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Successful, good "mesh" stories
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just sharing some experiences that i came to know. i have two neighbors who have done open mesh surgeries in the past year and both told me they were back to 0%pain by 2 months post-op. They dint bother to ask surgeon why they did open/what mesh was used etc.
i have 2 friends from my college days, where one did open mesh while other laparoscopic repair. the one who did open mesh told me she cant actually remember how long it took her, but she is sure all pain when away before end of 6 months. The one who did lap surgery (a male) told me he had pain for may be 3 months and discomfort close to 2-3 years post-op. According to him it may be because he was so much into sports those days and was quite active. But still he told me the discomfort for 2-3 years was not limiting him from his daily life. Anyways now its been close to 10 years for both of them now, and both are doing great now. They too are not sure about which meshes were used.
I guess all i can say is that, most people are lucky and will get through this surgery just fine. But the unlucky few (10-15%), are unfortunately cursed with complications. Wish the medical community actively try to reduce that rate further, to say down below 5%.
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quote Good intentions:It is surprising how the mesh problems seem to be getting worse over the years instead of better. One thing that I became aware of as I was searching for a repair method is the increase in the use of laparoscopic methods, and the associated growth in mesh coverage area. Laparoscopy allows a much larger area of the abdominal wall to be covered and the literature seems to supports placing as much as the surgeon can fit, even to the extent of what looks like prophylactic dissection (take a look while we’re in there) and placement (there’s a sign of a potential future hernia). Of course this is just a view from internet stories and research. This type of correlation would be readily evident if a hernia repair registry was in use.
My surgeon actually seemed proud of the size of the pieces of mesh he was able to use. I made a comment about how a 4″ x 5″ piece of mesh was pretty big, and he corrected me to “no it was 6″ x 6” “. Before my surgery he had remarked about how he dissected a space and cut the mesh so that it “couldn’t move”, and that he was doing things differently than he had the year before. I should have asked more questions then but I assumed that he was perfecting a good technique. In retrospect I think that he was adjusting for past problems.
not sure about the conclusion that increasing laparoscopic surgeries are causing more mesh complications. several studies have shown that post-op chronic pain is less after laparoscopic repair when compared to an open one.
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Thought I would post a 6 month update/success story. Mid 50s slightly overweight male. I had Laparoscopic TEP surgery for a medium sized left inguinal hernia on 9 April. Surgeon used Parietex (Covidien) folding mesh and that it was about 4″ x 6″ in size. This is a polyester based mesh with a removable suture to enable ease of folding/insertion during laparoscopic surgery. Near term recovery was uneventful with minimal pain after about 5 days.
Thus far I have zero issues although from reading all the posts it looks like problems can still crop up years later. I am fairly active ( elliptical, jogging, home repair etc) but I have been ultra conservative on heavy lifting and fast motion sports (ie basketball, tennis). I suppose at 6 months I could be less conservative but in reading all the posts on this forum it appears that these are the most common activity based re-occurrence issues.
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Here’s a story I just came across. It’s not a mesh story but it is about a surgeon whose name comes up. Dr. Meyers of the Vincera Institute. A young soccer player, Kellyn Acosta, who just got selected to the US Mens National team had surgery on February 22 and is almost back to full speed.
I see these stories and often wonder if “sports hernia” is used to cover all types of abdominal repair procedures these athletes have. I would guess that they report pain and the doctors do whatever they need to do to get them back to full performance.
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I spent half an hour typing a new post under new topic typing on a tablet with one hand and withiout my reading glasses and when I cklicked post nothing happened and my message completely disappeared. Not good.It was Avery positive experience. Me hernias went away on their own without surgery after I took a simple action to address the cause not sure if this post will even post.
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quote ajm222:Forgot to mention my grandfather had an inguinal hernia repaired with mesh in the 70’s. He died around 2007. Never remember him mentioning any issues with the repair. I never asked so I don’t know any of the details and no one else still alive does either, but it seems it worked OK for him for all those years. I never heard him complain about it or heard anyone discuss it.
