Hello November! What's New: Transvaginal Mesh, Doctors, Court Cases

Jane Akre

Hello Everyone and welcome to Mesh Medical Device News Desk, also known as Mesh News Desk.

Please let us know what you'd like to see here in the future. We are a small newsletter dedicated to getting information out and "Putting a Face on Adverse Events" associated with transvaginal mesh. Mesh is also used for urinary incontinence and hernia repair. Since a July 2011 FDA warning (here), litigation has ensured and now there are about 60,000 cases filed around the country and consolidated in federal court in West Virginia. Still, the media is largely ignorant of mesh and mesh injuries as is the medical community. It's appalling to hear women told by their doctor that their mesh injury is in their head and they should go to pain management. Is that a permanent way of life?

A couple of things are in the forefront now - Mesh News Desk is entirely dependent on advertising and sponsored columns as well as any reader donations.

Let's get creative to keep Mesh News Desk alive and kicking and focusing time on research, not fund-raising. Here are some ideas:

* Research ~ Your editor, Jane Akre is an established journalist with a long track record. See About Us or my Wiki page entry. Have a long-time journalist, there are also opportunities, besides advertising, to have Mesh News Desk and its research associates, provide verified research concerning transvaginal mesh for your purposes.

* Sponsored Column ~ Your law firm wants to communicate to a large number of its clients. What better way then to write a sponsored column to place under the legal column on page one! (Writing services are available as well for busy professionals). Our social media experts can echo the voice through the internet outlets to drive others outside of the immediate reader community to your column. It is a win-win and much for effective and targeted than a $300 press release sent out to the web. Contact me or Aaron Horton, media coordinator, to discuss these options. See Sponsor Rate Sheet here.

*Advertise ~ Advertising is welcome and promises to be seen by your directed audience. See our rates here.

Please let us know if any of these options will allow us to work together in a mutually beneficial arrangement. A mention to your law firm about these options would be much appreciated!

After saying he wanted to move things along quickly in the courts, the federal judge in charge of the multidistrict litigation, Judge Joseph R. Goodwin, has allowed there to be a gap in the cases against C.R. Bard. The first case of Donna Cisson began in July, while the last case of Jones won't be heard until December 3. Mesh News Desk keeps a close eye on the courts and provides links to documents so the public can understand legal theories and is updated on cases. However, we also rely on very smart readers to also peruse those pages. Some of you have become very adept with your Pacer accounts (access to courts ten cents per page) and it is much appreciated!

Since the recent story on Dr. Twiss was so successful (See Twiss-Pt One and Twiss-Pt. Two) , I plan to interview other doctors who are having some success with mesh removals. There are so few of them around the country that we need to highlight them and fast! Please be prepared with questions to ask any doctor who says he or she can remove mesh. I'm sorry to say but the few who are successful at complete removals say that the partial removals or a snip in the office makes a full removal later much more difficult and may even worsen your condition.

As always, this is NOT a lawyer referral service and emails of patients will not be shared. As always, if you have legal questions, please confer with an attorney and for medical questions the information here is not intended to substitute for advice from a medical professional.

Stay well and stay in touch!~ Jane Akre, Editor Mesh News Desk