Hi all, I have 2 umbilical hernias, need to get surgery, but after going to a specialist I don’t like the idea of plastic mesh in me forever.
Doing some research seems bio absorbable mesh is a thing with very similar recurrence rates etc based on the studies I read.
I found specialists in Melbourne and QLD who specialise with bio absorbable, but I can’t find any in Sydney. Just wondering if anyone knows of one in Sydney who uses bio absorbable, my GP is useless on the matter.
Thanks, yeah I did find that first one, that seems my best bet yet.
Have you asked specialists in Sydney or just looked for their website and the words bio absorb?
I went to one specialist who only does plastic. I emailed another one who mentions on website that he uses the bio mesh for other parts of body but he doesn’t use it for uncomplicated hernias because he reckons it has a high recurrence rate.
Sounds you like you would prefer to continue having surgeries when the biomesh fails, rather than use the plastic mesh once?
As someone who had mesh done 2 years ago, you have to ask why bio mesh is rare.
Hernia fixes are complicated. You will have recurrent pain and nerve issues regardless of how well the surgery goes.
But the mesh is essentially acting as abdominal framework for a body that has been and will continue to want to herniate.
Plastic may sound foreign and unappealing but for me, there's a level of comfort knowing that baby is in there holding back the tide. I wouldn't trust some bio disolvable stuff to keep me together 🤷♀️
Had plastic hernia 20 years ago and still okay compared to the one before that where they did not use mesh an it lasted about 10 years.
Could not have put it better. The whole point of the operation is to treat the hernia and prevent it from recurring. The mesh is installed as a barrier to prevent further herniation from the defect/weakness in the abdominal wall and can only serve this function as long as it remains there. While it doesn't sound ideal having plastic remain in your body forever, you have to balance that against the risk of needing further operations if an "absorbable" mesh does as the name suggests and degrades over time and leads to recurrence of the hernia.
Also what might be helpful to recognise is that leaving foreign materials in the body is not rare in abdominal surgery. All abdominal surgery to remove gallbladders and appendixes result in metal clips being left in to close ducts/vessels which people will only ever notice on medical imaging and never cause them problems. These materials are heavily monitored and engineered to be safe in the body and for hernia mesh - extremely commonly used and well tolerated.
What’s the point of doing it if it’s going to absorb?
No plastic bits left in the body.
Then wouldn’t the hernia return? My understand is that the mesh acts as a wall as the lining is weak?
Hi,
https://sydneysurgicalclinic.com.au/general-surgery/abdomina… mention the use of bio-absorbable mesh.
Also, https://sydneyherniacentre.com.au/index.html a Surgeon that comes up from Melbourne.