I had a TVT mesh sling surgery in 2003 after the birth of my 4th child because I had mild stress incontinence. I was 43 years old.

I was not told of the risks and had problems from when I woke up. I went in for a day operation and stayed in a week as I couldn’t pass urine and had to learn to self catheterise.

I went back and forth to hospital with pain and UTIs and the consultant cut the mesh in 2004 which I later found out was the worst thing they could have done due to the sharp edges.

I then was back and forth to my doctor and hospital with problems which they did not take seriously and was told at one point there was nothing wrong with me.

In 2015 I had a chat with Kath Sansom who set up Sling The Mesh as we live in the same town and our youngest children went to school together.

She told me about her operation which had gone wrong immediately and suddenly it all made sense what was happening with me but by this time I was in chronic pain and had fibromyalgia, insomnia and constant water infections along with sciatica nerve shocks and weakness in legs.

I got in touch with Miss Elneil who was at UCLH London and I asked my doctor to refer me there which he thankfully did and in 2016 AI went to see her.

After scans she told me the mesh wasn’t in the right place and needed to come out but it would be a long operation and even longer recovery time.

I put it off for as long as I could because I still had a child at school but after having to give up my job as a carer and becoming weaker and in so much pain, I finally went and had my first removal in 2020.

When I came round I was in agony and they gave me ketamin for pain. I got sepsis and e -coli and was very poorly.

In 2022 I finally had my 2nd removal – a seven hour operation as the mesh had broken up and was everywhere – and stayed in hospital six days.

Since then I have gotten worse with pain, my legs are very weak I still have constant UTIs, my life has changed so much I can hardly do anything without being in pain even though I wear a morphine patch all the time and live on tramadol.

Financially it’s so hard I’m lucky I have a good husband who’s been a rock and my lovely children because without them I doubt very much that I would be here.

Gail lives in Cambridgeshire, UK

Read Gail’s story in the Daily Mail