mitchtom6
Forum Replies Created
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I had mesh repair in my mid-twenties. It is still holding, but I aggravated it about 5 years later and it took about 10-12 months of chronic pain before it settled down (cortisone helped). I now have tolerable levels of pain. My cousin was an NCAA athlete who had mesh, and he did fine with his. But other forum members would give anything to undo their mesh implantation, some even undergoing mesh removal procedures.
That being said, most people do alright with a standard mesh repair. But some have compared it to Russian Roulette. As Good Intentions has stated, when it goes bad, it goes REALLY bad. We on the forums tend to have experienced complications, and many regret having mesh implantations.
If you are concerned about mesh aggravation, you could consider going to the Shouldice Clinic in Canada. They are one of the only clinics worldwide who does non-mesh repair. They recently operated on a US Senator, so they are legit. However, you’d have to pay out of pocket most likely.
Overall, it is a difficult choice. If the hernia is not affecting your lifestyle in a significant way, you could consider leaving it untreated. Just don’t do anything outrageous (deadlift a car or something). Best of luck to you, and we are rooting for you.
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how extensive is your weight lifting? I would give up heavy squats/deadlifts permanently to be on the safe side.
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AJM, glad you are initially happy with the procedure. I had been tracking your case and was wondering if you went through with it back in Feb. All the best to you in your recovery.
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I have experienced those sort of symptoms off/on for years. All of your thoughts about the scar tissue being tugged/pulled sound plausible. Time may resolve your issue, as it has largely done for me. At one point, I did require a cortisone shot to alleviate localized pain in the area, which worked very well for me. Keep that in your back pocket in case things get worse, but I think that the passage of time will likely resolve the issues you are experiencing. All the best to you.
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There are a good number of us in your boat, Nacly. It may be hard to tell what the source of pain is, unfortunately. The mesh has added another variable to the equation, making it difficult. The groin is a region of great complexity.
Being in a similar situation, here’s what I would suggest. I would seek out another opinion w/ respect to recurrence. If none is detected, then ask for cortisone shot to help alleviate the pain. That would help with potential pubalgia, and may help w/ mesh issues as well. Hopefully that will provide you with some lasting relief for whatever may be causing your issues.
FWIW, they say that pubalgia responds pretty well to the injections, but that surgery is the only “real” fix for it. It’s a pretty small, niche market among surgeons, from what I gather. Some major insurance companies treat pubalgia surgery as experimental and won’t cover it, so I hope that your condition can be managed otherwise.
I have a similar scenario, but with no bulge. Lots of inconclusive imaging, too. Corisone helped me immensely for several months, but I recently aggravated it again somehow. Getting another shot next month and hoping for similar results.
Best of luck, and I hope that your condition improves with time.
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Dr B gave me the full rundown as to what to expect. He didn’t recommend the mesh removal outright, and suggested that I give it a little more time before committing, as I recall (this was about 1 – 1.5 years ago). He said my case was somewhat unusual, in that the issues started several years after the initial surgery. He said that a typical patient requiring mesh removal has had issues from the very beginning. At the time of my visit, I think I had been experiencing groin pain for about 8 months or so, affecting everyday life. The theory was that something had “sheared” in my groin. He laid out the pros and cons and gave me plenty to think about.
My chief complaint was a point tenderness/sore spot on the right side of my pubic bone. The onset was sudden, after crossing my legs one night, about 5 years after my initial mesh repair.
I had also been evaluated from a handful of other docs, some of the “big names” who suspected the issue was mesh related.
It wasn’t until maybe 6 months later that I got a cortisone shot from my local doc. Worked great, and was quick, easy, immediate relief. Not too expensive, either. I would absolutely suggest trying it first. To your point, I do not know how it would affect foreign body sensation since I have not contended with that. Take care and best of luck.
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Good luck AJM….I’ve seen your posts over the years. Similar case here, and I have also had a consultation w/ Dr B. I’m in my lower 30’s.
