Had CT, no surprise didn’t show anything

[ajm222]

quote MeshMangledMerritt:

My primary care acted perplexed by this and honestly I am as well. Why is it mesh doesn’t show on a CT?

I sent my CT scan in to Dr. Belyansky and he said everything looked good and that ‘it was a well-placed mesh’ and hadn’t migrated or balled up or moved. So he clearly was able to see it. I think as Jnomesh said, it takes some special experience and training to see mesh on a ct scan, or at least see it in a way that helps diagnostically-speaking. And even then I guess there are times when everything looks ok even when perhaps things aren’t. Unless of course there is an issue with the scan. I guess it matters if the person reading your scan said they couldn’t see it, or if they said they couldn’t see any issues. Two different things as well.

I think the CT is just one piece of evidence in trying to identifying the true source of pain and discomfort. It can be useful to know the mesh hasn’t migrated or balled up. That information can be used along with many other pieces of info in trying to create a fuller picture that explains your troubles. So it’s probably good you had it done, even if it didn’t show anything. And you can now share those images with other surgeons and physicians as well.

[MeshMangledMerritt]

quote DrBrown:

[USER=”2967″]MeshMangledMerritt[/USER]
The most common reason for pain is the mesh or scarring of the nerves.
Ask your doctor to inject the mesh with lidocaine. If you feel better that will be strong evidence that removing the mesh will help.
If injecting the mesh does not help, then inject the ilioinguinal and the iliohypogastric nerves with lidocaine. If that helps then the nerves are a component of your pain.
Regards.
Bill Brown MD

Thank you Doc! I’m still working on getting down there to see you. The VA did approve me for community care through the MISSION ACT, BUT my community care doctor has to refer me to you for the VA to cover it. I haven’t given up nor forgot and I’m doing all that I can to get there to see you.

[DrBrown]

[USER=”2967″]MeshMangledMerritt[/USER]
The most common reason for pain is the mesh or scarring of the nerves.
Ask your doctor to inject the mesh with lidocaine. If you feel better that will be strong evidence that removing the mesh will help.
If injecting the mesh does not help, then inject the ilioinguinal and the iliohypogastric nerves with lidocaine. If that helps then the nerves are a component of your pain.
Regards.
Bill Brown MD

[Red Oak]

Good Intentions, for those who have had mesh removed, what was done in its place? Is there resectioning of the colon involved? Or did you go elsewhere for a non-mesh repair? Thinking the site would be too large after removal to do non-mesh.

[Good intentions]

I know how hard it is to sit and focus and do research when you have mesh-based chronic pain but if you read through many of the old topics you’ll find that “finding nothing” is very common. The cause of the discomfort and pain from mesh products is so broad and dispersed that it does not show clearly on any physical diagnostic technique.

Most of us who have had mesh removed have just had to go on our own confidence that it is the mesh itself that is the problem, combined with our surgeons’ experience with patients who have had their mesh removed. The mesh can be perfectly placed, intact, and not contacting any specific sensitive structures and still cause inflammation that causes discomfort and pain. It is excellent for the device makers, with no evidence of fault, but terrible for the doctors and patients who have to figure things out on their own.

In short, don’t think that you will find a specific cause for your pain. Pain for no visible reason is not uncommon with mesh implantation. It’s the material itself and everywhere it contacts the body that is the source of the discomfort and pain.

[Jnomesh]

Unfortunately most radiologists and surgeons don’t know how to read cat scans or MRI’s as they Pertain to mesh.
That being said it is very rare that mesh will show up as the root cause on one of these scans unless it has significantly migrated or balled up.
Usually only when the surgeon actually gets in there can it be seen what the mesh is actually doing

[MeshMangledMerritt]

It also said no recurrent hernia. Can anyone shed some light on this for me? Could they not know what to look for?