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pain with activity after repair 3 years ago
Thanks in Advance
I had a left inguinal hernia repaired in January 2014 using a open incision using a proloop plug, after I was released back to work i would have days where if I worked hard and or lifted something heavy I would have pain. Over the years it has gotten to where I was having to take pain pills more often and then earlier in the day, On 2-27, I went to see the general doc (workers comp) because I was at the point I needed to get something going on fixing it. After his physical exam of the area he claimed it was inflamed and had me take 1000mg of naproxen a day as a anti-inflammatory dosage. That night the pain was worse and sense his initial exam the pain level basically doubled or tripped from a nuance to unbearable at times, went back and had a ultrasound which was negative. missed work for pain one day and then was taken off of work due to a 20 pound lift, 20# push/pull limit. Was refereed to a general surgeon who saw me and ordered a CT, well results were in yesterday and nothing found on my left side. However they found a small inguinal hernia on the right side with some fat protruding. When I asked about potential mesh failure or problems he dismissed it without a second thought. He offered to give me a shot to see if it changed the pain. Well no changed and bit of extra soreness from the area.
He did offer to look for scar tissue if he went in to repair the right hernia. my issue is after all of this I have no real direction at what could be causing my pain. The GS wanted to refer me to a pain specialist. I just really want to have a true diagnosis. and options for the repair on the right side. which I have felt the pain from time to time, but is often masked by the pain on my left side.
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5 Replies
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Nothing to add or answer to your post and not trying to hijack. But I had the same thing as you – increased pain drastically after a physical checking for a hernia (I too was told to take pain meds that didn’t help!)
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I am sorry to hear about your discomfort.
What part of the country are you located? Perhaps someone can recommend a regional expert on hernias, hernia recurrence, and related issues.
The anatomy is very complex and unfortunately there are fewer true experts on the topic than there should be, so unfortunately that may mean traveling to find someone with appropriate expertise.
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Here is the link for Proloop, so that you know what is inside you.
If you look through the past threads, make sure to read Chaunce1234’s posts. He has a good list of surgeons who will remove mesh, if necessary.
http://www.atriummed.com/en/biosurgery/Documents/009966-PROLOOP.pdf
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Here is a link to Atrium’s web site. If I post too many links I might get blocked.
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I suggest that you spend a lot of time searching and reading about hernia repair mesh problems. There are many different forums out there where people describe their own situations. It’s difficult to tell how widespread the problem is, and there is some uniqueness to each person’s problems.
Your Proloop Plug is from Atrium, a company that is an example of how far out things have become in the mesh repair world. Atrium has a variety of “solutions” including, for example, a run-of-the-mill polypropylene mesh which they have coated with Omega-3 fish oil, a food supplement. The FDA has apparently approved this odd material as a bona fide hernia repair material. Not to make you more nervous, but your situation is kind of unique and the company whose product you have is not one of the big ones. The Proloop product is essentially a bundle of polypropylene fibers which are placed in to the hernia defect, apparently to encourage tissue ingrowth, creating a plug of polymer and human tissue. The directions for use are very much like those for a tubeless tire patch. Insert product in to hole, fasten with suture.
If I were you I would find a surgeon who does mesh removal, and also repairs hernias. As you’ve found, many will discount mesh problems with little thought. You need to find one who is broad-minded and experienced. You’ve had the product inside you for over three years. Obviously, to the open-minded doctor, something is changing, it might be the mesh. To the narrow-minded doctor, it can’t be the mesh.
Good luck. Keep researching and reading. Unfortunately, you’ll probably have to make a very impactful decision on your own, based on what you learn. You’re out of the main stream.
I’ll try to post some links to Atrium’s products in following posts.
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