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What is the long term outcome? Will it ever stop???
In December of this past year I had a full abdominal wall reconstruction, and had all my mesh removed, and replaced with biological mesh (pig) I am one big rectangle of bio mesh from hip to hip and belly buttonish to groinish. This was the 5th surgery for hernia repair I have been through. 6 months later and I just got my CT results back because I have a big lump. It states that I now have 5 new hernias… FIVE…all around the biological mesh basically. I wont see the doc for another week. In the meantime I am wondering if this will ever end???? What is the point of having surgery if it just creates more. At this point, while I have intermittent pain, I can still live life…. I am scared to do anymore surgery. Is surgery really the only answer? How do I stop this from happening AGAIN. I am sure my surgeon will have answers for all of this. I still believe he is one of the best. Any advice, or any stories of your journeys really help! Thank you!
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9 Replies
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Sounds great, mamadunlop. It’s due time you get your definitive repair. I strongly urge my patients with elevated BMIs to reduce their weight. It will be the best decision before seeking hernia repair.
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Mamadunlop I’m so glad u have a plan. I to have recently by diagnosed with 3 incisional hernias after having surgery just 5 months back. Just wondering if u have tried any kind of diet therapy to lose the weight? If anything has worked in the past. I’ve briefly talked to my surgeon over the phone and told me I would need a large mesh with a component seperation type surgery.. I will get a second opinion from dr towfigh.
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So glad you have a plan that you are comfortable with! It always makes me feel better to have a plan. Sounds like the weight loss will help with the long term success of the hernia repair. Please keep us updated on your progress. I will do the same. Best wishes!
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FINALLY saw Dr. Martindale today. We had a LONG discussion along with 5 med students. 🙂 Glad I can help them learn what a chronic hernia patient experiences! He wants to go in and place a LARGE mesh basically wrapping it around my sides and down through my pubic area, anchoring it to my pubic bone. We got on the topic of what will give us the BEST longterm outcome and of course it is lower weight…. A little background, before all this happened I was working out, running, active and have since gained 50 pounds and cant exercise. Loosing weight has been super tough… along with that I am not HUGE, but not well. My BMI is 38. So, we decided that a gastric sleeve procedure would give us the best outcome. It will allow me to lose weight and then be in the best shape I can be for the big surgery that is needed. It means putting it off and living with the pain until we can do the mesh placement surgery but I am willing to do that and go through all of this if it means that the long term outlook will be better…with my current porcine mesh he believes they should be able to do the gastric sleeve laproscopically. Curious if anyone else has done weight loss surgery to better their hernia outcomes?
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Tomorrow is my follow up with Dr. MARTINDALE…I will post our plan then. Anxious to see what he says!
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Biologic mesh is a good alternative (benefit) in select patient populations, but the risk with it is that recurrence rate is higher than non-absorbing synthetic mesh. Have you seen your surgeon yet? Would love to know the next step for you.
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Need to exclude Ehlers-Danlos or any other such collagen disorder (you would know if you have Marfans bby now) – biological mesh eventually disappears but is designed to be safe – so no need to blame the poor pig ! I would not have another repair just yet unless collagen disorders are excluded first – then I would suggest you will need a synthetic mesh
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Mom of 4….thank you soooooo much!! It does help and I agree… I want more I found out the shy before I have surgery again…. your story sounds identicall to Mine! I still trust my surgeon and will bring up the testing you are doing and see what he says…. and yes, the weight loss thing…ugh! I am down 10 pounds but do need to lose about 50 more…. so hard when you have chronic pain and depression from chronic pain, but it is time to suck it up!!!
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I am so sorry to hear of your situation. Me being in the situation I am in has helped me to be more empathetic to other people’s suffering. I guess that can be a positive thing that has come from a very difficult situation. Since my groin pain started, i have had a hysterectomy (that I really didn’t need), femoral hernia repair, triple neurectomy, mesh removal and open repair of recurrent hernia on left side and open tissue repair of two new hernias on right side, and, finally, open abdominal wall reconstruction with large mesh from hip to hip and unbilicus to pubic bone. Sounds like my mesh is similar to yours in size but mine is polypropylene. I have been in significant pain all along and especially worse pain since the AWR. I finally made the trip from VA to CA to see Dr. Towfigh, at the suggestion of my prior surgeons. It was a great decision. Dr. Towfigh is interested in finding out why I have so many hernias and why I am having so much pain with my current mesh. I am going to have mesh allergy testing and also a special MRI, looking for pelvic floor dysfunction, caused by a collagen disorder or hypermobility disorder. It makes perfect sense to me to look for the cause of the recurrent problems before trying to fix them again. I plan to have robotic mesh removal. I may have to be implanted with something new that I am not allergic to and that will be tailored to my exact problem. Imagine that!! I am hoping for a hybrid, mostly absorbable mesh. I am trying to be in the best shape possible for surgery and walk daily for exercise, pushing through the pain, and do some PT core strengthening exercises. I have lost 30 pounds since my AWR, a lot due to nausea and loss of appetite and the exercise helps, as well. I am not overweight and I know Dr. Towfigh has said this helps reduce recurrent problems. I hope it helps to hear that you are not alone in feeling like you are a “hernia factory” and that there is a possibility of long term success. Best of luck to you. Keep looking for a solution!!
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