Reply To: Bard 3D Mesh – surgeon opinions

[ajm222]

Thanks. My understanding is that doctors/surgeons sometimes aren’t 100% sure if a hernia is indirect or direct until they operate, so that could make things tricky when it comes to finding someone with similar surgery. Plus, unless you ask everyone you meet, patient confidentiality would also make it almost really hard to find someone with a similar experience and then use that same surgeon. While a lot of people have had these surgeries, I’ve only found about 4 friends so far that have had them. I think it’s a great idea, but just seems impossible. And I find everyone I ask doesn’t seem to know exactly what product was used or what type of inguinal hernia they had. Seems most just don’t ask these questions, or perhaps just don’t remember.

The one thing I do like about the surgeon I was considering using is that he brought up all the different types of mesh and the fact that he has sales people constantly bombarding him with new products all the time and he’s constantly rejecting them because he likes to use tried and true products.
Which brings me back to the 3DMAX mesh. It seems that the product actually hasn’t been recalled (except for maybe a small number of shipments that had mislabeled ‘left’ vs ‘right’ mesh pieces back in ’08 – not because they were defective or harmful). Which of course doesn’t necessarily mean anything. But just thought I’d mention that. Someone can correct me if I missed something. I also know that there are a couple different types of the 3DMax, but I think it’s not really heavy weight versus light weight, but more like regular weight versus super light weight. And there are some concerns that the latter could lead to more likelihood of recurrence in some people. I think the regular 3DMax is average compared to most mesh in terms of thickness and weight. And it’s apparently been in use for a long time. 10 or 15 years I think. Again, clearly there are some people that have had problems (sometimes major) that had this type of mesh, but it’s apparently one of the most popular and most often used. This will certainly lead to more people having issues compared to other brands. Though interestingly that link you provided seemed to show the most satisfaction with the 3DMax. I actually called my potential surgeon and have asked him if he uses 3DMax most often and if that’s what he was intending to use on me. Will see what he says.

Your post did remind me that I also need to reach out to the authors of that link you provided and ask about that chart. Maybe I’ll do that now.

You say he guided you away from his successful procedure. What kind of procedure and product did he use for you again, if you don’t mind me asking?