THANK YOU FOR READING MY STORY AND HOPEFULLY HELPING ME TO GET THIS MESH OUT OF BODY ASAP.

I AM JUST AN ORDINARY MUM WHO CANNOT BE THERE FOR HER CHILDREN OR ANIMALS AS I AM SO ILL AND GETTING WORSE EVERYDAY.

I have been forced to try to raise the funds to pay for a private operation as the NHS just cancelled mine out of the blue at the last minute.

I had my hospital bag packed and was mentally and physically exhausted but was hanging in there as I had a date of April 2019. It is cancelled until ‘further notice’ what does that mean? How long is that? I don’t know, but what I do know is I can’t do this much longer as my life is so miserable and I am no good to anyone like this.

I used to be so happy, full of life, doing everything for my two beautiful children and running around looking after my huge number of animals.

I love people and will talk to anyone for hours if I know them or not! but now I don’t see anyone as I am stuck in bed.

I used to love socialising, I always worked hard and I like to think I was a valuable member of society, very kind and charitable.

Then my health problems started and I had no idea what was going on until the news of the Medical Mesh Failure Scandal broke on TV.

You may know about it, you might not but it has just been banned by the FDA in America so I am sure more news will come out soon but here is my personal story:-

I gave birth to my second child in 2003 who was a very large baby and as a result I was left with a lot of painful and extremely embarrassing complications. I tried everything to get back to normal but nothing worked.

In 2008 I was recommended by a Specialist to have the new ‘miracle cure’ to my stress incontinence, a TVT-O TAPE MESH SLING that would act as a hammock supporting my pelvic floor. I had this 24cm long device put in the same year by the NHS.

The mesh has eroded inside me, breaking into pieces like little razor blades and these are migrating through my body. On each end of the tape is a wire arm, one of which has worked its way out through my vaginal wall and is causing internal bleeding. Sorry if this is too much information but it is like sitting on a knife 24/7 and I need to explain why this is so urgent. The mesh causes the immune system to fight this foreign body allowing and causing other conditions to go unchecked. I have severe Ankylosing Spondylitis, have developed Osteoarthritis and many other autoimmune issues like constant infected spots all over my skin which are thriving as my immune system can’t cope with everything. I was due to go into hospital next week April 2019 but the NHS have stopped all surgeries with immediate effect as there are thousands of people affected and there is no infrastructure and everything has collapsed. There are no further surgeries being done until further notice but maybe it’s for the best for me? Why? Because of my other health issues I need as much out with the least surgeries possible. I have been given the name of a Private Doctor who is known to be able to remove 100% of this tape and he’s in the UK. I could have been facing multiple surgeries with no guarantee of 100% removal so if I can pay a Doctor to do one operation and it’s done that would be beyond incredible and the answer to my prayers.

My Ankylosing Spondylitis feeds on inflammation so every surgery makes this disease progress further. One operation would definitely help me more than several as an Ankylosing Spondylitis flare up is horrendous.

I am in agony 24/7, have been virtually bed bound for a year and seriously am affected in every aspect of my life. I have to take Morphine for the pain which makes me useless to anyone. I have a Husband in Palliative Care, an Autistic 21 year old son and a 15 year old daughter currently doing her GCSE’s who all need me well. I am the one that did everything for them and now I can do nothing so by helping me you are helping my whole family. This product was never fit to be put inside the human body, it was insufficiently tested and test results were manipulated. By 2005 the manufacturers knew of the growing problems but did nothing hence why I was still given it in 2008.  Had I known of one of the many complications I would never have proceeded in the first place. 

 So we then come onto the fact I need to ask people like you for help to fund this operation. I have worked hard all my life and have never asked or accepted anything from anyone however I have no choice but to do this for this operation. I have been unable to work for two years so I have used anything I had to pay the bills. I now have a poor credit rating due to trying to balance the books with no income so I cannot get a loan or I would.

I pledge that if I receive any form of compensation I will give back the amount I raise from this to help other mesh victims. I also pledge to continue to fundraise to help as many people as possible have their mesh removed until everyone is mesh free. Please, please can you help me, no matter what you can give, every single penny adds up and as soon as I have a firm cost from the Doctor I may not need as much as I think, fingers crossed.

Thank you so much for reading my story and please help me by sharing it to anywhere you know of that might help me meet my goal.

Cathy

Cathryn Bartlett (nee Sawer)

United Kingdom