I have been offered a ventral mesh rectopexy will probably be open surgery due to the extent of what is going on. My surgeon wants me to think about it before i go ahead as he really wanted me to know the potential risks with mesh. I'm trying to find out about it and I'm not getting anything useful.
SO i want people to be brutally honest if you have had this surgery please share openly if you havn't but have had mesh please also share. I just want to try n figure this out.
Thank you all and hope you have a good day Xx
Hi,
I had a Sacrocolpopexy operation in April which involved attaching the upper part of my vagina, which had fallen, to my sacrum. My surgeon immediately told me she NEVER uses mesh for any pelvic procedure. Instead she used parts of my ligaments.( I’m sure this isn’t exactly how a surgeon would describe it, but it’s how I understood it!)
I know this is not the same as your operation, but the fact that my surgeon was so against mesh before I mentioned it to her suggests it’s not advisable.
The huge number of women who have recently been in the news, desperately waiting for their mesh to be removed due to chronic pain, is horrendous. Google “ problems with mesh” and you can read for yourself.
Did your surgeon not propose an alternative? Google the procedure you’re having and you might come across alternatives.
Whatever you decide I hope you take care of yourself and that all goes well.
Hi
I would never have mesh inside me at all.
My repairs were done with stitches but there are a small number of consultan rd that will use mesh in uk.
There has been so many issues with erosion and scarring that women have been left in wheelchair.
If you Google UK n red on mesh you should find the article.
If you can avoid it I would definitely do.it.
X
I had a laparoscopic hysterpexy in March.
I’d read about the horror stories but the doctors reassured me that there were minimal problems reported with the procedure that I had?
6 months on I’m fine, no issues at all, except leakage but I had that before.
Hello
I had VMR surgery in May by Laparoscopy. It has been a long recovery but I'm finally getting better and am able to do more. For the first 8 weeks my husband did everything as I couldn't lift or bend or do anything much. I spent most of the Summer laying on a lounger in the garden or on the sofa indoors. Before the surgery I was unable to walk because of the pain. I had a rectocele, enterocele and collapsed bowel .
I'm taking amitriptline for nerve pain now which is helping a lot. I was worried about the mesh but didn't really have a choice in the end. It's nearly 4 months now and I've started driving again.
I still have to pace myself as the more I stand up or walk the more the pressure on my pelvic floor. I'm seeing the Physio and doing the pelvic floor exercises.
I'm 62 so have to accept the fact that I have to go at a slower rate to protect my surgery. No lifting heavy weights and resting when it hurts.
Mesh is a huge risk as lots of people seem to be ok for years but then the problems can start and of course it's too late then. You will never know how it will go for you. Hopefully you will find an alternative.
Hi hun
Once that stuff is in you there is no turning back.
Some women are fine but it's playing with Russian roulette. We never know if that 2%is going to be you.
Using your own tisdu e is definitely safer and far more easier to recover from.
I have a very good professor of pelvic floor and i.know as much as i.know he is the best at what he does I'd run a mile if he recommended mesh.
Im.not sure if you live in uk but not many will use.it.
Imagine all being ok after Surgery ,in your head you will be wondering what if it all starts to erode into my tissues.
I'm not scaremongering hun just speaking from.My heart and what.I would do and feel.
Mesh they use.isn't like a nirmal.hernia.our pelvic floors are in constant use and hense why the mesh can start causing issues with the tisdu e damage.
I hope you try and follow another path with another consultant that will do what s best for you.
Good luckxx
I have had three procedures for a bowel prolapse including a VMR which was done in 2010 and up until August 2018 everything had been really good. However, since then have had recurring stomach pain, frequent bowel movements (sometimes 7-8 times within a couple of hours), needing to empty my bladder often. Anyway after various tests it looks as though the sutures and some mesh have moved. This means I need to have some sort of repair and maybe the mesh taken out yikes! This is going to take place on Feb 11th. Apparently this only happens to 2 to 3 people so I am one of the unlucky ones. However, I would still recommend it.
