I didn't know what to do, so I ran away. I left her there.

"That's nothing," says Giselle, Christina's louder, drunker, and more exotic looking co worker.

"Our credit card machines were down one day, and a customer of mine got so pissed from waiting that he threw a fork at me! "Yeah, well, at least no one ever dined and dashed on you," Christina says, trying to one up her friend. "This professional looking couple came into my restaurant with two laptop bags and a lot of files. They looked like they were having some kind of extravagant business lunch, lots of drinks, appetizers, entr dessert, coffee, everything, and throughout their meal, they kept on leaving to go outside and smoke cigarettes. "After they were done eating, they got up one last time to go smoke, and on their way out, they asked for their check. I didn't think anything of it because all their files and their laptop bags were still at the table. Plus they came back every other time they left to smoke. So ten minutes pass, they're still not at their table, but I don't think much of it because I was in the weeds. Next thing I know, 20 minutes have passed, they're still not at the table, so I go outside to look for them. They're gone, I'm freaking out, so I go up to their table, open up their laptop bags, and find telephone books inside. The files were filled with magazines and blank pieces of paper. Their bill was well over $100, and I had to pay for the whole thing." Sounds like the working stiff got stiffed. And as a bartender slides a foamy six dollar Clickkeyword[Hoegaarden+Original+White+Ale]" >Hoegaarden before me, I throw down a ten dollar bill, add two more bucks, and tell her to keep the change. "That was nice of you," says Dale, a friendly but weasely looking 27 year old with a birthmark on his neck. Noting he's wearing a Clickkeyword[Florida+Gators]" >Florida Gators shirt, I ask if he ever had a thankless college job. "I worked at a really small cineplex in Clickkeyword[Gainesville]" >Gainesville, actually," he says with a toothy yet charming smile. "I remember when that Dukes of Hazzard movie came out a few years back, all the rednecks in town came out of the woodwork its opening weekend.

