An NHS nurse has revealed her “nightmare” battle of having vaginal mesh inserted after experiencing “embarrassing” incontinence issues.
Dawn Martin is one of hundreds of British women who have been severely affected after getting the implant.
She claims to have been left with regular UTIs, an autoimmune condition and issues when going to the toilet.
The mesh, which is reportedly “too dangerous” to remove, also affects her sex life.
Dawn, who describes the symptoms as “hell” says she has “good days and bad days” but when she gets a flare-up, she can “barely leave the bathroom”.
“As soon as I woke up from surgery, I knew that something was terribly wrong,” Dawn, from Hampshire, told Need To Know.
“As I’m a nurse, my instincts kicked in immediately.
“It felt like my insides were being shredded to pieces with a strand of cheese-wire.
“I blame myself for being naïve.
“As a health care professional, I should’ve done my research.
“It was a dreadful mistake that I should have never gone through with.”
Dawn, who is a mum-of-four, was scheduled the procedure with the hopes that it would tackle her incontinence problems.
She said: “Every time I coughed or sneezed, I’d end up wetting myself.
“Even after doing any form of physical exercise.
“I’ve always loved sport, but I was too embarrassed to take part for fear of wetting myself.
“Sometimes, my knickers would be soaked through.
“I was at the end of my tether and so I agreed to the operation, as it was hoped to support the neck of the bladder and prevent incontinence.
“I thought the surgery would be a life-changer – and it was – but not in the way I thought.
“When I woke up, I was in agony from head-to-toe.
“It completely ruined my quality of life.
“What’s a bit of wee compared with a lifetime of torture?”
Dawn says in the days following surgery she was “back and forth” from the hospital.
She had issues going to the toilet and in one visit, over three litres of urine had to be drained from her bladder.
Over the next six months, the mum had to insert a catheter to find relief.
She “begged” for the mesh to be removed to put an end to the nightmare and while doctors agreed to carry this out, the procedure wasn’t successful.
The 63-year-old said: “I had an adverse reaction to the anaesthetic and the mesh was left inside of me.
“I had intense groin pain and regular UTIs, so I pleaded to have it removed completely.
“But when my symptoms only continued to get worse, I paid for a private scan, revealing that five pieces had been left behind.
“The thought of walking around with it for the rest of my life makes me shudder.
“And now, it’s at the stage where it’s too dangerous to remove.
“The complexity of the surgery means there are no guarantees.
“Either the mesh will kill me or the surgery to remove it will.”
Between 2007 and March 2015, more than 92,000 women had vaginal mesh implants in England, according to the BBC.
And it’s not just an issue in the UK, with thousands of women in the US receiving payouts after suing manufacturers.
In 2024, it was reported that 140 women reached an undisclosed settlement with the mesh implant’s manufacturers.
Though, according to The Guardian, the total sum is expected to run into millions of pounds.
Dawn underwent the initial surgery in 2014 and has been in pain ever since.
In an effort to help others, she has published a book, titled Meshed Up, sharing her “nightmare” experience.
She’s also using her expertise as a nurse to educate not only the public, but also her colleagues and patients about the “devastating” effects this surgery can have.
Dawn added: “If I can stop one woman from going through this hell, then my battle has been worth it.
“I have good days and bad days.
“When I get a flare-up, I can barely leave the bathroom.
“And my symptoms are [worsened] by sex, so as a result, this rarely happens anymore.
“The incontinence will be a life-long problem now but I’ve learned to manage it.
“I refuse to allow a bit of wee to change me as a person.
“So many women have suffered long-lasting and devastating effects, which have only destroyed their relationships, livelihoods and physical, as well as mental health.
“I’m keeping in my career as a nurse as it’s so important to make people realise that we are also patients, too.
“It’s an invisible illness.
“And I’m not going to be silent about it.”
