Victim of Mesh Erosion

For almost two years my hubby and me have lived with this inconvenience.  NOW I'm truly frightened!!

The threat of infection, bleeding, all of it scares me so badly.  I have noticed a burning pain down my leg, the same side the mesh is eroding through my vaginal wall.   I hope it's something temporary :(

I also wonder how would you know if the mesh is eroding into the bladder?  I know if I sit in a certain position, I feel pain somewhere in that area, but it's hard to pinpoint it.

It's hard getting scheduled with the specialist I found.  He's done this removal before, and I just don't trust anyone else to do this.  I'm waiting for his office to work out the details and they are taking way too long for me!!

Of course, the surgery will be hard I'm sure.  It's better than the risks of not having it done.  Just the thought of what he's going to do scares me to death!

If I'd only known when the ob/gyn said "it's the little miracle cure".....to run, fast. 

I understand your fear and concern. It sounds like you've decided on and are finally ready for removal. I hope you don't have to wait too long to see your surgeon.  Stay in touch as things progress.

Best,

Maria

I have decided on *partial* removal. Only because the uro/gyn specialist informed me taking the entire mesh out can be very difficult and risky.

I hope that he can remove the exposed mesh, suture me up, and NEVER have an issue with this mess again!!

He said he's had many successes with this approach, with the exception of one, which ended in total removal.

I'm anxiously waiting to hear from his office about scheduling the procedure. He said it would be about 30 mins. give or take, and under general anesthesia. Just in case he gets in there and has to do more work than anticipated.

Thanks for your response.

Please let me know what your surgery outcome was.  I am currently interviewing surgeons to remove most or all of my mesh.  Though I do not have exposed mesh, I have severe nerve damage from the mesh becoming detached 2 weeks after implant and falling on a large nerve area.  All the area is damaged, numb and I have severe pain there.  I am on Neurotin all the time.

I am so dissappointed in the physician that did this surgery, but I am also concerned now about selecting a new physician.  I alread spoke to one who admitted he cannot help me. EVidently it is far easier to place the mesh, but it is entirely a different thing to remove it. My physician said it could not be done.  If I don't get rid of this, I will never be able to be normal.  I have been unable to have relations with my husband now for nearly 7 months.  My vagina has altered since the mesh was placed and there is a large enough obstruction to have caused a cessation in intercourse.

I am frustrated, upset, and tired of talking to doctors, looking on the internet, and hearing, "Oh, yes, we do this".  I don't have any idea who I can trust.

Frustrated near San Franicisco

I had the first procedure the first week of December.  During the second week afterwards, I noticed something was not right :(......the following week he had do some MORE removal, but this time we went with doing this in the office.  Obviously, I'm still in recovery phase so I can't say with any certainty that this has been a success, yet.

I'll keep you informed, and if things heal well with no other problems I'll share the name of the surgeon.

This has been an awful experience.  I wonder if I will ever be "normal" again. 

Well, I emailed you once, but I am not sure if you got it.  My Dr. wouldn't listen either.  He told me it was in my head (although my husband could feel it as well).  Prescribed Xanax.  Anyway, please let me know how your surgery went and how did you get them to remove it all???? I want this stuff out of me!!!  Thanks and I hope all is well.

WOW!  I had TOT done in April and was unable to sit for 6 weeks, very painful even after that, continued to bleed, no sex - impossible to enter and continued pain down my leg on the side of the TOT.   After three consults, I found a specialist in my hometown and he told the mesh had eroded into my vagina (he could feel it during the exam) and it was infected.   I had surgery last Monday for removal.  I also had so much scar tissue that my vagina is very short.  Because of the infection, he only did the repair and will wait until it has healed before proceeding with more surgery to correct the mess.

This doctor even builds vagina's for children and most of his work is corrective work after other surgeries.

Please help - My Gyno suggested Gynecare TVT Secure in May 08 and my whole life changed. Tape eroded through vaginal wall 2 months after sugery. I have had one surgery to remove some of it but i am still in so much pain. Has anyone found an expert doctor that can i can try to talk with.

man ifeel for u ladies out there i really do!! i had my first bladder tack up in 2005 and to be honest i wish i would have left it alone. im still having surgey cuz the mesh eroeded inside my bladder i just had surgery my 6th surgery a month ago. and i went for my 6 week check up and there is stillmesh so looks like ill go for number 7. im 49 yrs old and have to wear depends all the time cuz of the incontinence. im sick of it too. i have a law firm looking onto the mesh part. but as far as the dr goes i cant get anyone to take my case. i would love to chat with someone with the same problem. godbless

Hello all, I hate it's taken me THIS long to respond to all of the above.  I was in the middle of receiving treatment for the mesh erosion when I was diagnosed with cancer.

It's been more than a year of absolute hell on earth for me and my family as you can imagine.

I ended up having one major surgery to pull out as much mesh as possible.  There was still some eroding into the vaginal wall and the doctor snipped and clipped several more times under local anesthetic.  Then scar tissue formed around a nerve and near my femoral artery.  I was advised at that point that any more removal could lead to paralysis or bleeding to death, so the only thing left to do was to inject steroid shots into the scar tissue.  This really helped with the pain, but had to stop doing the injections due to cancer treatment.

