Ella Ebaugh on Struggling in Silence

‍Mesh Medical Device News Desk, October 16, 2017 ~ Ella Ebaugh recently survived a grueling five-week trial against Johnson & Johnson over the complications from two of her pelvic mesh implants. Jurors awarded her a record $57 million, the highest jury award so far in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.  

There are more than 130 cases set to be heard in this venue over pelvic mesh, most of them naming defendant Johnson & Johnson and its Ethicon medical device division, all of them claiming the pelvic mesh products are defectively designed.  Some meshes have even been removed from the market, but not all, even the ones found to be defective.

In the case of Ebaugh, the TVT-Secur is off the market in a quiet removal by J&J, but the TVT remains sold and implanted in women. It is called by medical societies "The Gold Standard."

Her case has been appealed by J&J. Ebaugh reminds us here that money does not return a quality of life.

Jurors decided the TVT and TVT-Secur Ebaugh received led to her life-altering and permanent injuries.  Ebaugh tells Mesh News Desk that despite the verdict, the suffering goes on.

"I pray and support all my mesh sister’s and their husband that stand by our sides as we suffer every day with these horrific defective mesh devices that were implanted in us to treat what was suppose to be a minimally invasive surgery for stress urinary incontinence."

"I had 2 mesh devices implanted in 2007 to treat my stress urinary incontinence. Several years later the mesh eroded into my urethra and bladder. I’ve had several surgeries to try and remove the mesh. I suffered various injuries including extensive scarring to my urethra, intrinsic sphincter deficiency, chronic urinary tract infections, excruciating chronic pain, dyspareunia."

"I have anger towards J&J/Ethicon because we introduced evidence during my 5 week trial that proved J&J/Ethicon intentionally manipulated the literature regarding problems with the mesh and withheld information about complications and injuries from doctors."

"I suffer with psychological torment, fatigue because I wake up every hour to go to the bathroom, severe depression because of my excruciating pain and the burden to my family, I have no desire to go on, grief knowing I can’t do the things I use to do, anxiety when leaving the house because of having accidents, brain fog and confusion, guilt because I can’t visit family and friends.  I use to be very social, not anymore."

"I say I’m okay even though I’m not it’s just easier that way. This is why I struggle in silence."

"I have a teenage son that still needs his mom so I keep everything inside so I don’t worry him. I struggle every day to get out of bed. It hurts to sit, it hurts to stand and it hurts to walk this mesh has ruined my life. My urethra is mangled I have bladder spasms, I can’t control my urine flow like most women. Minor daily task takes me all day. I was called fat, ugly and lazy and that hurts. Just because you can’t see my pain doesn’t mean I’m not in pain. I don’t want sympathy or attention I’m just trying to go on so I can see my son graduate."

"It should be a crime that J&J/Ethicon is allowed to get away with ruining so many lives for their own greed."

"I had a wonderful team of lawyers who believed in me and a wonderful jury of 12 that unanimously found J&J/Ethicon liable for their defective mesh."

"I was awarded a large settlement but no amount of money can take away my pain and loss time with my family who I love dearly. I probably won’t see any money in my lifetime because of all the appeals."

"I just pray that all my mesh sister’s and husbands get their day in court. Nobody should have to endure this excruciating pain for the rest of their lives. If you are lucky enough to get a trial date, be prepared for the defense lawyers to make you out to be the bad guy instead of the victim. I’m so thankful that I had pictures of the mesh in my urethra and bladder because mysteriously my treating doctors didn’t have them. Please don’t let anybody tell you your pain isn’t real. Your pain is real. I see a psychologist who is working with me on finding a new normal which is one day at a time."

"Please keep fighting because if we don’t the bad guys will win."

"God Bless and Good Luck my Friends."