Infections can happen in a hospital, where unhealthy bacteria flourish. They may also occur anywhere along a suture site and can spread to other parts of the body. Antibiotics can treat minor infections, however, deep, chronic infections are more difficult to treat. Antibiotics can also kill your beneficial bacteria, leaving you more vulnerable to other health issues.

Symptoms of infection may include inflammation or fever, but it may take years for signs of these infections to become noticeable. In most cases of deep infections the treatment would be removing the implanted mesh, if possible.

The mesh can cause pressure on the colon, small intestines and the stomach causing gastrointestinal problems such as difficulty passing gas or constipation. It is usually more common with patients who have developed scar tissue from umbilical hernias. 

Constipation can lead to dangerous conditions like fissures, hemorrhoids or bloating. Severe constipation can lead to fecal impaction or rectal prolapse from straining.

Mesh can obstruct the bowel if it moves, trapping loops of intestine. Bowel obstructions are serious and potentially fatal, requiring immediate treatment, removing the mesh and part of the intestine. Recalled hernia mesh is a leading cause of intestinal perforation and blockage.

Symptoms include difficulty passing gas or stool, dehydration, constipation, vomiting, fever and nausea. {Contact your doctor immediately if your are experiencing any of these symptoms after surgery.}

Bowel perforation can happen if the suture fails and the mesh punctures or erodes into the bowels, abdominal walls or other organs. Perforation may also happen when the mesh disintegrates. Although rare, it can cause peritonéum inflammation, leading to sepsis, a life-threatening infection which is often difficult to treat.

Mesh complications often lead to sexual dysfunction, particularly with inguinal hernia repairs. This can be caused by irritation or inflammation from the mesh or by a nerve that is caught in the device. In some cases, the spermatic cord can attach to the device which can result in impotence.

Men with mesh complications sometimes complain of loss of sensation and difficulty reaching orgasm. Research has also shown that mesh complications may reduce blood supply to the testicles which can lead to a condition that requires testicular removal.²

Mesh Migration is another issue that is not uncommon and can lead to other complications.

There is also Mesh rejection which is the bodies natural tendency. The synthetic mesh rejection rate ranges from 5% to 30%. My guess is that it is at a much higher rate, some people just feel it more.

After all of that, there is still a greater than 15% chance that there is a hernia recurrence.¹

So the choice is yours, the quick fix with risks or putting the effort in to support your body's innate healing capacity. There are no guarantees with the surgery, and let’s face it the problem with surgery, as with a lot of our western style of medicine, is that they address the symptom, not the issue. Of course each person's situation is different and you have to decide what's right for you.  I discovered that getting a hernia was an opportunity for me to listen to my body, make needed adjustments to my life and learn how to take better control of my health.