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But. If you do decide to go ahead and have it done, I would ask the surgeon if they have actually talked to patients who’ve had the materials and techniques the surgeon is currently using, after 6 months to a year, and heard the patient say that they were happy with the results. Not results from older methods and materials, because change is being made based on potential benefits not proven benefits. And every surgeon has a different method. So you can’t even compare materials and methods. I’ve only found a few people who will say that they’re happy with the results of their hernia repair. I think that there are probably many many people who aren’t but have just accepted their new diminished life. Because there’s nothing that they feel they can do about it.
There are pretty sizable communication barriers between patient and doctor these days. If I want to talk to mine, I have to call his answering service. They deliver a message. If he wants to he can call me back. Or he can ask me to come in for an appointment. That means waiting one to two weeks, then paying a copay, then getting 15-20 minutes of time.
In short, just ask for proof that what the surgeon is going to do to you actually will make you better. It’s a very reasonable question.