs to pay for the repairs because it leaves women who have lived through mesh hell back where they started.” nts to visit Dr Dionysios Veronikis in Missouri for
It’s crazy they won’t pay for women to have the repairs JANET WEATHERITT ON THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT SCHEME
As of March, there have been 58 approvedap referrals. Of these, 40 surgeriessurg have been completed.
Janet said: “I went to Dr Veronikis because I was told there wasn’t anyone in the UK who could remove mine. He was amazing but the mesh I had in 2012 was a huge piece of mesh.
“He told me that as the mesh was inserted vaginally it had been inserted too far up at the bladder neck and was too tight.
“It had embedded into my bone and too far into my muscle. He said when he took out the mesh, the bladder would fall back down but due to the contract he wasn’t allowed to repair it, only remove the mesh.
“When I came home, my doctor said he didn’t have the skill to repair it. I’ve lived through the nightmare of mesh and came home with nowhere to go.”
The Scottish Government said: “Patients must not hesitate to speak to their GP or local clinical team if they have any concerns after surgery.”