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Does my Grandma have a hernia
Hi Dr. Towfigh,
I have so much respect for you and have read a lot of information singing your praises on hernia diagnosis. I live in Saskatchewan Canada (ever heard of it) and my sweet grandma is in excruciating pain. She has been from one doctor to the next trying to diagnose this intense left groin pain she is having. Long story short they have told her it is something she will have to live with. Finally a specialist she met with just today said “wow that really sounds like a inguinal or femoral hernia but unfortunately it’s not, because it isn’t showing up on the CT scan she had 2 years ago.” thats as far as it went but from my background as a nurse the whole femoral hernia thing just clicked to me and I am convinced that is what it is. She has now been referred to the chronic pain clinic and has been told she is at a dead end. She is such a vibrant wonderful lady and I don’t think she deserves to be in such pain, especially if it is indeed treatable with perhaps a somewhat simple laparoscopic surgery. Im reaching out for any sort of advice. How do I proceed to advocate for my Grandma. What test should I advocate for? Thanks for your time -
9 Replies
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Does my Grandma have a hernia
CT scan is a poor study for small inguinal hernias. If it doesn’t show anything then a really high quality dynamic ultrasound or dynamic MR pelvis is needed.
Read this:
http://archsurg.jamanetwork.com/Mobile/article.aspx?articleid=1893806
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Does my Grandma have a hernia
She could definitely have a hernia that is being missed on CT scan. I had CT scan and multiple MRIs that didn’t show a femoral hernia on the left and two hernias in the right, one with nerve entrapment that was very painful. I know Dr. Towfigh has said repeatedly that a lot of times the scans are just misread by someone that is not very familiar with hernias in women. Don’t give up and just live with the pain becaise if it is a hernia, it can be repaired by a specialist. I hope you find answers soon. It is a very frustrating process! Best of luck.
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Does my Grandma have a hernia
Thank you
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Does my Grandma have a hernia
A second opinion would be reasonable. Unfortunately groin pain can be quite complex to figure out. Sometimes pain management can help. Other studies that can show a hernia include ultrasound and upright MRI. And, yes, a hernia may not show up on a CT.
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Does my Grandma have a hernia
She’s been through the ringer trying to figure out this debilitating pain. Has seen multiple different specialist who just can’t figure it out. This general surgeon said hernia and that’s when it clicked for me but then the CT didn’t show one so he said there is no where to go from here. Will the hernia for sure been seen on CT if it’s not bulging at the time of the exam? She is having poor quality of life so we hate to just give up.
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Does my Grandma have a hernia
Ya he did look at the actual images and a radiologist did as well. That’s why they said it’s not a hernia and we are at a dead end.
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Does my Grandma have a hernia
He should look at the actual images, not the report. You may have to bring him the scan on a cd. You will need a surgeon who is comfortable reading the scan.
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Does my Grandma have a hernia
I appreciate your reply. She did see a surgeon and he did mention for the first time her symptoms seemed a lot like a hernia but he said nothing was showing up on her CT from 2yrs ago (she was having the pain then too) so he said it can’t be. Would he for sure be able to see it if it was really small?
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Does my Grandma have a hernia
She very well may have a hernia. She should be seen by a surgeon with an interest in hernia. The surgeon can look at the CT images and her hernia is probably visible. Radiologists frequently do not mention small, fat containing hernias in their reports because they are so common.
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