chronic pelvic pain after bladder sling surgery

On June 8, 2010 I had a complete hysterectomy and my bladder put in a sling.  By June 22 the sling had busted through into my vagina.  I was told there was a slight errosion and perscribed a cream to use.  I was not told the sling had busted through in words a regular person would understand.  In August I was released to return to work and for sex.  I used a douche and the pain was terrible.  It felt as though a fist was inside me instead of the small douche tip.  When "attempting" to have sex, my husband felt the mesh with his penis and said it felt, "like wire brush bristles jabbing into my penis" and his penis had red whelts and scratches when all he did was insert it and immediately remove it.  I called the Dr and went back to her office.  She tried to "fix" this in her office. I was given shots in my vagina to numb me.  She then cut away part of the mesh and put stitches in.  In a couple of weeks I was again released for sex.  The same thing happened again, the sling had perforated my vaginal wall. I went back and she scheduled a surgery in the hospital.  At this time, I was scared and I went to a urologist.  In November, he did the surgery.  At the post op he felt "one little stitch".  He told me it would desolve within a week and I could have sex at the end of that week.  It wasn't a stitch.  It was more of the mesh sling perforating my vaginal wall again, which was already very sore and had not even begun to heal. Due to FMLA, I cannot miss work until August I cannot miss anymore work or I will lose my job of 13 years.  I am scheduled to have the sling "removed as much as possible" at that time.  The entire sling cannot be removed because it "grows into the muscles and tissues".  I have constant pain on my lower right side.  My doctor said this is where the sling is attached.  The pain travels down my right leg.  It is like my leg muscle is always tearing and pulling.  My husband and I have "attempted" to have sex 4 times in the past year.  We were married in October, 2009.  Anyway, I still have to wear pads to keep from leaking on myself,which is what the sling was supposed to eliminate in the first place.  My life has had a 180 degree turn around.  I constantly feel sick.  Like when you first start getting the flu; body aches and just don't feel well.  I am always tired and weak.  I don't leave my house except for work which I have to make myself go to.  My state of mind has also been effected; I am now on antidepressents.  My husband, sons, and stepsons tell me I have changed, seem constantly depressed, and lose my temper at the drop of a hat, and for no good reason.  Not to mention the weight I have gained from lack of doing anything. I used to excercise and workout daily, but now I cramp horribly, and have an intense stinging pain, if I even attempt such activity that I so enjoyed before the sling was inside of me. 

I totally discourage anyone from having their bladder put in a mesh sling.  They don't work and cause a great deal of pain both physically and mentally.  The lack of sex is very hard on a marriage; espically a new marriage, of less than 2 years. 

 

I ALSO HAD A BLADDER A LIFT DONE 4 YEARS AGO AND I AM IN CONSTANT PAIN. I SPOKE TO MY DOCTOR AND SHE SAID IT IS NORMAL TO HAVE SOME DISCOMFORT . ITOLD HER THE SURGERY WAS SUPPOSE TO MAKE IT BETTER NOT WORSE. NOW I AM LEFT WITH PAIN AND UNHAPPY HUSBAND . SO I FEEL UR PAIN GIRL>:(

I had a tot bladder sling procedure in October 2009.  Since that time I have been in various degrees of pain, while always being able to feel the sling. I have a history of ovarian cysts (only have one) which come and go and also a history of constipation.  When either of these symptoms arise I am in doubled over pain because they seem to either press against or some how put pressure on the bladder sling. Even without these issues, I can't do a lot of physical activity before I start feeling pain and burning.  Sex has become too painful to even think about. Having this procedure was the worst decision I have ever made.  I'm thinking about having it removed but am uncertain if that will undo the damage already done.  

Hi! I have sling surgery scheduled for this upcoming Friday. I was researching the procedure when I came across this blog! Trust me, if I didn't have bad luck, I would have no luck at all! I'm nervous about the complications that these other poor women are posting about! What should I do?

I understand all of your pain, I had a hysterectomy, bladder sling, some kind of repair in rear. this was in 2002, six weeks later I had another bladder surgery, six weeks later another, six weeks another doctor and another surgery.  This one was a major surgery cut hip to hip and inside too. i was in the hospital for about a week.  i am still having pain swelling of the stomach, pain in the lower abd., I have noticed cramping pains in lower abd area (feels much like the cramps before my period) then the bloating and swelling like i am nine months pregnant. the last month the pain , well there is a new pain like a string being pulled through my inside abd. , like it is ripping through.  I need help and dont know where else to turn.  and now I have lost my insurance and now I cant even go to the doctor.  If anyone can help please e-mail me. thank you 

does anybody know of any doctors here around the waco texas area that actually know how to find out if it is the mesh sling? exactually what test to do or run, what scan? i need help.

I had bladder sling surgery done in 2008 and could not void for 2 weeks afterwards so my doctor went back in and undid one side of it.  I hurt in my lower abdominal area all the time.

Hi, after reading these posts I have to admit that I am freaking out.  I had a total hysterectomy with a MiniArc Precise bladder sling done on June 2nd.  My husband and I didn't have intercourse until Aug 22nd and it was so painful.  I went to the dr who gave me some Estrace cream to use and Genique (because I wet my pants again due to urgency).  Since intercourse I have had increasing pain worse on the right side of my abdomen (I believe it is where the sling is anchored).  The doctor did an exam today and he found that I have a lot of additional pain as well, cause unknown.  He couldn't palpate where the sling was anchored because of it's location.  He is sending me to a urogynecologist.  Does anyone have any advice for me?  I have since discovered that there are lawsuits out there for bladder slings and mine is being investigated - just super.  I appreciate any thoughts you may have.

angie wrote:

i had bladder sling surgery dopeople were experiencing ne in feb of 2007. Since then i have had to have surgery done 4 more times. i have a spot on the right side of my vaginal wall that has caused me a great deal of pain ever since the first surgery. It hurts all the time. I had the mesh on the right side of the sling removed because the doctor i was seeing thought that it was causing the pain, but it was not i was still in pain after the surgery and over a year later i am still in alot of pain. My husband and i did not have sex at all in 2007 because of the pain. We have only tried about 5 times this year and the pain during sex now is worse than it was before and now i have a slight bit of bleeding afterwards. i am at my wits end with this, the doctors i have seen can not find a reason for my pain. i have had all kinds of test and scans done and they cannot find anything so the want me to go to a pain clinic now and learn how to deal with it. i dont know what to do now.

