STOP Meshing around!

Date: 7th October 2011

First I want to show you some quotes I hear and receive from people - "How is it my surgeon in one breathe can offer me mesh removal and then in another breathe offer my friend a TVT?" another one - "Why did my surgeon offer me a TVT and now things have gone wrong he/she can't take it out?" another - "Where can I go to find someone to take this mesh out of me?" or how about this one, "this is a revolutionary medical device very successful" here is another - "my surgeon says he does 3-4 mesh removals a week" another - "I can remove the mesh but one is in a wheelchair and another died" - one more - "If I attempt to take the mesh out you could bleed to death" There are hundreds more like this, these are real quotes from real people. We just don't understand the mentality, surely they know the Hippocratic Oath - First do no harm.

This is why I have decided to do this article - STOP Meshing around! We have to show the surgeons and the public this has to stop! We are not saying we are against the surgeons as some are begining to understand our plight, however, we just don't understand why the surgeons are continuing to offer TVT's and other related products similiar to TVT when they know it could cause their patients harm and maime them for life. It is known and fact most of the time surgical intervention is totally unnecessary for mild stress incontinence as there are alternative treatments available and most of the time are not offered to the patient first.

Why aren't the medical world understanding this situation or is it maybe they are turning a blind eye to the fact sterile medical device's put into an un-sterile female genital area will contaminate causing bacteria and infections? Most of us have constant urinary tract infections, abscesses forming, weeping boils, cysts, discharge, e-coli, constant irritation and sometimes Septicaemia! most of us also have extended stomachs and look pregnant and most people are living on daily antibiotics, anyone will understand this will cause severe health problems long term besides having to cope with the mesh problems.

These medical devices for stress incontinence are NOT inert in the human body it is a permanent implant and if complications arise the mesh is never fully removed. It is not like any other medical device where it is inert for the human body ie: a pacemaker which can be removed and replaced. Mesh can never be fully removed and replaced.

Most of us went to our consultations on the understanding our mild stress incontinence will be cured by this so called TVT Tape/Mesh. The consultants are giving these medical devices praise and saying it is a revoluntionary medical device and near on forcing these woman to have it done. It's like a giant huge merry-go-round or dare I say a conveyor belt. I can just imagine them saying - dum de dum, de dum dum dum - then they rub their hands together and say - next! more work more money! How on earth do these people sleep at night?

Why can't the surgeons be honest and tell the truth on the complications that can arise from these surgeries? none of this is our fault it is YOU the surgeons who have done this to us and it is YOU who has left some of us with permanent damage to our health and quality of life to the extent some people have lost or are loosing their homes, careers and it is has caused financial ruin to many. There are very few surgeons in the NHS who can treat mesh related complications and then due to not finding a surgeon to treat them most have to turn to private practice costing thousands of pounds for corrective surgery.

This is not our fault this is the fault of the surgeons incompetence for not giving a fully informed consent and not offering an alternative choice of treatment. In fact they are near on pushing this TVT/Mesh onto us and forcing us to have it done! Now, I have heard some consultants are even saying - "that was the old TVT this is a new medical device". Well if that is the case why is it women are still coming forward after only a couple of weeks since their surgery with mesh problems?

Would you like this disgusting eroding plastic mesh inside your body?

Vaginal Tape/Mesh Eroding Image

That's only the eroding mesh part the surgeon can see to remove, what about the bits of mesh eroding away they can't see to take out hidden within our once healthy tissue? Mesh removal can cause permananet nerve, tissue, bone and organ damage.

Following is a video of a woman having eroding mesh extraction surgery. Warning: This video is extremely graphic and may cause you to be upset. Only watch it if you can stomach viewing a full surgical procedure for Mesh Removal.

Title: Excision of Transvaginal Mesh Extrusion
Description: Dr. Howard Goldman from the Cleveland Clinic performs removal of mesh that eroded through the vaginal wall of a woman who had a cystocele repair. You will need a YouTube account to view this external link to view the video - youtu.be/XtKJeigV0E0 >>>

Thousands of men and woman want to know why the medical world is still offering and still implanting the numerous different medical devices (list as below) like Transvaginal Tension Free Tapes (TVT) or sometimes known as Transvaginal Mesh (TVM) and other mesh kits when they know it will eventually harm and maime us for life!