That was expected. But I got a little confused when they kept on asking for nothing but empty plastic cups and napkins at the concession stand. "Turns out they were chewing tobacco while watching the movie and spitting it into the cups. I spent that whole weekend cleaning up nothing but empty Grizzly dip canisters and brown mucus. I still cringe whenever I see Clickkeyword[Jessica+Simpson]" >Jessica Simpson or Clickkeyword[Johnny+Knoxville]" >Johnny Knoxville bad memories." Looking back toward Yard House's transparent keg room filled with barrels, I spot a Simpson esque blonde at a high top table slamming a frilly ruby red grapefruit drink with three girlfriends. So I mosey on over. Amanda, who's 25 years old, blue eyed, and an obvious fan of the Clickkeyword[M%c2%b7A%c2%b7C%2c+Make up+Art+Cosmetics+Inc.]" >MAC makeup counter, doesn't work. "My boyfriend works instead," she says, curling a set of French manicured nails around the stem of a fresh Clickkeyword[Sex+and+the+City]" >Sex and the City ish cosmo like libation as a waitress places similar looking cocktails in front of the BFFs. "I had a really bad experience applying for a job once and decided working wasn't for me." With that kind of ambition and work ethic, Amanda is clearly the Harvard alum, career minded Miranda of this group. "Right out of high school, I found a listing for a $20 an hour receptionist at a massage parlor on Clickkeyword[Craigslist+Inc.]" >Craigslist. During the interview, the owner asked me if I'd be OK with male clients walking around the place nude." "I don't know. Let me ask my parents what they think about that." "He said, 'I really don't think you should tell your parents about this kind of job.' Ends up the place was filled with prostitutes. Can you believe that?! Suddenly, Claudia, a nasal brunette in ankle boots, leggings, and an awkwardly placed waist belt, pipes up. "I'm so jealous that you don't have to work," she says while sloppily splashing an ounce or two of her Miami ice martini onto the table. "I work as a personal assistant and it totally sucks! "Once my boss asked me to shave the back of his neck. It was totally gross! Another time, I wore a Clickkeyword[Ralph+Lauren]" >Ralph Lauren polo to work you know, the kind that has a little horse emblem on the chest." Harlem woman sues after getting herpes from Rihanna Rihanna performs at Barclays Center in New York City earlier this month. A Harlem woman contracted herpes when sampling lipstick at one of the sultry singer's Barclays shows.Related Stories Rihanna teams up with MAC for new makeup collection Rihanna lost $9 million thanks to accountant's bad advice: Court filings Katy Perry ties with Rihanna for most No. 1 singles on Billboard Top 40 charts Drake, Rihanna spotted getting cozy at Los Angeles nightclubShe wanted her lips to look hot not inflamed.A Harlem woman claims in a lawsuit that she got herpes at a Rihanna concert in Brooklyn from lipstick the singer endorsed.Starkeema Greenidge, 28, alleges she contracted the virus when a representative of MAC Cosmetics applied a used tube of RiRi Woo to her smackers.PHOTOS: RIHANNA'S NAUGHTIEST MOMENTS"I wasn't able to work for two weeks. It cost me a lot of money," Greenidge, a waitress, told the Daily News on Wednesday.She said she slapped MAC with the suit in Manhattan Supreme Court in hopes of forcing the company to be more sanitary in the future. The singer actively promoted MAC products during concert where Harlem girl got herpes."This is going to happen over and over again if nothing is done," said Greenidge.RELATED: CHRIS BROWN LIVING WITH KARREUCHE TRAN: REPORTWhen she went to the May 7 Barclays Center concert, she stopped at a MAC popup shop there and let a rep apply ruby red lipstick to her upper lip.The employee instructed her to "press her lips together and spread the lipstick around," according to the suit."(MAC) didn't use a fresh or new lipstick tube, but rather one that had been used for other patrons," the suit charges.RELATED: AMANDA BYNES SAYS CHRIS BROWN BEAT RIHANNA FOR BEING UGLYStarkeema Greenidge's Manhattan lawsuit claims the MAC pop up shop outside of Barclays was where she sampled the lipstick that gave her herpes.The suit contends MAC "should have known . it was unsanitary and exposing patrons to possible spread of disease."Two days later, Greenidge developed a cold sore on her lip that her doctor diagnosed as herpes.Requesting unspecified damages, Greenidge claims the herpes has caused her "mental anguish and emotional distress."RELATED: AMANDA BYNES TO CHRISSY TEIGEN: 'YOU'RE AN OLD, UGLY MODEL'MAC officials could not be reached for comment. Rihanna signed a deal in February to create her own MAC makeup line.MAC officials could not be reached for comment. Rihanna signed a deal with the makeup giant In February to create her own cosmetics line. Her RiRi Woo lipstick was inspired by the singer's favorite MAC red, Ruby Woo lipstick, according to the company's announcement of the deal.The release of the Rihanna endorsed beauty products coincided with the pop and R superstar's "Diamonds World Tour."Editor's Picks Assemblyman accused of accepting bribes by former mistress and chief of staff Hell hath no fury like Assemblyman William Boyland Jr.'s former chief of staff and mistress. Armed with a government cooperation agreement, Ry Ann Hermon took the witness stand in Brooklyn Federal Court Thursday and promptly buried Boyland deeper than the snow piling up outside. "It was love at first sight," says Lisa Amentas, opening one of 50 boxes of roses 300 flowers to a box delivered to Bayside Florist in Bayside, Queens, in anticipation of Valentine's Day.NYPD makes two arrests in Bronx homicide Two men have been arrested in the shooting death of a 25 year old Bronx man who was trapped by gunmen in the lobby of a project building and sprayed with bullets, police sources said. Has everything you need all in one place I have been visiting the apple store in Westfields Stratford great staff :) having a very busy lifestyle I am so impressed with this shopping Centre. Easy to park, 2 hours free parking clean, accessible, polite and professional staff, loving it. A huge asset for the Olympics coming up and the many thousands of visitors will all find something they love here. I would advise picking up a map when you come in as its a big place and take s little time to navigate around. Favourite stores Apple and Mac makeup. Have fun, you'll need a day to get around and truly appreciate and enjoy this beautiful shopping centre. I visited Westfields Shopping Centre with My Parents in March 2012 for the first time. We were all impressed, we do not live in London so we travelled by tube from were we were staying in London. Nearest tube station is White City and Shepherds Bush. We travelled to White City and it was a 5 min walk past the BBC TV Studios to Westfield Shopping Centre. there is cheap mac makeup uk , which is an experience to walk through and window shop unless you are fortunate enough to actually shop there! There are numerous high street shops for everyone else like ourselves. There are plentiful eating and drinking establishments again ranging from Burger King to Searcy's Champagne Bar. There are many areas to rest you feet with small leather seats and big screen TV's. They advertise car parking at 2.50 for first two hours and 5 there after so we making consider taking my the car in future. Heather Meets Barbie This beauty video demonstrates how to create a Barbie Loves MAC makeup look with MakeupGeek. Marlena, aka MakeupGeek, is a freelance makeup artist living in Michigan. Marlena says "Makeup isn't just paint for the face, something to cover blemishes, or even something fun to do in my spare time it is truly my power boost for self esteem.

WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEKEND April 19, 2019  - THE CURSE OF LA LLORONA, BREAKTHROUGH, PENGUINS

Yay! Another week where I haven’t seen any of the new releases! This is what happens when studios offer a single press screening rather than a few options, I guess.

After a rather dismal weekend, this weekend sees the release of a mixed bag of movies that will wrap-up the winter/spring movie season before Avengers: Endgame comes along and just destroys everything else in theaters. This is also Easter weekend and with no schools and many being off work for Good Friday, we’ll see a large bump with most movies being frontloaded for the weekend. (Easter Sunday is usually reserved for family meals, Easter egg hunts, etc, so not as much movie business.)

Beginning on Wednesday, we have two relatively family-friendly films in Fox 2000’s faith-based BREAKTHROUGH  (20thCentury Fox) and DisneyNature’s PENGUINS  (Walt Disney Pictures), again, neither which I’ve seen. The first is a higher-profile faith-based drama that’s being released in perfect timing with Easter, but unlike the movies of PureFlix, I feel that the marketing campaign could bring in a wider audience, especially with popular actors like Chrissy Metz, Topher Grace, Mike Colter and Dennis Haysbert.  Penguinsis another Disney nature doc, this one a cute story about a penguin named Steve, voiced by Ed Helms, and its G-rating will help make it a choice for family with young kids over the holiday weekend.

Then on Friday (or rather, Thursday night) comes the latest horror film from producer James Wan, THE CURSE OF LA LLORONA (New Line/WB), which looks like another solid scare-fest even if the reviews out of SXSW weren’t as strong as the ones for Pet Sematary (which I still haven’t seen!) and Us (which I’ve seen twice). I’m definitely interested in checking it out, especially the work of director Michael Chaves, who has already been attached to direct the next Conjuring movie (although this one is not related).

Opening in 300 theaters Wednesday is the Bollywood release KALANK (FIP), directed by Abhishek Varman, a romantic drama about six characters looking for love in the town of Husnabad, North India.

Also opening fairly wide this weekend is Michael Berry’s adaptation of Riley Thomas’ stage musical Stuck (Eammon Films), starring Giancarlo Esposito, Amy Madigan, Omar Chaparroand Ashanti as four of six New York commuters stuck on a subway car, as they sing their stories to each other. Sounds more fun than what normally happens in New York when the subway car stops between stations.

Apparently, Bleecker Street plans on expanding Max Minghella’s Teen Spirit, starring Elle Fanning, wider, although I don’t have a theater count at this point in time, so I’m not sure if it’s expanding enough to get into the top 10 or how many areas it will be in.

LIMITED RELEASES

My favorite movie of the weekend is Pamela Green’s doc BE NATURAL: THE UNTOLD STORY OF ALICE GUY-BLACHÉ (Zeitgeist), which will open in L.A.  at the Laemmle Monica Film Center then move to NYC on April 26. If you don’t know who Alice Guy-Blaché is then you really need to see this movie, since she was such an important part of cinema history. She was there from the very gestation of cinema in France as the first female director who was making so many inroads into various filmmaking techniques while being mostly ignored by the men in the industry, including those who documented the history of cinema. This is an amazing film to see all of Ms. Guy’s accomplishments, while also being demeaned by a philandering husband who took credit for much of her accomplishments. I was also amazed to learn while watching this film that Fort Lee, New Jersey used to be the hub of cinema in the early 20thCentury before Guy’s husband and others moved to California and set up Hollywood, mainly to get away from paying fees to Tom Edison. This is an amazing doc that I recommend highly if you consider yourself a film buff on any level.

