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Surgeons globally are slowly waking up to the fact that mesh has high risks.
Added on 7 November 2022 Blogs

The ECRI propylene safety profile report and its implications for surgical mesh research

Writing on Patient Safety Learning – The Hub, Kath Sansom unpacks the findings of a medical device performance study into polypropylene mesh published in the US.

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Doctor
Added on 3 October 2022 Blogs

10 problems with NHS England’s specialist mesh centres

Writing for Patient Safety Learning – The Hub, Kath Sansom highlights 10 problems evidenced by the experiences of members of the Sling The Mesh Facebook group.

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Blog
Added on 26 September 2022 Blogs

Tokenism in patient engagement is unethical – but it is also dangerous

Kath Sansom argues that when health services fail to engage meaningfully with patients, it causes patient safety issues.

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Postbox
Added on 2 December 2021 Blogs

‘Mesh removal is a postcode lottery’ – patients harmed by surgical mesh need accessible, consistent treatment

In this opinion piece for Patient Safety Learning – The Hub, Kath Sansom highlights issues women face when trying to get pelvic mesh slings surgically removed.

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Mesh
Added on 20 October 2021 Blogs

Ineffective medical device recalls are a patient safety scandal

Kath Sansom suggests ways device manufacturers and regulators can improve their communication with patients and healthcare staff when a device is recalled.

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Many studies say mesh has acceptable morbidity or that the benefits outweigh the risks.
Added on 15 April 2021 Blogs

Regulatory flaws: women were catastrophically failed in the mesh, Primodos and sodium valporate tragedies

Kath Sansom uses evidence and personal insight to argue that the UK regulatory systems for medicines and healthcare have not been fit for purpose for years.

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Sandwiches
Added on 9 April 2021 Blogs

No such thing as a free lunch – why recording conflicts of interests must be mandatory

Kath Sansom highlights the lack of transparency and reporting around financial conflicts of interest in UK healthcare, and why this threatens patient safety.

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Cannons
Added on 11 August 2020 Blogs

Women are used as cannon fodder to make huge profits

In a blog for Uncancelled, Kath Sansom from Sling The Mesh highlights why women are being used to make profits.

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Added on 3 January 2017 Blogs

The V word

We all get a bit embarrassed, give it a silly name and laugh it off. God forbid we use the medical VAGINA word… So why do we all blush and stay hush?

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Mesh implants are used in operations to treat incontinence, prolapse, hernia, rectopexy and some mastectomy repairs after breast cancer.

😱 More outrageous comments made by doctors to memb 😱 More outrageous comments made by doctors to members of our Facebook support group.

#medicalgaslighting #medicalmisogyny #pevicmesh #patientsafety
🗣️📢"These procedures have stolen the lives, future 🗣️📢"These procedures have stolen the lives, futures and independence of many women. Now, we want justice."

👨‍⚕️🥼Like thousands of women Susan went to her doctor seeking help for stress urinary incontinence after experiencing bladder leaks when sneezing and exercising. 

She was advised to have a mesh sling operation and told it was a simple, gold standard surgery - and not warned of any risks - including not told it was a permanent implant made of plastic.

When Susan of @slingthemesh_ni woke from surgery, she was in severe pain and unable to move one of her legs.

More than a decade later, Susan lives with chronic pain and continues to campaign for justice and a government-backed compensation scheme for women harmed by surgical mesh.

#pelvicmesh #firstdonoharm #womenshealth #sui
📌Sepsis can kill within hours. For some women harm 📌Sepsis can kill within hours. For some women harmed by surgical mesh, it has meant intensive care, induced comas, organ failure and a fight for survival. 

More than half of our support group live with recurring infections (UTIs) and a fear of becoming antibiotic resistant. Tragically, women worldwide have lost their lives to mesh-related sepsis. In our latest blog on the Sling The Mesh website, women share their experiences.

🗣️"I had sepsis twice and both times I was nearly not here anymore. The second time they had to give me penicillin which I am very allergic too as I wasn’t responding just on the vancomycin (a powerful antibiotic), I swelled up like a balloon and had a rash over my whole body – but thankfully I am still here.”

