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Help / Opinions Wanted On Assessing Mesh Removal
I’m quite concerned about mesh that was placed for right inguinal indirect hernia. It was done a little over a year ago and a large prolene hernia system was used. I feel like something is not right with my body. I’ve been having issues with my bowels and also feel like I have been fighting a month long infection but am otherwise healthy. I also still feel quite a bit of ongoing pain and odd sensations like scratching in the groin area on top of intermittent nerve pain that shoots down my leg.
My question: is there a difference in having a mesh like this removed now or in 10-15 years. I cant help but think that my issues are all related to the mesh. What type of tests are best to monitor implantation of mesh after the fact? Are there specific blood or imaging tests that would help me understand what type of issue I might have? I’m concerned because I am young and in order for me to live a full life that means this mesh would be inside me for 50-60 years. Is that even possible?
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14 Replies
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O>>MY ….. So it is my understanding no reply after refining mesh ? How do you live with belt? What will you do ? I more and more fascinated with Dr. Repta Plastic surgeon….please watch his you tube videos.
here is from his office Good intentions
Hernia repair is something we are extremely well known for and do on a weekly basis, unfortunately because Dr. Repta is also a reconstructive surgeon with privileges at all the major hospitals it’s almost impossible to keep track of the # of performed surgeries, but I can assure you he is extremely knowledgeable.
To answer your question about the method in which Dr. Repta uses; he does know all methods, however, we would need to set up a consult to see what your specific case needs, but we do in fact offer a 100% mesh free surgery.
To date we do not have any patients that needed a second surgery, and have great testimonials for our hernia repairs on our social media as well as our Realself, that we recommend looking at.
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Forgot to add these [USER=”2772″]uneducatedaboutmesh[/USER] [USER=”2608″]dog[/USER]
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quote dog:Dear Good intentions I meant to ask you. When they removed mesh ,what kind of repairing did they do on you .? And no problems with hernia recurrence after that correct ? So if they could do good pure tishies fix
after mess already was created with placement and removing implant ….What kind of problem or what kind of doctor stupidity happened , that they didn’t offer you to do without mesh in the first place?..that could be done even more easy and more durable ?Dr. Billing just removed as much of the mesh as he could and left as much of the surrounding tissue alone as he could, as I understand his notes. No neurectomies, and signs of small indirect hernias on both sides when he was done. The tissue was very edematous, or full of fluids of inflammation, by the notes. I assume that the areas around the mesh were distorted and deformed. No repair work was done, I would guess because the tissues were inflamed and it’s better to let the body adjust and heal before attempting repairs. I think also, that the soft pliable material that would normally push through a defect is now tough and less likely to push through. Not much is written about the omentum but it is actually a part of the peritoneum, that can react to trauma, unlike “fat”. Omentum is one of the materials that typically push through a hernia defect.
I think also that much of the area around the defects are adhered to each other. It’s probably a large mass of scar tissue after removal, not the same physiology as a normal human.
Mesh implantation is the “standard of care” in the hernia repair field at this time. Doing work that is not “standard of care” exposes the surgeon to higher risk. It is also more difficult to get reimbursed for doing work that is non-standard. It will take a large sub-set of all of the surgeons to change the views about the standard of care, in order to change the standard itself. I am sure that there is great pressure from the device makers to keep things as they are. It is a multi-billion dollar business, for them.
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quote uneducatedaboutmesh:I went back with the pain I was experiencing 6-7 months out and I got the “everything looks great” response. I have not been back since my other issues began. I’m going to start by having my regular doc run blood work and go over my symptoms with them. It is so frustrating to know that this is such a serious issue that not many doctors are proficient in. I really want someone to evaluate if I am crazy or is this evil inside me really needs to come out. I wish I knew more before let this happen to myself.
I think that the best way to deal with your situation is to consider it as a completely new health issue, starting now. You have it and you need to figure out how to deal with it. You can’t undo what has happened and make a different decision. So, one option is to learn how to live with it. I found that certain activities, like working out at the gym, or hiking, helped a lot, for a while. Eventually though I made the decision to have the mesh removed. I do know of other people who have had the Prolene system and say that they’re fine with it. One was on a body building site, so his main concern was being able to continue working out. I am not a body builder myself, but am physically active.