Another great doc opening this week – New York on Weds and in L.A. Friday – is Penny Lane’s new one HAIL SATAN? (Magnolia), which explores the Satanic Temple and its leader Lucien Greaves, who have created a political movement around the ideas that church and state should be kept separate. They do this by raising funds to set-up statues of Baphomet on the same capital grounds where governments have set-up statues of the Ten Commandments. They also do this with a sense of humor that reminds me of The Yes Men, whose own pranks have been documented well in film. Either way, this movie is not what you might think i.e. it’s not a commercial for Satanism as in the type that sacrifices babies. It’s just a group that uses the name of Satan to fight for religious freedom.

Gugu Mbatha-Raw plays a woman who goes on the run after her superpowers are discovered in Julia Hart’s FAST COLOR (Codeblack Films). This opens in select cities this week, and I’ve reviewed it over at The Beat.

It Follows director David Robert Mitchell’s new noir thriller UNDER THE SILVER LAKE (A24) seems to be getting dumped with a quick release in New York and L.A. on Friday before debuting for streaming on Amazon Monday.  I guess the mixed reviews it got at its premiere at Cannes last year didn’t help matters.  It stars Andrew Garfield as 33-year-old Sam who discovers the mysterious Sarah (Riley Kough) in his apartment swimming pool, but when she vanishes, he goes looking through L.A. to find what happened to her. I haven’t seen the movie yet, but it’s looking unlikely I’ll see it in theaters now.

Dame Judi Dench stars in Trevor Nunn’s RED JOAN (IFC Films), playing Joan Stanley, a widow living in retirement when the British Secret Service arrests her for giving classified information to the Soviets for decades. Based on a true story, it will open at the Landmark 57 and IFC Center in New York as well as other theaters and On Demand.

Tessa Thompson and Lilly James star in Nia DaCosta’s feature film directorial debut LITTLE WOODS (NEON), which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last year, at which DaCosta won the Nora Ephron award. Thompson plays Ollie, a North Dakota woman who was once arrested for smuggling prescription drugs across the border, something she gives up until her pregnant sister Deb (James) shows up needing $3,000 to save their family home. I’m hoping to catch it again sometime this week, since I want to give it another chance.

Currently playing on DirecTV and opening in select theaters and On Demand Friday is Fred Wolf’s DRUNK PARENTS (Vertical Entertainment), starring Alec Baldwin and Salma Hayek. Semi-wealthy Frank and Nancy Teagarten are dropping their daughter off at college just before the repo man shows up at their door, so they do some drinking and hold a yard sale as to hide their deteriorating wealth.

Orange is the New Black star Taylor Schilling stars in Laura Steinel’s Family  (The Film Arcade) as career-focused Kate Stone, who is asked by her estranged brother to babysit her ‘tween niece Maddie, as one night turns into a week.

Prolific Korean auteur Hong Sang-soo’s new movie Grass  (Cinema Guild), will open at the Metrograph in New York. It’s a rather talkie piece that involves a bunch of people talking to each other in a café where a young woman (Kim Min-hee) eavesdrops and adds their characters to her story.  I’m generally mixed on Hong Sang-soo, and this one seems a bit more artsy with less of a narrative, but I assume diehard fans will enjoy it.

Wanuri Kahui’s Kenyan coming-of-age drama Rafiki (Film Movement), the first Kenyan film to show at Cannes, will open at BAM on Friday. It follows the journey of Kena and Ziki, two young woman whose fathers are rival political candidates but who have formed a bond of friendship.

Just in time for 4/20 comes Robert Ryan’s doc Breaking Habits (Good Deed Entertainment) about Christine Meeusen’s decision to leave her cheating husband of 17 years with her three kids, reinventing herself as Sister Kate and setting up a cannabis farming business that would become the Sisters of the Valley medicinal marijuana empire.

Also, a reminder that Terry Gilliam’s The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, starring Adam Driver and Jonathan Pryce, is supposed to get a limited release this weekend after its Fathom Events “one night only,” although I have no idea of number of theaters or locations or anything.

LOCAL FESTIVALS

As with every weekend, there’s a lot going on, and in New York, up at the Film Society of Lincoln Center, they’re kicking off this year’s ART OF THE REAL on Thursday and running through April 28. The Opening Night film is Frank Beauvais’ Just Don’t Think I’ll Scream, compiling the thoughts and revelations of the filmmaker. I haven’t been able to get to any of the press screenings, but it usually has an interesting and diverse line-up which you can read more about at the link.

