‘Mesh surgery ruined our lives'

Three women tell new how they may never recover from having mesh surgery and reveal the daily pain and discomfort they endure

- Lebby Eyres

‘It was like being eaten alive by ants’

Adèle Yemm, 46, a mum of three from Ealing, suffered chronic pelvic pain and immune disorders after having mesh surgery for mild stress incontinence following the birth of her daughter, Charlotte, eight.

It’s hard for me even to remember the person I was before mesh surgery. I had a busy job as a commissioner in the NHS, loved eating out with my husband Stuart, 48, and thought nothing of running 30 miles a week.

Now, I’m lucky if I can play with my three children, Charlotte, eight, and twins Tyler and Dylan, five, or do more than a light jog. That in itself is a miracle because for seven years I’ve suffered chronic pelvic pain and a variety of immune disorders following mesh surgery in 2013.

I’d had a difficult birth with Charlotte in 2011, and a forceps delivery resulted in a split episiotomy. Afterwards, I had irregular periods and leaking when running or coughing. After a check-up, I was advised to have surgery to repair my perineum and physiotherapy for stress incontinence.

At my appointment, I’d read a leaflet about transvaginal tape, which stated, “Do not have this inserted if you’re planning on extending your family”. So I was surprised to receive a letter saying I’d also been recommended for TVT surgery.