🗣️“I developed sepsis after having stoma surgery because of mesh complications. Ended up in hospital and ICU for six weeks, heart attack, kidney failure, pneumonia, delirium and then an induced coma. There was a chance I wasn’t going to make it. The staff were exceptional and my hubby and children were by my bed all the time. It was the most scariest time of my life.”

Grateful to @uksepsistrust for their tireless work educating the public, supporting patients and families, and helping save lives through better recognition and treatment of #sepsis.

📌Know the signs. Visit their website or social media channels to find out more and ask yourself - could it be sepsis?

#uti #mesh
Inspiring to join tonight’s @uksepsistrust event w Inspiring to join tonight’s @uksepsistrust event which highlighted the incredible achievements of this life saving charity - with much more to come in their 10 year plan - all made possible by a team of passionate people. 

More than half of our #slingthemesh members suffer ongoing painful UTIs and too many end up in A&E with #sepsis

Sadly, we have also lost members who have died of sepsis.

So to see the incredible work being made in this arena will have a huge positive impact for our Mesh injured community. 

Thanks Dr Ron Daniels BEM for inviting me. 

Know the signs: visit the Sepsi Trust website for details.
💙❤️ We are absolutely delighted to see Andy Burnha 💙❤️ We are absolutely delighted to see Andy Burnham pledging his support for compensation for the Primodos families. Their tireless campaigning was instrumental in securing the First Do No Harm Review led by Baroness Cumberlege.

Originally, former Prime Minister Theresa May wanted a public inquiry into Primodos. However, in 2018 it was decided that an independent review would examine three major healthcare scandals affecting women: Primodos, pelvic mesh and sodium valproate.

🙏 We have a great deal to thank the Primodos families for. Their determination helped pave the way for a far-reaching review into avoidable harm suffered by women, including those injured by pelvic mesh.

💔 Sadly, although Baroness Cumberlege recommended compensation for all three patient groups, the Primodos families were omitted from the recommendations made by Henrietta Hughes in 2024.

💙 That is why we are beyond pleased to see growing support for Primodos compensation, and we thank Andy Burnham for standing with these families in their fight for justice.

#Primodos #FirstDoNoHarm #PatientSafety #WomensHealth #MedicalHarm #JusticeForFamilies 💙❤️
❤️💙 Mesh redress returned to Parliament again toda ❤️💙 Mesh redress returned to Parliament again today, with powerful contributions from across the House, including Health Minister Dame Diana Johnson, who confirmed she had watched the MAZE mesh documentary and expressed her determination to see this issue addressed within the lifetime of this Government.

Chris Coghlan MP, speaking on behalf of his constituent harmed by mesh, gave a powerful account of the devastating impact on patients and their families. 

Alison Gardner MP also raised concerns about medical misogyny, highlighting how women have too often been dismissed, ignored and denied justice. 

For those harmed by mesh, today's debate was another important step towards the redress and accountability we have fought for over many years.

@maze.docs 

#pelvicmesh #redress #compensation #firstdonoharm #medicalmisogyny
😱 More outrageous comments made to members of our 😱 More outrageous comments made to members of our Facebook support group by their doctors.

➡️ Scroll right to see them all.

#medicalgaslighting #medicalmisogyny #womenshealth #patientsafety
❤️💙BREAKING NEWS: More progress for the campaign. ❤️💙BREAKING NEWS: More progress for the campaign. MPs, Sharon Hodgson and Sir Julian Lewis raised questions in the House of Commons today about financial redress for women harmed by pelvic mesh. 

The Leader of the House recognised the profound impact on women and their families, frustration, and also concerns that the Government has yet to respond to the Hughes Report - and he called for ministers to meet with politicians who advocate for our mesh community to work out what is causing the delay.

Both MPs urged their Parliamentary colleagues to watch the MAZE mesh documentary to understand the pelvic mesh scandal.