I also have a friend who had a repair done in high school. He’s now 39 and no issues at all. My neighbor across the street has had 3 (!!!) inguinal hernia repairs over the last decade or so (both open and lap) and currently has no issues. He’s a hard core runner, too. Last surgery was at least 5 or 7 years ago. And a friend from college I consulted had two repairs maybe 7 or 8 years ago and he said he’s been perfectly fine ever since. Lastly, another good friend I spoke with (all of these people I discovered had repairs done after posting something on Facebook before my surgery) had two separate surgeries and while he had some big complications after the second surgery (housebound for a month and issues walking because of numbness in the legs), he says he has no remaining issues currently and all is well. His first one was done about 5 years ago (open) and the second was done early last year or the year before (lap). Interestingly they were both on the same side but he didn’t seem to think it was a recurrence.
It is surprising how the mesh problems seem to be getting worse over the years instead of better. One thing that I became aware of as I was searching for a repair method is the increase in the use of laparoscopic methods, and the associated growth in mesh coverage area. Laparoscopy allows a much larger area of the abdominal wall to be covered and the literature seems to supports placing as much as the surgeon can fit, even to the extent of what looks like prophylactic dissection (take a look while we’re in there) and placement (there’s a sign of a potential future hernia). Of course this is just a view from internet stories and research. This type of correlation would be readily evident if a hernia repair registry was in use.
My surgeon actually seemed proud of the size of the pieces of mesh he was able to use. I made a comment about how a 4″ x 5″ piece of mesh was pretty big, and he corrected me to “no it was 6″ x 6” “. Before my surgery he had remarked about how he dissected a space and cut the mesh so that it “couldn’t move”, and that he was doing things differently than he had the year before. I should have asked more questions then but I assumed that he was perfecting a good technique. In retrospect I think that he was adjusting for past problems.
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quote JHue:If V.A. care is the only health care someone has available, there is at least some comfort in knowing that for “many years [as you put it]” this would seemingly suggest consistency in procedure, even if not the best available per individual patient need. However, high V.A. doctor turn-over rates may negate the notion of a doctor having done a sizable number of hernia operations.
Reiterating my major point, the length of time the V.A. has done a procedure one way (based on cost savings) does not indicate anything of rate of complications, which may or may not be better or worse than other procedural options privately developed over the same period the V.A. has been doing hernia surgeries.
That is an excellent point. I oversimplified, and conflated the surgeons with the hospital, which is a big error.
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quote Good intentions:Somebody recently had a hernia repair at a VA hospital and, apparently, they are doing the same thing that they’ve been doing for many years. So, it might be that we just need to unwind some of this “progress” and go back to what was working.
Respectfully, V.A. health care is dictated by cost savings, merely by fact of allotted budget. Before proceeding with the V.A. over private care (in any area of care), I would have to compare their short/long term outcomes of offered procedure(s) with private care options. (Combat-related mental health care and orthopedics may be among a few exceptions of advanced care since it specific to unique patient needs not regularly addressed privately. By the way, I am not a combat vet but rather sought to keep peace during the Cold War era.)
If V.A. care is the only health care someone has available, there is at least some comfort in knowing that for “many years [as you put it]” this would seemingly suggest consistency in procedure, even if not the best available per individual patient need. However, high V.A. doctor turn-over rates may negate the notion of a doctor having done a sizable number of hernia operations.
Reiterating my major point, the length of time the V.A. has done a procedure one way (based on cost savings) does not indicate anything of rate of complications, which may or may not be better or worse than other procedural options privately developed over the same period the V.A. has been doing hernia surgeries.
I did not even bother to inquire of V.A. care for my hernia operation since I have insurance for private care. For me, having 3 primary care V.A. doctors in the last 5 years was enough of a factor.
Again, most respectfully, JHue.
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Forgot to mention my grandfather had an inguinal hernia repaired with mesh in the 70’s. He died around 2007. Never remember him mentioning any issues with the repair. I never asked so I don’t know any of the details and no one else still alive does either, but it seems it worked OK for him for all those years. I never heard him complain about it or heard anyone discuss it.
