My Virtue sling Hell

Three years ago I posted a message on HealingWell.com which I am reposting five paragraphs below.

My Christmas wish, at that time, was to have the Virtue sling mesh, that was implanted in my body five months earlier, removed in its entirety due to unrelenting pain. It had also made my incontinence MUCH worse.

I had been told that the lower arms of the Virtue sling could not be removed once they become scared in place, no matter how much pain they were causing. I did undergo a grueling 3 1/2 hour surgery, mostly to have the center section of the Virtue sling explanted. This only resulted in partial reduction in pain.

I have contacted specialist at many of the most prestigious hospitals including orthopedic surgeons, urologist, and also radiologist (in hopes a radiologist could image the remaining mesh utilizing transperineal ultrasound).

I have read that the Virtue polypropylene mesh, remaining in my body, should be echogenic. Therefore a transperineal untrasound should clearly show the locations of the remaining mesh.

My hope is, if I can obtain good images of the remaining mesh, perhaps I can find someone to reconsider the importance of removing this pain causing material from my body.

So far, no one has agree to be helpful. I have been told it is too difficult and/or dangerous to attempt to remove the remaining mesh, under my pelvic bones. These remaining lower mesh arms result in a feeling of sitting on a rough steel cable when seated. They also seem to be a source of nerve pain radiating down both legs.

So, once again, the best Christmas present to myself would be to locate a qualified surgeon to remove the remainder of the Virtue sling material from my body. It has and continues to destroy the quality of my life!


Posted 11/26/2009 2:27 PM (GMT -7)

I was implanted with a Coloplast Virtue male sling the 14th of July 2009. It has been one of the most miserable experiences of my life. It not only worsened my incontinence but has caused intolerable pain 24/7. I fail to understand how such a tortuous device can be legally implanted into a human body. I would prefer water boarding compared the pain and discomfort from this device. At least with water boarding, there are times of no torture when the water stops.

My Coloplast Virtue sling will be cut out of my body at the Cleveland Clinic on the 17th of December 2009. Parting company with this contraption will be the best Christmas present in the world for me.

I know of others facing the same outcome with this device. If you are suffering in silence, I would like to hear from you. My email is: [email protected]

Happy Thanksgiving to all,

John

Post Edited (male_sling_problems) : 12/25/2012 5:52:24 AM (GMT-7)

Hello compiler,

I continue to post my misfortune in hopes others, considering a male sling, will search for qualified surgeons and ask all the right questions as they endeavor to end or diminish their incontinence.

It appears many urologist, that are in line to profit from male sling surgeries, are quick to tell one all the good news but fail to tell the rest of the story. Not all male slings are alike and things do go wrong.

I hope no one reading, what I have posted over the last three years, forms the impression that I am anti-sling. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Following my Virtue sling fiasco and partial explantation, I was implanted with an AdVance sling. It has been fantastic. It ended nine years of continuous pad usage and I remain 100 percent dry to this day.

I recently noticed that Coloplast continues to enroll volunteers in two separate Virtue sling clinical trials more than three years after a Virtue sling was implanted in my body without my consent. The most recent trial is marked EXPERIMENTAL.

It appears the Virtue sling clinical trials are at least, in part, to determine if the Virtue sling is effective, if it is safe and if it can be tolerated in a living human body.

In my opinion, these questions should have been resolved before it was launched to the public.

Happy holidays to all,

John

Hello zufas,

Thanks for the supporting words.

I believe when a medical device causes more harm and misery than good the manufacture should consider removing the offending device from the non-restricted market until all comfort, efficiency and safety issues are totally resolved.

In my opinion, anything less amounts to using the public as unsuspecting Guinna pigs which is exactly what happened to me.

As prostate cancer survivors, we should not be expected to navigate a minefield as we search for solutions for our incontinence.

I have noticed the above suggestion has become reality as it pertains to female slings. Let's hope us men are soon afforded the same respect.

Best wishes,

John

Hello Fred,

Thanks for the suggestion.

So far, upon realizing my local urologist had absolutely no experience removing Virtue sling mesh, I contacted Coloplast, the manufacture of the Virtue sling that was (and continues) to be the source of so much pain. They were of no help and basically wished me "good luck".

Additionally, I have contacted specialist at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, UCLA Urology in California and Vanderbilt Hospital in Tennessee in an attempt to have the lower mesh arms of the Virtue sling removed from my body.

The consensus has been that they have no experience removing male pelvic mesh and for the most part have refused to schedule an appointment for an evaluation. The common answer has been, "sorry, we cannot help you".

This has been especially aggravating to me since I never consented to a Virtue sling implant, had never heard of a Virtue sling at the time it was implanted in my body and was horrified when, due to extreme pain, I learned the implanting surgeon had switched devices on me.

I will contact Sloan Kettering to learn if they can be helpful but since the (now rough and hardened) offending mesh is wrapped around my pubic ramis and under my pelvic bones, it is outside the area associated with urological procedures. Therefore I would be extremely surprised to find a urologist there that could be helpful.

Best wishes,

John