Walk a Mile in Mesh Shoes

By DebCNY • 2016/03/10

Before I had full mesh removal, I used used to say that it felt like I had a steak knife in my groin… Throbbing and hurting 24/7, but causing even more pain when I moved, walked or sat normally. Anything that put any pressure in that area caused a stabbing pain, sometimes a jolt of pain that would stop me in my tracks. I used to always sit leaning on the one side. And I walked with a cane or a crutch. Causing further pain in my back, etc.  Pain would start by my obturator muscle/hip/groin area, &  go all the way down my leg. The pathology report from my TOT mesh sling removal surgery confirmed that the mesh was causing FBR, inflammation, muscle damage/spasms… It had eroded through my obturator muscle and abductor muscles, and attached to my pelvic bone where Dr Raz scraped it off.
Constant pain, & not being able to walk (even with pain meds & crutch) will change your life dramatically, and quickly. Trust me.

Still, I was LUCKY.

Lucky to not have vaginal mesh  erosion, probably the most common  complications of tvt mesh.  This is when the mesh works its way through the vaginal wall and can be physically seen or felt there. This did make it harder to get diagnosed. Apparently many doctors only recognize mesh as being a problem if/when they can actually see it coming through your vaginal wall. Of course, at that point there’s also no denying it either. (Yup. That’s mesh, alright!)   Still, even once mesh erosion is confirmed many doctors seem to downplay this and act as if it’s not that big of a deal.  ? Really? Having  something that has hardened into a window screen like consistency, literally cutting through your most private parts is “no big deal”?  I think NOT.

I was also lucky that I was able to get to one of the few specialists that could remove all my mesh in one surgery – including the “arms” in my groin that most docs say are too dangerous to remove.  Most doctors only do a revision, or remove just a piece of the extruded  mesh. As a consequence,  most windup having surgery after surgery after surgery, to remove more mesh as it continues to erode and cause further problems.

Many have mesh eroding/cutting thru their urethra, bladder, nerves, and then deal with all the pain associated with that. Constant inflammation,  infections, UTI”s, excruciating nerve damage, autoimmune problems, difficulty voiding, continued incontinence – PAIN.  Pain that some have described as feeling like barbed wire  being inside of their pelvic area.  Can you imagine how that feels? Not to mention all the EMOTIONAL pain, & financial burden this causes, not only them, but their loved ones as well. Individual lives & families are being broken down & torn apart.

What about you?
If you are suffering from complications due to surgical mesh, how would you describe your pain?  Let’s help others realize the risks of using surgical mesh are NOT worth it.

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(Also see comments to this Pubic Post on MeshMeNot’s Facebook Page at: https://www.facebook.com/MeshMeNot/photos/a.313603215440896.1073741831.299505896850628/750221908445689)

==============Support Groups================

Perhaps even more helpful than articles, is talking to a variety of others who are suffering from mesh complications, and are in various stages of treatment.   Three of the larger support groups I found helpful are: 

• Mesh Problems (PUBLIC/OPEN TO ALL, including doctors, etc)
• Women’s POP/SUI TVMesh Complications Support (Closed Group)
• Fighters And Survivors of All Transvaginal Mesh And Hernia Mesh/Plugs (Closed Group)

==============Related Mesh Me Not Blog Posts================

• Finding the Right Doctor for Surgical Mesh Complications
• Why I Went All the Way to UCLA for Mesh Removal Surgery
• Searching for Docs Experienced with FULL Mesh Removal, and/or NON-Mesh Repairs
• Partial vs. Full Mesh Removal Surgery
• Upstate NY Support for Mesh Complications
• Mesh-Injured People: NOT rare. NOT going away. NOT getting SUPPORT!
• It’s NOT enough. We need help!
• Are you a GOOD mesh? Or a BAD mesh?
• Were you told that you were the “only one”?
• FDA warns there is NO evidence that mesh provided any greater clinical benefit than non-mesh surgeries
• Top 10 Things to Know About Mesh BEFORE Having Surgery for POP or SUI
• Links to many other articles, blogs, support groups, and resources on the bottom of this blog

Tagged as: Bladder Prolapse, chronic pain, hip pain, leg pain, Mesh, mesh complications, mesh removal, pain, Pelvic Organ Prolapse, POP, Risks, sling, Stress Urinary Incontinence, SUI, surgical mesh, tape, transvaginal, TVT

« Are Partial Mesh Removals the Answer? (to Mesh Complications)

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