Being diagnosed with a hernia can be a frustrating experience. This happens when a tissue or organ protrudes through an opening in the muscle or tissue that contains it. While most hernias heal or improve on their own, some can become life-threatening. As such, undergoing a hernia mesh surgery can be an option to treat and correct this medical condition.

Primarily, a hernia mesh surgery refers to a surgical procedure used to implant a hernia mesh device to cover and support the weakened tissue. However, there are instances wherein the surgery can go wrong, causing serious complications. These can include infection, bowel obstruction, chronic pain, adhesion, and many more.

Thus, if you suspect you have a hernia mesh complication, here’s what you should do from the get-go:

Do These If You Suspect A Hernia Mesh Complication

• Contact Your Doctor

If you think there’s something wrong after your hernia mesh surgery, be sure to call your doctor right away. Although feeling some pain and swelling is normal after a surgical operation, it can be a sign of a serious complication if it persists for a long time. Hence, don’t hesitate to consult your doctor and have your incision area checked to find out if the symptoms are indicative of a hernia mesh complication.

If there’s an infection, do note that it can still be due to a variety of reasons, such as that the mesh has a design or manufacturing defect, the doctor who conducted the surgery committed medical malpractice, or the manufacturer failed to warn the users about the mesh’s risks. Aside from knowing if there’s an infection, it’s essential to contact your doctor so the complications will be treated to prevent further health issues.

• Know If You’re Eligible To File A Hernia Mesh Claim

After contacting a doctor, the next step to do is to determine if you’re eligible to file a hernia mesh claim. This is a legal action intended to recover compensation for the losses you sustained as a result of the hernia mesh complications. However, just like other legal actions, filing a hernia mesh claim comes with strict criteria. This means that if your case doesn’t meet the requirements, you can’t successfully pursue a claim against the responsible party.

Today, lawsuits can only be filed by patients who used Physiomesh and C-QUR type of hernia mesh products. Although these two types of mesh are known to be safer alternatives in the market, people who have used them still reported some signs of complications, such as chronic pain, infections, allergic reactions, and many more.

Therefore, if you suspect you’re a victim of a failed hernia mesh surgery, be sure to contact a lawyer to help you navigate your case and receive compensation for all your losses. They may be able to help you get a favorable outcome from hernia mesh lawsuit settlements. In doing so, you can quickly get your normal life back in no time.

• Figure Out The Extent Of Damage Caused By The Hernia Mesh Complication

Once you’ve identified the grounds for filing a claim, you should know the extent of damage the mesh material has caused you physically and mentally. You can do this by taking a look at the following factors:

• The amount of physical pain the failed mesh has caused you;
• The need for corrective surgery, including the number of expenses you’re going to pay;
• The need to take some time off work and the estimated amount of income you’ll lose;

As you can see, there are many things you should keep in mind to know the amount of damage the hernia mesh complication has caused you. Also, with this information in place, you can help the lawyer you hire in calculating the right amount of compensation you deserve.

• Collect Pieces Of Evidence

When you think you have a hernia mesh complication, one of the things you should do is to gather pieces of evidence to support your hernia mesh claim. You can increase your chances of winning your claim if you can present evidence that’ll prove that the failed hernia surgery caused you some injuries as a result of the complication.

Here are some common examples of evidence you can collect:

• Medical records
• Information regarding the type of mesh material used and its manufacturer
• Information regarding the surgery, including the date of the operation, the name of the doctor who performed the procedure, and many more.
• Relevant information concerning the preservation of the removed hernia mesh device, which includes the storage and other related factors

Wrapping Up

Typically, a hernia mesh surgery is designed to treat a hernia and its possible life-threatening health effects. Still, the surgery can go wrong and cause complications to your incision site.

Whether it’s due to a defective mesh, negligence by the doctor who conducted the procedure, and improper labeling of the mesh product, you may be eligible to file a claim against the responsible party. Thus, make sure to follow the steps mentioned above so you’ll have a higher chance of recovering compensation for all the losses caused by the hernia mesh complication.