The following details are found showing on the Topix forum:-
In addition to Johnson & Johnson’s Ethicon mesh products, problems have also been associated with transvaginal mesh sold by American Medical Systems (AMS), Boston Scientific, C.R. Bard and other companies.

• Bard Avaulta Support System
• AMS Elevate Prolapse Repair System
• AMS Apogee Vault Suspension System
• AMS Perigee System
• AMS Monarc Sling System
• AMS Sparc Sling System
• Ethicon Gynecare Gynemesh
• Ethicon Gynecare Prolene Soft Mesh
• Ethicon Gynecare Prolift Pelvic Floor Repair System
• Ethicon Gynecare TVT Transvaginal Sling
• Boston Scientific Pinnacle Pelvic Floor Repair Kit
• Boston Scientific Uphold Vaginal Support System
• UGYTEX Dual Knit Mesh
• Coviden IVS Tunneler Sling

Quotes from highly respected surgeons - This is just the tip of the iceberg! Don’t Confuse Medical Marketing with Science! Require Evidence Based Medicine!

Are there any surgeons out there against this surgical procedure? Yes, please read the following:-

USA - Public Citizen Petition
Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group representing more than 225,000 members and supporters nationwide, hereby petitions the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), please click on the link to read more:-
PUBLIC-CITIZEN-Petition-to-Ban-Mesh-for-POP-08-25-2011.pdf >>>

Please find following statements released from 3 surgeons in the USA.

1. Statement by L. Lewis Wall, M.D., D.Phil., M.Bioeth. Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology, School of Medicine Professor of Anthropology, College of Arts and Sciences Washington University, St. Louis, MO
PUBLIC-CITIZEN-DR-LEWIS-WALL-STATEMENT-08-25-2011.pdf >>>

2. As a co-petitioner, I strongly support Public Citizen's petition to the Food and Drug Administration to ban the marketing of all currently available non-absorbable surgical mesh products designed and labeled for transvaginal repair and pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and to order all manufactureres to recall such products.
PUBLIC-CITIZEN-DR-DANIEL-S-ELLIOTT-STATEMENT-08-25-2011.pdf >>>

3. My comments pertain only to the transvaginal implantation of synthetic mesh for pelvic organ prolapse and stress incontinence. These comments are based on my knowledge, experience, education and training as a Pelvic Surgeon and on observations made during scores of “salvage” operations I’ve performed on women who have experienced mesh complications over the last decade.
Michael-Thomas-Margolis.pdf >>>

Where are the surgeons speaking up concerning this growing serious health problem in the UK?

The governing bodies the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (N.I.C.E) The National Health Service (NHS), and The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) do not know how many have been implanted and how many people have been harmed before 2010! Hence the reason for the National Mesh Register with a possible recall letter to be sent out to patients before 2010. This is why we tell everyone who has had these medical devices and are experiencing complications to submit their adverse report on their faulty medical device into the MHRA.

The campaign in the UK to bring awareness to the public is mainly done through our website and with the help from some medical experts who wish to remain anon at this present time. One of the areas of work we did was to get the MHRA to put out a notice on their website and to launch an investigation, this has now been achieved after working alongside our medical expert plus in the very near future the prospect to try and achieve a National Mesh Register with the hope the MHRA will produce a recall letter to go out to all patients before the year 2010. I know the MHRA notice has few words but it is significant as quoted by our medical expert, if read correctly it does mention manufacturers and products in the plural sense of the wording.

We now also have a full team of legal experts and other professional entities who are very sympathetic and starting to listen to our plight and joining the campaign to have these medical devices investigated with more hope to have most of them removed from the market.

After years of researching it seems to me and I feel sure many other people agree the only reason this is still going on and has been for years and years behind closed doors with the medical world trying to keep it all hushed up now looks and appears it was and is for ongoing work to reap the profits from ongoing surgeries in private practice and to give the pharamacuetical companies big fat wallets! pay-off's with enticing contributions and charitable funding from the manufacturers to medical institutions. Is this the reasons for carrying on like they do? What other reasons could it be considering there is clear evidence from peer articles and there are significant numbers of people showing on the USA MAUDE database and from the UK MHRA database, people who are harmed to the extent some have lost their lives both in implantation and extraction surgeries.

