Inguinal Hernia - Should i go for mesh or not

Hi Venkat:

A year ago I had my inguinal hernia operated on arthroscopically (keyhole surgery) and mesh inserted (the only way they do it in the UK under the NHS). I have had no real problems. I occasionally "feel" it, mostly after exertion, by which I mean I know it's there, but it's not even really discomfort, and certainly not pain. I chose keyhole surgery after talking to others. You can expect a shorter recovery time, although the difference is, by all accounts, not huge . But someone who had had it done both ways (one on each side) strongly recommended the keyhole route. My recovery was a few days to where I barely noticed it (with the help of painkillers, of course) and about a week before I was fully up and running (not literally! that took a bit longer) again.

There are some people who will tell you mesh is the devil's work and not to go down that route. I was vehemently and personally attacked by one of them on this site when I suggested it was a very small percentage indeed that had problems with the mesh. But I still have not seen any statistical information that suggests otherwise. Clearly, there are those who suffer pain and complications afterwards, but I believe that if the numbers were truly significant, the medical establishment would be reviewing their approach. My impression is that doctors do not regard themselves as infallible, and they are willing to change procedures if there are significant numbers of issues. (After all, they still work to "do no harm".) But finally the choice is yours. Just do your research online into the downstream effects of both mesh and non-mesh (if your health plan offers it) solutions and make your decision. I'm sure whatever you choose will be right for you. It's a very safe and routine operation, and you should be in good shape and pain free once it's taken care of. Best of luck!

Ah yes, it's Clive again ignoring real data and information. I was the one that challenged his "medical expertise" in a previous post. I've actually experienced a horrible experience with the mesh (along with other people on this site) and he ignores facts and numbers when it comes to the mesh. There wouldn't be class action lawsuits if it wasn't an actual issue. I would highly suggest looking into a non-mesh procedure and look into the actual facts before you get a mesh put in. Once my mesh was removed my life got to start again. I know it's tough to find a surgeon that does non-mesh repair in the UK but that's because mesh companies have made it considered the normal procedure before all the faults and negative reactions happened. I only go on here to help others from dealing with the horrible pain I had to go through. Good luck!

hi there

I had my inguinal hernia repair done in 2014 using the mesh. Since that time I have been in chronic pain. 1 year spend on that on pretty much bed rest. In 2016 I went for a 2nd surgery to fix what they thought was a mesh tear which was the cause of my pain.

This 2nd surgery was pointless as they didn't see anything wrong as to what was the root issue of my nightmare.

Since then I have been receiving freezing injections on the nerve. Finally after 5 years of hell they will be doing another surgery to see if they can safely remove the mesh or they will cut and kill the nerves.

hi i am another victim of mesh.

There are some things you should know regarding mesh.

The stats on chronic pain from mesh surgery are constantly changing and are rising. Some estimates are now showing complication rates as high as 20-30%.

Recently there has been an ever increasing spotlight on women treated for incontinence and prolapse with mesh made out of the same material used in hernia repairs.

These women who suffered complications were essentially gas lighted as their complaints fell on deaf ears form their surgeons and doctors.

This is the exact same enviorment people with pain from hernia mesh repairs find themselves in today.

Which brings me to a couple if points

The decision is yours to make. Some people do fine with mesh some don't.

The problem if you are in the camp of people who dont do well here are some things to know and consider

1. in most cases the mesh is made of a plastic-it is made to be permanent and to incorporate into your body.

   ITS NOT MADE TO COME OUT AND VERY FEW SURGEONS ARE SKILLED ENOUGH TO REMOVE IT

2. YOU WILL BE TOLD BY YOUR IMPLANTING SURGEON THAT THE PAIN YOU ARE EXPERIENCING HAS NOTHING TO SK WITH THE MESH. THEY WILL CHECK FOR A HERNIA RECURRENCE AND IF THERE ISNT ONE THAT WILL BE IT-they will say your pain has nothing to do with the mesh or the surgery. you will be sent off to pain management where you will be adminstered drugs
3. the mesh is big think 4" by 6" 5"x7" and in many cases bigger think small dinner plate. it can cover and extend to many structures, organs and nerves-
4. my mesh surgery left me in pain for 5 years all scans and surgeons said all was well and they ruled out mesh as source. AT THE 5 year mark the pain got worse excruciating. RIPPING TEARING FEELING INSIDE. BURNING PAIN IN GROIN AND THIGH COULD NOT SIT. SICK FEELING LOSS OF APPETITE. AGAIN TESTS AND DOCS SAID NOTING TO DO WITH MESH OR ORIGINAL SURGERY.

   AFTER 6 months of suffering and unable to work i found a surgeon out of state who saw on the same cat scan that evwryone else had sad was fine that my mesh had balled up.

   I HAD SURGERY TO REMOVE IT-and it was way worse. it had completely balled up and was rock hard. it had attached itself to my bladder, spermatic cord, illiac vein and artery and my colon.

   3 1/2 hour surgery to remove it.

   THE POINT ISNT WHETHER YOU WILL BE ONE OF THE UNLUCKY ONES OR NOT BUT IF YOU ARE YOU ARE ESSENTIALLY SCREWED. you will be abandoned by the medical community, you will have to most likely travel and pay out of pocket if you are lucky to find someone to remove it with no guarantee that you will feel better. remember it incorporates into your body making removal very challenging. NOTHING WORSE THAN PAIN IN YOUR PRIVATE AREA.

   DO YOUR RESEARCH. mesh industry is a billion dollar industry and many surgeons are consultant for the mesh companies. UNFORTUNATELY THERE ARENT MANY SURGEONS WHO DO NON MESH REPAIRS BUT THEY ARE OUT THERE!

I had a mesh repair almost 2 years ago now. After a lot of research I opted to go private so that I could choose my own hernia specialist. It was open not keyhole and the healing time is somewhat longer than what I expected. However I am now left with no pain or discomfort and hopefully it will stay that way! I am worried about the other side now though so will probably be making another visit at some stage. 😦 damit lol.

I had the operation at the Hospital of St John & St Elizabeth and my consultant was Mr Martin Kurzer.