I wish I could have ALL of this stuff removed, but again if it's a risky business to do so I guess I'll just live in fear of what this stuff could do later on down the road.  And live with the constant pain. 

I feel like I need to take action regarding what happened to me, and I'm not sure if I am allowed to talk about that here.  I don't wish this to happen to ONE more person and I'd like to see this barbaric procedure outlawed!!

I am in remission right now with the cancer, but when it comes back (mine kind typically does) I'll have to go through Stem Cell Transplant or die within a year.  That's pretty scary stuff to have on top of the mesh that took YEARS out of my personal life.  I guess you could say I have Post Traumatic Stress!!

I came across this article today that might help those of you who are suffering from vaginal erosion from the mesh implant.  I was fortunate enough not to be implanted with the mesh when my urinary gynecologist performed my hysterectomy/bladder lift/cyctocele & rectocele repairs in 2001. 

Cook Medical Reports Positive Results from Clinical Trial Designed to Evaluate Safety and Efficacy of Biodesign Vaginal Erosion Repair Graft
3/10/2009

BLOOMINGTON, Ind.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--An 11-month clinical study led by Manish P. Patel, M.D., generated positive results on Cook Medical's Biodesign^TM Vaginal Erosion Repair Graft for the treatment of vaginal mesh exposures, a common complication resulting from the use of synthetic mesh in pelvic floor repair, the procedure used to treat pelvic organ prolapse. The results, which confirmed the safety and efficacy of Biodesign, were presented at the 2009 Society for Urodynamics and Female Urology Winter Meeting in Las Vegas.

The study examined the efficacy of the Biodesign Vaginal Erosion Repair Graft in treating 10 women with large, symptomatic extrusions that resulted from the use of polypropylene or synthetic mesh in a previous pelvic floor reconstruction procedure. To treat the complication, the exposed synthetic mesh was completely removed and the Biodesign graft was implanted to help fully restore and repair the pelvic floor. Research findings showed that all 10 large mesh exposures were successfully repaired with the Biodesign graft with no evidence of recurrence or further complication.

According to the National Institute of Health, an estimated one-third of all U.S. women are affected by pelvic floor disorders including pelvic organ prolapse, a condition that occurs when the pelvic muscles become weakened and stretched, often as a result of childbirth. Although pelvic floor reconstruction is the most common form of treatment, synthetic mesh-based procedures have recently come under scrutiny after the FDA received more than 1,000 reports of rare but serious complications, including vaginal erosion, linked specifically to the use of synthetic mesh. Cook's Biodesign Vaginal Erosion Repair Graft will play an especially important role in treating these synthetic mesh-based complications and more.

"The surgical repair of prolapse remains one of the most difficult challenges in pelvic floor reconstruction due to the large recurrence rate and postoperative complications including foreign body reaction and mesh extrusion," said Patel, who is a physician at Piedmont Urology Associates in North Carolina. "I'm pleased that Biodesign has proven to be an effective and lasting treatment option for patients suffering from painful, large-scale vaginal mesh exposures."

The Biodesign Vaginal Erosion Repair Graft incorporates the best attributes of a biologic graft - resistance to infection and complete remodeling - with the added benefits of moderate price, ease of use and ample shelf life for on-site availability. Upon deployment, the graft reinforces the pelvic floor or vaginal wall and, over time, communicates with the patient's body, signalling surrounding tissue to grow across the scaffold where the pelvic floor needs to be repaired. Unlike synthetic mesh, Biodesign is resistant to infection, encapsulation and erosion into surrounding tissue.

"The complications associated with the use of synthetic mesh in treating pelvic organ prolapse can clearly cause a significant decrease in quality of life for women," said Andy Cron, vice president of Cook Medical's Surgery strategic business unit. "The results of this study come at a very important time, as reports continue to surface around the complications resulting from synthetic mesh treatments. We are excited by the results of Dr. Patel's research and look forward to providing many women with a natural, lasting solution."

Here is a link to another article describing the biological material used in place of the synthetic mesh:  http://www.livestrong.com/health-article/warning-common-incontinence-treatment-found-risky-plus-safer-alternatives_24cb1744-e05a-4a60-6f0d-11ccc2d9cb49/.  It appears to be made of a biofilm of porcine (pig) tissue fibers that somehow "knit" with human tissue throughout the healing process - I would guess somewhat similar to how tissue grafts are done on burn victims.  Anyway, it's tissue that's compatible and incorporated in the human body, similar to pig valves used to replace defective human heart valves.

I only read your statement, but then chose not to read about all the testing being done on any kind of mesh implant...I had a Bard Avaulta Mesh Implant put in for a cystocele and rectocele in late March, 2009 and then had two sterile abcesses with emergency surgery to correct this problem and remove the ends of the tape because the obgyn doc said this is where the problem usually occurs.  I am now 7 weeks post-op from my last surgery in July and still have draining/bleeding wounds on my buttocks, only now to be told by a second opinion that I have a fistual/granulation tissue tracking...am now being referred to a colorectal specialist.  I would not recommend a mesh implant for anyone ever, as they are only life threatening to a woman's health.  In some of my recent research there does seem to be different alternatives I could have used that would not have been as invasive/damaging, but I never was informed that I had that choice.  Too late now.