REPERTORY

METROGRAPH (NYC):

Fans of Brazilian cinema will want to check out some of the Metrograph’s new series about Brazilian filmmaker Nelson Pereira dos Santos, which runs from Friday through April 28. The movies range from his groundbreaking 1955 doc Rio, 40º to 2011’s The Music According to Tom Jobim with nine films, few of which have received distribution in North America. This week’s Late Nites at Metrographinclude Sion Sono’s Anti-Porno and Bertrando Bonello’s 2011 film L’Appollonide (House of Tolerance), neither which I’ve seen, but the weekend’s  Playtime: Family Matineesis Disney’s The Love Bug, one of my absolute favorite films from childhood.

THE NEW BEVERLY  (L.A.):

Besides showing Henri-Georges Clouzet’s murder-mystery Quai Des Orfevres on Wednesday afternoon, Tarantino’s rep theater is showing double features of Hitchcock’s Family Plot  (1976) and the thriller Black Sunday  (1977) on Weds. and Thurs, the classic Jack Lemmon-Walter Matthau The Odd Couple (1968) and Robert Redford/Jane Fonda’s Barefoot in the Park (1967) on Friday, then Cheech and Chong’s Next Movie (1980) and Ice Cube’s Friday (1995) on Saturday. This weekend’s KIDDEE MATINEE is a surprisingly recent movie in Universal’s Hop – cause it’s Easter weekend, get it? – and the midnight movies are The Hateful Eight on Friday night and the 1981 John Belushi-Dan Aykroyd movie Neighbors on Saturday. Sunday and Monday are double features of Only When I Laugh (1981) and I Oughtta Be in Pictures (1982). Monday afternoon is a screening of Martin Scorsese’s 1999 film Bringing Out the Dead, starring Nicolas Cage and Patricia Arquette.

FILM FORUM (NYC):

One of the repertory series I’m most excited about since first hearing about it is the Film Forum’s latest series “Trilogies,” which this weekend will show all three of Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather trilogy, and Sergio Leone’s Western trilogy with Clint Eastwood: A Fistful of Dollars (1964), For a Few Dollars More (1966) and The Good, The Bad and the Ugly (1966). This weekend is also the start of Masaki Kobayashi’s The Human Condition, while Monday is a trilogy of films by Jacques Beckere called his “Paris Youth Trilogy,” including Antoine and Antoinette.  Sadly, they don’t seem to be showing Edgar Wright’s Three Cornetto Trilogy as part of the series. :( This weekend’s Film Forum Jr. is the 1985 crime-comedy Clue, based on the board game.

EGYPTIAN THEATRE (LA):

Word came out last week that Netflix is looking to buy the Egyptian, so hope they retain the repertory programming. Thursday is the new restoration of Bjork’s 1990 movie The Juniper Tree, Friday night there is a Brian Yuzna double feature of Society and Bride of Re-Animator, both from 1989 with Yuzna in attendance. Saturday sees a TRIPLE feature of Sam Raimi’s Army of Darkness (1992), Waxwork  (1988) and Fulci’s The Beyond (1985), all in 35mm!

AERO  (LA):

The Aero’s “Classic Movie Clowns” series begins Thursday with a Harold Lloyd-Buster Keaton double feature of Safety Last! (1923) and The Navigator (1924), Charlie Chaplin’s The Great Dictator (1940) plays on Friday, as well as a series of Silent Comedy Shorts (with live music!) on Saturday, as well as Laurel and Hardy’s Sons of the Desert (1933) along with their shorts Brats and Helpmates. Easter Sunday sees a collection of Bugs Bunny and Friends animated shorts and a double feature of Richard Kelly’s Donnie Darko (2001) and Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead  (1981).

IFC CENTER (NYC)

The IFC Center started its spring series last weekend, but I received the info too late to include. This weekend’s Waverly Midnights: ParentalGuidance is Hitchcock’s Psycho, while the Weekend Classics: LoveMom and Dad is Terms of Endearment and Late Night Favorites: Springis David Fincher’s Fight Club.

