What It Feels Like to Have a Defective Hernia Mesh (And What You Can Do)

You underwent hernia repair surgery expecting to find relief and a return to your normal life. For many, that is the outcome. But for a significant number of patients, the solution becomes a new and often more debilitating problem. The surgical mesh implanted to support the weakened tissue can fail, leading to a cascade of painful and life-altering complications.

It can be a confusing and isolating experience. Your doctor may dismiss your symptoms as “normal post-surgical pain” or something you just have to live with. At Walch Law, we want you to know that what you are feeling is real, it is not in your head, and you have legal rights. Your defective hernia mesh case can be worth a lot of money– money that you can use to feel better and much more. Call Walch Law today.

What It Feels Like: The Lived Experience of Hernia Mesh Failure

Defective hernia mesh does not feel like a simple surgical recovery. It is a persistent, often worsening, set of symptoms that disrupts every aspect of your life. While every person’s experience is unique, patients frequently describe a combination of the following:

Persistent, Deep Pain: A constant, burning, or aching pain at the repair site that does not go away with time. It is often described as more than just muscle soreness.
Sharp, Stabbing Sensations: Sudden, sharp pains with certain movements, like bending over, twisting, or even coughing.
Pulling or Tugging: A strange sensation that feels like something is pulling or tearing inside your abdomen or groin.
A Returning Bulge or Heaviness: The feeling that the hernia is coming back, often accompanied by a sense of heaviness or pressure in the area.
Signs of Infection: Localized swelling, warmth, redness, or drainage from the incision site (sometimes with an odor). Systemic signs of infection can include fever and chills.
Bowel Issues: Chronic constipation, nausea, or significant changes in bowel habits, which can signal a serious bowel obstruction.
Radiating Nerve Pain: Sharp, electrical, or burning pain that travels from the surgical site down your thigh, into the testicles (for men), or into your lower back. This often indicates nerve entrapment.
Pain with Intimacy: Significant pain during sexual activity (dyspareunia) or other forms of sexual dysfunction.
Exercise Intolerance: The inability to perform physical activities that were once easy, due to pain or the sensation of internal movement.
Chronic Fatigue and Sleep Disruption: Constant pain and discomfort make it nearly impossible to get a restful night’s sleep, leading to debilitating fatigue.
Anxiety and Depression: Living with chronic pain and physical limitations takes a heavy toll on mental health, leading to feelings of hopelessness, anxiety, and depression.

These symptoms can appear within weeks or months of surgery, but in many cases, they develop slowly over several years as the mesh begins to degrade and fail.

Why Does This Happen? Common Causes of Mesh Complications

These symptoms are not random; they are directly linked to the way certain hernia mesh products fail inside the body.

Migration: The mesh device moves or shifts from its original placement.
Adhesion: The mesh acts like sticky flypaper, causing scar tissue that binds the mesh to internal organs like the bowel, which can lead to severe pain and obstruction.
Shrinkage (Contracture): The mesh material shrinks over time, pulling on surrounding tissue and entrapping nerves.
Folding (Meshoma): The mesh can fold or ball up, creating a hard, painful mass that can feel like a recurring hernia.
Erosion: The mesh wears through other tissues or erodes directly into organs like the bladder or intestines, causing perforations and fistulas.
Chronic Infection/Biofilm: Some mesh materials are prone to developing a low-grade, antibiotic-resistant infection known as a biofilm.
Fixation Issues: The tacks, staples, or sutures used to secure the mesh can break or migrate, causing pain or organ damage.

Medical Next Steps: Seeking Help and Answers

If you are experiencing these symptoms, you must advocate for your health.

Return to Your Surgeon or Get a Second Opinion: Explain your symptoms in detail. If your surgeon is dismissive, seek a second opinion from a hernia specialist who has experience with mesh complications and removal.
Diagnostic Imaging: Your doctor may order a CT scan or ultrasound to look for signs of mesh failure, fluid collections, or other issues.
Medical Treatment: Depending on the cause, your doctor may recommend pain management, antibiotics for an infection, or a referral for surgery.
Revision or Removal Surgery: In many cases, the only solution is another surgery to remove the defective mesh and repair the hernia. This is a complex procedure that should only be performed by a highly experienced surgeon.

Emergency Warning: If you experience severe abdominal pain, high fever, persistent vomiting, or the inability to pass gas or have a bowel movement, go to the nearest emergency room immediately. These are signs of a life-threatening bowel obstruction or perforation.

Protecting Your Legal Rights: Product Liability Claims

The pain and suffering caused by defective hernia mesh are often the basis for a product liability lawsuit against the device manufacturer. These lawsuits allege that the company designed a defective product and failed to adequately warn doctors and patients about the high risk of complications.

To build a strong case, it is crucial to preserve evidence:

The Implant Sticker/UDI: Your surgical records should contain an implant sticker with the product’s Unique Device Identifier (UDI), brand, model, and lot number. This is the single most important piece of evidence.
Medical Records: Obtain copies of your operative report from the implant surgery, all imaging reports, and records from any subsequent treatment.
Symptom Journal: Keep a detailed journal documenting your daily symptoms, pain levels, and how they impact your life.
Explanted Mesh: If the mesh is removed, ensure the surgeon sends it to pathology for analysis and preserves it as evidence.

Statutes of limitations restrict the time you have to file a lawsuit, so consulting with an attorney as soon as you suspect a problem is critical.

Patient Checklist: What to Do Now

Schedule a Doctor’s Appointment: See your surgeon or a hernia specialist.
Request Your Medical Records: Specifically ask for the operative report and the implant sticker from your hernia repair surgery.
Start a Symptom Journal: Document your daily pain and limitations in detail.
Preserve All Evidence: Keep all medical bills, correspondence, and records.
Find the best California Hernia Mesh Law Firm for you: Speak with a lawyer who knows how to win defective medical device cases like hernia mesh. That means Walch Law.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How do I know if the mesh is the problem or if it’s just normal surgical pain?
Normal surgical pain should gradually improve over weeks or a few months. Pain that persists, worsens, or changes in character (e.g., becomes sharp or burning) long after the initial recovery period is a major red flag that the mesh may be the cause.

2. Can defective hernia mesh be safely removed?
Yes, but it is a challenging and specialized procedure. Mesh can become deeply embedded in delicate tissues and organs. It is essential to find a surgeon with extensive experience in mesh explanation (removal).

3. What if my surgeon says my pain is “normal” or “in my head”?
You have the right to a second opinion. Unfortunately, some surgeons are not trained to recognize the signs of chronic mesh complications. Seek out a specialist who will listen to you and take your symptoms seriously.

4. What compensation can I seek in a lawsuit?
You can seek compensation for all past and future medical bills (including removal surgery), lost wages, loss of future earning capacity, and significant damages for your physical pain, mental suffering, and loss of quality of life.

5. How long do these cases take?
Defective medical device lawsuits are complex and can take several years to resolve through settlement or trial. An experienced attorney can guide you through the process and accelerate how quickly you get paid.

You Are Not Alone in This Fight– Call Winning Los Angeles Hernia Mesh Law Firm Walch Law

Living with the chronic pain of a failed hernia mesh is an exhausting and frustrating battle. You deserve to be heard, believed, and compensated for the harm you have suffered. The compassionate team at Walch Law has the experience and resources to take on the medical device giants.

We can help you coordinate the gathering of your medical records and have your case reviewed by experts. We handle all cases on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay absolutely nothing unless and until we win your case. Contact us today for a free, confidential consultation. Let us help you take the first step toward getting your life back.