A woman has been left partially paralysed after a contraceptive implant was stuck in her arm for five years.

Danielle Jarrett, 27, was sent to a specialist after her GP realised the 4cm plastic rod implant had sunk too deep into her arm to be removed.

She underwent surgery in January 2020 to remove it, but surgeons couldn’t and she was told would have to remain in her arm.

However, when she returned to her home in Dartford her arm went numb and floppy and it was later revealed she suffered sustained nerve damage and her left arm was paralysed.

She was unable to use a knife and fork, wash her hair or zip up a jacket - and needed months of physiotherapy.

Five years on, Danielle has only regained 25% of feeling in her arm with no chance of further improvement – and the implant is still in there somewhere.

The insurance worker said: “I saw a nerve specialist in May and they said the sensation won't come back any further.

"They said it wasn't worth doing further surgeries because of the risk of doing further damage to the nerves.

"I have regained about 75% movement too - I can do most things by myself which is an increase on before.

"But I have to do things quite differently because I don't have full movement or feeling.

"Since it happened I went straight onto the contraceptive pill - I'm never getting the implant again!"

The implant is a small flexible plastic rod placed under the skin in your upper arm by a doctor or nurse, which releases the hormone progestogen into your bloodstream to prevent pregnancy.

Usually, an implant lasts for about three years before it needs to be replaced. In May 2019, Danielle visited her GP for exactly this but was told she’d need to see a specialist because of how far it had sunk into her body.

Eventually, she underwent surgery with specialists at St Thomas’ Hospital in London who were unsuccessful and the Kent woman was told they would have to leave it inside her arm.

That’s when she returned home and suffered a floppy arm “similar to the scene from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”.

Danielle added: "When I had the first one taken out it was a quick five to ten minute job.

"I was expecting exactly the same this time.

"They told me I had to go to hospital for an operation which was my worst nightmare.

"I went along with it but they were digging around and trying to get it out for two hours but still couldn't get to it."

Danielle was put on a 12-week course of physiotherapy but it didn't help much. She needed to rely on her mum to help her with tasks such as zipping up her jacket, cutting up food, and washing her hair.

Over time, little bits of use of her hand helped the muscles strengthen, and she regained some feeling.

Five years on – long past the two year benchmark – Danielle has 75% of her movement back in that arm. But she only has 25% of the feeling back.

Danielle explained: "Most things, I can do in some way now, which is such an increase on before.

"It's just about adapting and trying to use it in the best way I can - I feel quite grateful it's not as bad as it was at the start.

"Obviously the ideal situation would be getting complete sensation back but I just have to accept it."