Activity

The fact that you have a hernia implies there is a lack of mature strong collagen. It’s not a visual or tactile thing.

Got it, thanks. And I suppose that there’s no way to assess tissue integrity until the actual operation commences?

My (layman’s) theory about how I got it was just putting more pressure on the area than it was designed to handle – I’m a recreational lifter and for a couple of years used a lifting belt. When using it properly (to maximize…[Read more]

Marcy is not a reconstruction, rather a simple closure of a hole. It is considered a valid repair only for indirect hernias and only in children and some women, but not adult males. The repair depends on tissue integrity, which has clearly failed if you have an enlarging indirect inguinal hernia. Patients, in particular males, with inguinal…[Read more]

Thanks, and of course that will determine treatment course. However since different surgeons seem to specialize in different repair types, I want to try and have a clearer idea of exactly what to search for.

Can’t cherry pick one study. The size of hernia, your anatomy, your medical history and risk factors, surgeon experience, etc, all factor in on what is considered best repair for you.

What other pure tissue repair, more appropriate for an adult male, would involve the least amount of cutting/sewing?

Otherwise, what’s currently happening with fully absorbable mesh on indirect hernias? I seem to recall that the one study out there showed about 40% recurrence on direct but near zero on indirect.

The Marcy repair is not indicated for adult males.

I recommend you find a surgeon who can perform a variety of repairs and have them guide you as to their recommendations rather than choosing a repair type that may not be suitable or appropriate for your need.

Thanks! Just watched his talk from Tuesday and it made me feel even better about having him as my surgeon, not that I was doubting that… he is amazing and I am so lucky to have found him after my initial 3 surgeries by a different surgeon failed.

Haven’t heard from him yet so now we wait over the weekend and hope for a call on Monday. The w…[Read more]

Thanks for the reply Momof4, and for getting involved.

Here are some relevant links, below, but the whole site is worth looking through.

There’s a video if you click on “How it works”. I copied the youtube link to it also. It’s worth watching to get a feel for how deep and how far they plan to go. The map is interactive, you can find the…[Read more]

The not getting upset part is hard!! When I am in so much pain and don’t have a plan, it’s a struggle to keep going. I try to be positive and move forward and am fortunate to have a good support system! Dr. Martindale sounds like he will do his best to get you as healthy as possible! Best wishes and keep us up to date! Maybe someone can ben…[Read more]

The collaborative is now the Abdominal Core Health Quality Collaborative, ACHQC. There is no official form associated. The patient advocacy committee is discussing several topics for presentation at the Summit, which has been made totally virtual and spread out over several months. One of the topics to be discussed in June, by the Patient Advocacy…[Read more]

Isn’t there a survey form associated with this effort? What, exactly, are you looking for? What time-frame is the effort looking at? Years, months, weeks?

https://www.arbormetrix.com/results/americas-hernia-society-quality-collaborative

“ArborMetrix dynamically benchmarks performance in real-time, which is crucial for tracking the impact of q…[Read more]

Thanks for the suggestions! We have talked about connective tissue disorders but I don’t have any other symptoms and it wouldn’t change our treatment.

I got a CT immediately and it shows a mess. I have not one but 3 new hernias, the old pig mesh is mallee up in one spot and my abdominal muscles have detached again (I had abdominal wall rec…[Read more]

Mamadunlop,
Oh no, I was hoping no news is good news. Hate to hear this. Dr. Martindale was a guest on HerniaTalk Live this week. It was a great session and he seems very dedicated to helping patients with comples hernia issues, like yours. Why are all the good doctors on the West Coast?!? Ajm asks a good question about whether you have been…[Read more]

I don’t know for sure, but I know most of the studies I’ve seen actually report less and less pain and discomfort the longer you go out. one of course wonders if some of this is just people getting used to whatever pain and discomfort they have and reporting as being less over time, or if it really does subside. one study showed resolution of even…[Read more]