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Mesh less repair after 8 month : disaster
Hi everyone,
I’m reaching out because I’m dealing with some unexpected complications following a hernia repair, and I could really use some advice or similar experiences.
Last February, I underwent a meshless repair (using the Minimal Repair Technique) for a small, asymptomatic right-side indirect inguinal hernia. The recovery was pretty rough, with significant pain initially.
About a month post-surgery, I started experiencing digestive issues – narrow stools, constipation, flaring. Now, eight months out, while the repair itself seems solid (I’ve had it checked multiple times), and I only have mild discomfort after activities like yoga, these digestive problems persist and are seriously impacting my quality of life.
Things came to a head about a month ago when I had a major flare-up: fever, severe constipation, and what felt like a compromised immune system. This led me to consult a gastroenterologist, who ordered a colonoscopy, blood work, and stool analysis.
The results were puzzling:
– Colonoscopy showed localized inflammation without an apparent cause
– Blood tests revealed slightly elevated C-reactive protein levels
– Stool sample indicated mildly increased calprotectin
The gastroenterologist’s take? An inflammatory process of unknown origin, thankfully not malignant. His theory is that the surgery, despite being minimally invasive and mesh-free, somehow triggered an autoimmune response that he believes could be long-term.
I’ve lost weight due to relying on laxatives, and I’m dealing with near-constant abdominal pain. My surgeon is baffled, saying he’s never encountered this in thousands of procedures. He’s suggested a nerve block to see if it helps, even though pain isn’t my primary issue.
In my search for answers, I’ve only found one similar account – someone who developed IBD after hernia surgery with mesh. However, their procedure was much more extensive than mine, involving mesh placement within the peritoneum, which wasn’t the case for me.
I’m at my wit’s end here. This situation isn’t sustainable, and I feel like I’m on a wild goose chase for medical answers. If anyone has gone through something similar or has any insights to offer, I’d be incredibly grateful.
Thanks for reading, and I appreciate any help you can provide.
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15 Replies
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Côme,
Sound like you have an inflammatory disorder of the GI tract. It need not be related to your hernia repair.
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It definitely is connected to the repair. It started right after (never had any digestive issue before, always worked lile clockwork).
Recently again, I went to a yoga class and clearly I sollicitated the area a bit much, felt very sore after. For the following 2 days, I had huge digestive issue, completely bloating in the zone of the repair, with stingy pain and gargling noise. It was more painful than before.
There is a direct link between this repair and the digestive issue.
And now the only thing they want is to do a MRI for which I have to take this contrast agent which is a complete poison. This really is a medical nightmare
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Have you looked into hyperbaric chamber therapy? It helps heal stubborn or hard to heal wounds
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This is interesting. Because the Dr. Conze told me that I had a little allergic reaction to the skin suture thread. I asked him back then if I could have had allergy to the internal suture thread (which is absorbable but much slower), and he said “no” without any further investigation.
Because there is clearly a connection between this repair and my symptoms… And when I strain de repair, the symptoms get much worse…
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They can’t see much without mri contrast in your abdomen. I was pretty much refused a mri scan if I opted to not have contrast. It depends on the body part when it comes to contrast apparently in the abdomen it’s not very good without it. I usually opt for ct scans for this reason. But of course you get the radiation dose.
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Miner, this is incorrect. MRI should be performed without contrast for any hernia related problem. Contrast is only helpful for certain tumors.
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This reply was modified 2 weeks, 4 days ago by drtowfigh.
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Hmm but then why are they all refusing to do one for me without contrast ?
I will try to insist again…
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This reply was modified 2 weeks, 4 days ago by
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I was getting ct scans every 6 months of my abdomen for a different tumor. I did have a mri after it got larger but that didn’t show anything different. I don’t know what absorbable sutures are made of you may be allergic if they are from some mammal origin. They can take a long time to absorb as well.
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I’ve been thinking about the allergy. I don’t know what the absorbable thread was made of. I know I had an allergic reaction to the skin suture thread (Dr. Conze told me). When I asked the Dr. Conze if I could have had an allergic reaction to the internal thread, he just said “No” without any further investigation.
As for the CT scan, for abdominal CT Scan (where you have multiple sensitive organs including genitals), you receive 7 years worth of natural radioactivity in 1 shot. And that just doens’t feel right for me…
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I also have your same constipation and stomach pain issues after 2 meshes repair for the same hernia plus hernia area and testicular pain. Today I had steroid injection to the hernia hard lump. The surgeon told me the chronic pain is persistent. I have to accept to have the 2 meshes removal, which will be a big risky surgery. Life is a nightmare after the surgeries. I was told the surgery is normal, 99.99% success rate. My case is a failure. i am looking for a solution on website every minute.
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I understand and it must be awful. I understand how mesh can affect the whole area (when they fail, shrink, develop adhesions…)
But here I didn’t have mesh. The hernia sac was only fatty tissue (no intestine). And even the suture thread, it was resobarble suture 100% (inside /out), means at this time I don’t have any foreign material in my body normally….
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Are you taking pain medication of any type? Even aspirin or ibuprofen? I’ve found that both of those can cause constipation.
Any hernia repair method usually involves some sort of manipulation of the hernia sac. I assume that any breach of the peritoneum could expose intestine to adhesion sources. Adhesions can be painful, as I understand things. I have not heard of them as common from open hernia repair but it might be a possibility.
It might be that you have two or more problems happening at the same time. There might not be a single solution.
Here is a link to one of your previous posts where you describe the surgery by Dr. Conze. Good luck.
https://herniatalk.com/forums/topic/experience-with-muschaweck/#post-52742
herniatalk.com
Experience with Muschaweck - Hernia Discussion - Hernia Talk
Experience with Muschaweck - Hernia Discussion - Hernia Talk
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Hello.
Yes but the hernia sac was very small and only made of fatty tissue. However I’ve read that adherence can form even without breach, just from inflammation. It is rare, but it seems to exist. However I asked both the gastro-enterologist who did the colonoscopy and Dr. Conze, both seems to say it’s highly unlilely.
They want to do an MRI, however I’m reluctant with the contrast agent.
At the moment, I’m not taking any medication. I take a special form of psyllium husk that helps a lot and sometimes a high dose of vitamin C powder or magnesium chloride as a laxative (maybe 1 or 2 times / months).
Adherences is one of the first thing I thought about. I found this clinic : https://clearpassage.com/
However the whole trip + treatment will cost me 10 000$ and I’m not even sure if that will do anything.
The site of discomfort that I feel is much higher than the hernia repair itself (I attach a photo). And they can’t find a connection. However I know that the ilio-inguinal nerve and ilio-gastric nerve are connect to the same branch. Could it be that the ilio-gastric nerve is irritated, creating a contraction of the psoas and squeezing the intestine…
I’m really on a medical errand…
clearpassage.com
Clear Passage®️ strives to provide our patients with the finest hands-on therapy in the world. Call us for a free consult: 352-336-1433.
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There is still lots of stitching even in mesh free repair. Depending on the technique the stitching remains or dissolves. Your body could be reacting to that. I developed a Desmoid tumor after a bowel surgery about 1 in million chance of that. Initially it just showed up as inflammation in scans until in about 6 months was the size of a baseball and could no longer be called inflammation. I’d skip the nerve block they are just trying to feel like they are helping.
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This reply was modified 1 month ago by miner.
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Interesting. Mine were entirely resorbable. I’m 8 months post surgery. Perhaps they last a little bit longer than that, not sure.
Anyway they should be very soon entirely gone…
How did you diagnose your tumor? MRI?
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This reply was modified 1 month ago by
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