[marcello71]

I can hardly wait for my removal which is very soon finally thank god.

So what happens after the chronically low-grade infected mesh is removed from the abdominal wall?

Do the abdominal muscles that were lost to infection grow back ever?

My upper six-pack muscles are caved in and substantially worse on one side more then the other at this point…

[marcello71]

Well after I have my progrip removal, I promise to come back & report my outcome as well as just how possible or impossible it was to remove all of it without epigastric vessels being clipped off or nerves being cut. I believe it will be nothing short of an absolute miracle if all of my mesh can be removed. But the part that’s sometimes too hard to remove it from safely is the iliac artery. However I do have a lot of confidence in my removal surgeon, I understand that he’s only trying to fix someone else’s mess & that I’m coming to him already in this boat.

In fact if my removal surgeon is able to remove all of both my inguinal meshes without having to clip off my inferior epigastrics, without me losing a testicle, sustaining a bladder injury or requiring a vasectomy(from vas def damage); then I hereby proclaim that he be regarded as the greatest mesh removal surgeon alive. Which I will attest to for decades into the future to all other patients I speak to.

And yes ‘Mesh’ this is true, once they place progrip in the wrong place your screwed like me. My surgeon placed my left inguinal piece too high exposing the bottom lateral edge to my spermatic cord too much. This edge has proceeded to erode into my left cord slowly over the last 24 months(like a saw it feels like at times). All this when I had no real hernias & did not need or want any mesh to begin with. All this & then my original surgeon wanted to put more mesh in(without removing the original mesh mind you) after saying my mesh pain was likely from another hernia instead. All this & he sent me to other surgeons to cover his butt instead of help me.

Insanity, pure insanity, this is 2017. Is this really what we’ve evolved for? Millions of years of evolution to do this to each other? What if someone had put mesh into Einstein before he was able to publish his first theorem, then left him to rot & figure it out himself for years?

I will forgive & forget but it’s just sad because afterall this isen’t brain or heart surgery & he could’ve taken it right back out(even though it’s progrip he could’ve tried before it grew in) the second I woke up in shock that he put mesh in.

I mean what worse torture scenario could there be then implanting a device(3 in my case) inside a young healthy man’s groin(where he can’t get to it or do anything about it himself) that slowly over 2 yrs cuts off his testicle from the inside? Medieval torture had nothing on mesh. Every morning since my mesh was put in I wake up with the same familiar thought, “What fresh hell is this?”

So no offense & forgive me for saying this but the only people that I believe are truly “in the know” about this product, are the patients that have it in their bodies.

[marcello71]

I feel so sorry for all of us going through this endless & completely unnecessary nightmare. It’s simply a medical profession valuing plastic over biology/life & profit over people.

What other questions do you wish you had asked prior to removal NFG12?

Also how are your symptoms lately Momof4 have you made any more progress or decisions?

BTW I private messaged both of you Momof4 & NFG12 because I had some more private/personal medical questions for you both & info to share if that’s ok. You have to sign in & look in your inbox under notifications to see PM’s I believe…

[marcello71]

Oh ok, that makes more sense. So how long was the mesh in for & how old are you if you don’t mind me asking?

If he didn’t put anymore mesh in & he got all of the old mesh out, that’s pretty good as far as these scenarios turn out usually. I hate to say it but if you also didn’t lose a testicle or need epigastric vessels to be clipped off or didn’t develop a serious infection; then it sounds like a success. You won’t know for sure until atleast 6 months to a year have passed btw. Of course you are right about the nerve stuff that’s very scary & serious, plus I think those nerves serve more functions then they say(might not only be sensory nerves).
I am about to undergo the same procedure & I am fully aware that I could be in worse pain after removal. If I am in worse pain after removal that persists past 6 months however, then I can go for neurectomies at that point.

Just curious, was your removal performed at University of Michigan, another teaching university or by a private practice surgeon?

Also final question, how bad was your pain/symptoms before removal & how are they now on a 1-10 scale?

[marcello71]

First of all I’m very sry to hear your story, the exact same thing happened with me being talked into mesh that I definitely didn’t want or need except I was implanted with 3 pieces at once.

Second, did you say that dr Ramshaw performed robotic mesh removal for you???

If so I was not aware he does it that way(it’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks was the metaphor used I believe, lol). Though they were very nice, honest & pleasant people to me, it’s disheartening to hear that any dr would change everything at the last minute on you like that. Are you sure it wasn’t a mix up or oversight by an intake nurse or hospital staff instead?

Did he atleast get all of the mesh out(if so then I’d say there’s your silver lining) & how long did you have it all in for?

Finally, did they have to put more mesh in after removal?

[marcello71]

Thank you Dr Towfigh this is very helpful to know, I will be continueing to stay fit prior to removal now.

