Hernia repairs using 'Mesh'

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lottagelady
Hi guys and gals ....

It seems just recently that people have been saying that hernia repairs using mesh have caused problems.

I would be very interested in anyone's stories as it looks like my surgeon will be repairing my huge hernia in that way ...

Good and bad stories please so that I can make an informed decision!

Rach xxx
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airforce1

I had the mesh operation twice. It didn't hold, so they cut around the stoma and lifted it up and fixed the hernia somehow. Not too bad. I have a blockage at the moment, a partial one. Trying to sort it out at home.

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Degurosa
Hi Lottagelady,

I had a strangulated umbilical hernia repaired in an emergency op in 1998 (or 1999...too long ago to remember!) At the time, I still had a complete bowel and I've never had any complications from the mesh. I had bowel cancer in 2002 and had a sigmoidectomy which was in no way hampered by the mesh. In 2007, I needed more abdominal surgery (resulting in the loss of my "tummy button") and earlier this year, I had the remainder of my bowel removed (this cancer's kind of determined!!) Throughout all of this, the mesh has probably been the only reliable (and certainly the strongest) part of my abdomen.

Since my ileostomy, I've had a lot of problems with narrowing, adhesions, hernias, and blockages - especially a very large parastomal hernia - which has meant many emergency admissions to the hospital. Further surgery on me is very risky, but on my last admission, I was told that probably within the next year they will be forced to operate, free the adhesions, and repair the hernias. My dream would be to have a complete abdomen made of mesh instead of just one little part of it! Everything nice and safely tucked away where it should be, and something doing the job that my muscles used to do before they were destroyed.

I've never heard of any complications from having mesh, and of course, everyone is different - what suits me may not suit someone else - but all I can say is that the mesh has worked well for me for the last 12 years.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Rosa
lexus1

Yeah, my pop had the mesh for his repair. It didn't go well... his body rejected the mesh. After the 4th "repair fix," he contracted MRSA and 18 months later, he died. The repair never healed. Not trying to scare you, just wish there was a reaction test before they put in a repair. Seems silly to me for a hernia to lead to that.

airforce1

I had my third hernia repair and picked up a hospital bug, but they got onto it pretty quick. Good now.

 
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groovyheaven

Hii

I have had my hernia repaired using a plastic mesh as my hernia was too large for the natural animal mesh. Everything went well and I took it easy and eased myself into exercises etc, but after my 6-8 week post-op appointment, I developed a second hernia and I'm now awaiting this operation. This hernia is larger than the first.

Good luck with your operation xxx

Mystified
I really don't know what I'm planning on typing, but hopefully, I can get my message and/or problem taken care of. First off, I have not been on here very long nor have I been a ostomate very long.

I had emergency surgery in August 2010, and I took a long time before I actually woke up. Woke up? Now, that's a word that just isn't in my vocabulary!! That is...when you wake up in a hospital. I thought I had awoken up in my bed. But then...who in the hell were all of these people and what were they doing in my bedroom? I found out that I had an ileostomy performed on me and that part of my colon and rectum were removed. WOW!!!

Now, everything seems to be going fairly well except for those few LEAKS, etc.....LOL! I had to call Hollister and tell them I couldn't use the wafers and bags they were sending because...I now had a new problem. My stoma was growing on top of my HERNIA. Jeesh!!! When is this crap going to end??

Well...hopefully it will end on April 2nd. The doc is going to do a reversal after he repairs the hernia. He has assured me that everything is going to be great and that I should be a new person in this old person's body. All I can do is hope for the best......RIGHT???
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