A farmer's triple hernia has swelled to the size of a football after his operation was delayed due to the pandemic.
Winston Baldwin, 72, was meant to go under the knife in February 2020, reports StokeonTrentLive.
But the procedure was delayed and then lockdown happened.
This means Mr Baldwin, who lives near Alsager, Cheshire, is still waiting for surgery - and living in constant pain.
NHS bosses have apologised for the treatment delay and said the matter is being looked at.
Mr Baldwin developed the hernia following a bowel operation in 2019.
He was scheduled to have surgery to fix the problem at Crewe's Leighton Hospital early last year - but Covid struck.
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Mr Baldwin was instead given a corset to support his back instead and has now described his agony over the last 15 months.
He said: "When I walk a yard from the phone to the table I’m out of breath - it’s just been getting worse.
"I developed a small hernia in 2019 but had to wait six months for treatment because I’d just had an operation.
"I was then sent to Northwich and back to Leighton in 2020. And then lockdown hit.
"The hernia has continued to grow and grow. They’ve given me a corset and I have constant back pain.
"I can’t go to the bog and having a poo is scary.
"I'm just surviving now and it’s not good at all. I want to work on my farm, I just want my life back.
"I'd go anywhere for treatment from Madrid to Lagos.
"I have been told an operation could be life-threatening - but this pain is life-threatening too."
A hernia occurs when an internal part of the body pushes through a weakness in the muscle or surrounding tissue wall, according to the NHS website.
Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust runs Leighton Hospital.
A spokesman said: "We are unable to comment in detail about individual patients due to confidentiality reasons but would like to emphasise that we take any issues raised regarding a patient’s care very seriously.
"We are currently looking into this matter and will continue to liaise with Mr Baldwin directly about his ongoing care and treatment.
"In the meantime, we would like to apologise for the delays experienced during what we appreciate has been a worrying time.”
The spokesman added: "Throughout the pandemic we have continued to provide urgent and cancer treatment, but high levels of Covid-19 activity unfortunately resulted in delays for routine planned care, which we apologise for.
"Now that the number of coronavirus cases has reduced, our staff are working hard to restore services and safely treat patients as quickly as possible according to clinical need."
