Distinguishing Between Actual Injury and Fear of Injury in Hernia Mesh Complications

Adults will often undergo surgeries which are necessary or in the very least corrective in nature. However, many surgeries and various medical procedures can come with serious side effects or side effects that may even be worse than the initial problem. This is often the issue with hernias, which are resolved through the use of surgical hernia mesh.

Hernia mesh complications including adhesion, bowel obstruction, infection, recurrence, migration, and more can become dead. It’s not just that there’s the possibility of these complications becoming fatal, it is also that they almost always require second surgery. For adults, especially those who are entering the latter years of middle age, repeated surgeries often bring higher risk. There’s also the trouble that replacing the migrated hernia mesh with more surgical mesh could just lead to more complications down the road.

Hernia Mesh Management

About 90% of hernia surgeries performed annually in the United States require hernia mesh repair. Then 30% of those who had hernia surgery involving hernia mesh implants have complications within the year after surgery, including excessive pain.

Unfortunately, there’s not much that the patients can do to manage the hernia mesh. Instead they simply have to look out for symptoms which can range from nausea to excessive pain. All the trouble experienced after hernia mesh implant surgery is left to the patient, and although there are clear issues with these impact devices, many medical teams are hesitant to consider alternatives.

Hernia mesh management should fall to the medical team, but it is often the fear of the contrary which prompts the patient to request their doctor evaluate alternative options. Many patients can work with their medical to have a plan in place should they experience complications. For example, you might approach her doctor and explain that should anything happen to your hernia mesh implant that you would want an alternative surgical approach which did not involve replacing them with more surgical mesh material.

Assessing Your Medical Needs with Your Team

How can you know when you’ve had complications with your hernia mesh? The two most common symptoms include severe pain and ongoing infections. If you’re experiencing pain or discomfort after the hernia mesh surgery then you should immediately reach out to your medical team.

Other symptoms can include bowel obstruction, erectile dysfunction, and hernia recurrence.  There is the possibility of hernia mesh revision surgery, and there are a variety of ways that doctors can surgically treat hernias without mesh.  it’s important that you discussed all of your symptoms, and all of your concerns about the possibility of future injury with your medical team.

Is It Possible to Consider Alternatives During Second Surgery?

Doctors have long treated hernia repairs with surgery, even before hernia mesh existed. It is possible to speak up with your medical team and start talking about these other options. Doctors refer to a wide variety of techniques as non mesh or pure tissue repair. When this happens the surgeon will stitch the patient’s tissue back together rather than inserting mesh to hold everything into place.

Some of these alternatives, such as the Shouldice technique to hernia repair which is a pure tissue repair, show five times better results than mesh. Most of the pure tissue techniques have very low rate or possibilities for recurrent. For example, the Bassini hernia repair technique which has been around since 1887 has a less than 3% recurrence rate. The trouble is that hernia mesh manufacturers aggressively push their products onto doctors directly. You shouldn’t suffer because of aggressive and unfair marketing.

Support for Those Hurt by Hernia Mesh in Atlanta

Almost all of Atlanta’s major hospitals experienced hernia mesh surgeries on a very regular basis. Hernias are common, and hernia mesh is the most frequent resolution used in hernia surgery. Experts have spoken out and said that we should work our way away from hernia mesh because of the complications and dangers associated with a surgical implant. But, for those who’ve already been hurt or who fear the possibility of injury, it’s too late.

If you have already experienced complications from hernia mesh, then you might consider involving a local injury attorney who can help you assess how to hold the manufacturer responsible. Hernia mesh complications are often a result of the manufacturer and not the medical team who installed the device. If you are afraid of complications happening but haven’t experienced any yet,  then it’s time to speak with your medical team about the possibility of a secondary surgery and corrective procedures.