Hernia Mesh Repairs – can we talk about them?

So, informed, experienced or just here to take the pee stwers:

I’ve got bilateral inguinal hernias plus an umbilical one. Booked in to have to mesh implants fitted by laparoscopic surgery and the belly button one sewn up at the end of October.

Feeling comfortable about the situation, surgery, recovery etc.

Then I read this:
Up to 170,000 people who have had hernia mesh implants in England in the past six years could face complications, the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme has found.
In that time, there have been about 570,000 such operations and the complication rate is said to be 12-30%.

Some patients have been left unable to walk or work, others left suicidal.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-45604199

Even at the lower end of 12% seems like a high complication rate but the ‘is said to be’ means there’s only anecdotal evidence, perhaps just the one surgeon who specialises in taking them out is the source?

So, go ahead? Both my GP and surgeon have said the mesh issues affecting women’s bits do not apply to hernia repairs. Or postpone the op a few months and see what comes out in the near future?

Can’t offer any advice but watching with interest as deciding when to get mine done. Good luck either way.

I had an open mesh repair done probably over a decade ago. Bottom line, what’s the alternative? You can’t carry on with it as it is.

I didn’t suffer serious complications but the repair still bothers me now from time to time due to adhesions – something I didn’t know existed until after the op. Seems some of the layers they cut through bond at the open edge and no longer slide across each other as they used to. Creates a fixed point in the lower abdominal muscles.

what’s the alternative

Suturing the edges of the holes together I think?

I had it done 2 years ago and had completely forgotten about it until this. No problems for me (so far). Easy op that went well for me!

If you think about it. They are going to cut you open and use a mesh to hold everything in place allowing for support and you to get on with life.

its pretty fantastic that it works with the majority having no issues

What are your other options?

I thought the bbc stuff was about a very specific type of op using mesh not just general hernia?

Rather than speaking to a load of randoms who know nothing on the internet, speak to your Consultant about your concerns. This is an example of where it’s ok to quiz your Consultant with stuff you have found on the internet.

Looking on in a state of mild panic 😳💩

Yes talk to your consultant is the best advice.

I had the operation a long time ago and had no issues with the actual hernia repair. However, quite exceptionally my lung collapsed during the operation so any operation carries  risk.

My advice is to be as fit as you can be before the op.

Regards Andrew

what’s the alternative

Suturing the edges of the holes together I think?

As I understand it, and I don’t all that well, my problem didn’t stem from the use of mesh, but from the actual of going through my abdominal wall.

Life is more convenient now than when I had to push the hernia back in before lifting my right leg.

Discussion on BBC2 now Victoria Derbyshire

I had an open mesh hernia repair about 9-10 years ago and it was a fairly horrific experience.

After the initial op I came to in the recovery area to find the repair was swelling due to internal haemorrhaging.  I couldn’t be taken straight back into surgery as there was an emergency operation taking place, so I ended up being doped up to the eyeballs for a couple of hours before being readmitted.

Following the 2nd op, I was in a lot of pain for a couple of weeks, and still had a fair amount of pain for another 2-4 weeks.  For a long time afterwards the repair was uncomfortable and didn’t feel right.

Since then… It doesn’t stop me doing anything but I’m still “aware” of it, it’s not painful or anything, and I’m able to ignore it, but I know it’s there, if that makes any sense…

Blimey verses :(

I’m able to ignore it, but I know it’s there, if that makes any sense

That’s kind of where I am now pre-op.

Bear in mind it’s surgery – what is your alternatives as you can’t leave it ?

I’d never again have surgery unless it was necessary. I was one of the 1 in 10 who get issues with ‘the snip’ – mine went badly wrong, more surgery, injections into nuts, low testosterone as a result.   Constant pain 6 years on.

I was offered surgery when I had my spine broken, but the surgeon said ‘you already know operations can go wrong, I can operate and have you standing tomorrow, but you can move your legs now, you might not be able to tomorrow’ – I opted to not move for 6 1/2 weeks, and only surgery if it was needed.

