stellar

Doc diagnosed me with a ( Unilaterial recurrent inguinal hernia). Refered me to a surgeon. My doc said I need surgery. Haven't seen the surgeon yet, but will on Tues. I despise any surgery, but I know I need it. I can't do much right now or it becomes aggravated. Can anyone tell me what I may be in for as far as surgery and recovery? Thanks.

olds 307 and 403

I assume this is a normal hernia, I got a month, 6 weeks would have been better. Fairly painful recovery.

RROLDSX

I can't tell you how long your recovery will be but I can tell you you need to take your painkillers as prescribed. You need to have the pain medication built up in your system to do it's job. If you feel good and get all macho without it you will suffer later.

don71

I haven't been through this. Couple of friends have. No exertion or much heavy work for awhile. I understand the hernia gets pushed back in and a mesh reinforcement might be used also. All this done with usually a small incision. You don't want to strain your self for quite some time afterwords, this also means the necessary work in the bathroom. Be sure and ask the Doc about all that. Wish you the best.

farmer52

Can't help with the details but if in doubt get a second opinion. If surgery is the answer, follow the doc's orders. A hernia operation is not something you want to mess up. If you don't follow the doc's orders, you may need another one...ouch X 2! Winter is the best time for recovery, get someone to shovel your snow (and rebuilding alternators, etc.). Wish you the best.

m371961

best wishes. good luck. prayers. Merry Christmas

MDchanic

Very standard, generic, run of the mill problem and solution - bread and butter job for any general surgeon.

If you've got concerns about general anesthesia, it can usually be done awake with a spinal.

These days it's generally done laproscopically, with three or four ½" incisions and tiny tools.

The problem is that the tough fibrous tissue at the floor of your abdomen has a natural hole on each side for the cables for your cajones to pass through. In some people this tissue has a flaw and can stretch and tear, which can be made worse by anything that increases the pressure in your abdomen (like heavy lifting), and can develop into a hole large enough for your intestine to sneak through. In bad cases, you can cough or pick something up and wind up with a loop of intestine keeping your boys company downstairs, which you can usually return by lying down and pressing just right.

In most cases, this can be just left alone if it doesn't bother you, but since it usually does, it's gotta be fixed.
In the good ol' days, you could get a truss, which is a sort of a wacky padded belt with an arm coming off of it and pressing a pad directly over the magic spot just below the beltline where the problem originated, but that was never a very good solution.

The funny thing about these is that the bigger they are the less severe they are - a small tight hernia can trap a loop of bowel in it, cutting off the blood supply, causing severe pain, and death if not released, while a large "sliding hernia" and a sack full of guts is darned annoying, but perfectly safe.

The modern repair procedure, in which a mushroom-shaped plug of Teflon mesh is pressed into the hole and sewn in is permanent and stronger than the original, BUT you MUST follow the post-op instructions to rest extensively and allow your body to heal the repair in, in order for it to work. This usually means 6 weeks on the couch AND THEY MEAN IT. If you're a tough guy and push it, the whole thing cna rip out. If you do like you should, it'll never bother you again.

Here's some information:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-c...e/ovc-20206354

- Eric

stellar

Oh boy I hope I can handle the pain as I don't like taking pain meds. It looks like the hard part is going to be NOT being a tough guy. It is hard for me to do nothing, and I have a lot to do.When I broke my ankle and ripped ligaments and tendons, they did surgery and put in a plate and screws (very painful) ( refused the morophine drip and took nothing) ( made them release me a day early)and told me to stay home for 8 weeks. Well I went straight to work from the hospital and didn't even go home. I sure don't want to screw up and have to do it twice. I have a few restoration jobs started for guys with judged show cars and I hope they can wait, or I may try being a bit of a tough guy. Thanks guys, I'll baby this as much as I can.

wr1970

I hope all goes well. Don't over do by not following doctors advice. The result could be having even more surgery. Have a good holiday.

