All three editions of the folder are now available in the webshop
Looking for a surgeon? Access any of the Facebook groups mentioned here to ask around for your region!
I have created a folder that lists side-effects and complications of surgical clips. It mostly describes the same issues that I wrote about in my Medium post but in a way that is more pleasing to the eye and easier to scan/skim for information.
Three editions, 34 research papers
I have created three editions: One ‘formal’ one in English, and two ‘informal’ ones in English and Dutch.
They reference 34 research papers and quote or paraphrase the medical research on side-effects and complications. (Looking for the research? Check the webshop! The full list of research papers is shown in the product details!)
Where to get one?
Go to the webshop
Where to ask questions?
Have additional questions? Please contact me via this form, I’ll get back to you via e-mail.
Motivation
In 2018, a complication of surgical clips (sterilization clips in my case) started to arise for me, that was misdiagnosed. One of the reasons for this misdiagnosis, is my mental health issues (complex PTSD) were exacerbated by the surgical clips in the form of anxiety attacks. I was telling myself I was making it all up. Another reason was my doctors not knowing that a tubo-ovarian abscess can present without fever and without elevated white blood cell count (or rather, juuuuuuuuust above the norm) and can grow slowly over a matter of months or even years. They were telling me that I was making it all up.
I have joined several Facebook groups where men and women are trying to figure out where all their vague physical symptoms are coming from. They question if their surgical clips or sterilization clips are at the root cause.
Many patients are encountering doctors who are unaware of potential side-effects and complications of surgical clips, sterilization clips or other implants. Patients who present with rashes. Others have burning sensations inside their body. Or anxiety or depression. And some have severe pain. Or in my cause, nausea, loss of appetite, severe weight loss, vaginal discharge, abnormal bleeding and a ‘cyst’ on ultrasound…
Some doctors point blank refuse to listen to patients’ attempts to explain the (often long!) list of vague symptoms they have. Some doctors are adamant that surgical clips and devices are inert and can never cause issues. There are of course also doctors who are genuinely interested in new research and who would be very much open to hear from their patients.
There is medical research concerning illness from device migration, foreign body responses, abscess formation, allergies, autoimmune disease and mental health issues. This is not to say that the root cause cannot be some other medical issue.
I personally feel that patients and doctors will benefit if a more complete overview of possible complications is available. A good diagnosis is critical for the safety and well-being of the patient. Ruling out surgical clips and implants (sometimes perhaps empirically by removing them) is in my opinion a crucial step to take. But now we’re back in opinion-territory. Let’s take a step back: The folder contains no opinions or speculation, it quotes directly from medical research papers for an overview of sometimes rare, but very real potential complications and symptoms.
I created the folder I wish I had had at the time of my illness. I hope it helps someone out there.