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Mission act and Tri-West approved me to see Doc Brown!!!
Finally after 15 years this will be fixed! They even said they’re gonna call his office and set it up. I’m finally going to be free of this mesh!!!! I didn’t even have to waste time and see a doctor in Redding first. They asked who I wanted and I said doctor William Brown in Fremont then they asked if I had a second choice and I said Doctor William Brown in Fremont lol it’ll be nice to be able to talk face to face with a doctor who doesn’t think I’m crazy for once and then to have this junk taken out of me. I can’t believe it’s finally happening!
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7 Replies
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Thank you for your info and sharing. I’m posting my response here publicly so we can help others. Best wishes to you.
You’re not alone. Every doctor has thought I’m nuts too but I’m going to be reaching out to your surgeon. Please update the board to talk about the challenges you face after surgery. We’re rooting for you and the unfair journey you’ve been on is now part of your life purpose. Truthfully speaking, my wife and eight year old son have only been getting a small part of who I can be. This hernia mesh has ruined me since 2003, but I haven’t given up completely and still fully intend on having a full recovery.
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quote meshagony:[USER=”2967″]MeshMangledMerritt[/USER] I’ve been having mesh issues and chronic pain for 15 years as well and am now into my mid 40’s. What tests, if any, did you have done in order to get the VA to approve your surgery? Did you have any specific tests that showed the mesh was related to your health issues? I’m having difficulty getting any doctor to look at me seriously and have been slowly losing hope that I’ll ever feel better, despite my symptoms matching typical problems for hernia mesh complications. Any help is much appreciated. Thank you.
Sent you a PM. Ultrasound and MRI from what I’ve read but really need a doctor who knows mesh to give it a check as they’ll know what they’re feeling
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[USER=”2967″]MeshMangledMerritt[/USER] I’ve been having mesh issues and chronic pain for 15 years as well and am now into my mid 40’s. What tests, if any, did you have done in order to get the VA to approve your surgery? Did you have any specific tests that showed the mesh was related to your health issues? I’m having difficulty getting any doctor to look at me seriously and have been slowly losing hope that I’ll ever feel better, despite my symptoms matching typical problems for hernia mesh complications. Any help is much appreciated. Thank you.
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[USER=”2967″]MeshMangledMerritt[/USER] notification.
Good luck.
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I can’t answer your questions specifically. My surgeon left as much intact as possible when he removed the mesh and did not cut any main nerves, as far as I know. One thing that I’ve noticed and that makes sense is that with the mesh gone other parts of the abdominal wall will feel new stresses, because the reinforcement/stiffness of the mesh is gone. So I’ve been in a cycle of stressing new areas, letting them adjust and heal, then going through the cycle again.
Basically it’s just a long-term adjustment process but in a way that makes sense, with a reason for soreness, and soreness that resolves with rest, like a normal body would. The difference from having the mesh in place is that with mesh I always ended up in the same spot after activity that caused soreness or pain. It wasn’t an adaptation to new stresses, it was a wall that couldn’t be overcome. With the mesh gone, the response is more normal, like recovering from any other injury.
My key point was to be happy when you feel good and to have faith that you’ll feel good again if you have a setback. Unlike with the mesh where you know that you’ll never really feel good again.
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quote Good intentions:That is great news Merritt. Be ready for immediate positive results but a long slow climb back to where you think that you should be. You and your body have been compensating for the mesh pain for many years. Take your recovery slowly and carefully. Take the long view if you have setbacks. I only had my mesh in for three years but still had setbacks up to where I am now. It’s constant progress but I still have a lot of room ahead to be better.
Best of luck in your surgery.
Thanks GI! I do have questions. After 15 years with this what recovery am I looking at? what’s the likelihood of permanent things wrong with my body? Like if the mesh is adhered to more than my spermatic chord like my intestine what is the likelihood of those or parts having to be removed? Doc Brown told me from looking at my records I would need a nuerectomy. I’ve already had one nerve sacrificed from the original surgery what’s it like to have nerves removed? Is there any weird sensations that comes with that? Should be expect more, less or for things to stay the same? I’ve had one surgeon tell me removing the mesh there’s 80% chance it will make things better but 20% it won’t that it will make things worse including loss of my right testicle. I guess these are questions best asked to doc Brown in person but my memory sucks so I need to get it all down somewhere.
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That is great news Merritt. Be ready for immediate positive results but a long slow climb back to where you think that you should be. You and your body have been compensating for the mesh pain for many years. Take your recovery slowly and carefully. Take the long view if you have setbacks. I only had my mesh in for three years but still had setbacks up to where I am now. It’s constant progress but I still have a lot of room ahead to be better.
Best of luck in your surgery.
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