Jordan writes about making the law accessible to and useful for the general public. When he’s not crusading against big pharma, he’s with playing with his kids.

Feb 5, 2016

Kim’s Pelvic Mesh Story: An All-Too Common Struggle

Women undergo transvaginal mesh (also called pelvic mesh) surgery to fix serious health concerns. But tens of thousands have come out of surgery with even bigger problems than when they had gone in.

“What should have been a procedure to fix her problems only caused more problems. The Kim I know is a woman whose life centered around her family. She was very involved with her son’s baseball and school activities, but now due to the illness, and excruciating pain caused by this surgical mesh she is pretty much confined to their home.”

This is an excerpt from a crowd funding account set up for Kim Plunkett, a woman who received pelvic mesh surgery and has suffered extensively. Because of her POP (pelvic organ prolapse, a condition that occurs when weakened pelvic muscles allow the bladder, uterus or rectum to sink into the vagina), Kim underwent pelvic mesh surgery. Due to erosion, she needed revision surgery. Throughout this time period, Kim had severe pain, nausea, and seizures. After spending thousands of dollars on treatments and surgery, her family and friends are attempting to raise money to pay for her to receive an expensive removal surgery in California.

Sadly, Kim’s story is not unique. Thousands of women have suffered extensively due to failed pelvic mesh surgery. In fact, there were so many adverse events reported to the FDA that they issued a national warning to state that adverse events following pelvic mesh surgery are not rare, and that physicians should consider all other options before presenting pelvic mesh surgery to their patients with POP and SUI (stress urinary incontinence.)

Complications that have been reported to the FDA following pelvic mesh surgery include:

Erosion through vaginal epithelium
Infection
Pain
Urinary problems
Recurrence of prolapse and/or incontinence
Bowel, bladder and blood vessel perforation
Decreased quality of life

The final complication is evidenced by Kim’s story and many other women. A decreased quality of life has been the outcome for any woman who has experienced complications following failed pelvic mesh surgery, when most likely she underwent the surgery in an attempt to improve her existing quality of life. Pain, infection, and problems urinating are just a few of the factors that can affect mood and the ability to participate in daily activities.

Because the FDA alerts about the complications of pelvic mesh surgery, women are suing the manufacturers over the harmful device. Failing to do proper research and testing on the devices has led to extensive damage to hundreds of thousands of women, and currently seven manufacturers are set to settle cases worth millions.

If you or a loved one has experienced complications following failed pelvic mesh surgery, you may be eligible for compensation to receive the help and attention you need.