A long-time personal trainer, yoga instructor, and counselor, Michael has built his life around service to others. However, for the last six and a half years, after what he thought would be a routine hernia repair surgery, his life has become almost unmanageable, including a nightmarish myriad of health issues due to failed mesh. Today, despite his continuous search for medical answers, Michael remains in severe around-the-clock pain -- a pain he describes “as if my entire torso and face are being rolled in shards of glass." Despite this intense pain, he continues to fight and hold hope for some kind of relief. Having exhausted all options within his reach, he needs immediate financial support to help investigate possible solutions.
Because mesh damage isn't generally recognized by insurance companies, pretty much all of his care or even investigation has to be out of pocket. While he does have modest insurance in the form of Medicaid, it does not cover the kind of help he needs.
There are still possibilities – from alternative modalities, like myofascial work, to a doctor in Denver who specializes in mesh complications, to the greater possibility of a place like the Mayo Clinic that deals with more difficult cases. Right now, however, all of these possibilities are out of reach for Michael.
If you can donate to help offset some of Michael’s extraordinary medical costs, it would mean so much to him and his family. Financial support will give Michael a better chance of finding answers, getting healthy again, and returning to the teaching and counseling that have defined his life.
Here is the full story as told by Michael:
In August of 2012, I had a mesh hernia repair, not warned by the surgeon of any of the risks mesh involved. At that point, I was vibrantly healthy, teaching 20 yoga classes a week and working with numerous fitness clients, along with my own training.
In August of 2013, the mesh and staples tore free. I was immediately in crippling pain, a pain which steadily worsened as the lose mesh began to damage the muscles and nerves of the groin and abdomen, as well as the bladder and intestines. Because mesh doesn't show up on imaging, the only way to be sure of a mesh problem is to eliminate everything else, so even though I was confident of the problem, over the next six months I went through dozens of appointments with numerous specialists and various types of imaging to rule out other causes. By this point, my digestive system had entirely shut down and I was completely unable to eat, sleep, or work. I went through my entire savings simply trying to figure out what was going on.
In March of 2014, having eliminated all other possibilities, I finally traveled to a mesh specialist in Nevada (there being none in Colorado at the time) to have the mesh removed. Because of the location of the mesh, as well as the way fascia and tissue become bound in the weave of the polypropylene, the mesh removal was highly invasive and caused extensive damage to the muscles and nerves. As a result, my recovery was slow and difficult, but by fall of 2014 I was finally able to return to teaching and most activities, with the pain gradually reducing, although never going away completely.
Unfortunately, as often happens with mesh removal, the hernia itself recurred. Because of all the trauma that region had been through, the several specialists I saw all encouraged me to hold off on surgery as long as possible in order to give my body time to heal -- basically "riding out" the hernia until it became unmanageable. And so, for four years I did my best to go gently and not let it get in the way of my work or teaching, but by spring of 2018, the hernia became more than I could manage and my doctor and I decided it was time for another repair -- this time of course without mesh.
Unfortunately, the repair did not go well -- as previous specialists had suspected, the muscles and nerves of my groin and abdomen had already been through so much that the trauma of the last recent surgery seems to have overloaded my body. For the last seven months, I have been dealing with steadily worsening pain -- both local and radiating -- that is gradually shutting down my ability to eat, sleep, or function. Once again, I have gone through numerous specialists and extensive imaging to make sure there aren't clear complications and have also tried numerous approaches to address the pain, both conventional (e.g., Tramadol, Hydrocodone, Oxycodone, Gabapentin, Lyrica, Amitryptaline, Dicylomine, Lidocaine patches, Duclofenac, and two attempts at a temporary nerve-block) and alternative (CDB and THC), all of which so far have had no impact. I am currently working with physical therapists, but so far, that too, has brought no improvement, and again the pain is escalating to the point where my life is becoming unmanageable.
I have been unable to teach since the surgery last June and the pain is increasing to the point where even the occasional counseling session is becoming impossible. Once again, my digestive system is starting to shut down and the pain is so extreme that most nights I am unable to sleep. I am trying hard not to give up, but I continue to worsen and my local medical team has run out of options. Unfortunately, there are still relatively few doctors in the country who specialize in mesh damage and none here where I live, so in my present physical and financial state, I am running out of options.
