ARE THERE NO POSITIVE RESULTS FROM HERNIA MESAH REMOVAL????

[paul]

GI…..thanks for that helpful info and suggestion. I have been keeping notes and I’ve been walking :15 very morning on a dedicated walk. pretty sore across port sites and a bit below from l to r ASIS, but I figured walking better than not. swelling/bruising reduced somewhat since discharge on 7/30, just don’t know how long before totally gone. I certainly do feel relief from pain that the Bard was causing in the first place, and now am just feeling some pain from where progrip was used….or could be that that’s the side dr chen pulled out both pieces of the xl bard. either way, I’m optimistic about recovery but need to take it slow over the next couple of months, especially since doc had to basically “quilt” my peritoneum on both sides back together. best news is no nerve issues, no nueroectomy….whew!!!

[Good intentions]

I found that keeping a log my activities and the way I felt in the days afterward helped me figure out what was helping and what was not. I was able to see that effects of certain activities sometimes took one or two days to manifest.

I also found at times that resting to wait for pain to subside didn’t work, and, counterintuitively, being more active did help. I think it might have something to do with the diminished blood flow after all of the dissection and cauterization. That’s where the activity log helped to keep track of how many days I’d felt pain in a certain area and the level of the pain. If things weren’t getting better I’d just go out and try to get things moving along. I’m not suggesting that you should expect long-term pain just that you might get stuck a few times along the way.

Also, Progrip has an absorbable component that degrades over time and needs to get removed by the body. Apparently it takes months to completely degrade so you’d expect that you might feel some things along the way.

You’re read my account of my experience so you know that it’s a slow process. I’m sitting here right now though, in great shape, feeling good. You’ll get there soon too, I’m sure. Good luck.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 4 months ago by  Good intentions.

[paul]

today marks one week since my bilateral Bard 3d max, large, mesh was removed. 2 pieces of mesh were installed 6/19 by dr mastrangelo in bend Oregon to repair bilateral inguinal and right side femoral hernias. long story, but never got better and been in constant pain. turns out mesh folded at top and was thought to have been placed too high. dr chen at ucla successfully removed mesh from both sides robotically, found no significant hernias on left (there were allegedly 2 in 2019) and one inguinal and one femoral on the right, which he repaired with much smaller, thinner, lighter, Progrip.

I am still very sore at incision (4) points, black and blue at abdomen across pubic bone, scrotum purple and swollen as well, but less so incrementally every day. soreness is constant, worse sitting and standing, so try not to do that….I spend the day in recliner, getting up every hour or so to walk a bit.

any recommendations for recovery appreciated.

[JamesDoncaster]

I had my mesh removed about 15 months ago. Today, I feel mostly normal and my activities are not limited in any way. The only annoyance I have is a bit of sensitivity to pressure near my pubic bone, and even that seems to be getting a bit better with time.

Bottom line: I am glad I had my mesh removed.

[Herniahelper]

We would love to hear your story and how things go. Please update us with your progress.

[paul]

point of clarification….i had my initial repair done in bend oregon.

[paul]

Good Intentions. thanks so much for the info. i read your story last week and remembered it well. my bilateral inguinal hernias and a femoral hernia were lap repaired 6/19 here using bilateral Bard large 3d MAX in bend oregon. never felt like it was a success and doc said my pain was normal and it would take time for scar tissue to heal. several post op visits later, same stray and no improvement, in fact got worse. after much research and another hernia surgeon in CA who ordered more Ultrasounds, the conclusion was, mesh is working but you may be one of the 30% of patients who have issues with the mesh, not toxic rejection, just chronic pain. i was referrd to dr chen at ucla, dr brown and dr Peterson as possible docs who might be able to remove my mesh. i narrowed it down to dr chen and he did physical exam as well as new MRI and read images himself. his opinion is that my mesh had folded at top, clamshell, and while i don’t have nerve pain per se, it’s more of a foreign body pain between my ASIS and area between top of pelvis and navel. he suggested that if i couldn’t live with my 6-8 level pain 24/7, then he’d attempt to remove it all. i’m scheduled to have that procedure on 7/28. i’ve had 2 conversations with him since april and i feel very comfortable with him, his knowledge, his experience and his approach, which is, we’ll try to get all of the mesh without impacting the 3 major nerves, but understanding that that may not be possible. also, if the small hernias are still present, he may have to use smaller Program mesh to cover them. i feel like i’ve made a good choice in moving forward with the procedure, but having read all the “horror” stories on this site and others, of course i’m anxious, knowing that either the good news stories don’t get told or the “success rate” is lower than 70-85% as suggested. i’m not going to change my decision, but just needed to know what to expect recovery/healing wise from others who’ve had mesh removed successfully. again, thanks for you post(s)

[Good intentions]

I have a positive story. I have linked it below.

You won’t find the medical professionals talking about mesh removal much. Mesh problems are not supposed to exist, therefore mesh removal should not be needed, is what they are all trained to believe.

Some surgeons have given up removing mesh, possibly because recovery takes so long and patients are expecting to get back the life they had before the mesh was used. Removing the mesh does not “undo” the damage, it just increases the odds of feeling better.

I had mesh removed three and a half years ago and am finally feeling like I am back to where I was six and half years ago before I had the mesh implanted. Six and a half years of dealing with a problem created by “state-of-the-art” hernia repair.

Don’t try to simplify things down to just “mesh removal” if you are having mesh problems. The variety of materials and methods used for mesh implantation and the variety of methods used for removal are very broad. You need to understand what was done to you and find the right surgeon to remove the mesh, if that is necessary. If your mesh implantation was recent you might want to wait to see if the problems resolve. Good luck.

https://herniatalk.com/forums/topic/healing-from-mesh-removal-surgery/

Healing from mesh removal surgery

[paul]

horror stories

[paul]

i’ve read many of those here, in SAGES, and elsewhere. i was wondering about real patients’ experiences since it’s patients who are posting all the hour stories here.

[drtowfigh]

Read articles and presentations provided by surgeons who perform mesh removal. Success rates (ie, cure) range in 70-85% range.

[drtowfigh]

I measure success as cure of pre-mesh removal symptoms. Yes, I follow all my patients and they are also logged in to the ACHQC National database for followup.

[idoncov]

Small world. I had my initial hernia repairs done in Bend, Oregon as well (St Charles Hospital). Both the inguinal and incisional umbilical hernias were repaired with mesh and both failed. That started me on a road of horror that still has not ended. The repairs performed included both Dr Brown and Dr Towfigh.

[SpringsMan]

Dr. Towfigh,

How do you measure success? Do you follow up with patients for a certain time. Are your patients willing to post their success stories here?

Thank you for the forum.