Weigh up the options.

Why do hernias happen? Can you do anything proactive to avoid them?

Reading Fossy’s reply rings a few bells with me.

I’ve been wanting to have the snip for a while, but after my hernia op, the idea of “electing” to have surgery doesn’t appeal.

Amusingly (if that’s the right word?!) I too broke my spine, surgery was an option but the consultant advised that 3 months in a halo was a better way to go and to fall-back on surgery if the halo didn’t succeed (fortunately it did).

Before my hernia op I wasn’t in pain so had deferred the op until the winter (logic being that I’d be riding less at that time of year – got to have priorities).  Effectively the only symptom I had beforehand was a slight lump that I was mostly unaware of but felt a bit funny when I tried to push it back in.

I’m aware my story probably isn’t the best thing to read before you have the same op :) but it being in the news had made me relive it a little.  Someone’s got to be the 1-2% of cases that have problems and I was unlucky enough to be it.  As others have said though, it needs fixing…

I’m quite a skinny runt and have often wondered if mine went so bad due to there not being much of me to stitch the mesh to…  IANAS (I am not a surgeon).

Blimey Versus… similar story eh.  I had to wear a TLSO brace for 3-4 months once out of hospital.  I’m still in lots of pain 3 years on, but I/we know it’s not the ‘break’ that’s healed fully, although half my T1 is ‘missing’ – the pain is due to the new spinal shape and my muscles ‘over’ reacting and being sensitive – vicious circle.  Had I had scaffolding in there, the consultant said he’d have been looking at that causing the pain. Plus side is, I still have reasonable flexibility.

Weigh up what happens if you don’t have an op – you do need this fixed though. Have you been given an alternative ?

Also, bear in mind recovery isn’t as quick as they say. I was told 3-6 months recovery from having key-hole surgery on my shoulder.  It actually took 18 months before the pain stopped and it felt like new again. For a long time I thought it hadn’t gone well as it was no less painful than before. I’ve been pain free now for 8 years.

🤮🤢💩💩💩

I’ve been pretty lucky, all things considered.  I broke the C2 in my neck and it’s healed incredibly well.  I can’t quite look as far to the right as I can to the left, and there’s something a bit weird going on with my tendons/ligaments between my neck and my left shoulder, but it’s all pretty mild really and not stopping me from doing anything :)

Shame yours has left you in pain.  I think while I was unlucky to be the 1% to have bad hernia ops, I’ve been lucky enough to be near the top 1% of spinal repairs.  So with my glass half full, I’ll take that outcome :D

Why do hernias happen?

Strain on the muscles due to over exertion , often by lifting heavy weights

Can you do anything proactive to avoid them?

CaptainFlashheart should avoid trying to lift his wallet by himself

I had a keyhole mesh repair on a huge umbilical hernia, it was the size of a fist.

six weeks off work, but no complications, almost two years on I actually can’t remember the last time I even thought about it.

Although, i did smash my leg up last winter, so spent a few months off my face on painkillers, that would be a contributing factor i suppose.

I had two done about four years ago. Suffered occasional pain for the first two years, not so much now.

Out of the 12 – 30% how many are serious complications, and how many are just people experiencing some occasional pain like me? What constitutes a complication?

Before I had my repair I would occasionally get such crippling pain that I couldn’t stand up straight or walk, so the option of mesh repair seemed like a good one.

My hernia repair sounds pretty straightforward compared to the stuff on here.

Inguinal hernia was causing discomfort when riding and stopping me running. Had open surgery with mesh repair 6 weeks ago. 1st week after surgery was the most painful with gradual improvements since. Had some minor nerve damage that was causing a fair bit of pain around wk 3/4 as I was trying to get more active again. Surgeon told me to massage wound area and this pain has all but gone now.

Nerve damage or vas deferens damage are common issues with inguinal repair.

It’s open surgery and a major operation so don’t underestimate recovery times. Also talk to your surgeon to get the facts, people are far more likely to talk about the failures than the success.

