Yale, OK"I had two hernia surgeries, both with Kugel Mesh and both very unsuccessful," said Valerie Mitchell. In fact, Mitchell felt worse after the first surgery than she did beforehand. The Mesh was infected and she contracted MRSA - a nasty staph infection.
"After my first hernia surgery I was so nauseous. When I got out of the hospital I felt worse than I did going in. A nurse came to the house and saw that my incision was infected so she put a PICC line into a large vein in my arm in order for antibiotics to go directly into my bloodstream; I was on powerful antibiotics for six weeks. When my incision wouldn't heal so I had home help every day to change the wound.
Finally I saw my doctor and he told me that I had to go back to surgery. I said no way, let's just see what happens. I didn't want to do this all over again. But I began to feel a big knot on my left side and a stabbing pain.
This time I was in hospital for a week. The Kugel Mesh was removed and new mesh put back and I had 77 staples in my abdomen from the incision.
Coincidentally, my surgeon got a letter the day after I had my second surgery - the mesh had been recalled December 22nd, 2005.
What a nightmare this has been. I have been on a low-dose pain medicine ever since; sometimes my stomach still feels like someone is stabbing me with a knife.
When I talked to my surgeon about my pain, he said that I might have to go back to surgery, but that means I will have to take another month of work. There is no way I am going back a third time! Besides, I just can't do that - I have kids to take care of and I am going through a divorce. I pay into my insurance and if I don't work the insurance will lapse and none of my family will be covered.
I don't know what to do anymore. I told the surgeon that I would have to accrue some vacation time and then go back to hospital to possibly get the mesh taken out - and this time I won't have any more Kugel Mesh! I work in a hospital as a nurse's aid, and when I have been on my feet for a long time I just end up crying. The infection control director at the hospital where I work also received a letter about Kugel Mesh. She told me about the recall; I didn't think much about it until I saw bulletins on TV about Kugel Mesh being recalled and a subsequent lawsuit.
I wish that I didn't have to deal with all this. It looks like I am going to have yet another surgery to take out all this Kugel mesh mess."
The FDA recently issued an expanded recall of hernia mesh repair patches, specifically Bard Composix Kugel Mesh Hernia Patches. Patients who have had a hernia repaired with a mesh could be at a risk of serious adverse health problems and even death. There is a "memory recoil ring" in the mesh that can break, which in turn can lead to numerous complications including infections, bowel perforations and/or chronic intestinal fistulae (abnormal connections or passageways between the intestines and other organs).
The FDA has advised patients who have been implanted with one of the recalled devices to seek medical attention immediately if they experience symptoms such as unexplained or persistent abdominal pain, fever, tenderness at the implant site or other unusual symptoms.
If you have had a Bard Composix Kugel Mesh Hernia Patch implanted, you should speak to your doctor. You may also want to seek legal help.
If you or a loved one has suffered bowel perforation or chronic enteric fistulae due to the Kugel Mesh patch, please contact a [Kugel Mesh] lawyer who will evaluate your claim at no charge.