Women Sue Over Surgical Mesh

Soon after her surgery, Susan Harrison had a string of infections that caused intense pain, leaving her weak and unable to pick up and play actively with her young grandchildren. The discomfort and fatigue often kept her from her job as a kindergarten classroom assistant.

For years, Harrison thought it was just an unfortunate consequence of the surgery to repair weak muscles in her pelvic region. But she discovered five years after her 2006 procedure that she was one of thousands of women who say their pain was caused by surgical mesh implanted to fix the problem.

"I felt so bad, I felt sad thinking that I had to spend the rest of my life living this way," Harrison said.

The mesh is most commonly used after pelvic organ prolapse, or when muscles in the area weaken, causing organs to bulge or slip down into the vagina. It can happen because of age, childbirth or other reasons and can cause pain and bladder leakage.

While many women benefit greatly from the mesh surgery, the Food and Drug Administration has warned some can suffer complications, and many women have sued, claiming manufacturers should have warned of potential harm. But some doctors have said the FDA's warning ? and the lawsuits against the manufacturers ? are misguided. The doctors blame inexperienced surgeons.

AP

Susan Harrison, 63, of Lawrenceville, Ga., left, and Vea Gaby, 73, of Athens, right, listen to Lynn Waits, 55, of Covington, Ga., not pictured, tell her story during an interview about complications from having surgical mesh placed in her pelvic cavity, in their attorney's office, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, in Athens, Ga. The Georgia women are some of the thousands of women nationwide who have sued manufacturers of the surgical mesh claiming they?ve suffered severe complications and intense physical pain when the flexible plastic mesh hardened inside their bodies. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Close

Harrison's case is among more than 6,000 federal lawsuits against some of the biggest manufacturers of pelvic mesh products. The cases have been consolidated in a federal court in West Virginia, with some trials to begin this year.

The lawsuits accuse the companies of inadequate testing, failing to disclose potential risks and fraudulently promoting the mesh as a safe medical device. The manufacturers deny those allegations in court documents. Some companies have said in statements their testing was rigorous, that their products are safe and effective and that they're working with the FDA. Some companies declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation.

The lawsuits seek unspecified compensation for pain and suffering, reimbursement of medical costs and punitive damages.

Harrison had most of the mesh removed in October 2011. She said she still feels weak and has bladder leakage that requires her to take extra precautions when she leaves the house, but she feels better than she has in years.

Lynn Waits, a former police officer-turned-nurse from Covington, Ga., had incontinence and pelvic collapse after having two children. She said she experienced bleeding and severe pain immediately following her mesh surgery in 2008.

The incision next to her vagina never fully healed and she could feel the mesh if she touched that spot, she said. She continued to have bleeding for two years until she finally went to another doctor and had the mesh removed in 2010, she said.

She still has shooting pains, a constant achiness and can't take a long car ride without discomfort, which she blames on the mesh. The experience has also changed her marriage.

"Since I had surgery, sex is out. I'm celibate," she said. "Now it's a very platonic relationship. You get used to it."

Kathy Barton's doctor suggested the mesh when she mentioned that she had bladder leakage when she laughed or coughed. Shortly after the surgery, it felt like razors were slicing her organs and a sharp edge of the mesh cut her boyfriend during sex, she said. Even though she eventually had it removed, the 55-year-old west Georgia woman still has pain she believes is caused by the mesh.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/thousands-women-sue-surgical-mesh-18440465

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