Depression, emotional harm and psychiatric problems are one of the least discussed complications caused by hernia mesh and pain associated with hernia mesh. When hernia mesh surgeries go wrong, physical complications are only one of the debilitating problems that impact people’s lives. Of course, the pain can be unrelenting and that can keep a person from working or even having any quality of life. What accompanies the physical discomfort is emotional pain that is so severe that it can even lead to suicide attempts. In some cases a victim has a testicle removed and such removal can cause psychological problems. In other words, when someone is claiming damages from defective hernia mesh, they should make sure to count depression and other mental health issues as an injury.
What you need to know about depression and hernia mesh surgery
Hernia mesh manufacturers are now being made to answer for the problems that their products have caused the patients who received these as an implant in a surgery. These patients were told that they were undergoing routine surgery only to later learn that they would experience pain that could be crippling and life-long. This left them unprepared emotionally to deal with the changes in their life that ensued after the surgery.
Hernia Mesh Makers Are Being Sued By Those Who Have Been Injured
Currently, there are thousands of lawsuits pending against these manufacturers. While there has been no definitive ruling at this point that the companies that make these products must pay for the damage that they caused, juries will hopefully soon be handing down verdicts when some cases go to trial. New hernia mesh lawsuits are being filed each week. If you are a plaintiff and have been harmed by hernia mesh, make sure to seek every penny in damages that you are entitled to, and this includes the emotional harm that you have suffered after your surgery. It impacts your life every bit as much as physical pain.
Hernia Mesh Complications Can Harm a Patient Emotionally
Numerous studies have researched the impact that post-surgical complications can have on psychological well-being. Nearly all studies that have been performed have found a connection between pain and complications and mental health issues. In fact, one researcher studied 50 people who had experienced postoperative complications and found that two-thirds of them suffered significant outcomes psychologically than they otherwise would have. This study even accounted for patients’ own circumstances and preexisting conditions.
Surgery can lead to mental health issues
Surgery, in general, can lead to mental health issues during the recovery process, even when there are no complications. Postoperative depression is something that many people will experience even if they are recovering just fine. Patients are tired and under stress as their bodies heal, and it can impact their psychological well-being.
When the recovery is accompanied by pain and other complications, it makes their depression much worse. Many patients are unprepared for the psychological effects of any surgeries because doctors do not often warn them of it. Oftentimes, the emotional effects are exacerbated by the fact that the pain seems to come out of the blue after the surgery, and patients have not anticipated that their life could be permanently changed from a surgery they were told was uncomplicated.
Pain After Surgery Can Be Traumatic
A 2009 study found that postoperative complications could cause psychological distress that is even worse than bereavement or being involved in a serious accident. Pain after surgery can even be more detrimental to mental health than a serious medical condition.
Daily existence is taken over by the pain and complications
For many patients, emotional recovery from a surgical procedure coincides with being able to return to work and resume normal activities of daily life. However, when patients are subject to bouts of intense discomfort, they can never really fully resume their normal life. Instead, their daily existence is taken over by the pain and complications that they feel. Even when they are able to undertake an activity, it may be curtailed or interrupted by the constant pain that they are feeling.
Ironically, many doctors influence their patients to choose hernia mesh surgery because they believe that the recovery time is faster and psychological effects are less. While that may be true for some patients, the psychological effects for up to 15 percent of patients who have complications from hernia mesh surgery are much greater.
People Are Telling Their Stories of Being Harmed By Hernia Mesh
Depression in the wake of hernia mesh surgery is now drawing a fair amount of attention in the news. Countless patients are now coming forward to tell their stories of how hernia mesh has ruined their life. Each one of them has a similar story of how they went into the hospital for an operation that they were told was routine and experienced years of physical pain as a result of the mesh either disintegrating or moving.
In each of these stories, the effects of hernia mesh do not end with the discomfort. Patients report that their lives are shattered as they end up sitting at home on painkillers. Some patients experience the humiliation of not being able to control their bladders after hernia mesh complications. When the patient loses their dignity, it can strip them of control over their mental health.
Hernia mesh patients have even attempted suicide
In some extreme cases, hernia mesh patients have even attempted suicide as a way to end their physical and emotional pain. One 61-year old Ontario woman has been open about the struggles that she has faced since hernia mesh surgery left her in constant pain. Even painkillers have not been able to relieve the discomfort, and her agony has lasted for years without any sign of relief. The woman openly discloses that she has considered suicide as a way out of her constant aches. In fact, a 2018 CTV news story detailed the lives of three separate Canadian women who have either contemplated suicide or even taken steps to end their lives.
Man went into a deep depression and required hospitalization
Another example of how depression can impact a hernia surgery settlement comes from a man in Maine who was unable to work at his job as a lobsterman for over two years due to a botched surgery. While the issue that he faced arose from medical malpractice as opposed to defective hernia mesh, the effect was just the same. The man went into a deep depression and required hospitalization to stabilize his emotional condition. He settled his case for $850,000. Included in the settlement was damages for pain and suffering that included the depression that he suffered.
Reasons Why Hernia Mesh Surgery Can Cause Depression
Some patients have reported that their depression results from the fact that many people do not believe them when they complain about constant pain. Many people are unaware of the devastation that hernia mesh can cause and cannot comprehend that a surgery that is billed as routine can completely rob a patient of their quality of life. Another issue that can cause hopelessness is the fact that many patients do even know if they will ever stop feeling the constant pain from hernia mesh complications. Many people will require multiple surgeries, and even still, that does not end their pain.
Problem with hernia mesh is that it can disintegrate and break apart in the body
Part of the problem with hernia mesh is that it can disintegrate and break apart in the body. That means even the smallest piece of hernia mesh that is dislodged can cause intense pain. Now, multiply this by countless tiny pieces and one can begin to comprehend the level of discomfort that hernia mesh patients feel. For many, it feels like torture, and that has serious psychological and physical effects.
Psychologically, this leaves patients shattered
Thus, the problem with hernia mesh complications is that they can be indefinite, constant, or may flare up at any time. Psychologically, this leaves patients shattered and in varying states of distress. This is all part of pain and suffering as it is not just limited to physical discomfort. In addition to depression, patients can also experience another mental health impact after botched surgery through substance abuse. When hernia mesh fails, patients will end up on painkillers to counteract the pain that they are feeling. Many times, these are strong opioid painkillers and they are highly addictive. Even if the pain subsides somewhat, patients may still end up being hooked on painkillers and could require inpatient rehab for their problem.
Depression is debilitating
Depression is every bit as debilitating as actual physical pain that results from the surgery. For a patient, when the two of them go hand-in-hand, it makes the situation even worse. Mental health issues can accentuate physical pain and vice versa.
Psychological Harm Is Part of Pain and Suffering
When you are preparing to file your hernia mesh lawsuit, do not overlook seeking compensation for the psychological problems that you have encountered as a result of the complications of your surgery. Any costs of mental health care can be included in the damages that you are seeking. In addition, if your depression keeps you from working, you can also request lost wages. Finally, you can include depression that has resulted from your discomfort in your request for pain and suffering damages.
Your hernia mesh attorney can help you calculate the damages caused by defective hernia mesh when they are readying your claim. To begin the process, consult a a hernia mesh lawsuit lawyer today to learn your legal rights. If you have been harmed by hernia mesh, you may be entitled to significant financial compensation.