A WELLINGTON man who is gravely ill has undergone surgery that he says has made “no difference at all” to his condition, and has even made him worse, is appealing for more help.

Steve Pengilly, 60, who has a severe hiatus hernia with motility issues, had his gallbladder removed last week in Taunton’s Musgrove Hospital.

But he has called the surgery a “total guess by the healthcare professionals”.

He told the Wellington Weekly News: “I think removing a perfectly working organ from my body has thrown my body into even more chaos.”

Steve, of Mitchell Street, Wellington, has called on the NHS to do more to help him, saying: “I will not survive this much longer if they don’t help me.”

The former warehouseman has lost seven-and-a-half stone in the last two years.

Before his hernia, he was fit and healthy, enjoying handball and skittles. Now he is largely bedridden, and reduced to eating nothing but low-fat soup and porridge.

The NHS’s Patient Advice and Liaison Service said they were unable to comment due to confidentiality issues, and referred the WWN to Musgrove Hospital’s chief executive Peter Lewis. He has yet to comment.

A spokesperson for Steve’s MP, Rebecca Pow said: “We appreciate Mr Pengilly’s ongoing health concerns and we have engaged directly with local health stakeholders on several occasions on his behalf in the past.

“Following formal representations, we received assurances from local health stakeholders that they were continuing to provide support, providing Mr Pengilly with regular updates. Notwithstanding, we have been in touch with Mr Pengilly directly to discuss what we can further do to help.”