A woman left feeling like she was 'weeing glass' for two years after suffering a chronic UTI that left her having to crawl around her home in agony has spent £16k having her bladder lasered to be pain-free.
Megan Pate, 29, was diagnosed with an infection when she had horrendous bladder pain while on a shift at her job as a nurse in July 2018.
The infection and pain were persistent despite antibiotics and Megan was admitted to Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle, in September 2018 when her pain worsened and she could hardly move.
She was referred to a urologist and diagnosed with painful bladder syndrome - a chronic condition causing bladder pressure, pain and sometimes pelvic pain - in January 2019.
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But treatment failed to improve her pain and in April 2020 it became so bad that Megan had to walk hunched over because of her agony and started to become housebound.
She couldn't work and became very isolated.
Taking matters into her own hands, Megan sought private care and was diagnosed with a chronic UTI by a specialist in London in June 2020.
She started on long term antibiotics but still didn't see any changes and could hardly walk due to the pain.
But after seeing Marnie Simpson, from Geordie Shore, visit a surgeon in Turkey during her own battle with a chronic UTI she took the plunge to travel to Istanbul, Turkey, in August 2021.
She had intensive surgery to burn away the infected issues in her bladder and has now been put on antibiotics that are starting to improve her condition.
Now, after spending £16k on private treatment, Megan is able to leave the house and is beginning to pick up her strength and social life after the impact of the last four years.
Megan, a nurse, from Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, said: "It felt like I was passing blades of glass when I went to the loo.
"For the last two years I've had to crawl around my house because it's too painful to walk.
"I can't even share a bed or sofa with my partner, Jonny, 29, because I can feel the slightest shift in my bladder. We couldn't have sex and even now I'm really wary in case it causes infection.
"It's taken so long just to get to this point but I'm just looking forward to getting my life back."
Megan was on a shift at work when she became doubled over in pain and after a visit to the walk in centre she was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection (UTI).
After going back and forth to the centre she was still in pain with the infection six weeks later.
"I was having a lot of burning when I went to the toilet," Megan said. She went to her GP and was referred to a gynaecologist but still struggled with the pain.
"It was only when I was admitted to hospital that they referred me to a urologist who diagnosed me," Megan said. "They gave me medication to help with my bladder spasms."
Megan underwent a hydrodistension - a procedure that fills up the bladder with water to help find out what is causing the pain - and a urethral dilation - a procedure to stretch the sides of the urethra.
After being diagnosed with painful bladder syndrome Megan was told her condition was incurable and went for bladder instillations every two weeks but found the treatment didn't help her.
"I was struggling more and more," she said. "I was in agony so I just couldn't do anything or go anywhere."
Megan reached out to a specialist in April 2020 who told her she had chronic UTI - an ongoing or recurring infection of the urinary tract.
"I was passing my bladder lining and I was completely housebound," she said. I felt so isolated. On a trip to the doctors I would be feel every bump in my bladder."
She was prescribed long term antibiotics but didn't see any changes to her pain.
"I saw Marine Simpson from Geordie Shore talking about her UTI pain and saw that she went to Turkey," Megan said.
"I was so desperate to not be in a pain so I researched it and decided to give it a go."
In August 2021 Megan flew out to Istanbul, Turkey, to see Doctor Sevinc and underwent a bladder fulguration - a procedure to destroy abnormal growths or tissue.
"He told me my bladder was full of infected tissue so he had to burn it all off," she said. "It was so bad no antibiotics would have ever have helped."
After suffering nine infections since the operation, Megan is now starting to see massive benefits.
"I'm not in excruciating pain everyday anymore," she said. I have more energy and I can walk straighter because the pain is less.
"It feels like I'm finally getting my life back. I still have to be careful with what I eat and am taking things slow but I finally feel positive again."
Dr Sevinc said: "Megan is a very special patient for me and when I met her, I could see she was a real fighter.
"Her bladder was invaded by inflammatory tissues, half healed by long term treatments.
"We cleaned her bladder so that she could properly recover.
"The recoveries are always tricky for chronically injured bladders but she is brave and strong."
