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Leading medical negligence law firm, Thompsons Solicitors, is hosting an open day in Bristol for women experiencing pain as a result of rectal mesh implants following concerns raised by patients.
Several women from across the UK have already sought advice from Thompsons, voicing concerns that a substandard ventral rectopexy procedure and a further rectal procedure called Stapled Transanal Rectal Resection (STARR) had been carried out at Southmead Hospital Bristol and Spire Bristol Hospital without patients being fully warned of the risks associated with the surgery as well as, in some cases, the procedure being incorrectly performed.
| We are convinced there are many more women out there who are suffering in silence. It is really important that we reach as many of them as possible at this stage to offer support and advice on whether they may have a medical negligence claim., Source: Madeleine Pinschof |
Some of the victims working with Thompsons Solicitors have been forced to have further surgical procedures, such as colectomy to try and repair and treat the complications caused by the initial intervention. One of the victims, Ms Sam Van der Heijden, travelled from her home in Hastings to Bristol in order to have the first of four operations in February 2011, a ventral mesh rectopexy and sacral colpopexy.
| Sam Van der Heijden, a Thompsons Solicitors medical negligence client. |
Ms Van der Heijden said: “I am in constant pain, stress and discomfort because I can no longer go to the toilet without the help of drugs and a rectal irrigation unit.
“I have lost my job as a result of having so much time off for sickness and I now have to sell my house because I can’t afford to stay there. The whole ordeal has also cost me my marriage. Anyone who thinks their rectopexy procedure may be causing them issues should seek an immediate opinion from a medical professional, and I urge anyone with these problems to get legal advice from Thompsons Solicitors.”
Madeleine Pinschof, a senior clinical negligence solicitor from Thompsons Solicitors’ Bristol office, said: 'Not only are women being given these procedures including mesh implants without being properly warned off the dangers, they are then undergoing extensive and harmful operations to try and fix the problems caused by the procedure, which is almost impossible to remove once in place.
“We are convinced there are many more women out there who are suffering in silence. It is really important that we reach as many of them as possible at this stage to offer support and advice on whether they may have a medical negligence claim.”