I also saw a presentation of Dr Novitsky explaining the value of taking L-Arginine prior to surgery, is this a good idea too?
Are there any other OTC supplements that are good to take pre-op to maximize the possibility of a better outcome?

How often do you find that the lap mesh over the iliac artery is too risky to remove as a result of the patient not having enough fat there to buffer it?

In other words, how often are you able to remove all 100% of a lap placed inguinal flat mesh?

[marcello71]

Almost feels like it’s burning a hole through my stomach with searing warm pain, redness/cellulitis & upper six pack muscles thinning/caving in(slightly but noticeably) over time… I’ve been told to take the Cephalexin as it was prescribed(by a nurse practitioner), however while this may temporarily help it may also only worsen things after the course is complete if the mesh is still there.

I know, I probably need my umbilical mesh removed immediately. Of course this would happen right before the biggest hernia surgeon’s conference of the year too, so everyone’s out of the office for most of march unfortunately…

Any surgical advice would be greatly appreciated, could I make it til April or does sooner intervention sound necessary?

Is Cephalexin ok to keep something like this stable until then?

[marcello71]

Although I haven’t had removal by him, I thought he was great. Very professional, a nice guy & honest. His credentials are what first drew me there though, I mean Harvard then Columbia can you do any better then that? A bit pricey but what else would you expect from the dr they choose to operate on million dollar NFL groins…

‘Billy the kid’ Meyers is awesome & the facility is top notch too, have fun while your there I hear it’s always sunny in Philadelphia.

[marcello71]

Beginning immediately post-op I had tremors & a fever(which I reported to my implanting surgeon) that progressed to drainage at 1 month so I begged my surgeon to remove it but even though the culture came back Staph & Strep, he said it wasn’t anything serious like MRSA so he gave me Bactrim & refused to remove it. The Bactrim seemed to help until the drainage(trocar site) healed over but it’s always been inflamed w burning pain at times in there. It’s never a fever above 101 so it’s never regarded as an emergency.

This is why I feel like it’s more localized or lying dormant in a biofilm in the mesh, over time it’s caused damage though which has now become apparent as localized tissue loss. I am awaiting removal now by another surgeon out of state & feel foolish that I didn’t do it sooner but my local implanting surgeon has always refused to remove it, saying instead: “if it was infected there would be fluid around the mesh, you don’t have that”, he has since refused to do anything more for me saying he will never remove it at this point.

I’m just wondering if fluid around the mesh is the only indication of mesh infection for every patient always?

I mean maybe my body responds to infection differently then most… For some reason my temperature goes down drastically sometimes during these bouts then way up(Oscillating from as low as 96.2 at one point to as high as 100.6). It just concerns me to hear the words “that’s not possible”, since anything is possible & mesh infection was never studied in my body before this mesh was implanted in me. So who’s to say what’s possible or not.

I also feel like all the Nurse Practitioners & Physician Assistants don’t understand this resistance phenomenon with mesh(or know much of mesh complications at all) because their solution is always to just hand out antibiotics like candy.

Its like no one talks about it but aren’t there other patients facing this dilemma too?

(btw I don’t mean to whine too much or rant & thankyou for your replies/advice)

[marcello71]

I just saw the author’s username of this post. “Wfadcock”… really?

That’s the first thing that came to your mind? Lol…

“I mean Ohhhhhhh listen ta dis guy ovah here, youse got sum mouth on you”

Lets try to keep it classy from now on maybe.

[marcello71]

New HerniaTalk Launching Saturday, February 11!

Will all of our older posts carry over to the new site or should we re-post ongoing discussions?

[marcello71]

Irritable Bowel Syndrom (IBS) and hernias

What really sucks is the IBS that can result from adhesions to the bowel…

Also diverticulitis, urinary frequency/incontinence that can occur from adhesions.

Not to sound too negative but I mean wow we do risk a lot when we let implants go into our abdomen. All the possible perforations from edges & migration? Not to mention tacks migrating?

God forbid a patient ever gets punched in the gut during a bar fight or something, it could mean certain death.

Sorry just venting my concerns I guess…

[marcello71]

top hernia doctors in georgia or tn

Hello momof4 I just read your posts in this topic & have to say just how similar our current decision/choices seem to be… Though I’ve only had 1 surgery so far(3 pieces of mesh implanted 23 months ago) I feel that robotic mesh removal would be best for me at this point as well. I pray we both find our way to whomever is best for our individual situations so we both have better pain free days ahead of us.

Do you have reactions or systemic symptoms from the mesh at all?

Was there anyone else that was recommended to you in the Midwest or East that does robotic removal?