MOMA (NYC):

Modern Matinees: B is for Bacall this week shows the 1947 film Dark Passage on Weds, Howard Hawk’s To Have and Have Not  (1944) Thurs, and The Big Sleep  (1946) on Friday. Also the What Price Hollywood series continues with Clarence Brown’s 1931 film A Free Soul and Josef von Sternberg’s 1934 film The Scarlet Empress on Weds, the 1939 film Midnight and 1935’s Sylvia Scarlett on Thursday and more. They’re also showing Franco Rosso’s Babylonover the weekend.

MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE (NYC):

This week’s series is See it Big! Action with screenings of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Seven Samurai, Anne of the Indiesand The Adventures of Robin Hood. On Good Friday, the family program is the animated Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.

QUAD CINEMA (NYC):

The Quad continues its Wild Things: The Ferocious Films of Nelly Kaplan this weekend with Charles and Lucie, Néa, The Pleasure of Love and more.

BAM CINEMATEK (NYC):

Thursday ends the The Anarchic Cinema of Věra Chytilováseries of the Czech film star.

LANDMARK THEATRES NUART  (LA):

This Friday’s midnight offering is Panos Costamos’ too recent to be repertory Mandy, starring Nicolas Cage.

STREAMING AND CABLE

Streaming on Netflix this week is Jennifer Kaytin Robinson’s SOMEONE GREAT, starring Jane the Virgin’s Gina Rodriguez as an aspiring music journalst trying to get her dream job at a magazine, even though that would mean moving to San Francisco. Her boyfriend of nine years (Lakeith Stanfield) decides to break up so she and her two best friends (DeWanda Wise, Brittany Snow) decide to go out for one last adventure in New York City.

Vaginal mesh has caused health problems in many women, even as some surgeons vouch for its safety and efficacy

Regina Stepherson needed surgery for rectocele, a prolapse of the wall between the rectum and the vagina. Her surgeons said that her bladder also needed to be lifted and did so with vaginal mesh, a surgical mesh used to reinforce the bladder.

Following the surgery in 2010, Stepherson, then 48. said she suffered debilitating symptoms for two years. An active woman who rode horses, Stepherson said she had constant pain, trouble walking, fevers off and on, weight loss, nausea and lethargy after the surgery. She spent days sitting on the couch, she said.

In August 2012, Stepherson and her daughter saw an ad relating to vaginal mesh that mentioned 10 symptoms and said that if you had them, to call a lawyer.

“My daughter said, ‘Oh mom — you have every one of those,’ ” Stepherson, of Tyler, Tex., recalled.

Vaginal mesh, used to repair and improve weakened pelvic tissues, is implanted in the vaginal wall. It was initially — in 1998 — thought to be a safe and easy solution for women suffering from stress urinary incontinence.

But over time, complications were reported, including chronic inflammation, and mesh that shrinks and becomes encased in scar tissue causing pain, infection and protrusion through the vaginal wall.

Katrina Spradley had a vaginal mesh implanted in 2008. Years later, she started having physical problems. A physician discovered that the device had eroded through Spradley’s vagina. (Terry Spradley)

Katrina Spradley, then 49, was about to have a hysterectomy in April 2008. She said that she told her physician that she also had urinary issues — every time she would laugh, cough or sneeze, she would leak urine. It happened so often that she would wear sanitary pads. A urologist was consulted and determined that implanting vaginal mesh at the same time as the hysterectomy would repair her bladder problem, she said.

Spradley, of Dawson, Ga., also had endometriosis — a condition resulting from the appearance of endometrial tissue outside the uterus that most commonly causes pain (painful periods, heavy bleeding, pain with sexual intercourse). And so, when after the surgery, she began having stomach cramps, she thought that was the reason. Physicians told her there was nothing wrong, she said.

In 2011, a urine test she took for her truck-driving license showed blood. Later, while having sex with her husband, his penis got scratched a few times. It took a visit to a physician with her husband to detail his discomfort to find mesh eroding through Spradley’s vagina, she said.

Chrissy Brajcic, a Canadian who struggled for four years with persistent infections following a mesh implant, became the face of mesh victims with a Facebook page. Brajcic died in December 2017 from sepsis at age 42.

About 3 million to 4 million women worldwide have had mesh implanted to treat urinary incontinence and prolapse, said Shlomo Raz, professor of urology and pelvic reconstruction at UCLA school of medicine. About 5 percent — or 150,000 to 200,000 — of those have complications, he said.

