Hernia Mesh Patch Recall - FDA Warns of Death and Serious Healt...

I had a hernia above my navel repaired last summer. I have had pains in my abdomen(which radiate into my chest and shoulder) swelling, constipation, indigestion--inspite of nexium. They tell me I need a hysterectomy, but the pain is up around my belly button. How do I determine if my patch was one of the recalled ones and who do I see to find out if the patch is what's wrong with me?

I had hernia repair surgery in 3/06, and the doctor place gore tex mesh inside to repair my hernia, i have had problems with my stomach every since, i have even been hospitalize for infection in the stomach, and i also have adominal pain all the time, do you think that this mesh is in recall as well, please let me know at veronicajohnson887@hotmail.com

linda windham wrote:

i had the medium kugel patch ,and had to have it removed.9 days later .due to infection caused from the patch.has anyone else had this problem and is this patch on the recall list thanks mslinda300@yahoo.com

Hi Linda,

my name is colleen, I'd like to talk to you regarding the hernia mesh & the infection you mentioned.
My brother,Aaron had a laproscopic hernia repair on 6/24/04 & within 3 months was vomiting blood & blood in his stool. He was in & out of the hospital & eventually had to have that mesh removed,On 10/10/05 it had broken & had another hernia. He started having fevers & night sweats everyday & was very weak.They first said he had lymphoma then TB then Histoplasmosis(disease from bird droppings. They kept saying he has a bad infection his lymph nodes & spleen are very enlarged. He has had numerous surgeries(one was 7 1/2 hours long)attempting to find the source of the infection. He has another surgery Tuesday, to remove the 2nd mesh, he is very weak from the infection now, he has had it for over a year really bad & for each one of the wrong diagnosis' he was on some kind of an antibiotic, nothing has killed the infection yet. I found in his medical records where the 1st mesh had been broken for months poking into his abdomen, I think that is his problem. My question to you is, what kind of infection did you have & how severe & what treatment have you had for it??
Thanks for any help you can inform me of

Sincerely,
colleen stire

e-mail sptalk36@yahoo.com

Veronica Johnson wrote:

I had hernia repair surgery in 3/06, and the doctor place gore tex mesh inside to repair my hernia, i have had problems with my stomach every since, i have even been hospitalize for infection in the stomach, and i also have adominal pain all the time, do you think that this mesh is in recall as well, please let me know at veronicajohnson887@hotmail.com

my name is colleen, I'd like to talk to you regarding the hernia mesh & the infection you mentioned.
My brother,Aaron had a laproscopic hernia repair on 6/24/04 & within 3 months was vomiting blood & blood in his stool. He was in & out of the hospital & eventually had to have that mesh removed,On 10/10/05 it had broken & had another hernia. He started having fevers & night sweats everyday & was very weak.They first said he had lymphoma then TB then Histoplasmosis(disease from bird droppings. They kept saying he has a bad infection his lymph nodes & spleen are very enlarged. He has had numerous surgeries(one was 7 1/2 hours long)attempting to find the source of the infection. He has another surgery Tuesday, to remove the 2nd mesh, he is very weak from the infection now, he has had it for over a year really bad & for each one of the wrong diagnosis' he was on some kind of an antibiotic, nothing has killed the infection yet. I found in his medical records where the 1st mesh had been broken for months poking into his abdomen, I think that is his problem. My question to you is, what kind of infection did you have & how severe & what treatment have you had for it??
Thanks for any help you can inform me of

Sincerely,
colleen stire

e-mail sptalk36@yahoo.com

Sonya wrote:

I have all the same symptoms, blood im my stool at least 3 to 4 times a month. Heart palpitations so my doctor took me off the allergy meds I was on, severe pain in my abdomen, ob/gyn said all's fine. The doctor that did my surgery refuses to see me, because as the nurse put it I was late to one appointment. I called another doctor and the nurse said they can't see me either. My doctor said I have a pulled muscle but the pain feels like it is deeper than that. I cannot work out anymore due to the pain and I am on antibiotics all the time for infections and fever. My doctor said it's stress at work. I quit my job and I am still sick. Some days I can barely get out of bed. Another doctor said that I am depressed. I am not depressed, that much I know. The pain is real and not due to depression. My surgery was in August 2005. I have been sick since. I have no energy and it's not due to my age either. 30 is not old!!!!

