TVT Operations....How many of you have found this successful?

What was the type of X-ray called.

Did you also suffer from any joint pain.

Crikey Debbie. Sorry to hear you have had such trouble. I have heard a good few women say about the tape cutting into the bladder. Was this mainly a problem with the surgeon fitting the tape too tight, or badly positioned? I was lucky to have a seasoned surgeon who had done loads of these ops, and knew what he was about.

It was just a normal x-ray Kathleen, the NHS hospital wouldn't give me one there as they said it wasn't necessary in their diagnosis! 

I didn't have any joint pain.

I always felt that the tape was too tight Vauxhall Girl but I will never know for sure.  I was advised to submit a complaint to the MHRA and when they contacted the hospital for an investigation, the surgeon refused to comment on my surgery.

Some mention that a translabial scan is the only way that mesh can be seen but they have had to pay privatley.

I filled in the Yellow card but if the MHRA did get in touch with my surgeon he would have said that he could not comment as my records were destroyed in a warehouse fire, so a reason why records get destroyed. I ask him how he repaired the rectocele and got told he could not say as my records had been burnt in a warehouse fire. Nursing records however were put on the computer but not crucial surgery details.

Fat lot of good he is, then! Surely he is answerable for his operations?

You would think so wouldn't you, the whole experience was awful, I was passed from Consultant to Consultant, no one wants to take responsibility when things go wrong, it left me feeling like no one cared, I didn't even receive an apology.  It wouldn't have been so bad if that Hospital had actually found out what the problem was and rectified it - they just wasn't interested, and told me that I should have been a very happy lady as I no longer had Stress incontintence.  Unsurprisingly, I will never go back to that Hospital.

I think having to wear Tena Lady for the rest of your life would be a darn sight better than what you have gone through!

Kathleen, I had a further cystoscopy but the hospital said they couldnt see any erosion of the tape in my bladder, how they missed that I don't know.  That was the only investigation they offered.  The Private Hospital carried out an ultrasound and and an xray but I wasn't offered a translabial scan.

Debbie I wonder what the surgeons skills were at use of a camera for the cystoscopy. The reason I mention this is because when I finally got a referral back to the hospital who put the mesh in (by this time my records had gone up in flames). I was losing blood so a different surgeon used the camera to locate a polyp, but I do not know if he looked into the bladder, but when I ask why I was seen by a different surgeon I was told that he had more experiance in using a camera, which means the surgeon who carried out the mesh procedure was not very experianced in the use of a camera to check on the bladder. Could the surgeon who carried out your cystoscopy not have been well experianced in the use of a camera.

Debbie could it be that you are faced with the same problems as a lot of us because the specialist could put mesh in but had no experiance in removing it. There are after all only two specialists in England who are experianced in removing it, and most likely the same in other countries.

I didn't mind the inconvenience day to day, it was things like holidays or being away from home that I struggled with - I went to a music festival camping a couple of years ago, imagine that lol, I was very anxious about toilet facilities. I've also always been active and I couldn't participate in any exercise that involved any kind of impact.  I was then told the Colposuspensifon operation would solve the problem, the surgeon reassured me about my fears of something going wrong again and I had the op last October.  4 days after returning home I was readmitted as an emergency with an infection in the surgical site.  I was in hospital for 10 days and returned home with an open wound and a  vac pack which I had to wear for 7 weeks.  It took 6 months to heal and I have now have a large incisional hernia and I've been referred to another surgeon  to correct that.  I guess they will be using mesh!  I'm dreading it!  Had I known I would be facing all these problems I definately wouldn't have bothered..........I'd rather stay in the house 24/7.

Yes, I think you are right Kathleen.  The surgeon that inserted the TVT (he could barely speak English)  was not the one that carried out the cystoscopy, and neither of them was the Surgeon who I initially saw who was supposed to insert the TVT.  The remainder of the tape was removed when I had my colposuspension operation - the surgeon who carried out that op said he had to remove it because it was in his way, He told me during one of my consultations with him that he had removed mesh before but I doubt that he could be considered an expert in this field.

It sounds like you have been through a lot. Did you ask  the surgeon who did the Colosuspension op how many he had done and how many were successful.

The heart specialist wanted me to take more blood thinners which I have turned down but the other options were surgery and one was to use mesh to prevent blood pooling in the heart, and had already turned that down in favour of the other method which means having it done in London as its more specialised, but without doubt it would cost more and he said that there were problems with that method, so cheapest option first with the most side effects and the same as the TVT. My answer is NO to more mesh inside my body.

My God, you have gone from bad to worse!

It also sounds from your post to Kathleen that you had a very inexperienced surgeon!

I do hope you can be sorted soon. xx

The surgeon who carried out the Colposuspension is very experienced, I was referred to him due to my previous complications.  He told me the operation had a 80% success rate and felt that it would work for me - which is has, I'm happy with result as far as the SUI is concerned.  It's the infection that has caused my current problems. I don't really want any more mesh either - it's caused enough problems but the alternatives are not great either.  Incisional hernia's are difficult to repair - from what I've read,  they have a failure rate of about 50% (with mesh) without mesh its even higher.  I have a lot of questions to ask when I eventually get my appointment to see the next surgeon.  I don't know what to do, I'm not looking forward to more surgery but I don't want to look 5 months pregnant either and the hernia will get bigger if I do nothing, its uncomfortable as it is.  I wish I could just turn the clock back 8 years and have had no surgery at all.

How long ago were you told this 'story'?

Records are stored on computer.

DId the computer get destroyed as well!!

Doesn't the hospital have a back up to store personal, confidential important data?

Did you notify the ICO about this Trusts bad luck in having a fire?

The hospital has to keep operation notes in a special register kept in the operating theatre.

Did this get destroyed as well!!

Jean x

Kathleen

I tried again to PM but had the same problem.

Would you kindly PM me again?

Kindest regards

Jean

I found it out that my crucial records  with info on the actual surgery were sent off site into a warehouse called Iron Mountain a year before it went up in flames. Put Iron Mountain fire in London in a search as it was a huge fire which burnt it to the ground. Nursing records were put on the computer. I went through the complaints procedure over it including ICO. This is not the first time my records have gone missing and recently I have managed to save 60 pages that were not forwarded from my previous surgery to my present one. One would think they could have at least stored them in metal boxes.

Hi debbie59329,

Hope you don't mind me asking for a bit more info from you regarding the Colposuspension surgery.  Got an appointment this afternoon with my Consultant where I'm hoping I'll be given a date for my surgery.  Can you tell me how long you were in hospital and what you were like post op...pain etc and how long before you returned to normal and were allowed back to work etc.  Kindest regards

The Mesh iis a permanent implant, that is way it is so difficult to remove