[muzik]

quote drtowfigh:

[USER=”2672″]muzik[/USER] Thanks for your post

sounds like you have a mesh infection. There is no reason to have recurrent infections in the same place unless there is a foreign body that has seeded with bacteria and so the infection keeps recurring.

The UHS mesh is a good one. It’s considered lightweight, even ultra lightweight. Thy tend to be more resistant to infection than heavier weight mesh products.

If the mesh is infected, it must be removed in its entirety.

Unfortunately, I don’t know of anyone nearby to TX who can handle this problem.

I am happy to help you if you’d like to travel to CA. These are pretty straightforward operations. I don’t recommend biologic or anything else put in. I recommend a staged procedure: get rid of all foreign body and have the area scar in and be infection free. Then we can discuss hernia repair at a future date if you still have a hernia. The intense inflammation and scar from infection often seals the area and hernia recurrence is less likely.

Hi Dr Towfigh, thank you for your reply. I will schedule a consultation with you shortly.

[muzik]

quote dog:

muzik Thank You ! Was it bulging .and coming back ?

It did bulge, it was about the size of a quarter, just a little lump right under the skin it seemed like. And there was a ball about the size of a grape that felt like I could roll around with my fingers just under the skin. Sometimes it would go away on its own, but then come back after a few months. One local clinic doctor told me it was not a hernia, but I went to my surgeon who said it definitely was an inguinal hernia and then I had a repair done with a mesh (but I’m still having problems with it which is why I just joined the forums).

[muzik]

I’ve just been doing more research and I’ve just discovered after all of this time that these may be recurring keloids or hypertrophic scars. I have never heard of either before, but I’m reading about them and looking at pictures and it seems exactly like what I have been dealing with.

So perhaps the mesh is not to blame and this is just an issue with the skin at the surgical site. I’m still left with many questions as far as remedies, but I feel slightly more at ease knowing perhaps that the mesh may not be the cause of the abscesses. I did have a debridement done a couple of years ago, but the abscesses still come back, so not sure what will need to be done to fix it. I guess time will tell…

If anyone still has any input, I would appreciate it. I will share more as time goes on.

[muzik]

quote Good intentions:

I wrote a long reply but got “green-screened” as unapproved. I am doing very well after mesh removal, so don’t give up hope. Your surgeon seems to be thinking in extreme measures, which may not be necessary.

I also sent a message to Dr. Towfigh so hopefully she will have some comments.

Here is Dr. Towfigh’s recent tweet about plug removal. Good luck.

https://twitter.com/Herniadoc/status/1021561699290116097

Thanks for the reply. Did you see a specialist or were you able to go to a local surgeon to do the surgery? Did they seem confident in their abilities? How long has it been since you’ve had your removal?

What do you see?

This is a medium size Perfix #plug #mesh that has balled up, aka #meshoma . It was causing chronic groin & nerve #pain due to erosion into the spermatic cord, so I excised it. He is now #pain free!🙏🏻#meshcomplication #hernia #chronicpain #itsnotjustahernia pic.twitter.com/EgnLh0ULXR

— Dr. Shirin Towfigh (@Herniadoc) July 24, 2018

[muzik]

quote Good intentions:

I can appreciate gong back to the original surgeon, since they should know what might have gone wrong, and they also need to know that their work has gone wrong, but from the details of your story it seems like you should find a new surgeon. Implanting the mesh and understanding the problems with mesh are not necessarily connected.

I agree, I would prefer to see my original surgeon for the same reasons, but at this point I feel I need to “shop around” as even he admitted that the procedure would be a difficult one (to replace the mesh with biomesh; he advised against removal completely). I’m sure the procedure is difficult for any surgeon, but still not something that instills confidence.

quote Good intentions:

Can you give your general location? Somebody can recommend a surgeon with the knowledge that you need.

Of course, I should have mentioned I am in DFW, TX.

quote Good intentions:

Also, if you haven’t done so yet, you should get a copy of your medical records. There are several versions of “Ultrapro” some with a polymer that degrades and is absorbed and others without, plus different physical forms like the plug. They probably have different types of problems.

Good point. I did get my records last year. Mine was an Ethicon UH8M, which is not currently listed on their website. I see an UHSM, which I assume must be similar. It is the kind that has the plug and the degrading polymer (Poliglecaprone-25: gylcolide, e-caprolactone), for anyone curious.

[muzik]

I didn’t experience the same pain that you are, but from what I’ve read, that seems possible. During post-op recovery, I did have dull pain in groin and testicles as expected, but not pre-op. I believe the nerves are connected down there which is why you may experience pain spread out to other areas, but I’m not a doctor so maybe someone else can offer factual statements.

My inguinal hernia pain was only at the hernia site, and was a very sensitive, sharp pain. Due to its location, it would affect everything I did from walking, standing, showering, coughing, laughing, wearing pants (or being naked for that matter), sitting, laying down; I couldn’t catch a break, but the pain was always only on the direct site of hernia. Walking did seem to aggravate it, though just about any movement or pressure would. Just my experience. Hopefully someone can help you.