Moving forward, try to find ways to make things better and you might find that the situation stabilizes at a point that is better than having mesh removal. That is your basic decision at this point as far as your future health is concerned. That is how the doctors and surgeons that you see will think about it also.
In many ways, it’s like being in a bad accident and learning how to live with the results. It’s not right, it’s wrong in many ways, but that’s the way the hernia repair field is at this time.
Good luck.
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Dear Good intentions I meant to ask you. When they removed mesh ,what kind of repairing did they do on you .? And no problems with hernia recurrence after that correct ? So if they could do good pure tishies fix
after mess already was created with placement and removing implant ….What kind of problem or what kind of doctor stupidity happened , that they didn’t offer you to do without mesh in the first place?..that could be done even more easy and more durable ? -
Thanks for the additional resources.
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I went back with the pain I was experiencing 6-7 months out and I got the “everything looks great” response. I have not been back since my other issues began. I’m going to start by having my regular doc run blood work and go over my symptoms with them. It is so frustrating to know that this is such a serious issue that not many doctors are proficient in. I really want someone to evaluate if I am crazy or is this evil inside me really needs to come out. I wish I knew more before let this happen to myself.
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quote uneducatedaboutmesh:I’m quite concerned about mesh that was placed for right inguinal indirect hernia. It was done a little over a year ago and a large prolene hernia system was used.
I forgot to ask you what might be the most important question, big-picture wise. Have you contacted the surgeon who did the repair? He/she needs to know so that they can keep track of the success rate of their work. Many surgeons lose track of their patients pretty quickly. Many patients don’t go back to the original surgeon because the results don’t match what they were promised. It’s important that the surgeons know so that they can make changes.
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I found this also while looking around.
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If I was in your situation I might start at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. They have been doing research in the field of mesh prosthetics, transvaginal mesh but still mesh, and might have some advice. See the link below. The primary author seems to be gone from there, but a letter to the chair of the department might get you somewhere. They might have specific advice or know local surgeons who can help.
Write a good descriptive letter and send it to them to start so that they will have a good feel for your problem before you talk to them. Good luck.
[USER=”2772″]uneducatedaboutmesh[/USER]
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Good Intentions,
Thank you for your comments. I’m located in Oklahoma.
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I wrote a long post but got blocked by the green screen. I should have copied and saved it first. Can you help with that [USER=”935″]drtowfigh[/USER]
Find a surgeon who removes mesh but does not do so as their primary business. One who might be familiar with the Prolene System. Your mesh is polypropylene. Keep a log of your activities and compare them to what you used to do, to see the rate that your life is changing. My personal opinion as a mesh “survivor” is that if the body does not accept or incorporate the mesh that the damage will accumulate over time. Constant inflammation is generally not healthy, I think. Healing and recovery after removal will be more difficult the longer that it is in place, and beside that, the time with the mesh in place is like a sort of limbo, once you know that it’s not getting better. It can’t be enjoyed. In many ways, it is wasted life.
Post your general location and people might know of surgeons to to talk to.
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The Prolene Hernia System is a trademarked Ethicon product which uses polypropylene mesh. It is two layers of mesh connected by what is, in essence, a “plug”.
I personally, as a person who had Bard Soft Mesh (also polypropylene) implanted then removed three years later, think that the constant inflammation and damage that the mesh causes, if it doesn’t work for you, builds up the longer that the mesh is in place. The damage seemed to be cumulative in my case, getting worse as time passed. All of the tissues in the vicinity of the mesh are affected by it, and the loads and stresses on those local tissues are also changed. Some areas will stiffen and toughen up while others will get weaker. After the mesh is removed those areas have to readjust, and it takes a long time.
If you’re not doing so already, keep a log of the things that you do and the after-effects. Your life can be diminished very slowly as time goes by, as you avoid doing the things that are uncomfortable, and with a record of your activities it will be easier to recognize. Compare what you do now to what you used to do. It will help you organize your thoughts also for communicating with surgeons, wherever you find them.
Your best option is to find a surgeon who removes mesh but is also very objective about their profession, as a surgeon and doctor. Surgeons are normal people, and you’ll find good and bad as you search. Talk to as many as you can, via written letter, internet, or phone, to find one who is familiar with the Prolene System and may recognize your symptoms.
Post your general location and people might have suggestions for surgeons to talk to.
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