The 15-minute documentary can be seen on You Tube @maze.docs 

#mesh #pelvicmesh #womenshealth #medicalmisogyny
A great event and thank you to everyone who attend A great event and thank you to everyone who attended tonight to support the Parliamentary screening of the mesh documentary - so many inspiring ideas to help push forward compensation for women harmed by pelvic mesh. 

Huge thanks to @maze.docs whose You Tube film has reached 700,000 viewers globally. 

Check out their channel to watch the 15 minute film which exposes the flimsy science, the flawed regulation system and the medical misogyny that has underpin the Mesh scandal. 

#pelvicmesh #firstdonoharm
❤️💙 Another trip to London to advocate for the mes ❤️💙 Another trip to London to advocate for the mesh injured community in Parliament.

#mesh #pelvicmesh #hernia #prolapse #rectopexy
😱🥼Women with autoimmune conditions are 74% more li 😱🥼Women with autoimmune conditions are 74% more likely than men to be told their symptoms are psychological or psychosomatic, and face much longer waits for a diagnosis and treatment, a new study suggests.

Around one in 10 people globally are affected by autoimmune conditions, which can cause a range of health issues including fatigue, muscle pain and rashes.

But research by the University of Cambridge and University of East Anglia suggests a stark gender divide when it comes to how signs of the conditions are handled by doctors.

Women are more likely to have their conditions wrongly attributed to psychiatric causes, more likely to have symptoms misdiagnosed as psychosomatic, and more likely to experience delays in getting a diagnosis, according to the study.

The study, led by Melanie Sloan, is published in The Lancet eClinicalMedicine.

#autoimmunedisease #medicalmisogyny #medicalgaslighting #womenshealth #patientsafety
😱 Mesh-injured patients are ignored, dismissed and 😱 Mesh-injured patients are ignored, dismissed and blamed. Our Medical Gaslighting Dismissive Files reveal some of the most outrageous comments reported by our members in the Facebook support group.

➡️ Scroll right to see more.

#medicalgaslighting #medicalmisogyny #womenshealth #gaslighting #firstdonoharm #patientsafety #pelvicmesh #vaginalmesh
🚨 Flimsy science lies at the heart of the pelvic m 🚨 Flimsy science lies at the heart of the pelvic mesh scandal. Weak studies with significant limitations have been used to market mesh sling procedures to women and their doctors.

👇📊⚠️Two of those studies are:

🔍 Nilsson (2013) implanted 90 women with a mesh bladder sling, but only 58 were followed up. and the only focused on the fix and not the new onset of complications. Two of the study authors were paid consultants for Johnson & Johnson, the mesh manufacturer.

🔍 Lebar (2025) implanted 539 women, yet only 135 were followed up, meaning around 75% were lost to follow-up. That's a massive gap that introduces serious bias into the reported outcomes.

📊 Both studies focus primarily on whether the mesh sling "worked" for its intended purpose.

❓ But they weren’t robustly tracking the new and devastating health complications that can emerge months or even years after implantation.

💔 Behind every statistic is a woman living with the consequences.

📢 Patient safety depends on transparent, independent research and honest reporting of long-term outcomes. Including all of the unintended and unexpected outcomes.

#SlingTheMesh #PatientSafety #MedicalDevices #MeshInjury #MedicalMisogyny #WomensHealth #EvidenceBasedMedicine #MeshComplications #ListenToWomen #InformedConsent #firstdonoharm
😱More shocking examples from our Medical Gaslighti 😱More shocking examples from our Medical Gaslighting Dismissive Files of real things said to members of our Facebook support group by healthcare professionals.

Medical gaslighting and medical misogyny are real problems in mesh groups around the world. Healthcare professionals often deny that a woman is experiencing complications, either blaming it on something else or dismissing and undermining someone desperately seeking help. 

The lack of compassionate care is a hallmark not only of the mesh scandal, but sadly of many women's health issues more broadly.

#slingthemesh #mesh #medicalgaslighting #medicalmisogyny #patientsafety #womenshealth
😱Medical gaslighting is a huge issue for people in 😱Medical gaslighting is a huge issue for people injured by surgical #mesh, affecting both women and men. 