I also have a friend who had a repair done in high school. He’s now 39 and no issues at all. My neighbor across the street has had 3 (!!!) inguinal hernia repairs over the last decade or so (both open and lap) and currently has no issues. He’s a hard core runner, too. Last surgery was at least 5 or 7 years ago. And a friend from college I consulted had two repairs maybe 7 or 8 years ago and he said he’s been perfectly fine ever since. Lastly, another good friend I spoke with (all of these people I discovered had repairs done after posting something on Facebook before my surgery) had two separate surgeries and while he had some big complications after the second surgery (housebound for a month and issues walking because of numbness in the legs), he says he has no remaining issues currently and all is well. His first one was done about 5 years ago (open) and the second was done early last year or the year before (lap). Interestingly they were both on the same side but he didn’t seem to think it was a recurrence.
I couldn’t get further details from any of these guys because none had any idea exactly what type of mesh was used and barely remembered the method used for the repair in many cases. I think most people in my experience just don’t bother asking a lot of questions and simply take the doctor’s advice and go in and get surgery and recover and kind of forget about it unless there are major issues.
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I came across another long-term success story. Open “mesh” repair in 1985, relaying his story in 2005. Twenty years, and an active athlete. Stories like this are probably what have led other surgeons to think that any mesh anywhere is okay.
https://www.hillrunner.com/jim2/id93.html
The surgeon, Dr. William Howard, has, unfortunately, died fairly recently. His story is worth reading.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/obituaries/bs-md-ob-william-howard-20160111-story.html
His Sports Medicine Clinic is still there though. Might be a good starting point for people in that area.
https://www.medstarunionmemorial.org/our-services/sports-medicine/
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quote Good intentions:Another person on the same forum had open repair with mesh 8 years ago and said he is also very happy with it. Said it was “perfect”. Another weight lifter.
The person from the other forum posted some details on his procedure. Anyone in the southeast or willing to travel to Florida for a hernia repair should take note. I copied his post here, and added the link. It’s post #1388. I also posted a link to Dr. Kurland’s practice.
“To give everyone an 8 year status. My hernia repair is perfect. I had surgery August 2010 and 8 years later, I forgot that it even happened. I don’t come on the forum that often anymore, but every once in a while I get a private message, and I realize that it isn’t even on my mind anymore. The surgeon used a mesh and tied it to the bone. He allowed the mesh to be less than tight for what he normally does because he knew that I lift and he wanted the mesh to have the ability to flex or give just a little. I have not had any complications or anything. I am so glad that I had Dr. Brian Kurland in Fort Myers, FL. He knew exactly what he was doing. I asked him tons of questions before the surgery occurred. He recommended against the laparoscopic method because he wanted full access and view of open surgery method so that he can fine tune and get the mesh perfect, WHICH HE DID! If you have any more questions or anything you would want me to dive into deeper, let me know. I am glad to share any details with you since I had a 100% perfect experience. I even got stronger and hit PR’s afterwards. I am very lucky to have found Dr. Brian Kurland in Fort Myers, FL.”
https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=133353003&page=47
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quote dog:I am thinking what if to do old school surgery but combine it with
Biological Mesh Implants …just in case ?There are so many materials out there, and so many possible ways to use them, but very little long-term follow-up on how well they actually work. It’s a dilemma.
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I am thinking what if to do old school surgery but combine it with
Biological Mesh Implants …just in case ? -
Another person on the same forum had open repair with mesh 8 years ago and said he is also very happy with it. Said it was “perfect”. Another weight lifter.
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Somebody on another forum just reported that they were happy with open repair using mesh, after 19 months. Body builder/weight lifter. They would choose the same path if they had to do it again.
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Here is what looks like a long-term success story, although it appears that more work might be needed, after 16 years. In 2002 the mesh was probably one of the “heavy weight” meshes.
A couple of quotes from the post, and the link to the original thread.
