A woman in her 70s has spoken of the pain and embarrassment she feels daily as she waits on an emergency hysterectomy and bladder and bowel repair.

Susan (not her real name), told The Impartial Reporter her condition has been ongoing for the last year but in the last six months it has worsened and she is now doubly incontinent and she has a prolapse, the size of two fists pushing down on to her vagina.

“I have been through hell and back and at the minute,” Susan explained. The prolapse is so bad it’s nearly like a baby’s head down.

“The pressure coming down is weakening my back, it’s weakening my bladder because it’s down that way and it’s as hard as a brick and you can’t get it pushed back up again. And it’s weakening my bowel which means I’m doubly incontinent.”

With little or no control of her bladder and bowel, Susan describes times when she has had to change her clothes several times in a short space of time and of the lack of control she has.

“I came down to the kitchen to get a glass of water to bring to bed with me and I couldn’t keep control at all, it was just like a tap turned on on the floor.

“I went to the bathroom before I went to bed and the pressure sitting on the toilet I thought I don’t have my phone up with me, what am I going to do?

“How far can this come down?”

And recalling a time when out shopping Susan continued: “So I went into Dunnes because I knew had to get nightdresses to bring to the hospital.

“I went to the toilet whilst I was there three times to change my clothes thinking is there going to be a puddle on the floor, what am I going to do?

“Is the backside of my trousers soaking wet?It’s so embarrassing.”

It has been around six months since Susan was told she would need a hysterectomy and she has been in and out of the hospital that many times she has lost count.

Two visits to A&E, one due to bleeding and another because she had not passed any urine in eight hours, saw her wait over five hours each time.

The second time she left after being able to go to the toilet and getting some relief and being told she would have to wait another three hours before being seen.

She also had an ultrasound in which a pollop on her womb was discovered. This was sent for analysis to see if it was cancerous or not.

After being told it result would take a week Susan said: “Three weeks and it hasn’t come back yet.”

Susan has been told her operation could happen by the end of the month if the result comes back.

And while she knows there are huge pressures on the health service she wants to highlight the length of time people are waiting for operations.

“They have let this go far too long. With the weight of this and all the pressure, I have on my bottom half what damage has that done? Am I going to be incontinent all my life?”

Before adding: “I’m in my 70s. I have a lot of living to do yet that’s if this operation is going to be ok.

“I want to highlight the length of time people have to wait for operations and to be seen and the length of time people have to wait in A&E, through no fault of the nursing staff.”

The Western Trust confirmed that they will be contacting Susan directly in response to her issues.