A 49-year-old woman from County Durham is planning to take action against a local health trust for alleged surgical negligence, after she discovered a metal pin had been left inside her toe after an operation.

The Press Association reports that osteoarthritis patient Janice Wayman from Ferryhill underwent an operation to straighten her toes at Darlington Memorial Hospital in County Durham in March 2009.

Surgeons inserted pins into her toes and her foot was put in a plaster cast for five weeks, before the pins and plaster were removed in April.

Mrs Wayman says that after these were removed she was left in ‘excruciating’ pain and had difficulty walking – although doctors reassured her that this was ‘perfectly normal’.

Mrs Wayman – a housing association development manager – told reporters:

I returned to work shortly after the surgery, but I struggled every day. I had a wedding to attend in Las Vegas in June 2009. The pain in my foot ruined the holiday and I had to get taxis everywhere I went, as I could only tolerate walking a short distance.

‘By August 2009, the pain in my foot had not subsided and I was getting pain in my little toe, like I had an ingrown toenail. I cut my toenail to then discover a piece of metal protruding from my toe.’

Mrs Wayman said that the pin – which measured 1.2 inches – had begun to work its way out of her toe of its own accord.

She is now taking legal action over the forgotten pin against the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust.

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