Btw Dr Ramshaw is an amazingly nice guy & wonderful surgeon in TN but I don’t believe he does robotic removal at all to my knowledge.
I hope to hear an update of your situation soon & wish you the best of luck.

[marcello71]

Nerve Entrapment?

I should’ve mentioned it all began after a shift occurred where the mesh is(checked by physician & is not a hernia) that gave way to a broken glass type pain in my right pelvic region near my hip. It feels as though something is tethered or pinched & the pain shoots down my thigh from my pelvic region. I’m not trying to connect the two, just saying thats when it began.

So no nerves on the bottom of the foot connect to or branch from nerves in the area of the pelvis where lap placed mesh is..?

Thank you, its relieving to know that hopefully my nerves may still be salvageable then.

[marcello71]

Suffocation after Removal

I think “Mesh” is a putz, don’t let it get to you or scare you mela. If “Mesh” was really suffocating(as he’s told me he was multiple times) then he wouldn’t be typing anymore.

Are any diaphragmatic nerves/muscles affected by ilioingiuinal/iliohypogastric/genitofemoral neurectomies as “Mesh” claims?

[marcello71]

‘The Dissolvables’

I am nearly certain I’ll have enough peritoneum leftover to close that space without needing more mesh(if the right surgeon does it). I have plenty healthy peritoneum to spare & my body has collagen production on demand capabilities.

However if I do herniate after the mesh is removed, then I’ll just get a shouldice repair at that point, if it comes to that. But that shouldn’t be an issue because:
A) I don’t smoke & I eat healthy.
2) I know to abstain from physical activity(especially coitus unfortunately).
C) I know I won’t be able to lift anything heavy for over a year(or ever again maybe) &
4) I will be fully dedicated to a perfect recovery after removal…

This is all beside the point since I won’t ever allow another piece of permanent mesh in my body again after how my body has reacted to it, no matter who does the removal.

Thank you again Dr Towfigh for your advice & support.

[marcello71]

‘The Dissolvables’

Thank you Dr Towfigh but I still haven’t had the mesh removal/repair yet. One of the surgeons offering to do it in another country said he would have to use an adhesion barrier when no American surgeons mentioned needing to use one so I was curious what they were…

I’m starting to think robotic assisted lap removal would be best for me.

[marcello71]

6th Right Inguinal Hernia

If things don’t improve & your near Baltimore, you could look into Dr Adrian Park or Dr Igor Belyansky at Ann Arundel Med Center. Belyansky’s abilities with the robot are very impressive as is evident here:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8olKGLAkmN4

He removes an entire flat laparoscopic inguinal mesh in one piece with no vascular or nerve injuries. His meticulous dissection along the mesh/tissue interface is what yields such results…

Btw I hope it’s ok that I posted the vid link.

[marcello71]

‘The Dissolvables’

Don’t worry about your mesh Mela cause it certainly isen’t worrying about you, jk. Most do well with permanent mesh from what I’ve been told so don’t let it worry you.

Frankly I thought more surgeons & industry reps would jump on this topic but guess not. But what about adhesion barriers… can we talk about adhesion barriers people? Like ‘Interceed’, ‘Seprafilm’, etc. Do they always fully resorb in a short time span in all patient populations as they’re supposed to?

I ask this because they’re composition(oxidized cellulose, sodium hyaluranate) may be less likely to become trapped or encased in scar tissue to the point of not resorbing fully…

[marcello71]

parietex progrip removal, an exercise in futility?

It has been a while since I’ve been on here & pain/symptoms for me are continually worsening. However after seeing these other posts, you should all know that I’ve heard most(>80%) of these mesh surgeries go well & never cause problems or pain in those patients. I just happened to be one of the unfortunate ones I guess, who also didn’t want or need mesh to begin with. But the absolute very last thing I ever want my story to do is to scare another patient…

This entire post was placed for me to find help removing my mesh & to hopefully educate doctors of what it’s like on our side of the fence from a patient’s perspective. Needless to say my story was met with a healthy amount of skepticism by those I wanted help from & it apparently put fear into the very patients I was trying to help.

So again if your a patient please don’t read my post & freak out, your all gonna be ok.

Even though it finally confirmed that I wasn’t alone or just imagining all my already long lasting symptoms, it was still the worst panic & stress of my life the day I started reading all the mesh info online. I don’t ever want to cause that in anyone else ever, mesh works well for the majority of patients, just certainly not for me.

So don’t worry about the future of your mesh, cause you could die in a car accident tomorrow anyway. Hopefully that cheers you guys up a bit, lol…

On a separate note, I was right about the robot being the new best approach to inguinal lap mesh removal as more & more removal surgeons are beginning to use it now. I told y’all so, I told ya the robot would be big someday Towfigh (: I’m sick of always being so right.