How Long Should I Be in Pain After A Hernia Surgery?

Thanks to defective hernia mesh implants, not all hernia repair surgeries go as planned. The patients who received defective mesh often end up in worse shape than they were before surgery and, sometimes, have to undergo an entire second surgery and recovery.

Patients across the United States are moving forward with claims for compensation against the manufacturers of defective mesh–and you can, too.

The Basics of Hernia Mesh

Hernia mesh is a medical device used in hernia repair surgeries. Doctors place the hernia mesh along the abdominal wall, at the spot of the hernia, to strengthen it. However, several brands of hernia mesh have been recalled after patients began experiencing severe complications.

The manufacturers of medical devices make billions upon billions of dollars in marketing and selling devices that are supposed to improve patients’ lives. Too often, as we’ve seen time and time again, manufacturers release defective products, potentially causing severe, life-altering injuries to unsuspecting patients. Hernia mesh is one of the latest in a long line of defective medical products.

Your doctor suggested that hernia mesh surgery would help to reduce your daily pain. You and your doctor relied on the safety and efficacy of hernia mesh when planning your surgery. But, at the end of the day, you’re left in a worse condition than before your surgery. You still experience excruciating pain and may have developed even more serious medical conditions, such as bowel obstruction or infection.

Why Does Hernia Mesh Fail?

Hernia mesh is a small, flexible screen made of synthetic material that doctors use to help strengthen the abdominal wall during a hernia repair surgery. In theory, the mesh will support the weakened abdominal muscles as they heal from the hernia repair surgery. Some hernia mesh works perfectly fine. However, certain brands of hernia mesh have high failure rates.

Typically, hernia mesh failure is the result of one of the following:

• Hernia mesh breakage
• Hernia mesh shrinkage
• Hernia mesh migration
• The body’s rejection of hernia mesh
• Surgical site infection

Of course, patients rely on a manufacturer’s claim that a medical device is safe and effective. In the case of many types of hernia mesh, that simply is not the case.

Symptoms of Hernia Mesh Failure

If you recently underwent hernia repair surgery, and you are having any of the following symptoms, reach out to a doctor right away for help determining if hernia mesh failure could be to blame.

• Bowel obstruction, which can cause vomiting, nausea, and the inability to pass stools or gas
• Hernia recurrence, in which the hernia that was supposed to be repaired comes back
• Infection, typically characterized by fever and flu-like symptoms
• Mesh migration or shrinkage, which can lead to bowel obstructions, adhesions, or abscesses
• Mesh rejection, which often presents with pain, tenderness, and swelling at the surgical site
• The formation of painful scar-like tissue near the surgical area

Open Hernia Mesh Lawsuits

Medical device claims are commonly filed as class-action lawsuits because they affect so many people. Often, once a certain number of patients experience device failure, a defective medical device will be recalled.

That is exactly what happened with hernia mesh devices. In fact, manufacturers have recalled hundreds of thousands of hernia mesh devices since the early 2000s.

Currently, three medical device manufacturers face almost 15,000 hernia lawsuits in three different class-action lawsuits across the country.

In addition to the above class-action lawsuits, there are many pending cases against other manufacturers, including:

• Covidien/Medtronic, for the company’s Parietex surgical, Composite, or ProGrip products, and
• W.L. Gore & Associates, for the company’s Gore-Tex DualMesh

If you are suffering from the effects of hernia mesh failure, you have undoubtedly been through a lot. You trusted that the medical device you allowed a doctor to put into your body would help heal your painful condition. Instead, it made things worse. You still live with daily pain and may need hernia revision surgery to undo the damage caused by the defective medical device.

You may wonder if hernia mesh failure is responsible for your symptoms and what you can do about it. At the same time, the idea of pursuing a product liability claim can feel overwhelming, especially while you are still dealing with the daily effects of hernia mesh failure. Not only will pursuing a claim ease the impacts (financial and otherwise) of the injury on your life, but it also will allow you to play a part in pushing for change, so future patients don’t need to go through the pain and suffering you’ve endured.