Mesh is placed on the outside of the abdominal wall in traditional hernia surgery…Because it is placed closer to the surface of the body, many patients complain that they can feel hernia mesh after surgery. There are nerves along the outside of the abdominal wall that can occasionally get entrapped in the mesh in that area, which can cause chronic pain and cause patients to feel hernia mesh after surgery. People who have a mesh plug used to repair their hernias often feel the mesh plug.  While it's not always painful, some chronic pain issues al likely due to the shape and location of the mesh plug.'