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Mesh removal from old open inguinal hernia repair
Hello everyone,
Thank you for the community and the ones who started this forum I wouldn’t know where else to go. I had a Prolene Ethicon mesh put in me to repair a left inguinal hernia in 2005 at a hospital in North Carolina. I was doing work as a camp counselor for 3 months in America and I returned to Australia since.
The hernia mesh has been a nightmare, mostly because I became slowly ill over the years. The mesh itself is constantly inflamed chronically and I am 42 years old now. It has fibrosis and scar tissue. The nerves are mostly numb, but I think still alive since if I prod it I can feel shocks and tingly sensations down into my groin / testicle and penile area. I have had sexual issues from it which is the main reason I want it removed. It essentially ruined my sex life for the last 20 years, actually I don’t even know what a normal sex life is. I was married and that fell apart.
Anyway, I’m over it all. I just want to start my life and have this mesh removed. I’m not sure who would be the best doctor for this “type” of removal.
It was done open repair; it is on the surface of the muscle. It feels like it’s just under the skin. I am lean, you can actually see the shape of the mesh under the skin, the sutures are bumpy and hard. It looks strange. I think my muscles on the left have weakened from this mesh and the constant inflamed area. The connective tissues around may not be as strong as the right side.
I’m pretty sure been very lean and thin as I am, I’m not a big person would affect the surgery method?
I am not sure who the best doctor would be to remove a mesh like this along with its sutures and then repair it without mesh. I’m not sure if perhaps repairing it with a new absorbable mesh would be better as ultimately, I don’t want permanent foreign substances in my body anymore, at least not in that area. I’m hoping to salvage whatever function I have left and not have it degrade further; it’s been slowly and very slowly progressively getting worse.
I guess the question I have is, who would be the best in taking out this type of mesh? I’m assuming it would have to be taken out the same way it was put in, that is… open surgery. I’m ok with that, do they cut along the old incisions? I hope that’s possible to limit new scaring. I’m tired of scar tissue and fibrosis.
I’m also really hoping to spare all my nerves and vessels there, that’s the point. I don’t want to lose them in surgery. I’ve had an MRI done which shows some nerve involvement of the genito-femoral nerve which I know is quite small and hard to locate. I had a Neurolysis done with saline to try release some of it within the scar tissue. So that it could glide a bit better. Not sure if it was a suture that caught the nerve or the actual mesh.
I wonder if just taking the sutures out will help lessen the inflammation in the area. I have all my scans and even the surgery report. The doctor who put the mesh in didn’t do a good job. It’s not smooth, the mesh itself doesn’t feel flush either.
I was in touch with Dr Garvey in Australia. I’m not sure who to go to. I don’t have medical aid cover. This would be out of pocket but if I have to I have to find away.
Thanks all for your time in reading this. Any advice or experience of someone who’s gone through something similar will help a lot.
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5 Replies
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See Dr Garvey locally first. He should be able to help you.
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Dr. S. Towfigh, the founder of this site would be a good choice in the USA. Her YouTube channel has multiple videos discussing aspects of mesh removal. Search “mesh removal” on her YouTube site. For example, see the following: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAT5vevhHfE
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I would see Dr. Kang at the Gibbeum Hospital. in South Korea He removes mesh if needed and will perfrom a pure tissue repair. You can find his posts in the Discussion area of the forum. Use Google to search for them though, the forum software does not work for searching.
http://gibbeum.com/main/main.php
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Ok I’ll check him out, I’ve seen talk about Igor Belyansky? And Dr Brown?
Are there any in the US who’d be worth looking into?
I really appreciate the reply.
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Dr. Peter Billing of Transform Weight Loss removed the mesh in me after it had been in for three years. He does not advertise as a hernia repair or mesh removal surgeon but he has gained a following for mesh removal through word of mouth. He seems to be just a very capable surgeon who understands anatomy and takes the time and effort to get the mesh out with minimal extra damage. I would see him again if I was in the same situation. I have had no regrets about the mesh removal or choice of him as surgeon. It’s been over seven years. Healing from mesh removal does take a long time though. So plan ahead.
He is in Kirkland, WA.
https://www.transformweightloss.com/meet-our-team/
transformweightloss.com
Meet Our Team - Transform Weight Loss
Meet our Team Transform Weight Loss is a weight loss center designed to help our patients and clients achieve and maintain their weight loss goals. Founded by renowned weight loss specialist Peter Billing, MD, FACS, we offer personalized weight loss … Continue reading
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