Koda

Exactly follow the doctor's advice. Like **** retentively.

Be careful taking a dump, don't push it. Ask the wife to help you pee because the doc said no heavy lifting...har har har.

marxjunk

ive had a couple friends go thru it..a laproscopic procedure and they have said not too bad... but it was hard to stay still for a month..and for a week they really needed the meds

if youre an old guy get the spinal if youre afraid of anesthesia...as said..but with a spinal you get to experience everything..and that may be a little disturbing...but shouldnt be all that bad..

but its very routine and dont let it get ya spooked, theres been millions done...with good results...

jharsh

I have had 2 operations for hernia's and I can tell you you'll be much happier once its all over. You will definitely be sore for several weeks, and do take the meds. Follow the doctors advice, and I would say keep a pillow near you for the first few weeks. If you feel you need to cough put the pillow over your gut and bend over into a fetal position. It is amazing how painful a simple couch can be, but bending over will relax the stomach muscles and make it a little better.


Good luck, and I am sure you will feel much better afterwards. So much so that you really need to be careful and not do to much to fast.

stellar

Thanks for the advise, I will follow the suggestions from you guys. I'll let ya know how things go. I don't have a surgery date yet. I think I'll pass on the spinal and let them knock my **** out. I hear a spinal can cause bad headaches. I can take a lot of pain as long as it isn't above the neck or below the ankle. When I was 19 I got run over by a tractor trailer in New Mexico On I 10 . I was riding from Pittsburgh to Tucson and was pulling over when he ran me over. I had killer headaches until my late 40's. I don't want that anymore.

MDchanic

Sounds wise.

And remember, a hernia operation (unless it's incarcerated) is entirely optional ("elective"), so you can schedule the surgery whenever it's good for you, weighing the discomfort you've got now against the timing of the break you'll need to take.

- Eric

RROLDSX

Speaking as a former rough and tough guy, I have had several surgeries and most of my family and friends are or were involved in health care, I'll say it again, take the meds! Spinal epidural can be painful getting and it my case failed. Also, take the time to recover. You owe it to yourself and those you love. At this point you have nothing to prove. I wish you all the best and a complete and fairly painless recovery.

TripDeuces

Had this done back in my 20's. The worst part about it was not being able to leave the hospital until I had a bowel movement. After five days of eating and tons of pain killers I was so damn constipated it took 3-4 hours to go.
Also, I don't know what kind of pain block they are going to use on you but I had a spinal. If you do have a spinal you'll be warned not to sit up afterward. Of course I didn't listen to this advice being young and dumb and was sitting up, standing etc. for the whole 5 days. The following week I had migraines that lasted for the entire week and was totally incapacitated the whole time. Never left the bed for a week.
Maybe things are better now but follow instructions as stated to the letter.
Within a month I was able to do sit ups again so the recovery period isn't outrageous.

Dave26

I just had the surgery 6 weeks ago....no pain....no pain meds needed...the hardest part was not doing anything. My doctor said the younger guys have more pain....only advantage of getting old.

stellar

Now this is waht I was wishing to hear. Did you have mesh put in, and did your testies or pecker swell and get discolored?

Dave26

I did have the mesh (think that's standard) My doc did standard incision about 3 inches...a good amount of bruising...lots of ice and tight support....I bought compression shorts from Dick's (no pun intended)
Good Luck...relax for 6 weeks

steverw

I had both sides done in 97, out patient surgery. For 3 days it hurt like hell! but only when i had to sit up or get up from a chair, couch, or bed. Or if i coughed...LOL IT HURT BAD! I was 42 at the time, they used the mesh. Day 2 a female friend came over and i managed to "enjoy" her visit with no problem, day 3 another female friend came by and gave me a shower...LOL Hey i just might need this operation revised. By the way i was a single guy at the time. Having surgery can be fun, kind of.
Good luck and take the pain pills if you need them, no since in suffering.