I will say, I felt remarkably better after a Cortisone shot, which alleviated my pain for nearly 6 months – nearly completely. But, it is back now and has been a nuisance every since Thanksgiving. I would suggest that you, at least, try the injection first if you haven’t already. I may end up getting another one and hoping for similar results. I share your concern about the long-term effects of the mesh…..will the passage of time make things better, or worse? It’s a tough place to be, and few fully understand. But you’re not alone! Take care, and hoping for the best.
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I had a consultation with Dr Belyanski about a year ago. I asked him about cutting nerves. He does not cut nerves by default, but will do it if there is a mesh entanglement issue.
Honestly, I don’t know how else you could do the surgery. If nerves are wrapped up in the mesh, certainly you would have to do something to resolve that issue. The alternative would be to just leave it like that, which sounds like a continuation of pain and discomfort for the patient.
Regrettably, this can create other issues, it sounds like.
Wishing you all a full recovery.
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Actually, as I re-read about olympic hurdler Dai Greene, his case seems to have an additional similarity- he, reportedly, had a recurrent hernia after an initial mesh repair. I would consider that a pretty powerful testimonial. In any case, we are rooting for you. Wishing you a full recovery, and a return to normalcy. In the meantime, consider getting an antidepressant to help get the mental component under control. You are in a very distressing scenario that very few people can fully relate to. After holding out for far too long, I reached the end of my rope and starting taking Cymbalta, which has helped tremendously. That, coupled with the passage of time and a cortisone injection, has made my situation much better. I still have the mesh in me, but it has become manageable.
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If you are in Germany, that would lend itself to Muschawek, I would think. At a minimum, get a consultation and ask about the IONR technique.
She removed mesh from Dai Greene, an olympic hurdler, who was able to go back to a competitive level after being sidelined for 5 years from mesh complications.
Your mileage may vary, of course. But she seems as well-qualified as anyone in the field.
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I would add, however, that deadlifts are absolutely asking for trouble. Don’t listen to anyone who says otherwise. I started a deadlifting routine and after my 3rd day of it, I had a hernia. My grandfather also had his hernias recur after essentially doing a deadlift (back in his time). Google “inguinal hernia” and you will see a picture of a man doing, essentially, a deadlift. Some people go back to deadlifting after their repairs but I wouldn’t dare.
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Yes, it can be detected immediately if that is your case. How did your exam go? You’ll want a general surgeon to make the diagnosis, as they are the ones who deal with these things day in and day out.
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Well Mark, I’m afraid it’s impossible to answer that question definitively. Results vary wildly by the type/intensity of excercise, the quality of the surgical repair, etc. As frustrating as it seems, it is a guessing game and no two people are totally alike.
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Hey aldpeev, sorry about your experience.
Having been through something similar, I think you will be fine with a bit of rest. I have had bouts of testicular pain following physical activity, which was very distressing. My first though was that I had a recurrence. However, I visited many doctors and they couldn’t detect one. Eventually, it resolved with time. For instance, I did some rowing a few months ago and had testicular pain afterwards with bending. It was very concerning, and I wondered if I could ever exercise again. However, I took a few weeks/months off and it settled. Recently, I cautiously resumed rowing again and I haven’t had that issue.
Backstory: I was doing fine for 5 years after my mesh repair. Regrettably, a stair running routine caused discomfort in my lower abs/groin, and then a few days later, I crossed my legs on the couch and felt a rip. I have had chronic pain and spasming ever since (about 1.5 years now), although it has gradually been lessening in intensity. Most of the doctors have suggested that it is a mesh complication. Yes, you can have mesh issues years/months down the road as I can attest.
I would suggest something specific: avoid “high knee” activities, such as excessive stairs, or kickboxing, or marching-style movements, or hurdles. It seems that this sort of activity puts undue stress on the repair. That I how I ended up with my condition. I now take daily meds to cope with the pain. In fact, I was just icing my groin this morning.
Take care and I wish the best for you, my Eastern European brother. I think you’ll be alright with some rest and some activity modification.
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There is Dr. Earle in Massachusetts. I have no direct experience with him but he used to post on the website occasionally.
