Botched surgery leaves woman with 'deadly vagina' that 'bit' her partner while they had sex

Theresa Bartman, 50, suffered from stress incontinence after giving birth and to correct that, she had an operation to lift her bladder. The operation involved using a plastic mesh to lift her prolapsed bladder but it turned out that the mesh was fitted too low thereby eroding through her vaginal wall and almost sliced off her partner's manhood while they had sex.

 

The mum-of-one struggled with confidence in the bedroom because she was incontinent and had gone without sex for seven years until she was referred for an operation to put an end to her leaking with the help of a transvaginal tape (TVT). The operation was done in 2007 and it seemed successful at first. She was able to have sex again, however, two years down the line, it seemed "like it had grown teeth" and bit into her partner's male member.

“It was like it had grown teeth. His willy was bright red and spouting blood. There was a big red stain spreading between us on the sheets. After that, he was scared of my lady garden and approached it as if it was a Venus flytrap and he was a bluebottle," she said.

Theresa visited her doctor and complained, certain the problem was as a result of the plastic mesh placed in her body, but the doctor kept assuring her there was no problem with the mesh. This led to a strain in Theresa's relationship; they avoided sex and ended up splitting six months later.

Theresa's confidence took a big hit and she became afraid of getting into a sexual relationship with anyone new. She started exercising and dieting to get her confidence back but things only got worse. One day she woke up with a bloated stomach, violent stomach pains, diarrhoea and vomiting. She visited her GP and was diagnosed with IBS and prescribed antidepressants.

 

Her health continued to deteriorate over the next few years. She had her gallbladder removed and visited 25 different doctors, yet they did not seem convinced the mesh was the problem. In 2015, when her vagina started leaking green puss and giving off a foul smell, she was examined properly and a doctor informed her that the mesh had to be removed as a matter of urgency, seeing as it had eroded through the belly button side of her vaginal wall, causing her to grow an abscess which had become infected.

The mesh, which had secured itself with cartilage to her pelvis, was removed in November 2015. She was eventually informed that the mesh had been fitted too low which is the reason for the injury it caused to her partner's penis and why she developed complications.

 

The removal of the mesh left her completely incontinent and her vagina is now numb. Theresa fears that she will have to remain celibate forever. The 50-year-old lamented the mistake which led her to her present condition, saying: 

 “I was told this simple procedure would cure my incontinence and give me more confidence in the bedroom, but it has ruined my life. It made my vagina deadly and forced me into a life of celibacy. It could have killed me. I’m pleased the mesh is gone but it has left my body and my vagina a total mess. I wear padding all the time and sleep on incontinence sheets.”

Theresa has now become a member of Sling The Mesh – a campaign group warning women of the dangers of TVT. She has joined other women in calling for the mesh surgery to be banned.