I’m a shell of the man I once was. Mesh destroyed my life
Before he received a mesh repair for a groin hernia, mechanic John Mcfadden bagged 90 Munros across Scotland. Now he struggles to bend down and has suffered five years of intolerable pain. John, from Lennoxtown, said: “When I went to get the hernia repair, nobody explained there could be complications and I certainly wasn’t told about mesh or given any alternative.
“Today, I’m a shell of the man I once was. If I didn’t work in our family business I’d be unemployable because I’m always having to rest up or take time off because of the pain. “Mesh has destroyed my life,” said John, 39. John has spent the last five years being prescribed the strongest painkillers available, and has lost count of the specialists he has seen. He said: “Nobody wanted to believe mesh was the problem until one specialist actually admitted that it was and the reason they use mesh is that it’s quicker and cheaper and less experienced surgeons can carry out the procedures.” Just over a year ago John finally persuaded his consultant to remove the mesh. He said: “I’m still in agony and suspect there’s mesh still left inside me. I’m thinking about having a private ultra-sound scan in England.
“If surgeons here can’t remove mesh, they shouldn’t be putting it in. “Scotland needs the ultra-sound equipment to see where mesh is inside patients, and we need surgeons with the skills to remove mesh implants without causing further nerve damage.”