A MUM is leading a national campaign to extend the time people within which with mesh medical implants can claim against manufacturers.

Originally from Widnes, Jan Faulkner has first-hand experience of the devastating impact of implants when they go wrong.

The 49-year-old mum of five suffered from multiple health problems after undergoing a permanent birth control procedure at Warrington Hospital in 2008.

She was forced to walk with a stick and was diagnosed with arthritis after having the non-surgical Essure procedure, which saw a coil inserted into her fallopian tubes.

Jan, who now lives in Great Sankey, also suffered from back pain, bloating, incontinence, sight issues, anxiety and depression, with symptoms developing around three years later.

The mum of five saw her health issues improve after having the coil removed in 2016, and she is now calling on the Government to take action.

She has also set up the support group Life After Essure UK, where she and women in the same situation are fighting back.

“In 2011, all hell broke loose. My mobility started to fade, my blood pressure was raging, I started to bloat, I had swelling in my neck and face and I started to get strange rashes,” Jan said.

“I lost my job and I could see no way out – at one point I wondered whether this was the way my life was going to be.

“I couldn't drive a car and I couldn’t even leave the house because I’d have anxiety attacks.

“After I had the coil removed, it was as though with each day going by a bit of me was returning.”

Runcorn and Widnes World:

Jan Faulkner, from Great Sankey, is leading a national campaign to extend the time people within which with medical implants can claim against manufacturers

According to UK law, time limits to make claims against problematic implants begin as soon as the products leave the manufacturer’s gates, but it can take years for problems to arise.

This left Jan and thousands of others who have suffered from mesh implants, including hernia mesh, vaginal mesh, breast implants, and Essure sterilisation coils, out of time to make a claim.

“The time limitations for bringing a claim against a manufacturer of mesh, Essure sterilisation and breast implants should be removed,” Jan continued.

“It can take years for patients to develop symptoms and for clinicians and regulators to become aware of a problem. This means many miss the deadline to claim.

“To make a claim against the manufacturer, you have to be within three years of knowing that there was a problem with the medical device.

“Some don't find out their problems are attributable to the device until many years down the line, after being investigated for other medical conditions that they simply do not have.

“Ladies have lost families, homes and jobs, all destroyed by a device they had been led to believe to be safe. How can the law for implants be the same for devices like your kettle?

“We have three weeks to reach 10,000 signatures to really make a difference, and if you could see how people are affected day-to-day from the effects of medical implants, it would certainly make you jump on board to help.

“People trusted doctors and are now a shell of their former self, and if we don’t demand changes to our laws now, this will carry on.”

To sign the petition, visit petition.parliament.uk/petitions/548976