I went for my 1st run this am and despite a few twinges it felt better than before the op by a long way.

Bilateral open repair with mesh in December last year – the right hand side was a particularly big tear.

I replied on another thread recently all about it (but can’t find it now as bloody search is useless!!) but in essence:

– DO as you are told re: recovery/rest

– Expect to feel like you’ve been run over for a week or so

– You’ll be back to normal in 3 months ish if you be good and do as you are told.

To frame the above – I’m 41, fully recovered 9 months later and fly out to race the EWS tomorrow.

https://www.cochrane.org/CD011517/COLOCA_comparing-surgical-groin-hernia-repair-performed-or-without-mesh

IANAD and I don’t work with surgeons (have had 3 hernia repairs though).  Cochrane reviews aren’t infallible (they’re very rigid in their approach) but they’re generally thorough and balanced appraisals of what they find

I had an inguinal hernia 5+ years ago and had the same concerns as you with regard to the plastic mesh repair. The documented risks/side effects were not something I was comfortable with and being a pessimist assumed I’d have all the bad stuff happen to me.

I did a bunch of research on bio mesh, communicated with the rep and went to meet with my surgeon to raise my concerns and see what my options were and even if no-mesh repairs were feasible.

Ethicon and Bard were 2 companies I had contact with

Essentially as it was Canada’s NHS equivalent the only way he would have been able to insert a non plastic mesh would have been through the correct supply chain but and that would have to be on me to coordinate. I struck out with resolving this before my surgery date and I needed fixing, however the surgeon did take my concerns seriously and performed a suture only repair.

I still had some adhesion/scar tissue at the incision afterwards but resolved mostly by physio.

Iirc There are clinics in the US that specialise only in absorbable suture repairs so I’m sure there will be similar in the UK.

I think I’m one of the statistics. I had a left iguinal& right umbilical done at the same time April 2017. Three weeks after, I got on a bike for a gentle spin and had nasty pain in thigh/groin ,reported back to doc ,he wasn’t worried &said it could be the “gauze staples dissolving, give it a few more weeks”. A few more weeks pass and the pain is stopping me sleeping , riding very hard and making driving uncomfortable . I go back to the doc & he asks me!! If the staples were dissolvable or metal because I’d need an mri….and his finger up my jacksy:-( . After the mri I get sent to his orthopaedics specialist friend ,because his “hernia repairs were sound “. The symptoms I was showing were sciatic nerve L5 related .apparently. When I asked how the new pain could have occurred after the hernia surgery I was told “ they sometimes move you roughly during anaesthetic” . Mmm.

Anyhow , I’ve done all the core strength exercises I was advised to do by the orthopaedic bod , but I’ve always felt that the gauze on the left side caused the discomfort/ pain….it not as bad as it was and I’ve only just started to be able to pedal full gas like I could pre hernia. This is after a painful groin “tear “ which seems to have eased the mystery post hernia pain!!

It has made me quite miserable at times tbh. Sorry for the rambling post.

Had one done about 15 years ago. No real problems, occasionally I ‘feel’ a bit sore around it. That was a full 4 inch scar jobbie in the good old days. Took ages to get back to walking properly/fitness/driving.

Had the other side done a couple of years ago with keyhole. Up and walking really quickly.

Now I’ve got one in the belly button. I’m assuming some weakness caused by going in there for the keyhole stuff. We’re on a ‘keep an eye on it’ phase.

Suppose I’ve been lucky, but for every one of those ‘it still hurts after surgery’ there’ll be a lot more ‘I was rushed in to hospital because of a strangulated hernia’ stories, like my mother…

I had an old school pre mesh inguinial hernia repair.4 days in hospital, full GA  4″ scar, 4 months recovery. 100% OK now  the mesh insert is undoubtedly a simpler surgery however the old school repair to me seems to have better long term results anecdotally.

My advice – discuss pros and cons with the surgeon / GP

I had one repaired with mesh almost 20 years ago & it has caused me no problems whatsoever.