Thanks for your post. Some answers for you:

– umbilical hernias greater than 1cm have been shown to have Lower recurrence rates when mesh is used. That may be why mesh was implanted, which is standard.

– most of your symptoms seem to be relatable to the umbilical hernia repair. Infection is rare. Other causes can include recurrence, mesh folding, and foreign body sensation, and foreign body reaction. Evaluation by a surgeon who is used to evaluating patients such as yourself would be helpful.

– hair loss has anecdotally been associated with mesh reaction in few patients. Most likely it is not related. It has not been associated with mesh infection.

I would recommend addressing the belly button and delay addressing the groin mesh in a staged process.

How do you know you have titanium tacks? If that’s what it said in the operative report, then for sure they are not absorbable. But that’s ok. I prefer those tacks actually.