Wow! I had no idea so many women were facing many of the same problems that I have been going through for more than two months now! I am waiting for them to remove 2 of the sutures from the birch sling. I am not sure what material it is. I had abdominal pain and painful urination even with the catheter. I cant consistently urinate, so have had a catheter most of this time. The self cathing was ok but I have bladder spasms that would cut the stream off, and then I still had urin in my bladder. Before this, one of the times I tried to go without the catheter, I was leaving my bladder too full, and it backed up into the kidney. I had very dark bloody urin for 3 days. I took a stronger antibiotic and that cleared up. I am now taking Estradol vaginally. this is to help the tissues heal. The surgery was from pubic bone to pubic bone as I had been opened twice before with hysterectomy and fibroid and myloid removal. Also I had my ovaries removed and a great big fibroid on the left ovary.

Now I have mid back pain, and intermitant mucus and some kind of cells in my urin; enough to really see. Now I am wondering. But I have no choice. One needs to be able to urinate, right?

I had no idea this would be so complicated. I healed from everything but this. I have had 9 surgeries, but this is different.I am being followed up with another doctor and a urologist.

Don't settle for living with pain if you don't know the cause.

I am sorry this has been so hard for so many of us.

I had a complete vaginal hystorectomy in June 2007, with McCall's vainal vault suspension. I have had a lot of pelvic discomfort, but last night during intercoarse I feltthe worst painof my life.... After an hour & a half I decided to go to my local ER. The doctor refused to do anything, told me " Pelvic rest" (no sex & brd rest) He treated me as if I were there for drugs! I could not & cannot even stand up straight & it feels like my bladder is going to fall out of my vagina when I move around, stand up, or try to pee. The pain seems to pull sharply at my right side. This stupid doctor didn't even do an ultrasound or anything and sent me home. The only relief I get is curling into a ball & not moving and my belly is very destinded.... it is a Sunday so my GYN Dr.  isn't reachable. Any suggestions? Has anyone experienced this?

Hi, I had a partial hysterectomy and a bladder sling put in at the same time during the summer. I was supposed to spend the night one night because the urine bag would not be taken out ti the next day. Well, when I got out of surgery the doc told me that the bag had to stay in a week because a hole got ripped into my bladder. A week later I went in for a bladder test and was told it was fine and they removed the bag, was told to relax and do nothing for six weeks including not having sex I had just got married 13 days b4 the surgery. Well, was doing good then one week later started feeling like I had a bladder infection, in five weeks I was given 3 different antibiotics, none of them worked. At the end of my six weeks + 1 extra week to make sure tried having sex and spent all night on couch curled in a ball crying in the worst pain possible. Went back to doc given more meds and told it still surgery settling then a week later bladder infection pain came back. Urine tests showed no infections so doc put a camera in my bladder, seen that it was "red and angry" and diagnosed me with Interstitial Cystitis (painful bladder syndrome). This is an incurable disease and my trips to bathroom now are double what they were b4 I had sling put in.The USA has only one med for this and they don't even know how it works except it makes pain more bareable, 400 dollars a month for this and nothing has changed. I can only have sex once a week and only in certain positions and it still hurts but not as bad. I hate having to schedule my bedroom time and I hate the peeing and meds all the time and I have no help paying for it. Also some days I throb down there like it has its own heartbeat and have to lay with something pushed against my bladder to get relieve. Am wondering if the IC could have been caused by the sling. Now I wish I would have never had the surgery and am finding law office that are sueing the company that my type of sling was made at waiting for more info.

I do have a question.  Do any of you, besides the pain of the mesh, ever have a "sensation" that you can feel something coming "loose" in your pubic region, or maybe a vibrating sensation on your pubic area? 

 Hi, my name is Mica and i just have the sling put in 4 months ago and i have been in pay ever since. that is why i'm her to find out if every one else that had it done  has the same problems. For what i have read the answer is YES. After reading some of you guys post i'm terryfied. Its that what i have to look forword, pain and more pain.

 

 4 weeks after my surgery i when back to my Dr due to sever pain on my left side. She told me that she didn't know why I was in pain that everthing "look" normal, but if the pain continue that hse was going to have to take my bladdler  out!

I just find out that i have a ver painful infection, the meds are not working for my either

I honestly don't recomend anyone to have the sling or anyother mesh in your body. :-)

 

Mica %-)

 

Did you ever find assistance?  Did your symptoms resolve?

It has been awhile since I've written anything.  I'm the one that had the slings put in 10/21/2003.  I'm still having problems, having an MRI to see what's going on, to see if it's my back or what.  In 2008 I had a x-ray done and it showed a fractured tailbone, well that's where the slings were stapled to and just last month I saw evidence of the green fishing line the doctor claimed he used as sutures come out during a bowel movement, so what does that say, that all this stuff has went through my intestines apparently, so I am concerned about what is going on.  My back hurts, my pelvic area, tail bone, my legs, back, neck, shoulders, arm, and numbness in my feet.  I'm on blood pressure, heart meds, fluid pills, antidepression meds, and today she put me on lasiks.  Don't have this done it is dangerous.