By Imogen Howse
A mom living with "the biggest hernia doctors have ever seen" says she is sick of being housebound - but has been told she will die if she has surgery.
Samantha Jackson, 56, first developed a hernia - when an internal part of the body protrudes through a weakness in the muscle or surrounding tissue wall - 17 years ago.
Initially, doctors simply "pushed" the hernia "back in" - but the condition soon returned.
Over the years, the hernia got bigger and bigger - but Samantha was denied surgery because she was overweight and her blood pressure was too high.
The mom-of-one, from Hinckley, Leics., struggled with mental health issues and lost the energy to keep chasing GPs for follow-ups - but eventually secured an appointment with a surgeon in 2021.
However, the surgeon sa