➡️➡️ Swipe right to read more.

To suffer avoidable harm and then face disbelief, dismissal, or ridicule from the very professionals you turn to for help is a profound betrayal of trust.

These are just a few of the comments our Facebook support group members have received from their doctors and form our three-part Dismissive Files series. You can see more medical gaslighting comments on previous posts on our Instagram channel or on our Sling The Mesh YouTube channel.

📌 Surgical mesh is a polypropylene plastic medical device used to strengthen weak tissues in operations to fix hernias, prolapse, bladder leaks, some repairs after mastectomy and some cosmetic breast surgeries.

#medicalgaslighting #medicalmisogyny #womenshealth #menshealth #patientsafety #firstdonoharm #slingthemesh
✨ Thank you to everyone who has started following ✨ Thank you to everyone who has started following since we were featured by @maze.docs 💙

Did you know? Surgical mesh is a polypropylene plastic medical device used to strengthen weakened tissue during procedures for: 
🔹 Bladder leaks (stress incontinence) 
🔹 Pelvic organ prolapse 
🔹 Hernias 
🔹 Breast surgeries, including post-mastectomy reconstruction and some cosmetic procedures

📚 Want to learn more? Visit our website via the link in our bio 🔗

💬 Keep asking questions, sharing your experiences, and joining the conversation. We're here to help and raise awareness. ❤️

#slingthemesh #patientsafety #firstdonoharm #sui #pop #hernia #menopause #childbirth #womenshealth #menshealth
🩺🥼In our latest blog we look at the cost of mesh r 🩺🥼In our latest blog we look at the cost of mesh removals and ask this important question. Do surgeons follow a recognised national mesh removal training programme so there are not variations in care across the nine specialist mesh centres?

The answer would appear to be no.

📌2021 to 2025 there were 234 full mesh removals and 185 partial mesh removals.

📌That represents a total of 419 mesh removal procedures.

📌The average mesh removal in 2026 is £16,000.

📌Based on that, mesh removal has cost the NHS more than £6.7 million in 5 years.

📌That does not include additional costs of pain management, mental health support, ongoing medication, follow-up care, or repeat treatments. It also excludes the wider economic impact, including the cost to the benefits system when women have been forced to leave work or reduce their hours due to mesh-related complications.

➡️➡️ Head to our website and visit the blog section to read the story in full.

#slingthemessh #pelvicmesh #meshremoval #patientsafety #firstdonoharm
😱 More medical gaslighting and #medicalmisogyny fr 😱 More medical gaslighting and #medicalmisogyny from our Dismissive Files. Real things said to members of our support group by health care 'professionals'.

➡️ Scroll right to see more.
Medical gaslighting and #medicalmisogyny has been Medical gaslighting and #medicalmisogyny has been a hallmark of the mesh scandal for decades with outrageous comments made by healthcare professionals to our members.

Here are just some of the comments posted into the support group. Shared with permission.

➡️ Scroll right to see more.

#slingthemesh #firstdonoharm
💔 Our thoughts are with the family and friends of 💔 Our thoughts are with the family and friends of French actor/ director Arnaud Dennis who could no longer with live with the unbearable pain and autoimmune diseases following hernia mesh surgery in 2023.

The 43 year old likened his life to being in the terminal phase of cancer.

He died today in a Belgium euthanasia clinic.

Arnaud became a passionate advocate for the hernia mesh community. We chatted in messages over the last year and he was determined to raise awareness and leave a lasting legacy.

Rest in peace Arnaud.

#hernia #mesh #patientsafety
😱Here are more of the shocking comments doctors ha 😱Here are more of the shocking comments doctors have said to our members. 

We're sharing them for World Patient Safety Day because dismissing, belittling, or gaslighting patients is not just poor practice. It is a patient safety issue.

The impact of medical gaslighting includes frustration, confusion, an appalling impact on mental health, worsening conditions and avoidable suffering.

Sadly we see it al too often on #slingthemesh

#medicalmisogyny #medicalgaslighting #firstdonoharm #patientsafety
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