my name is colleen, I'd like to talk to you regarding the hernia mesh & the infection you mentioned.
My brother,Aaron had a laproscopic hernia repair on 6/24/04 & within 3 months was vomiting blood & blood in his stool. He was in & out of the hospital & eventually had to have that mesh removed,On 10/10/05 it had broken & had another hernia. He started having fevers & night sweats everyday & was very weak.They first said he had lymphoma then TB then Histoplasmosis(disease from bird droppings. They kept saying he has a bad infection his lymph nodes & spleen are very enlarged. He has had numerous surgeries(one was 7 1/2 hours long)attempting to find the source of the infection. He has another surgery Tuesday, to remove the 2nd mesh, he is very weak from the infection now, he has had it for over a year really bad & for each one of the wrong diagnosis' he was on some kind of an antibiotic, nothing has killed the infection yet. I found in his medical records where the 1st mesh had been broken for months poking into his abdomen, I think that is his problem. My question to you is, what kind of infection did you have & how severe & what treatment have you had for it??
Thanks for any help you can inform me of

Sincerely,
colleen stire

e-mail sptalk36@yahoo.com

Had bilateral inguinal hernia repair in 2000 and now almost 7 years later I am having pain where the mesh is located on both sides. I dont understand how this can occur this much later but I see others have a similar experience. I am going back to the surgeon to get his opinion.

In 2000, I also had the Gore-Tex Dual Mesh put in to repair a ventral hernia. I also have extensive intestinal adhesions. A year ago, January 2006, I had an operation to remove my gallbladder. In January 2007, my abdomen became red and quite sore. The first part of February, in the middle of the night, this foul smelling drainage suddenly oozed from a hole near my naval. When tests showed that there appeared to be no fistula in my small bowel, my surgeon cut out a small section hoping to stop the draining. I was left with a 1/4"diameter hole which was 4-5" deep and had to be packed twice a day. It has continued to drain green foul smelling pus, for 3 1/2 months until I had time off for surgery. The doctor suspects it is the hernia mesh that is causing the problem. I suspected that the mesh was the one that had been recalled and last week, found out it was not, but was the Gore-Tex patch. I am about to have my 3rd surgery in 14 months and he will remove the mesh. He suspects that there will be bowel resection involved. I think the FDA should investigate this mesh as well. This has reduced my quality of life, having to change the bandage at least twice a day, and having a continuous offensive odor coming from the wound.

Janice Bembry wrote:

I had the Gore-Tex Dual Mesh used in a ventral hernia repair in 2004. I've had nothing but problems with it since.I've had numerous places drained after mesh got infected, been hospitalized and also had places drained under local anesthetic in doctor's office several times. I no longer see that doctor since he has relocated to another state. Now I've been to new doctor who has operated twice and I have permanent drainage after he has removed some mesh twice. He says if he operates again I may end up wearing a "bag" because some of my bowel may be caught up in the mesh that's left in me. I have to change the dressing on my abdoman at least twice a day and it has a terrible odor that I can smell all the time. If you know of anything that is being done about this, please let me know.
Sincerely,
Janice S Bembry
little_inezz2006@yahoo.com

How far does this recall go back?
I had surgery done back in late 80's or early 1990.

I had hernia repair done December 2004.My doctor said I had 4 repairs done. Prolene mesh was the type. I got an infection, I had to pack it twice daily until healed. About six weeks after surgery I was feeling really bad, I went to my family doctor who then sent me to Charleston cancer center after viewing my blood work. my Hemoglobin fell to 7.5. I had lost 30 pounds and I thought I was dying. After testing and a bone marrow testing the doctors found that I had chronic renal failure. They said an infection or something in the last couple of month had damaged my kidneys. I am now 41 years old and I have to go to the cancer center every 2 weeks for Procrit shoots to keep my kidneys going and to keep my hemoglobin up. Thanks

Last June I had a hernia operation and the Marlex Patch was used. I have had drain after drain, surgery after surgery to open larger drainage holes and I am on my second operation for patch removal. Has anyone else had this problem with the Marlex Patch?

Im going in for double hernia surgey shoulld i even go in??

Brokenbastard wrote:

Im going in for double hernia surgey shoulld i even go in??

Absolutely NOT!!!!!
My husb. just had bilateral inguilnal hernaia repsir (laproscopic) with 3D mesh.....pain , hospitalized with infection of "unknow origin" and pain at both repair sites. He feels like he has been kicked in the testicle ALL the time. I bet it's this type of mesh too!!!

I had a right inguinal hernia repair with a Gore-Tex patch back in 1991. I have not had a day free from pain since. I went back to my doctor he did several exploratory surgeries saying nothing was wrong, I was sent to about 7 different doctors over the next 3 years with no one being able to stop the pain. Including the pain clinic here in town where they even tried a block to stop the pain, but that didn't work but about 2 hrs. Finally after 3 years they told me it was in my mind not my right side. I have been screaming "the pain is in my side not my head" for 16 years and no one will help me. I was never released to go back to work since this was a workers comp claim. I think that is why they didn't believe me. The pain is real and daily. I did however manage to go on with my life, go back to school & got a degree in accounting and start my own business. I had to do something to survive and since there are days the pain is so bad I can't get up and go to work I have to work for myself. I can never hold down a normal job with the pain and bowel problems I have now. I have said all these years it is the patch, but no one blieves me. About 5 years ago it got so bad the pain goes down my right leg and I can't move it. I have fallen several times due to this and it pulls on my lower back. I know this has something to do with the patch. Now I don't know what to do. It sounds to me like it's all patches not just the one they have recalled.Any ideas? Linda