I am very interested in what surgeon did your operation as i have also been offered the mesh for repair i have bowel problems as well .I am so worried if i say no to this operation that i will be left with urine leakage and no control of my bowels but to be in alot of pain. Please can you help me i would travel anywhere to get a appiontment with your surgeon
I am also looking into options to correct a severe enterocele. i have surgery scheduled on the 19th of February. my doctor recommended Robotic Ventral Mesh Rectopexy, but looking into it I'm not sure about the risks of the mesh. would you be willing to give me some more information about your experience? my symtpoms are bowel obstruction/constipation, fecal incontinence and lower back pain. my biggest issue is just feeling like i can never leave the house without knowing exactly where a bathroom is because i am not able to hold it for very long at all. did you have similar symptoms, and if so, did you see an improvement after surgery? I'm having trouble deciding if it's with the risks when I'm not sure it will even relieve my symptoms. if you recommend doing it even though you've now experienced problems, any advice would be appreciated. I'm 37 and have been dealing with this for 10 years after a traumatic delivery, I am hoping for something to help me. thank you.
Hi Christine91
I had same symptoms as you and had already had STARR and Delormes procedures so felt LVMR was my last chance. It worked and I was able to lead a normal life again for over 10 years. I am very unfortunate that I now have to have it removed but this only happens to a very small number of patients maybe 2 or 3 out of every hundred. There is a risk with any procedure you have so you have to weigh everything up. It appears there are higher risks with the vaginal mesh rather than this one and that is what has been in the newspapers because it has affected more women.
Regards
Rosalind
I appreciate your response. I'm leaning toward trying it, as it will give me a chance at a better life. It may not fix everything but it won't get any better on its own, so I'm thinking the benefits outweigh the risks. Good luck, I hope all goes well with your upcoming surgery. you'll have to post an update post-op and let us know how it goes. thank you again.
Please please research before you go ahead love..
On the news a few months ago the ladies who lives has changed for the worst because of it.
Some were wheelchair bound due to severe nerve damage. . I think they are trying to ban in but it's scary stuff.
I hope you seek other alternatives like using sutures and your own tissue.xx
unfortunately, I've tried and they didn't work. I've done a lot of research and asked a few doctors and nurses and it seems the risk of complications are low. i don't want to keep having surgeries. hoping this works, and lasts longer than a year or two.
Hi welshgirl67
The procedure that has been making the news that you mention is different to the LVMR that I have had and that christine91 is thinking of having. Yes they both use mesh but the vaginal mesh has had more problems which you have been reading about. Although I am facing surgery tomorrow to remove my mesh due to erosion (this is very rare only 2 out of every 100 will have some form of problem after this type of surgery) I would not have changed my decision if I had known this more than ten years ago when I had the LVMR. As I said previously there is a small risk with any surgery but the benefits of being able to lead a normal life after Rectopexy far outways any risks in my opinion.
Yes we all must make the deco what's best for us.
For me I wouldn't have any mesh inserted for any repairs. I'm not a lucky person.x
Hey thanks for posting this question and sharing your experience. It's very helpful to hear from others going through similar forms of suffering. These conditions are as isolating as they are debilitating. Did you have the surgery? If so, I really hope you had a phenomenal recovery.
I'm facing a very similar decision regarding ventral mesh rectopexy. I have internal prolapse and obstructed defecation. I'm a male in my mid 20s but I also have a severe bleeding disorder, which makes surgery extra scary.
I've done a lot of my own research to understand the best options, and it seems that they type of mesh is very important for health outcomes.
It appears that dissolvable meshes are associated with the best health outcomes. They serve as a scaffold for your own scar-tissue to grow into. After 12 months or so, they are completely replaced by scar-tissue.
The risk however, is that they aren't as strong as the non-dissolvable meshes -- so the long-term outcomes are uncertain. They may not hold as well. That being said, if you need a second surgery after a few years, the complication rate is lower if the mesh is dissolvable.
It's also worth mentioning that there are two types of dissolvable meshes: synthetic and biological. The each have their pros and cons. Here's a paper that reviews many of the mesh options (note: it has some gory surgical pictures)
I hope this is helpful. Not all meshes are the same and being informed about your options can make you a stronger advocate for yourself.
fir men it's a different operation all together. men do not have the pelvic issues ladies do as its placed around our reproductive organs.
may be you can find more info for men rather than lady issues as I know we will have different symtoms and recovery.
i know we must all decide whats best for us ..i totally agree welsh girl i thank god a nurse pointed me to a fb group sling the mesh i really do think she saved my life . 7.5 k people all having devastaing problems with mesh even the so called bio mesh one lady lost her bowel and recum 7.5 k is far too may problems for me to take a chance..w all must do what is best for us i asked my consultant if he would advise his wife to have it..his answer was no
good question to ask love.. very brave of you lol but at least you know your going the right thing.
he sounds a good