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Open Mesh Removal Post Op Update
I’m a fairly private person and am not too eager to share medical details on the internet however, I feel like there may be people out there need to hear my story so I will share. I’ll quickly summarize my details. 32 year old very slender male. Had a large prolene hernia system used in December 2017 for an indirect inguinal hernia. I had pain post op for the first six months or so. I thought it was normal but tried to go on with my life. Then 6-8 months into it the pain changed and became more nerve related. Up to this point it was coming and going. The nerve pain was permanent just like the mesh and it was much worse when I was active. Nothing would make it go away. I felt like my body was changing and areas deep inside my body were being violated by the mesh. I also got diagnosed with an autoimmune disease with my thyroid. I became skeptical of everything. Things didn’t add up and the doctors wanted me to do pain management. I knew deep in my gut that something was not right with what had been done and pain management for a permanent implant at 30 years old was not going to happen for me. I felt like I was too young for that path. I researched everything to death and decided that I was going to seek a doctor who could remove the mesh and repair the area without a permanent implant. I didn’t care about the money or the logistics I just wanted a capable doctor that I could trust to remove what I thought was causing my pain. All my searching led me to Dr. Remus Repta in Scottsdale. I had surgery last week and he removed the mesh from my body. Some surgeons I spoke with said the PHS (prolene hernia system) can be hard to deal with. They said the underlay side of the patch usually can’t be completely removed so I was nervous. Dr. Repta removed the mesh in its entirety and when he did it showed the underlay side had folded over on itself. Likely the cause of the pain. In short the surgery to put mesh in was more painful than the surgery to take it out. I was amazed. The preexisting nerve pain is worse than the post op surgery pain. It will probably be a very long time before I can assess if my nerve pain gets any better, or if I can get back to being an active young person, or even if my autoimmune issues improve. (who knows if it’s related) So I am not focused on those things yet. I have learned some things through this process that I want to share with those who may stumble upon this post. I hope that someone can find value in reading this:
-America has a for profit health care system that is designed to be standardized and efficient and make everyone involved $. This is not inherently a bad thing but the model detaches the patient from the details and transparency is lost. Don’t trust the system at face value. Do your own research and be thorough.
-In my case I never knew there were choices in how hernias could be repaired. All I knew was the operation was standardized and just about every general surgeon could fix one. They are common so what could go wrong? I took the first referral to a surgeon who regularly fixes hernias and only uses one kind of mesh for all his patients.
-There were times that I doubted myself and thought this was all in my head. Doctors (even the good and honest ones) are trained to tell you mesh is inert and it likely is not the cause of pain. Listen to your body and know that in some cases mesh can go wrong. Mine folded over on itself which is not supposed to happen.
-If you remove yourself from your local doctors and local insurance system you will find that there are talented doctors who can repair some hernias without permanent mesh. If you are considering repair and you are reading this please know that there are choices. In the long term $ is just a tool that comes and goes. Your life and well-being is yours no matter how much or how little $ you have. If I could go back and make my first decision again I would have attempted no mesh repair first no matter the cost or hassle. My life with a hernia was way better than my life with mesh. I believe it should be a last resort not a first choice. I’m not a doctor just an average guy who has been through it.
-Dr. Remus Repta is an honest and humble doctor with incredible God given talents. He is a plastic surgeon but should be considered by anyone with a hernia or an issue with an openly implanted mesh. He is capable of repairing hernias without mesh. He and his staff are the very best.
-Lastly God created all of us in his image. Humans are incredibly wonderful and complex beings. God is for us and he designed us to be great. For those in the community that are experiencing mesh pain please do not lose sight of this and don’t let yourself become bitter. It is hard and most of the time nobody will understand your pain but you and God. Keep your faith and keep believing that things will get better!
I will return to update on the long term aspects of my removal but for now I am greatful that there is no mesh inside my body and I have hope that things in my future will be better.
God Bless
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8 Replies
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I’m going to see Doc Brown Thursday and hopefully next month I can get surgery. I have a lot of the same issues you have and funny you mention thyroid issues. I’ve had an enlarged Thymus for years and doctors don’t know why. I wonder if it’s connected to the mesh? I get the achy joints too and if I eat too much or have a full stomach the pain gets worse. I had prolene mesh and a doctor I saw in 07 said he thinks mine folded over as well. I’ll know for sure soon and hopefully I can get back to normal too. I’m only 36 and feel so much older these past 15 years cause of this mesh
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Keep us posted. I’m considering a robotic removal soon. Just mild pain and lots of discomfort that hasn’t improved in 20 months. Can’t imagine living like this forever. Terrified about making anything worse. But not happy with the outcome I have. Rarely better than things were before the surgery. Just tired of it.
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[USER=”2899″]PeterC[/USER] I talked to many surgeons including Dr Brown. I would have been comfortable with him as well if the logistics were different. You would be in good hands. The PHS is just flat out a bad choice for active people. It’s too complicated. I feel like the more active I was the worse I felt. It isn’t a quick fix to remove but I believe I’ll be much better in the long run. The permanent pain is already much less however I am not back to many activities at this point. I hope you find relief.
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[USER=”2795″]bmul100[/USER]
glad to see you’re feeling good. I’m an athlete and I’m considering getting this same type of mesh removed by dr brown in Fremont in about 2 months – and you’re the first person that I see mention the pain when your bladder is full with the mesh. I think I have the same type of mesh you had implanted and I’ve also had sharp pain whenever my bladder has been full and nobody has been able to explain why – so its comforting to see someone else had similar symptoms & had relief/success with the mesh removal.
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Agree, rest up, and take it very slow, nice walks will help. Slowly introduce new activities. You made a great decision to get it fixed evidenced by the folded mesh. take care!
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J, thank you. In my gut I feel that I have made a good decision. Some things have been an immediate improvement. When the mesh was in me and my bladder expanded it felt like being cut by a knife. Now after mesh removal a full bladder just feels like it is pressing against tissue again. It’s a small part of this but just one of the ways that the mesh made me feel less than human. I understand that the big picture won’t be clear for a long while but I feel good right now. No sharp pain only muscle tightness right now and the nerves are beginning to feel less irritated. I will choose to be positive and have faith no matter the circumstance. This event has caused me to find myself and become a better human being. Thanks for your positive thoughts and tips.
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Rest up and take it slow. Let your body heal. Down the line when you are up to it swimming and water therapy are great ways to slowly and gently getting some exercise in.
since the mesh turned out to be folded you were 100% right in getting it removed and by a surgeon who has a good track record removing mesh and repairing the defect without mesh.
At this point don’t listen to any negativity.
Everyone’s situation is different right down to the surgeon, what the mesh was doing, type of sifter etc.
There are many that have been dramatically helped by having their mesh removed.
im one of them. My mesh was balled up inside of me and rock hard. Significantly better since removal. So is good intentions removal story.
The recovery process can be long and not linear so expect good days and days where you might feel jack to square one but small incremental steps can happen even way way down the line.
best wishes! -
Same same same… After 4 months inguinal hernia surgery i started to feel o pain in my troids and now they are not working. Now i have hipotroid. My joints started to produce pain and all of my blood tess were normal….
İ am sory to say that mesh removal is not a good choice. After 5 months big scar tissue formed and it also create same problems and more pain.
İf You remove mesh, scar tissue formed. …… İt is more problematic…..
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