Any hope, or just delaying the inevitable?

[dh305]

Thank you, sir!

[DrBrown]

[USER=”2987″]dh305[/USER]
An MRI will see the mesh but it will not necessarily tell you whether or not there is a problem
A standing ultrasound it the best method to look for a recurrent hernia.
Injecting the mesh with a local anesthetic is the best way to determine if the mesh is the source of your pain.
regards.
Bill Brown MD

[dh305]

Thanks again. That gives me some hope. I am able to function with it, and it is not debilitating, just a little depressing.
Is there any sort of imaging test that could give an accurate diagnosis of scarring around the mesh, or a recurrent hernia?

Thanks for your time!

[DrBrown]

[USER=”2987″]dh305[/USER]
Mesh pain tends to resolve with time.
If a patient is able to function with the pain, I advise waiting a year before considering the removal of the mesh.
Consult with your surgeon. He/she can check for a recurrent hernia, nerve damage, autoimmune, etc.
And hopefully, the surgeon will also learn that mesh has life-changing complications.
Regards
Bill Brown MD

[dh305]

Thanks, Dr. Brown.

Is there any specific imaging test(s) that you think might be beneficial in a case such as mine?

If it is a scarring issue, have you seen it resolve in a patient without intervention such as injections, such that the patient is almost 100% in time?

Thanks as always for your support and guidance.

[DrBrown]

[USER=”2987″]dh305[/USER]
The most common reason for your symptoms is scarring of the mesh. This will improve if the mesh is injected with mesh. You could also have a recurrent hernia. Occasionally autoimmune problems occur after mesh.
Ask your surgeon to examine you and get his/her advise.
Regards.
Bill Brown MD

[dh305]

Thank you for the reply

also, after about 1 hour of standing/walking, the discomfort creeps up and groin feels “fatigued”. Can’t seem to get past that, though I seem to go longer every week or so.

Any ideas?

[Good intentions]

I think that only surgeons who remove mesh, or stay in touch with their mesh repair patients, or device makers and insurance companies with deeper accounting of mesh “failures”, know the answer. The truth is out there somewhere for certain professionals with the guts to face it and expose it. But, people like myself and you and others on this forum only know of the few cases we hear about or read about on the internet.

I suspect the the device makers know the answer but probably convince themselves that it’s only minor discomfort, not ruined lives, that people are describing. Even surgeons, like Dr. Felix, have suggested the people who complain about mesh discomfort just need to “toughen up”. I wonder how he is doing with his mesh repair.

My symptoms were similar to yours. I even had times where I felt like just walking across the United States. Just continuous walking because that is the only time I felt “right”.

I think that if you keep a log of your activities you will find that the discomfort is delayed from the actions that cause it, and that the feeling good is just a transitory time after activity, but with some amount of rest. Then, eventually, you feel the urge to be active again and the cycle starts over. There is not steady state of feeling good, It just passes by.

The people who would know are people Dr. Brown or Dr. Billing or other surgeons that remove mesh. They have heard the histories and know the timelines of many many patients and also know the results of the mesh removals. I would seek out their opinions. Write a good letter to them that they can review and ponder and I think that you will get some answers.