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Hernia Mesh Hell for almost 15 years
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quote Good intentions:Determine how much cash you can save up or extra debt that you can take on first. We’ve all been trained to try to use the “free” stuff first, when really we should be choosing the best value for our time and money, and long-term health. No offense. Trying to stay within the insurance system just locks in the best solution for the healthcare providers and insurance companies. Not the patients.Like I said I’m paycheck to paycheck I can’t take on extra debt when I have no way to be able to pay it off. That’s just trading the yoke of daily pain for the yoke of usury debt. And the juice keeps running on that.
especially when I’m not 100% sure I won’t be left in worse pain afterwards
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Determine how much cash you can save up or extra debt that you can take on first. We’ve all been trained to try to use the “free” stuff first, when really we should be choosing the best value for our time and money, and long-term health. No offense. Trying to stay within the insurance system just locks in the best solution for the healthcare providers and insurance companies. Not the patients.
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quote Good intentions:Arkj93 and I posted at the same time, but I agree with what he says. If you can get out of the VA system you’ll have more possibilities.
If only it was that easy. VA health care doesn’t work like that. We can’t just pick our own doctors and go see them. The best we can do is if a specialist is too far away request for community care which in my town North of Sacramento leave my options very limited
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[USER=”2029″]Good intentions[/USER]
Unfortunately I’ve met 3 surgeons in the VA.One said “removing the mesh would cause more nerves to be cut, scar tissue cut away and possible removal of right testicle”
The other two looked at that paper and my letter from doctor sedlack and both said “it’s impossible for you to be in this much pain” with one even saying I doubt this charade is even real!!!
So yeah not much for competence in the Northern VA health care system
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[USER=”2716″]Arkj93[/USER] .
I know, the problem is I don’t have health insurance and the only income I have is my SSDI and 100% TDIU rating from the VA and most of that goes to paying bills, my dogs, food, etc. The only insurance I have is VA health care and unless outside help gets approved per the MISSION ACT I’m stuck with VA care.
I’m on the West Coast in NorCal.
I’ve had the injections, ice/rest, Epsom salt warm baths, TENS unit, every pill you can think of and lyrica and gabapentin did nothing for me and they had me at 3500mgs a day of it in the army. Next they tried every opiate you can think of from Vicodin to Percocet to morphine and now I’m methadone 5s three times a day.
Competent doctors is what I’m having trouble finding here in NorCal. Even with that letter from Dr Sedlack saying I need the mesh removed and all the problems I have from it the VA doctors still deny it and make me out to be crazy.
I truly would love for a doctor in here to chime in and give me some advice on what to do cause it’s been 15 years of absolute hell
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Arkj93 and I posted at the same time, but I agree with what he says. If you can get out of the VA system you’ll have more possibilities.
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quote MeshMangledMerritt:.I don’t know who else to turn to and hope someone in here can assure me that I’m not crazy and that is the mesh and operation that has left me crippled and walking with a cane these past 14 years.
I think that you can read through the many posts on the forum and see that you’re not crazy. The device makers, the ones who profit from the mesh, have woven a powerful narrative about mesh and convinced many medical professionals that it is problem-free. If your doctors believe you than they also have to believe that they have been fooled.
What you need at this point is a surgeon who can help you with your problem. There must be a surgeon within the VA system that knows the truth and can help you. Hopefully somebody out there can point you in the right direction. Good luck.
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[USER=”2967″]MeshMangledMerritt[/USER] I am so sorry to hear of your situation. It sounds like you have been through hell and back, I can’t even imagine what you must be going through.
I’m going to be honest with you, it sounds like you need to get away from the VA doctors as fast as you possibly can. I know that this may be hard to hear, but they are not going to help you. You need to find a doctor who specializes in hernia mesh cases and it sounds to me like they are just giving you the run around. I’m hoping that [USER=”935″]drtowfigh[/USER] or [USER=”2580″]DrBrown[/USER] will be able to chime in here, but it seriously seems to me like you need to have your mesh removed. As someone who has dealt with the pain due to an entrapped nerve I know it can be excruciating, but your situation sounds far worse and you need to find the right care.
Depending on your geographic location, you may consider Dr Igor Belyansky in Annapolis, MD or Brian Jacob in NYC. Dr Brown and Dr Towfigh on this forum are both located in California, but again I would recommend you see a specialist outside the VA asap, because they are the only ones who are going to be able to help you. I’m sure some of the other members of this forum who have dealt with their own problems after mesh will respond as well.
As far as mitigating the pain goes, I’m sure you have already tried conservative measures such as ibuprofen and ice/rest. The problem is most likely in your nerves as you said so in the short term you may want to find a doctor who can treat nerve pain or possibly inject the nerves. I have been prescribed gabapentin and I have heard that the drug Lyrica can help as well with nerve pain but hopefully you at least have a primary care doc you can work with while you try and find someone who deals with mesh problems.
Again I am truly sorry for your condition but just know that this problem CAN get better if it is treated by competent doctors/surgeons who will not give you the run around and deny your pain.
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Would like to add more of my symptoms.
1) I had pain after the surgery that I attributed to normal after surgery pain but it didn’t go away and instead got worse as time went on. 4 months later I required a cane to help me walk as putting any weight on my right leg hurt excruciatingly bad. The more I tried to soldier the worse it got. Also I would notice swelling at the surgical site where the mesh was implanted. Sometimes barely noticeable other times the size of my fist.
2) the pain gets so bad at times I need help out of bed and into the tub and also when the pain gets really bad I get nausea and dizziness.
3) if I eat more than 1 meal a day I can feel pressure at the mesh area and more nausea followed by throwing up whatever I ate.
4) pain when I ejaculate
5) I need Viagra as I have erectile dysfunction from this
6) have weird sensations of ants marching in my thigh/groin area or a very dull ache to numbness to stabbing pains in my groin
7) urinary incontinence
8) difficulty and pain sometimes with blood passing stool
this is all I can think of for now but I’m sure I’m forgetting something but I’ve had a long day and am tired
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