Again, there are still possibilities – from alternative modalities, like myofascial work, to a mesh specialist in Denver, to the greater possibility of a place like the Mayo Clinic that deals with more complicated cases.
Right now, however, without outside financial support, all of these possibilities are out of reach for me and my family.
Because mesh damage isn't generally recognized by insurance companies, pretty much all of his care or even investigation has to be out of pocket. While he does have modest insurance in the form of Medicaid, it does not cover the kind of help he needs.
There are still possibilities – from alternative modalities, like myofascial work, to a doctor in Denver who specializes in mesh complications, to the greater possibility of a place like the Mayo Clinic that deals with more difficult cases. Right now, however, all of these possibilities are out of reach for Michael.
If you can donate to help offset some of Michael’s extraordinary medical costs, it would mean so much to him and his family. Financial support will give Michael a better chance of finding answers, getting healthy again, and returning to the teaching and counseling that have defined his life.
Here is the full story as told by Michael:
In August of 2012, I had a mesh hernia repair, not warned by the surgeon of any of the risks mesh involved. At that point, I was vibrantly healthy, teaching 20 yoga classes a week and working with numerous fitness clients, along with my own training.
In August of 2013, the mesh and staples tore free. I was immediately in crippling pain, a pain which steadily worsened as the lose mesh began to damage the muscles and nerves of the groin and abdomen, as well as the bladder and intestines. Because mesh doesn't show up on imaging, the only way to be sure of a mesh problem is to eliminate everything else, so even though I was confident of the problem, over the next six months I went through dozens of appointments with numerous specialists and various types of imaging to rule out other causes. By this point, my digestive system had entirely shut down and I was completely unable to eat, sleep, or work. I went through my entire savings simply trying to figure out what was going on.
In March of 2014, having eliminated all other possibilities, I finally traveled to a mesh specialist in Nevada (there being none in Colorado at the time) to have the mesh removed. Because of the location of the mesh, as well as the way fascia and tissue become bound in the weave of the polypropylene, the mesh removal was highly invasive and caused extensive damage to the muscles and nerves. As a result, my recovery was slow and difficult, but by fall of 2014 I was finally able to return to teaching and most activities, with the pain gradually reducing, although never going away completely.
Unfortunately, as often happens with mesh removal, the hernia itself recurred. Because of all the trauma that region had been through, the several specialists I saw all encouraged me to hold off on surgery as long as possible in order to give my body time to heal -- basically "riding out" the hernia until it became unmanageable. And so, for four years I did my best to go gently and not let it get in the way of my work or teaching, but by spring of 2018, the hernia became more than I could manage and my doctor and I decided it was time for another repair -- this time of course without mesh.
Unfortunately, the repair did not go well -- as previous specialists had suspected, the muscles and nerves of my groin and abdomen had already been through so much that the trauma of the last recent surgery seems to have overloaded my body. For the last seven months, I have been dealing with steadily worsening pain -- both local and radiating -- that is gradually shutting down my ability to eat, sleep, or function. Once again, I have gone through numerous specialists and extensive imaging to make sure there aren't clear complications and have also tried numerous approaches to address the pain, both conventional (e.g., Tramadol, Hydrocodone, Oxycodone, Gabapentin, Lyrica, Amitryptaline, Dicylomine, Lidocaine patches, Duclofenac, and two attempts at a temporary nerve-block) and alternative (CDB and THC), all of which so far have had no impact. I am currently working with physical therapists, but so far, that too, has brought no improvement, and again the pain is escalating to the point where my life is becoming unmanageable.
I have been unable to teach since the surgery last June and the pain is increasing to the point where even the occasional counseling session is becoming impossible. Once again, my digestive system is starting to shut down and the pain is so extreme that most nights I am unable to sleep. I am trying hard not to give up, but I continue to worsen and my local medical team has run out of options. Unfortunately, there are still relatively few doctors in the country who specialize in mesh damage and none here where I live, so in my present physical and financial state, I am running out of options.
Again, there are still possibilities – from alternative modalities, like myofascial work, to a mesh specialist in Denver, to the greater possibility of a place like the Mayo Clinic that deals with more complicated cases.
Right now, however, without outside financial support, all of these possibilities are out of reach for me and my family.
Organizer and beneficiary
Julie Weatherston
Organizer
Fort Collins, CO
Michael Lloyd-Billington
Beneficiary