Mom watched her life ‘disappear’ after pelvic mesh complications (26 June 2025)

Summary

Donna Miser considered herself a driven person — active and healthy. As a mom, wife, grandmother and employee, she lived her life to the fullest. She described loving her job, breaking records in her department and working 40 to 50 hours a week. 

That all changed when she had a transvaginal mesh sling implanted. Transvaginal mesh slings, a type of bladder sling often made from synthetic mesh, are surgically implanted through the vagina to support the urethra or bladder neck to treat incontinence. Before 2019, transvaginal mesh was also used to treat pelvic organ prolapse, but the FDA has since banned its use for that purpose.

After receiving the mesh sling, Miser started suffering severe complications such as pain during sex, bloody discharge and a knife-like pain in her vagina. 

She said she felt like a completely different person, watching her life disappear. After her first mesh removal surgery, she gradually worked up to being able to move around for 15 minutes before she was down again.

“One minute I was happy at work, healthy and physically fit. I mean, for being 58, I was 30. Now, I’m 80, and it drives me nuts,” Miser told Drugwatch.

She’s now looking to file a transvaginal mesh lawsuit. In an interview with Drugwatch, Miser shared her painful journey through mesh complications, hoping to help spread awareness and prevent others from suffering what she went through.