A Macclesfield woman who had surgical mesh inserted into her body during an operation is campaigning for justice after years of suffering from "excruciating" pain due to complications.

Sally Maddocks, 53, says her life has been "destroyed" and that she and others affected have been overlooked by the government and the medical profession.

Sally explained that surgical mesh was used to treat her following an unsuccessful operation to treat a bowel prolapse around seven years ago.

"When I went back to the surgeon and asked him what happened, I was then referred to a different general surgeon who told me that he was going to use mesh. And I thought, 'great, brilliant', we trust these doctors, they know what they're doing," Sally said.

In Sally's case, hernia mesh was used, which is a woven synthetic netting intended to support damaged tissue around the bowel as it heals.

Sally said: "What they don't tell you is your flesh grows through that mesh. And they can split or it can erode into other organs."

Complications from the mesh implant left Sally with unbearable pain which has had a significant impact on her life.

She said: "The pain that you can't cope with and the one that destroys your life is the pain when you try and walk or if you try and bend or if you try and lift. It started with me when I would walk 20 steps and the excruciating pain in the pelvic and hip area."

Sally described the pain as having "hot tar poured on your skin" and a mixture of "sciatica and contraction pain".

The source of Sally's pain was not initially identified, so her GP could only give her strong, often opioid-based, painkillers to treat the symptoms.

"The problem with that is, if this mesh is inside you, and it's scratching at your organs, those painkillers will not work," Sally explained.

It was only in July last year that Sally discovered the source of her pain following years of "misdiagnosis", with a GP even recommending counselling at one stage.

Sally said: "I was reading something online, I think on Facebook, and I just remember seeing that word 'mesh' and 'excruciating pain'. I thought, 'well I've had mesh' and I thought, everything that she's going through is the exact same symptoms that I've got."

It was only through getting a pelvic MRI scan at a private that Sally discovered that the mesh had not dissolved as intended and had bent to attach to her ovary.

Sally added: "How long this has gone on for is beyond me because nobody sent me for the correct tests and I was misdiagnosed by endless GPs. When I went to the doctor once and I was literally on my knees, I was crying and asking for help. She said, 'what do you want me to do?'"

At one stage Sally described feeling "suicidal" and like a "hypochondriac" due to the unexplained nature of her symptoms at the time.

Asked what impact the pain has had, Sally said: "It has totally changed my life. I had gone from a very good career working full time; I had my own home; I raised my daughter on my own; I had a car and my own financial independence.

"Over the years, my body could not do it. I couldn't stand up and I couldn't lift. So, I ended up going to a desk job thinking I could do that, but that didn't work. I would end up with migraines and more backache."

Sally was forced to reduce her hours to 10 hours caring for a disabled person but had to give that up, saying the pain was "indescribable".

To pay off the mounting debts that came with the loss of work, Sally sold her house and now lives in rented accommodation on disability benefits.

"Over the years, I've lost friends and I've isolated myself. Who in their right mind would go for a drink with friends when you can't stand up for more than 15 minutes?" Sally said.

Sally is campaigning to get compensation for "victims" of surgical mesh implants and believes the government has overlooked them.

One of the issues raised in her case is she does not have the right to sue the surgical mesh manufacturer after 10 years of it being sent out. Sally said her surgical mesh "sat on the shelf" for five years, meaning too much time has elapsed for her to take legal action.

Sally is calling on the government to create a compensation scheme that all people suffering with surgical mesh complications can access; not just those with vaginal mesh.

It comes on the back of a government-commissioned report by Baroness Julia Cumberlege published last summer which concluded that patients came to "avoidable harm" and were "dismissed" over many years when serious concerns were raised about surgical mesh complications.

A petition launched by Sally to call on the government to create a compensation scheme has been signed by 3,387 people so far. You can view and sign it here.