stellar

It looks like I should start looking for some female friends.

stellar

What a nightmare. 3 weeks post op follow up visit today. Looks like doc screwed up. He said he may need to go back in. I get to wait 2 more weeks and then get a ctscan if it doesn't look better. Then go back under the knife. I have a bigger bulge now than before I went in and it is hard as a rock with numbness in the area. It has been that way since day of surgery. Very painful day of surgery and the following day. Tolerable after that. Nuts and pecker turned black and swollen . Scared me. Lasted about a week. Ok now. I hate the thought of doing this again. Looks like I will be unable to do much worthwile for a few months. I'm pissed.

MDchanic

Holy crap. WTH?

I can see some swelling and bruising - that's normal with all kinds of surgery, but you're not supposed to have a bigger lump.

This is very straightforward, repetitive surgery, and it's unusual for it not to go well.

Do they know what's in the lump now? Is it blood? Fat? Scar tissue?

Damned annoying, not to mention painful.

I'm sorry to hear it.

- Eric

jozw30

Yikes! Hope that gets all straightened out for ya!!

I'm a year after my surgery, and I sill have numbness and a tearing feeling where the mesh is. Seems to be getting less often and a little less severe, but this was nowhere near simple or routine.....I remember literally crawling on all fours to the bathroom the first three days.

Doctor told me about 20% have permanent pain from this procedure.

Oh, and took the pain meds for one day and then the constipation caused even more misery two days in. Never again!

I feel your pain........get better!

marxjunk

dude..see another doctor...that is not normal..see an attorney also..

i just dont understand why people go back, thats obviously a serious complication..find another doctor...please..listen..get another opinion..theres no do-overs when it comes to surgery..especially something so routine

stellar

I think I will call him tomorrow and get a ct scan set up as soon as possible, then make a decision from there. I would think another doc would want to see a scan to make a qualified diagnosis anyway. He said he wasn't sure what is was like fat reherniated or scar tissue. He said maybe a hemtaoma. It was like that from day one so I don't think scar. No discoloration so I kind of doubt hematoma. He said he felt nothing when I coughed so hopefully not reherniated. All I can hope for right now is some fat slid out. Since I weigh a whopping 150 pounds I need all of that where it belongs.

MDchanic

Fat is no big deal to manage, so long as the hernia itself is repaired - they can generally just snip it out - sort of a quick liposuction.

Blood is quite possible, and if it's deep enough under other layers, there may be no discoloration or bruising on top of it. It is generally reabsorbed over a period of months with no harm done.

A CT should help, but sometimes just sticking a needle in and seeing what can be drawn out is quite effective - the only problem with that is that it can introduce germs, causing an infection, and making things worse than they were before.

- Eric

stellar

Thanks Eric. I will let the doc see the scan and let him tell me what he sees. I may still get another opinion. Maybe it is blood, afterall my nut sack and pecker turned black and blue and were swollen. Like you said maybe there is some blood trapped under there. I sure don't want to get cut again.By the way the incision is healing nice, Not a problem there. The bulge is below the incision and just at the base of my pecker.

stellar

I'm going to bed and let this filter through my subconscious.

2blu442

Sorry to hear of your problems. A friends husband went through this in December and he's doing OK now. I hope your able to get it resolved soon!

wr1970

Damn sorry to hear things did go to well. I am hoping this gets resolved and you get better.

oldcutlass

Hope all turns out well.

stellar

My wife told me to inform the doc of a metal plate and screws in my ankle. Would this be a problem for a ct scan of my groin area? I will tell the doc anyway just to be sure.

MDchanic

Metal will not bother the CT scanner (though if it's right nearby, it can cause reflections which blur the picture).

It's MRIs that you have to worry about with ferrous metals (but non-magnetic metals, such as titanium, are fine).

- Eric

Olds64

Hopefully you have a speedy and painless recovery if they decide to do surgery again. Definitely scary going under the knife.