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Bilateral Inguinal Hernia. Should I have key hole?
I have had my inguinal hernia on my right side for the past four years. The lump comes and goes. I recently had an ultrasound to find I had it on my left side too although you can’t see a lump. I get zero pain from the hernia. I have spoken with my surgeon and he seems like a surgeon I can trust. He thinks if I were to choose surgery I should choose the key hole option. I have to decide very soon as I did schedule a surgery date for this Wednesday but I’m having second thoughts due to having the mesh inside. I don’t want to have another surgery finding out that I could possibly suffer from chronic pain. Having a foreign material in my body doesn’t fill me with joy and it’s the main reason I don’t want to go ahead with it. I know I’ll be paranoid about it being there.
I plan to travel a week after surgery and the doctor didn’t seem to think that was a problem but it does worry me taking a long haul flight. I am extremely active and I lift heavy weights at the gym. Having two months off will be hard!
I need any advice possible because I am 50/50! Thank you!
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3 Replies
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This is a discussion best made with your surgeon, who examines you, understands your daily activities, bases the risk assessment and surgicalrecommendations on your needs.
I agree that tissue repair may not be the best choice for athletic, muscular patients (e.g. Weightlifter, football player). But thin athletes who need maximal flexibility (e.g., ballerina, Yoga instructor) may benefit from tissue repair only. The size of the hernia and other risk factors also help determine best suitability for mesh use.
Watchful waiting is also a safe decision for men. We don’t have data for women but think the same is true.
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Have you asked the surgeon about chronic pain and his success rate with patients? I myself am in the the same situation, however, I only have a right inguinal and will need surgery soon. I have a big list of questions I’ll be asking two surgeons close to me that have quite a bit of experience with hernia repair. I would also ask your surgeon(s) if they perform non-mesh repair, and if they do, how many they have performed. There is always the Shouldice hospital in Canada as an option for non-mesh repair. There are also a handful of doctors in the states that perform other types of non-mesh repair such as modified shouldice and desarda. You can find names by googling. Your best bet is to ask your surgeon for advice given your anxiety, as I’m in the same boat. From what I’ve learned on this forum, most people do fine with mesh but it’s definitely a hard decision. Pleas keep us updated on your progress and what you choose.
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As far as chronic pain goes.. there are other factors to a successful surgery. Weight, Wether u smoke, constipation. U need to make sure ur surgeon does plenty of hernia surgeries specifically the type of surgery u are going to have. It doesn’t seem like the hernias bother u to much so why not get another opinion
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