mesh or no-mesh for my direct inguinal hernia

[DrBrown]

The body treats mesh as a foreign body and inflammatory tissue will form around the mesh. The mesh then becomes stiff and shrinks. The process usually takes about six months. That explains why pain related to the mesh usually occurs about six months after surgery. Pain related to damage to the nerves usually occurs very quickly after surgery.
Regards.
Bill Brown MD

[patient]

Thanks all for the insight and sharing your experiences!

Since I am still able to workout with light weight and do some sports with just little discomfort I will be watching my symptoms and wait, but this is still a difficult situation since hernia mesh is related to chronic pain and pure tissue repair is related to high re-occurrence.
Hope in the future doctors and technology can create a fix for this called “minor surgery”

[UhOh!]

quote dog:

Dear UHOH My experience …Loner you wait ..more problems usually happening… i was doing fast..Dr Brown wouldn’t need to repair my direct hernia ..that happened because of that…he would just fix indirect with even smaller incision… Not shure why you after not contacting him..or my words are not enough :} ?

Were I contemplating a repair in the near future, he’d be my first call! However, given that mine only contains fat, rarely if ever causes discomfort, and any surgery can result in complications (that are no fault of the surgeon), the cost/benefit on surgery just isn’t adding up for me at this time.

My hope, of course, is that as interest in mesh-free surgery grows, more surgeons see the benefits in learning tissue repair methods from surgeons like Drs. Brown and Kang, who have truly mastered the craft.

[DrBrown]

When mesh is implanted there is a foreign body reaction that causes scarring and shrinkage. This process peaks at about 6 months. Thus it is common for the patient to initially do well and then have trouble about 6 months after surgery.
Regards
Bill Brown MD

[Gary McCollom]

Hi there friend, I was diagnosed with a ‘very tiny inguinal hernia’ whatever that is in 2015 and had it repaired in Oct.2015 with mesh. I had never heard of issues with mesh and just figured they are the doctors and this is a new medical way of fixing them.

About 16 or so months later after an uneventful recovery period I had gone to the gym to do my regular lower workout of deadlifts and squats. That night around 2 am I woke up with a nasty stabbing pain where the hernia was repaired, also had the strangest electrical charge like feeling as well as the area was very warm to the touch.

This lasted about 30 days, after this episode subsided is when myriad other weird issues started happening with my body which I will explain in my recovery post later, I just joined the forum last night.

I had 2 more episodes of the stabbing pain that each lasted oddly enough around the same time as the first and after the 3rd one this past Christmas eve I knew I had to get this removed.

April 9/2019 I had it removed and its been a revelation to say the least, sure the healing from open abdominal surgery is not the greatest but I am so very happy I made the decision I did.

I was also not warned about the risks and issues surrounding polypropylene mesh and the worst part is I am an hour away from Shouldice clinic. Doctors/surgeons are supposed to be looking out for the best interests of the patient and I should have been referred down the road to Shouldice for such a small hernia.

My point is if you have a small hernia you best find yourself a skilled and experienced hernia specialist that can repair a hernia the way they used to be repaired before mesh…funny how so many doctors forget that hernias were repaired just fine before mesh…sure there are exceptional cases but that should not be the standard that all repairs are based off of.

Clearly though if I knew what I do now about mesh there is not a chance on gods green earth I would have chosen mesh for the repair and the 6 inches of paperwork I have from my own research backs this up.

You must advocate for yourself nowadays as doctors and the original surgeon would not listen to me about what was happening to my body.

Cheers and hope this helps you out a bit.

[bmul100]

patient I tried to reply but it was unapproved. Not sure why. Basically the longer it’s been in the worse it gets. I returned to sports quickly but around 8 months post op it began hurting daily. My guess is I either injured it or it has chemically changed and become hard and keeps reinjuring me daily. I haven’t been active since it began hurting.

[bmul100]

[USER=”2826″]patient[/USER] I tried to reply but it was unapproved. Not sure why. Basically the longer it’s been in the worse it gets. I returned to sports quickly but around 8 months post op it began hurting daily. My guess is I either injured it or it has chemically changed and become hard and keeps reinjuring me daily. I haven’t been active since it began hurting.

[bmul100]

[USER=”2826″]patient[/USER] I tried to reply but it was unapproved. Not sure why. Basically the longer it’s been in the worse it gets. I returned to sports quickly but around 8 months post op it began hurting daily. My guess is I either injured it or it has chemically changed and become hard and keeps reinjuring me daily. I haven’t been active since it began hurting.

[bmul100]

[USER=”2826″]patient[/USER] the longer it’s been inside me the worse it has gotten. At first I returned to sports with no issue. They are right about the short recovery time. However, after about 8 months it began to hurt daily. My logic tells me I either injured it or it has chemically changed and become hard and it is continually reinjuring me daily. I haven’t been able to do even light activities since it began hurting.

