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Progrip has an absorbable/degradable polymer component that might explain your autoimmune issues. It takes a while for the polymer to fully degrade, I posted a link below.
Spend some time and read the posts on the forum. As a person who was very active you probably understnad what your body is telling you. Mesh removal is mainstream now, a standard area of expertise that many surgeons are learning and touting. Robotic surgery methods are being developed to make mesh removal easier and safer. It’s just the new reality.
If you do decide to have the mesh removed be very careful in who you choose to do it. Two names that seem to get good results are Dr. Belyansky and Dr. Peter Billing.
One thing that I found when I was trying to live with mesh was that sometimes being more active actually made the pain better. I attributed it to getting fluids to move through the new poorly vascularized tissue around the mesh. If you’ve been holding back thinking that rest is best you might try to get some workouts or runs in and see what happens.
Good luck and sorry that that you’ve been caught up in the mesh mess.
Here is the link to the Progrip product, which is owned by Medtronic now. Polylactic acid (PLA) is the material that the little knobs are made from. It is unclear how long it takes for all of the PLA to disappear. 40% of the mesh is PLA.
Here is a link that actually mentions PLA.
“ProGrip™ Technology in Abdominal Hernia Surgery
Provides immediate tension-free fixation on the entire surface of the mesh – and offers surgical efficiencies and patient benefits.2,3
It does this by combining monofilament polyester with a resorbable polylactic acid (PLA) microgrip technology. So surgeons get immediate fixation that is strong, durable and comfortable.3,4,5”