“But when you have complications, it’s hard to treat,” Raz said.

Among the complications: chronic pelvic pain, erosion of mesh into the vagina, incontinence, obstruction, pain in the groin, hip and leg, and pain during intercourse. Raz also believes, based on his experience, that 20 to 30 percent of the complications are what he calls “lupus-type,” causing runny nose, muscle pain, fogginess and lethargy. He bases this on the fact that, after removal, the patients are cured of these complications.

“If you remove mesh, and lupus-type symptoms disappear, the mesh is responsible,” Raz said.

Michael Thomas Margolis, assistant clinical professor at UCLA, has removed more than 600 mesh slings in patients since 1998. He has served as an expert witness on polypropylene mesh in lawsuits for plaintiffs and most recently for lawsuits filed by the states of Washington and California.

“I have never implanted through a woman’s vagina a polypropylene mesh or sling system ever, because of the complications,” Margolis said. “I had concerns when they first came out — but my concerns were the tip of the iceberg.”

Once the damage is done, it cannot be corrected, Margolis said.

The American Urogynecologic Society (AUGS) and the Society of Urodynamics, Female Pelvic Medicine and Urogenital Reconstruction (SUFU) support the use of polypropylene slings for stress incontinence. Their joint statement says that “Polypropylene material is safe and effective as a surgical implant.”

Raz and Margolis disagreed. Raz, who said that many of the AUGS physicians who wrote the positive position statement were his fellows, said: “I don’t agree based on my experience. I found that in the long run, we have created a monster, planting mesh in young women — some of them you can never cure.”

Margolis said that many of the authors of the AUGS and SUFU joint position statement “receive substantial money from mesh manufacturers.” He also said: “I have been a giant thorn in AUGS’s side. They should at least acknowledge their financial conflict of interest.”

According to the AUGS board of directors website, some of the directors do have financial interests in companies that make mesh.

Dionysios Veronikis, director of female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery at Mercy Hospital St. Louis, who has removed 250 to 300 mesh slings a year, said that problems result when a mesh is not implanted properly. He also said that women need to see a surgeon who does many of these surgeries. Their patients have fewer complications, Veronikis claimed.

He also said that “some of the [mesh] products have helped many women.”

“The slings I do, although synthetic, have helped many women,” he said. “I put the sling in differently. I don’t follow the instructions that are outlined because I have a unique skill set that allows me to make the operation fit the patient. I don’t make the patient fit the operation. That is the flaw. There is no one size fits all, and not every woman wears a size 7 shoe.”

Two years ago, Roxann Bentz was 67 and had a cystocele (prolapsed bladder) and some urinary incontinence. The Bucks County, Pa., woman researched physicians to repair the problem. Bentz, a registered nurse, was aware of poor outcomes and found a surgeon who specialized in the procedure. “I knew he had done many of these,” she said.

Bentz, an active woman who enjoys biking and canoeing, said the recovery was fine, and she has had no problems since the surgery.

Raz, who said he has removed 1,800 mesh implants in the past six years, said vaginal bacteria creates a potential for chronic mesh infection and pain in some patients, and mesh should not be used in the vagina.

“We took patients with pelvic pain and mesh complications and those without pain. We removed four segments. All of those with pelvic pain were positive for live bacteria in the mesh,” Raz said. “Those without pain had no DNA positive for bacteria in mesh.”

More than 100,000 lawsuits have been filed against makers of mesh, according to ConsumerSafety.org, making it “one of the largest mass torts in history.”

In October 2016, a judge upheld a $14.3 million jury award for three women who were injured by a Boston Scientific mesh device, and in 2015, Boston Scientific announced a settlement of $457 million for 6,000 mesh lawsuits.

Kate Haranis, a spokeswoman for Boston Scientific, said the company stands behind its products and noted that “Nearly one million women have been successfully treated with Boston Scientific Urogynecologic mesh and our pelvic floor therapies are supported by more than 60 clinical publications.”

Lawsuits have been filed by the states of Washington, California, Kentucky and Mississippi against mesh maker Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary, Ethicon, saying that product marketing should have provided more detail about the risks. They accuse the company of deceiving physicians and patients, and say the mesh has destroyed the quality of life for some of them, according to the Associated Press.