[Arkj93]

Hi patient,

As a person who underwent mesh repair last year I believe you are better off with a pure tissue repair and if I had the choice to go back I would choose this option as well. I was diagnosed with a small inguinal hernia and despite being skeptical of the mesh I decided to undergo mesh surgery because it was offered as a less painful option to open non-mesh repair. Most surgeons who use mesh tell you that you will be fine in 3-6 months and some say even sooner but if you look around these forums, on facebook groups and other places around the internet there are many people who will say otherwise. Since my surgery I have had an intense foreign body reaction (feeling the mesh inside me at all times), and an over all feeling like there is sandpaper inside of me. It is tough to describe all the sensations I feel in my leg, hip, and groin since I have never felt anything like this before, but I can tell you all does not feel normal and I wake up and go to sleep every day wishing I never had the mesh put in me.

[dog]

My experience …Loner you wait ..more problems usually happening… i was doing fast..dr wouldn’t need to repair my direct hernia ..that happened because of that…he would just fix indirect with even smaller incision…}

[dog]

Dear UHOH My experience …Loner you wait ..more problems usually happening… i was doing fast..Dr Brown wouldn’t need to repair my direct hernia ..that happened because of that…he would just fix indirect with even smaller incision…

[dog]

My experience …Loner you wait ..more problems usually happening… i was doing fast..Dr Brown wouldn’t need to repair my direct hernia ..that happened because of that…he would just fix indirect with even smaller incision… Not shure why you after not contacting him..or my words are not enough :} ?

[dog]

quote UhOh!:

Thanks for sharing. What’s interesting, and I guess this just shows how different people are affected differently, is that squatting is the one barbell exercise that doesn’t bother me (occasionally it’ll ache the next day, but feels like any other muscle ache). Deadlifting no bueno (puts pressure directly on it and doesn’t hurt, but feels like it’s pushing on it) and even overhead pressing was bothering me.

Now, my hernia has gotten a bit larger over the past three years, but I do somewhat credit heavy lifting with strengthening the surrounding musculature and keeping it from feeling worse.

Dear UHOH My experience …Loner you wait ..more problems usually happening… i was doing fast..Dr Brown wouldn’t need to repair my direct hernia ..that happened because of that…he would just fix indirect with even smaller incision… Not shure why you after not contacting him..or my words are not enough :} ?

[UhOh!]

quote patient:

@UhOh! 1. Are you no longer squatting because it hurts to do so, or because you are concerned with worsening the hernia?
I am not longer squatting because the pain and also concerned about getting it worst.

2. Do (did) you wear a belt for squatting? I have a (completely nonscientific) theory that use of a lifting belt actually increases the risk of developing a hernia…
I have never used a belt.

Thanks for sharing. What’s interesting, and I guess this just shows how different people are affected differently, is that squatting is the one barbell exercise that doesn’t bother me (occasionally it’ll ache the next day, but feels like any other muscle ache). Deadlifting no bueno (puts pressure directly on it and doesn’t hurt, but feels like it’s pushing on it) and even overhead pressing was bothering me.

Now, my hernia has gotten a bit larger over the past three years, but I do somewhat credit heavy lifting with strengthening the surrounding musculature and keeping it from feeling worse.

[patient]

@Good intentions thanks for your responses and contributions , this is a very difficult decision for me, hope you are doing well.

@UhOh! 1. Are you no longer squatting because it hurts to do so, or because you are concerned with worsening the hernia?
I am not longer squatting because the pain and also concerned about getting it worst.

2. Do (did) you wear a belt for squatting? I have a (completely nonscientific) theory that use of a lifting belt actually increases the risk of developing a hernia…
I have never used a belt.

@bmul100
How are you doing with your prolene mesh since it was inside you?
Were you able to return to sports?

and a question for the community:
If I have sport hernias will a pure tissue repair will be a better approach?

Thank you all! This forum is great and it seems there are some doctors who really care about people

[bmul100]

I’m 31 and athletic, 145lbs. I got a prolene hernia mesh a year and a half ago. I’ll try to answer some of your questions below.

quote patient:

1. Should I have a mesh or no-mesh repair
Mesh repair should be your last and final option. The risks do not outweigh the benefits if the hernia is small.

2. If I have a mesh repair
a Should I wait until it hurts more?
If it doesnt severely impact your daily life I would wait.

b What mesh is recommended?
Not a 2 layer mesh.

c I have read there are less recurrence with mesh repairs but you can have chronic pain?
Yes chronic pain is real. It can impact every aspect of your life.

d Is it true for thin, athletic and young patients the chronic pain is more frequently?
Yes. This is what I have been told by multiple surgeons.

e Once you have a mesh repair, and then you start having issues, doctors don’t want to get involve and don’t want to take the risk to remove the mesh and there are only a few drs who do it. Is this true?
Yes. Likely you will have to go out of state or out of network if something goes wrong. Either that or you live with the pain.