Are we over-reacting? Don't just take our word for it there are other Mesh Websites, blogs and forums showing stories from people around the world, read the peer articles, read the press, watch the media and video's. It is all there for all to see this is truely happening and unbelievable to think one piece of plastic mesh can cause such devastation and uproar amongst those who are liable for the damage done to thousands of people!

Regarding the Daily Mail article Published on 15th August 2011. Title: It was a simple implant to cure an embarrassing problem... The incontinence operation that's ruining women's lives is nothing to do with our charity and support group. The article was published by a woman who has mesh problems. Concerning the other information in the article as far as I know it was made up. We agree with those who feel the same as us there is a lot wrong with this article. Please do not listen to people out there who are saying it was us (TVT Mum) who published it, unfortunately we will always come across people who don't like our work and will try to cause damage to our good cause and reputation. The only good thing this article achieved was to bring more people to our support group and to know they are not alone.

Our campaign will continue in the right way with each step making progress towards bringing awareness to the public on these very damaging TVT and other related medical devices. Our support group will always remain to help those who find us in the UK.

We have been told by the expert professionals who are now working on this investigation - 'WATCH THIS SPACE'

Links to read relating to this article are showing within our website as below:-

1. Hippocractic Oath www.tvt-messed-up-mesh.org.uk/guide-to-the-hippocratic-oath.html >>>

2. Alternative Treatments for Stress Incontinence www.tvt-messed-up-mesh.org.uk/alternative-treatments-for-stress-incontinence.html >>>

3. Polypropylene is not inert in the Human Body By Donald R Ostergard MD ww.tvt-messed-up-mesh.org.uk/pdfs/polypropylene-is-not-inert-in-the-human-body.pdf >>>

4.The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) UK
The MHRA has seen a recent increase in numbers of adverse event reports in comparison to numbers received in previous years, increasingly from patients. As a result, the MHRA has launched an investigation to better understand the use of these devices and the complications associated with their use. Read more on the following links:-
www.mhra.gov.uk/home/groups/clin/documents/websiteresources/con128943.pdf >>>

www.mhra.gov.uk/Safetyinformation/Generalsafetyinformationandadvice/Product-specificinformationandadvice/Product-specificinformationandadvice-M-Z/Syntheticvaginaltapesforstressincontinence/index.htm >>>

5. Synthetic Vaginal Tapes for Stress Incontinence: Proposals for Improved Regulation of New Devices in Europe by Paul Abrams , Christopher R. Chapple, Marcus Drake, Suzy El-Neil, Susanne Ludgate, Anthony R.B. Smith.
Full PDF: august-2011-synthetic-vaginal-tapes-for-stress-incontinence>>>

6. European Association of Urology
www.europeanurology.com/article/S0302-2838(11)00868-2/fulltext >>>

7. In response to EUROPEAN UROLORNAL - SYNTHETIC VAGINAL TAPES
in-response-to-EUROPEAN-UROLOGY-JOURNAL-SYNTHETIC -VAGINAL TAPES.pdf >>>

8. Self Help Guide
advice-and-help-on-TVT-TVT-Secur-TVT-O-and-TOT-Tape-Mesh-Medical-Devices.html >>>

9. Mesh Websites, Blogs and Forums - Stories from people around the world
ww.tvt-messed-up-mesh.org.uk/stories.html >>>

Online MHRA reporting adverse incidents involving medical devices:-
www.mhra.gov.uk/Safetyinformation/Reportingsafetyproblems/Devices/index.htm >>>

If there are any medical experts in the UK interested in joining our investigative team please do not hesitate to contact us. All enquiries are treated as strictly private and confidential. Please email: professional@tvt-messed-up-mesh.org.uk

Petition
There are many people who have signed our online petition and some have shared their stories. Some have also downloaded a copy to collect signatures. It is fantastic to see the men are starting to sign the petition too, we need you all to support our cause and help all women who are wives, mothers, grandmothers, sisters and daughters suffering.

Online Petition:
TVT Mum Petition to sign online >>>
Download Petition to collect Signatures:
www.tvt-messed-up-mesh.org.uk/petition.pdf >>>

Please help us to keep this website live and active and to give mesh sufferers the continued support, advice and help they deserve.