6 months back, I had inguinal hernia repaired (laparoscopic method) near left groin. Prolene is the patch type used.
Recently, I tried little jogging and since then I am experiencing pulling & burning in my left thigh. I am unable to sit continuously for more than 10 minutes. Anybody has information about these symptoms. I understand that Prolene mesh is not there in the FDA banned patch list. Please help me by posting your comments. My email ID is venkata.konidala@yahoo.com

My husband had hernia surgery but got the Prolene mesh. Since then, he feels like he's been kicked in the testicles constantly, has severe headaches from the time he gets up to the time he goes to bed which he has to see a pain specilist for and other symptoms. I know it's not on the recall list, but does anyone know what I should do to look into if the patch could be the problem? After he had his surgery, all the way home (1 hour after surgery) he vomited. For 3 days he felt like he was going to die. He was reamited once and then sent home again the next day. We took him to the ER about 7 times.
Please email me if you have any information.
Thank you,
Cheryl
allthedeweys@msn.com

Sonya wrote:

I have all the same symptoms, blood im my stool at least 3 to 4 times a month. Heart palpitations so my doctor took me off the allergy meds I was on, severe pain in my abdomen, ob/gyn said all's fine. The doctor that did my surgery refuses to see me, because as the nurse put it I was late to one appointment. I called another doctor and the nurse said they can't see me either. My doctor said I have a pulled muscle but the pain feels like it is deeper than that. I cannot work out anymore due to the pain and I am on antibiotics all the time for infections and fever. My doctor said it's stress at work. I quit my job and I am still sick. Some days I can barely get out of bed. Another doctor said that I am depressed. I am not depressed, that much I know. The pain is real and not due to depression. My surgery was in August 2005. I have been sick since. I have no energy and it's not due to my age either. 30 is not old!!!!

I had umbilical hernia repair 4/20/2005. I had Bard Mesh Monofilament Knitied Polypropylene implanted. I was a very active, healthy, happy person prior to this procedure. I have literally been sick and in the bed post surgery. Something has triggered my autoimmune system. My immune system is attacking my body. I am being told I have RA, Lupus, Anemia, Low iron. I have had a DVT that ran from my thigh to my calf. It dislodged and became a bi lateral pulmonary embolism. I am losing blood or most likely not producing blood. I have had all the GI test possible and every other test known to man. We have not located any bleeding. I run a fever intermittently, I regurgitate in the mornings. I am chronically fatigued. I am in pain. My body is attacking my kidneys now. I had shingles last year. I had 10 day hospital stay last month with blood transfusion. I was told yesterday I have pneumonia. If anyone else is experiencing similar problems with this type mesh, please come forward and let others know. I feel the recall should encompass all the Bard implants. Thanks and good luck.

MARLEX MESH HERNIA PATCH
I had an abdominal hernia repair surgery in May of 1980. Marlex Mesh Hernia Patch was used in the navel area. Since then I suffer at least once a month from extreme abdominal pain attacks, nausea and vomiting which last for 3-4 days, and during that time I can't eat or drink anything without vomiting. I would like to know if anyone else has experienced these symptoms from a Marlex mesh hernia patch, and if anyone is aware of a recall of the Marlex mesh patch or a class action lawsuit.
Thank you,
Rose
e-mail: mohayon@socal.rr.com

Sonya, contact the The Johnson Law Firm and you should get that infection causing mesh taken out. Doctors are insane putting foreign materials in the body like we are a machine.

I had a Marlex patch put in in the inguinal area in 1994. I have had pain in the area since. First it started out to be pain only when my children sat on my lap, but it has since radiated quite extensively not only in the operated area, but it not gives me sharp pain down the inside of my leg. It was so intense that the hospital that i went to thought that i had appedicitis. They found nothing wrong!!!!
I had cat scans done and still nothing was found to be wrong.
I get burning pain in the inguinal area all the time and i feel nausious all the time. What can I do if the doctors cant even find a problem?
I know that the pain is real and getting worse.
Any answers?
e-mail me---colyskids@zitomedia.net

I has a ventral hernia repaired last june. I am concerned about the Kugel recall because I have tenderness in the site, constipation or diahrea, and painful gas and cramping. My doctors office says that they won't tell me what mesh they used, and I have to wait 3 weeks until they can process my request to see if it is in the hospitals records. What do I do? I feel like I am getting the run a round because they don't want to deal with this issue.