If diagnosed with a hernia, don’t rush into surgery though. Be sure you at least consider a non mesh repair, especially if your potential hernia is small. Be advised you may have to travel to one of the few non-mesh doctors if you fall into that category. Dr. Towfigh in CA runs this site and doesn’t do a one-size-fits-all mesh approach. Most surgeons will only do mesh. It is good that you are asking questions before the surgery. She also is well versed in female hernias, from what I gather. It is important your doc has good experience with this smaller subset of patients as most hernia patients are male.
Also, think long-term. Don’t pick a surgical method (laparo vs open) based on ‘recovery time’ which only differs by a few days. Once you get a doc you trust, ask questions about that.
Best of luck!
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I, too, had a favorable visit with Dr Belyanski and considered having him remove my mesh. I ended up “chickening out”, partially because I was fearful of having my mesh removed w/ young children at home who I need to pick up with great regularity. When I had my original surgery years ago, my right-sided hernia was “moderately sized”, with the surgeon remarking after the surgery that it “was much bigger than expected.” For that reason I am afraid of recurrence after any potential mesh removal.
The docs put me on Cymbalta to help cope with things, which is an antidepressant that can also help with nerve pain/damage. It has worked reasonably well. I had months and months of endless groin spasms, sometimes practically convulsions, which were driving me crazy and even waking me up at night. I could hardly sit at my desk at work and even had to change chairs to achieve a posture that made work tolerable. The meds, and the passage of time, helped resolve that to a good degree. 1.5 years later, I still get groin twitches and sharp pains with some regularity but not nearly as bad as it was this time last year. As you contemplate what to do, you could consider giving that a try in the interim. I know some folks are reluctant to start taking stuff like that, as I was for a long time, but just know that it is an option.
I will keep Dr B in mind as I look to the future and try to figure out whether I should march on as-is, or get the darn mesh out. Best of luck.
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I don’t think Bill Meyers does anything other than open surgery. So if you had a TEP procedure and need a laparo/robotic removal (as is recommended, from what I’ve gathered) then I wouldn’t advise going that route. He also doesn’t participate w/ insurance companies, except for imaging.
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I often wonder how such simplistic conclusions can be made by medical studies, supposedly conducted by the best and brightest of the population. I do wonder if the conclusion is made first, and supportive evidence is sought retroactively. Perhaps that is cynical.
One major flaw in most of these studies is their brevity. Days/weeks are not an appropriate timeline to make any serious determinations of anything medical. I’ve read in other studies that most recurrences/complications are immediate. Supposedly, the likelihood of complication decreases with each passing year. Of course, that may be a reflection of the study itself rather than the realities of the patients. If you conduct a 5 year study, of course most of the issues will be front-loaded. You will not see the down-the-road complications (such as myself) who had their mesh go wrong years later. This forum has revealed that this is a real issue and one the the med field isn’t well equipped to handle.
Your only option, it seems, is to risk it all with a pseudo-experimental mesh explantation or hope it resolves with time/pain meds. My pain reduced from a 7/8 to a 3 over the course of a year and a half. It still flares up if I do certain activities. I thought for sure I had a recurrence, but 4 clinical exams, 1 CT scan, and 2 MRIs say nothing is amiss – all pointing to the dreaded mesh scenario.
Sorry, I’ll end my rant now.
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I had bilateral inguinal repair done laparo….The right side (symptomatic side) was called “moderate” in my report, and the left side was called “small”. I do remember the surgeon saying it was much larger than expected. I don’t know how many cm that is. Is there a particular concern you have?
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It’s still there, but to a lesser extent. I’d say it’s about 25% or less of what it used to be 1.5 years ago. Occasionally, it will flare up if I do something a little too strenuous. I had a cortisone shot done about a month ago, after I had really aggrivated the area, and it was incredible. I felt 100% healthy, which lasted for a few weeks. The discomfort is creeping back now, but it’s still improved. The Cymbalta also helped with the pain, after a few weeks, and it may have played a part in reducing my chronic spasms.