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Hernia or Psoas?
Hello!
I’m still debating whether or not to have surgery for small, hidden, inguinal hernia. The pain is intermittent (i.e. a few days of significant discomfort followed a week or two of almost no pain). The pain is a pinching, pulling aching from the pubic bone to the hip. Sports and activity do not generally provoke pain so my life is not really limited per se – I’m just chronically uncomfortable. On bad days, I feel lousy. I lose my mojo and feel convinced that surgery is the right thing. But then it passes and I think (particularly after reading statistics and stories…) that I would be foolish to risk my relatively OK quality of life.
With hopes you can help me (and others) weigh my symptoms versus the risks, I have a few more questions:
– According to the Manual of Groin Pain recommended by (and with contributions from) Dr. Towfigh, “preoperative groin pain predicts an increased likelihood of postoperative chronic groin painâ€. Can anyone clarify why this is so? Is it because groin pain is more often caused by something other than the hernia (as was told to me by one surgeon). As groin pain is a common symptom of hernia – and one of the main reasons for risking surgery – it’s something of a conundrum!
– Is intermittent pain typical of hernia? If so, would you say this is because pain is felt when the piece of tissue is lodged in the canal causing pressure – and relieved when it is not?
– Is bladder pressure a typical symptom of a small hernia? If so, is it because the bladder is literally being pressed upon or would this likely be a referred nerve issue?
– Is it possible that a hernia will become less painful when the hole gets bigger thus relieving some pressure or is it more likely to get worse as it progresses? (I seem to have pain less often than I did two years ago).
– Would nerve blocks be a viable alternative to surgery in some cases?
– And finally, is fatty tissue in danger of strangulation – or just bowel or bladder?
Many thanks.