When you suffer from an injury or other physical medical issue, you may not immediately understand its severity. Though you may notice pain or discomfort, you may think that the pain will subside with time or that the problem does not warrant a trip to the doctor. However, many injuries can worsen without proper treatment, and you may have experienced worsening symptoms of a hernia before you decided to take action.
In order to treat a hernia, surgery is often needed. The idea of undergoing surgery may have seemed daunting, but in hopes of relieving the pain the hernia itself was causing, you chose to move forward with the procedure. Now, however, you may worry that the hernia mesh your surgeon used to repair your injury will cause problems.
Common issues with hernia mesh
Hernia mesh is an implantable fabric that works to cover the gap that resulted in your hernia. Though this tool can often help repair these injuries successfully, they can also have adverse side effects, especially if the surgeon did not properly implant the mesh. Some common issues with this procedure include:
- Intestinal blockage — The mesh could also potentially stick to part of your intestines. As a result, this could cause a kink and blockage of the intestine and you may need to undergo additional surgery to have the issue corrected.
- Hernia return — If the surgeon improperly implanted the mesh, the mesh shrank or the mesh moved, your hernia could return.
- Nerve damage — The possibility also exists that your surgery could result in nerve damage. If the mesh traps nerves or the sutures or staples used to stabilize the mesh pinch nerves, you could experience considerable and persistent pain that may also need surgical correction.
- Infection — Another issue you could experience after surgery is infection. Your body may attempt to attack the mesh due to recognizing it as a foreign substance. As a result, you could acquire an infection that may need additional medical attention.
If correctly implanted and monitored, your hernia mesh can act as a useful repair tool for your injury. However, if your surgeon makes negligent errors or does not follow the standard of care for the procedure, you could suffer any of the mentioned negative effects or other issues.
Addressing negligence
If you believe that your surgeon acted negligently or that other instances of medical malpractice resulted in your continued suffering after a hernia surgery, you may wish to consider your legal options. Due to your circumstances, you may have grounds to pursue a legal claim in hopes of receiving compensation for your injuries.
