Ethicon Prolene Mesh

[Bellamie]

I had a incisional hernia repair in July 2004, the incision became very infected and was hospitalized again just a few days later. Was taken to surgery for debreedment(spelling) several times while in the hospital for 8 days and on IV antibiotics. Sent home on Monday and back in the hospital on Thursday. The same results,  IV antibiotics and debreeding several time for another 8 days. My fourth hospitalization, I fired by surgeon being told by my family Dr. that the mesh implanted had to come out and my surgeon refusing to remove it. The new surgeon did remove the mesh but had to leave the incision open because the infection was so deep(9 days this time). I had to have home nursing for 3 months and my poor husband had to learn how to clean and dress the incision twice a day every day. He also had to dress and shower me besides all the household duties. It is now November 2011 and my incision never healed right and still have a huge concave in my stomach. I have seen surgeons a couple of times since then and was told the pain in my stomach is phantom pain, kind of like a missing limb. I have recently found out about all the mesh lawsuits and wonder if there is anything that could be done for me.

[Maddock]

You obviously have a very complicated case.  Although I have been involved with many medical device cases, I have never dealt with mesh cases.  So, I don't know if you have a medical malpractice, a product defect case, both, or neither.  First thing to do is to google............ethicone prolene mesh attorney............and seen if anything comes up. If you have a product case, you can't proceed on your own. You would need to join a class action or consolidate action involving hundreds or thousands of victims of the same product with similar injuries or damages.  Go ahead and contact lawyers that may be listed. Doesn't matter if they are not in same region or State. If they like your case they would take it on a contingent fee basis.  Note that  there are numberous types and manufacturers of surgical mesh. Some for women to hold up their bladders or uterus, some for hernias, many differnet makers  If you come up empty and there is no product case going on, it is more difficult and expensive to determine if you have a med mal case.  It is quite possible, it happens all the time, that the surgeon does everyting properly but the result is not good.  The poor result alone is not evidence of malpractice.  So why did it happen?  Was it because your surgeon did something that was "below the standard of care"?  That means essentially, if 20 other surgeons looked over his shoulder when he operated, 19 of them would have said "what the hell are you doing"?  That is how I think of it.  If only 10 might say that, no case.  If the 19 said "well, I wouldn't do it that way but go ahead I guess", no case. Your doc was within the standard using "reasonable medical judgment". Get it?  So, how do you find out>. You find a lawyer who does med mal and who is interested in your case and willing to pay a surgeon to offer an opinion after reviewing your entire case.  Very much a long shot that you will find that lawyer unless you have some smoking gun of negligence by your surgeon and your damages are in the millions............meaning you are permanently impaird and disabled as a result and some doctor has said to you infomrally at least that the surgeon really screwed up.  If you had that, a lawyer might be interested.  That is the best I have to offer. Good luck.