“laparoscopic, mesh repair for an inguinal hernia in 2002”
“bilateral laparoscopic mesh repair for inguinal hernias. This is the first time I’ve had a problem.”
https://www.herniatalk.com/7643-hernia-mesh-pain-treatment-steroid-injections
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Good luck dand. 14 years is a long time to live with a hernia.
Posting your surgeon’s name again to add to the list of experienced hernia repair surgeons who use robotic methods. Also, another Progrip story. I hope you’ll post again as time goes on.
Stephen Pereira MD at Hackensack NJ
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Had surgery October 2016… was 100% successful with absolutely no complications. The following is my post at that Time: I am really glad to post my positive IH repair experience. After doing many hours of web research over the years. I had my IH for over 14 years & prior to surgery it moved into my scrotum & around the size of a small cantaloupe. Hernia did not anoy me but did slow me down; was able to self reduce hernia if needed. I was truly frightened of surgery outcome especially with a lot of the problematic, chronic pain & mesh complication posts on this & other forums. I was scheduled for open IH surgery back in 2008 by a well regarded hernia surgeon. He said it could not be done minimally invasive but open (I do believe he did not do laparoscopic hernia surgery). He also said I better have IH repair soon (hernia was small at this time)
Because of a pre-op X-ray for open IH repair finding a lesion on my lung (possible lung cancer) had lung surgery instead. turned out to be a fire drill & caused from pneumonia & would have gone away if left alone without surgery. Because of a previous Laparoscopic Prostate surgery in 2001 robotic surgery was the only way to go for my surgery. I choose an experienced robotic surgeon Stephen Pereira MD at Hackensack NJ who has been doing & teaching robotic surgery since 2000. He has had done countless numbers of minimally invasive inguinal hernia repairs both both laparoscopic and robot assisted, on men who have had prostatectomies. Robotic IH Surgery took 3hrs & a progrip mesh was used. Results FANTASTIC. I did not even have to take any pain meds. Some soreness for about a minute in the beginning when I sat up out of bed in morning, it is no longer happening after 1 weeks time. I was even able to do work at my computer the afternoon of surgery & everyday after. I did turn black & blue, but had just minimally swelling (no full senoma that I expected)- I did constant icing & they have been normal within 1 week. It is now 2.5 weeks post surgery I am walking on treadmill & functioning quite normally as prior to surgery. I am following Dr’s orders & not lifting anything over 15lbs & I do not have the hernia!
So everyone reading theses posts should make sure to do their homework in making the right surgeon choice & think positive in ending up with a successful repair.
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Thank you chaunce and jnomesh. I might start a thread soon myself. I haven’t really developed a consistent base of fitness that I can use as a reference point yet. I feel much better but I am still very far from where I was before the initial hernia. It’s easy to see how people with problems will just give up their old life and develop a new and weaker life. It happens almost without realizing it, if you don’t keep track of what you’re capable of, and compare it to memories of your old self.
I think that that is one reason there aren’t many stories, good or bad, about how people are doing with their hernia repairs. Only the doctors can generate that information, via surveying their past patients. I wouldn’t be surprised if their are surgeons who have done those surveys but are not sharing the results. The surgeon who did my repair said that he was going to survey his patients after he got to 500. That would be a year or two ago, easily. I’m considering contacting him to see what he found.
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Thanks good intentions and I mirror what Chauncey said that your feedback iand thoughts are very welcomed and insightful. I’m on a FB mesh forum and there are a good number of men and woman who have had there mesh removed and so there is a lot of valuable information and I’m trying to collaborate with the moderator of that group how best to structure questions to get specifics of each story so information can be collected and categorized as to best offer people am I few of what to expect from mesh removal based on the specifics of their symptoms matched as best as possible to others who have had removal. As you know it is very hard Bc gender should probably be separated out due to different anatomy, open VS lapro, type of mesh, surgeon, how mesh was removed, how long mesh was in for, what were the pre mesh removal symptoms and onset, post removal symptoms, better worse etc. And the forum is primarily made up of women who had transvaginal mesh implanted and many removed so that is a whole separate issue.
i will post something in the near future here in this site
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