In response, 63 surgeons in Washington wrote a letter in December to state Attorney General Robert Ferguson denying that they were misled, and expressing the concern that the lawsuit would “eliminate the mid urethral mesh sling as a treatment option for women in Washington.” This, they said, would have a negative impact because the sling is standard surgical treatment for stress urinary incontinence.

Jeffrey L. Clemons and two other physicians who signed the letter disclosed they had been retained by the defense, but that they were not being paid nor receiving any assistance.

Ethicon called the lawsuit filed by Kentucky “unjustified” and said “the company plans to vigorously defend itself against the allegations.”

Among the more notable settlements: In April, a New Jersey jury awarded $68 million to Mary McGinnis for her debilitating injuries caused by a mesh made by medical device company C.R. Bard (Mary McGinnis v. C.R. Bard, Inc.). The company said it would appeal, and that McGinnis was aware of the risks.

Endo International settled 22,000 mesh lawsuits in 2017 for $775 million and said its president and chief executive, Paul Campanelli, called it “a very important milestone for Endo to have reached agreements to resolve virtually all known U.S. mesh product liability claims.”

In 2008, according to the Food and Drug Administration, “the number of adverse events reported to the FDA for surgical mesh devices to repair POP [pelvic organ prolapse] and SUI [stress urinary incontinence] for the previous 3-year-period (2005-2007) was ‘over 1000.’ ” The agency said the complications included mesh erosion through the vagina, pain, infection, bleeding, pain during sexual intercourse, organ perforation and urinary problems.

From 2008 to 2010, the FDA received 2,874 reports of complications associated with surgical mesh. The FDA’s literature review found that erosion of mesh through the vagina is the most common and consistently reported mesh-related complication.

According to a study published last year, all surgical meshes in the United States were cleared by the FDA’s 510(k) process, “in which devices simply require proof of ‘substantial equivalence’ to predicate devices, without the need for clinical trials.” The study also said that “recalled meshes associated with adverse effects may, indirectly, continue to serve as predicates for new devices raising concerns over the safety of the 510(k) route.” The authors conclude that improvements for regulation are “urgently required.”

An FDA spokeswoman said that the agency is making improvements. The agency reclassified surgical mesh in 2016 for transvaginal pelvic organ prolapse (POP) repair from Class II (which includes moderate-risk devices) to Class III (which includes high-risk devices). “FDA is reclassifying these devices based on the determination that general controls and special controls together are not sufficient to provide reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness for this device, and these devices present a potential unreasonable risk of illness or injury,” the final order reads.

In addition, the agency is, “issuing postmarket surveillance orders to 34 manufacturers who had cleared 510(k)s for transvaginal repair of pelvic organ prolapse,” the spokeswoman said. As a result of the FDA’s actions, she said, “all manufacturers ceased marketing of surgical mesh intended for transvaginal repair of posterior compartment prolapse (rectocele). Only three surgical mesh products intended for transvaginal repair of anterior compartment prolapse (cystocele) remain legally marketed.”

The FDA is also planning an advisory meeting on Feb. 12 to share evidence and expert opinion about the safety and effectiveness of transvaginal mesh.

Margolis said removing mesh that has scarred into place is like trying to remove bubble gum from hair or rebar from concrete.

“I have seen women with their vaginas essentially mutilated. So scarred and disformed as a result of the chronic inflammation and scarring from the mesh as to be left with a nonfunctional vagina or dysfunctional bladder and urethra,” Margolis said. “When tissue, the vagina, bladder or bowel is damaged enough, no surgeon can fix the tissue past a certain point — and I see that with great regularity, even after mesh was implanted years before.”

If women are concerned about complications because of a mesh, what should they do if they are plagued by stress incontinence or prolapse?

There are nonsurgical options, such as Kegel exercise and pessaries, that can help with stress incontinence, Margolis said.

Raz and Margolis prefer slings made from organic, biologic material such as tissue or tendons from their own patients.

Margolis also said that the Burch procedure, a surgical procedure in which the neck of the bladder is suspended from nearby ligaments with suture is excellent, but noted that it, too, can fail.

Vaginal mesh is no longer being used in Australia, Ireland and Scotland. In July, the United Kingdom instituted a temporary ban while long-term damage is assessed.