Looking for a Lawyer

Just joined here & didn't see any other forum that even remotely applied to my situation excpet this one. Admin can move or remove as needed.
I had TURP surgery for BPH back in 2008. It left me incontinent. I went to another Urologist who did surgery to open up my Bladder neck & then Sling surgery (American Medical sling) in early 2009. That took care of the incontinence although I went through an assortment of pain meds (Gabapentin, Neuronyin, Lyrica, same meds really, just different mfgs & strengths) post surgery before the sharp pains subsided. Fast forward to late 2014... I noticed a growth in my perinium just behind my scrotum. Saw another Urologist who said to keep an eye out on it. Well in early 2015 I called him back & he said to come back in or get a second opinion (which I did). The weekend before my appointment, the abscess (Fistula) started draining. At the appointment, the Urologist attempted to drain it further & put me on an antibiotic. I came back in a week & saw an NP. She brought in another Urologist who said I needed surgery to remove the fistula & find where the infection was originating. Well, I had that surgery in the beginning of April. The fistula was removed & so was the sling as the infection originated there. One of the 6 screws came out with the sling too.. Well, I have had the incontinence return plus I also am being treated for a urinary tract infection. I know there are lawsuits for Women's sling complications, but every Law firm I've contacted isn't interested in my situation. Does anyone know of any lawyers handling men's sling cases ?

Screamin Scott,

A couple of years ago there was a guy here called "male sling problems". He had a Coloplast sling installed and had all sorts of problems and pain. He had it removed and had an AMS sling installed.
You mentioned screws. The coloplast uses screws. After it is installed, supposedly you are able to go about your business normally in a few days. The AMS, on the other hand, must grow into your tissues. You need to take it easy and not exercise for 6 weeks - no lifting more than 8 pounds, etc.
Do you recall what they told you about recovery time? Which one sounds like your case: "a few days" or "6 weeks"?

I just did a quick search and found him. Here is his post.
https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=35&m=1634128
He had many other posts and eventually had a court case about 2 years later.
I hope this helps.
Jeff

Post Edited (Worried Guy) : 5/15/2015 11:53:27 AM (GMT-6)

The firms that turned me down , did so because they had no experience with male sling complications. At least that was the excuse they used. In researching sling issues, many of the issues attorneys were looking to document, were ones I presented. Pain, infections, eventual sling removal, etc...... I'm awaiting a call from another firm right now. Seems there are much fewer male slings as opposed to female & ergo, a dearth of representation. As for the sling I had, the Urologist who inserted it said it was from American Medical Systems & according to records of the surgery I got sent by him. He used 6 screws to install it & had to reposition it after the first insertion & before he sutured me back up as he felt it wasn't snug enough.... I was out on short term disability for six months all told. He wanted me on disability longer but I wanted to get back to work...

Post Edited (Screamin Scott) : 5/15/2015 12:16:45 PM (GMT-6)

Why do you think you are owed something for your situation? Every medical procedure comes with risks. There is no guarantee that any one of us is not going to develop complications from any medical procedure. It's a risk we all understand and take when trying to treat any condition. Maybe you got an infection because your own immune system is weaker than a normal persons and not because of anything the procedure caused. Regardless of what you think you willingly chose to have this procedure and chose the doctors to perform it. You bare responsibility for your situation.

You sound sew happy to me....take a hint from all the law firms that turned you down....you don't have a case and are looking for a payday you don't deserve.

Post Edited (ChrisR) : 5/15/2015 9:27:42 PM (GMT-6)

Oh we could talk all day about surgery complications and infections MDR bacteria, deep draining sinus tracts (not in the nose!) etc. but hopefully all that is in the past.

I know I see ads about the lawsuits for female bladder slings & I presume some of those complications have translated into their male counterparts.

If you are serious, you may want to research what attorneys are involved there and who does class action lawsuits as this could very well be one. Possibly scour the internet for posts from men with this problem too?

Regardless I hope you are doing well now and continue to thrive.

This is triggering a rant in me that I'm going to try to keep somewhat sane. The abdominal mesh issue, to me, reeks of the same PR firm as the breast cancer issue. If one read the papers and watched the ads, one would think that BC is the only cancer out there worth researching and donating money towards. Just as, medical product liability is a huge deal if it injures women, but no biggie if it injures men. Do you see where I'm going? No one marches for PC, no major foundation akin to Komen raises bazillions for PC research (as an aside, have you ever seen the real stats on how much Komen money actually goes to real researchers?).

End rant. Ladies, if you're reading this, I mean no disrespect. I just get irritated by the obvious and pointed sexism of "cancer research". And it's pro-women.

Scott, no disrespect meant whatsoever, I think most of the folks who took the time to respond did think you were referring to malpractice, which points to the wording of your post, as the root cause, rather than members jumping to conclusions.

To re-answer your question then, have you investigated as to whether there are any class actions you could join? That might be a solution. Unless the class actions are all women. In which case you might seek out a medical products attorney who might be willing to attempt getting your case certified as a class action (for men)

Just a suggestion.

To be fair the way you talk about the surgical issues and the screw coming loose it does sound like both malpractice and a product defect/misrepresentation. I think you got pretty good advice already considering this is your first posting and you only seem to be here for your own interests.

Enough.
Locked.