3. If I have no-mesh repair, do I should wait more until it hurts more?
a Wait until it hurts more to have the surgery?
b What are the risk of having a no-mesh repair?
c I understand an absorbable sutures are used in no-mesh repairs, what happen after the absorbable sutures are dissolved?
d Will I be able to lift my kids?
e I have read testimonies just for coughing or sneezing you can have a re-occurrence, is this true?
f what happen when you get old and your muscles get weaker, a re-occurrence is going to happen for sure?

I haven’t had a no mesh repair but I can tell you that a recurance would pale in comparison to daily pain caused by mesh.

Thank you!

I’m not a doctor but doctors don’t typically know what mesh pain is like so do not listen to them talk about chronic pain unless they have one of these devices themselves.

[UhOh!]

quote patient:

Hi guys,

Due to doing a heavy squats last year in June I have been diagnosed with a direct inguinal hernia on my left side, I don’t have a bulge and it does not hurt all the time, I am still able to run and exercise the upper body, not abds nor squats anymore. The pain come and goes any time during the day while I am sitting or any odd movement (bend over), I am very athletic 37 male – 5.9f – 175p

I have seen 2 doctors until now, both of them want to put a mesh using laparoscopic method with a robot.

I start having pain on my right groin side, so this could be bilateral inguinal hernia, I will have a new ultrasound for that. My questions are:

1. Should I have a mesh or no-mesh repair

2. If I have a mesh repair
a Should I wait until it hurts more?
b What mesh is recommended?
c I have read there are less recurrence with mesh repairs but you can have chronic pain?
d Is it true for thin, athletic and young patients the chronic pain is more frequently?
e Once you have a mesh repair, and then you start having issues, doctors don’t want to get involve and don’t want to take the risk to remove the mesh and there are only a few drs who do it. Is this true?

3. If I have no-mesh repair, do I should wait more until it hurts more?
a Wait until it hurts more to have the surgery?
b What are the risk of having a no-mesh repair?
c I understand an absorbable sutures are used in no-mesh repairs, what happen after the absorbable sutures are dissolved?
d Will I be able to lift my kids?
e I have read testimonies just for coughing or sneezing you can have a re-occurrence, is this true?
f what happen when you get old and your muscles get weaker, a re-occurrence is going to happen for sure?

Thank you!

I’m curious about two things (as a fellow lifter, who also has a hernia):

1. Are you no longer squatting because it hurts to do so, or because you are concerned with worsening the hernia?

2. Do (did) you wear a belt for squatting? I have a (completely nonscientific) theory that use of a lifting belt actually increases the risk of developing a hernia…

[pinto]

[USER=”2029″]Good intentions[/USER], one need not be a member here long to soon realize your important contributions here. As I read “patient’s” post here, I was glad and relieved I saw your reply right after it.

[Good intentions]

When I was trying to figure out what to do for my hernia, in late 2014, I thought that there was no way that the stories from the past that I had found could still apply, at the time I was looking. Somebody must have done something I thought, they are doctors, they would rebel against the device makers if patients were being harmed like the stories told. But it turned out that nothing had changed at all. I got the “best” procedure from one of the “best” guys using the “most appropriate” material for me, and I still became one of the horror stories.

It’s almost incomprehensible that it continues, but it does and is happening today. Lots of talk out there, and some people seem to be realizing that the problem is real and significant and probably worse than they knew in the past. But no changes. Many many different materials and procedures (an incredible variety really, considering that inguinal hernias are all very similar), and no way to tell which is best or worst. The only advice, after all of these years, seems to be that “plugs are not recommended”. That’s it. Things seem almost exactly the same as 2014, and before.

It’s important that people realize that. Get real numbers from the surgeon about how happy their patients are with the repair that they received, and how many are not. Every surgeon should know how many patients were unhappy because the patients almost always go back at least once. They know, they have records.

If your surgeon refuses to answer the question or gives vague answers about “haven’t heard anything bad” that’s a warning sign. They are all aware of the problem now, with all of the lawsuits on television every day. They should know how their method is working and be happy to talk about it, if it’s a good one. Quotes from the Guidelines or research papers or marketing literature don’t count, they should have personal knowledge of their own work.

It might be that any combination of mesh materials and method is equally likely to give a bad result. Nobody can say at this time, so you have to assume that they’re all bad.

Sorry to be so long-winded. But a bad mesh implantation will ruin your life. Put the time, effort, and money in first, don’t just pull the trigger and hope.