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Chronic Pain after Hernia Surgery in April 2011
Hello, This is my first time writing in a forum but I don’t know what else to do. I’ve read many articles mentioning Dr. Towfigh, specifically one mentioned in the New York Times. My mom had pain in her lower left quadrant back in Dec.2010 and she was told to get a Colonoscopy. Well the Colonoscopy was normal. She was then diagnosed with an inguinal hernia and had surgery in April of 2011 (no mesh accroding to the surgeon). She hasn’t been the same since. We’ve been going to doctor after doctor and specialist after specialist since the surgery with no solution. She has been diagnosed with Pelvic Congestion Syndrome and Chronic Pelvic Pain. She has had who knows how many CT Scans that show nothing but enlarged veins in the Pelvic area and Cysts. She has never been able to get an MRI because when she was diagnosed with Pelvic Congestion Syndrome a veinal embolization was done on her which required the Dr. to place metal coils in her pelvic area. Her pain persists mostly when she has to have a bowel movement and when she is walking for a long period of time. She’ll get sharp shooting pains in the exact spot where she had her surgery. Like needles are constantly stabbing at her in that hernia surgery area. Then she’ll get really bad leg cramps that sometimes shoot down her leg. Sometimes when she is finally able to pass her stool, it comes out with a dent in the middle of it. She tries not to eat much because she can’t stand the pain. I don’t know what to do for her. I just keep researching the internet to find out what is wrong with her and i keep finding your articles. I just want my mother back. I hope you can help me with my mother’s situation.
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6 Replies
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Chronic Pain after Hernia Surgery in April 2011
Great. Please keep us updated. And if you’re happy with your surgeon, please provide names so other locals can also get help.
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Chronic Pain after Hernia Surgery in April 2011
Just wanted to update that the surgeon my mother saw a few days ago has agreed to performing surgery!! It’s been a long almost three years that we’ve been trying to get doctors to listen to us about her pain and we finally found one that actually listened to my mother and doesn’t think she’s crazy. He’s positive it’s related to her hernia surgery from April of 2011 and said if he there is a hernia in there he’ll be able to see it. Her surgery is set for March 17. I’ll update when that day comes.
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Chronic Pain after Hernia Surgery in April 2011
Thank you for your responses. I really appreciate your help. It seems as though every time my mother has a CT scan done she is in a position where it doesn’t catch the problem, however, every time a dr. places pressure on the hernia repair scar, she feels so much pain. We do live in a somewhat rural community in Northern Nevada and haven’t had any success with any of the local doctors so we’ve been going to the University of Utah Hospital, which is where the veinal embolization was performed. She has an appointment with a general surgeon at the U of U tomorrow, who has some experience in lapaorscopy. This is the fourth surgeon she will see about her problem. They all want to just send her to a Gastroenterologist. It seems to me that they are not doing a thorough investigation into her medical history. I mean she’s been dealing with this since 2011 and here we are in 2014 with no resolution. Hopefully this new surgeon will listen to her and be willing to do some kind of exploration to put this issue at rest. I don’t know what else to do for my mother. I’ve never been so disheartened with the medical industry as I am now. I guess we will just have to keep going to surgeons until we can find one that will be willing to do an exploratory surgery. Thanks again.
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Chronic Pain after Hernia Surgery in April 2011
Sounds like it could be a hernia. A surgeon skilled in laparoscopy can do an extra peritoneal exploration and repair any hernias. Sounds like hernias can be the cause of pain. Not sure why you’re not being offered a repair. Cystitis is a different problem.
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Chronic Pain after Hernia Surgery in April 2011
Good Morning and thank you for responding so quickly,
My mother has had numerous CT scans performed since her hernia surgery and i guess her enlarged veins in her pelvic area were the only thing every doctor was noticing. The technique the vascular cardiologist used to perform the veinal embolization in January of 2012 was a minimal invasive surgery where he went in through a vein in her neck area to insert the metal coils. He told my mother he couldn’t guarantee it would resolve her pain but it was worth a shot to see if that was what was causing her pain. He concluded that the Pelvic Congestion Syndrome (PCS) was not the cause of her pain so he ruled out the PCS and referred her to a Gastroenterologist. She ended up seeing more than one Gastro Dr. and they’ve pretty much said it’s not a gastro issue. They just want to keep prescribing her depression medication along with pain medication. As of right now we are working on finding a surgeon that is willing to open her up to see what’s going on but unfortunately she is not having luck. I will say that the most recent CT scan performed is showing signs of some kind of lining of the bladder. She also had a second Colonoscopy performed a month ago which came back normal. A hernia specialist she recently saw had her get one done as well as the CT scan and after seeing the results of both it sounds like she’s leaning towards cystitis. As far as the pain that radiates down her leg, it does indeed radiate around her back and into her vagina. If she doesn’t eat, she’s fine, but who wants to live like that. Thanks again for your time. -
Chronic Pain after Hernia Surgery in April 2011
Hi there.
Sorry to hear about your Mom. You had a legitimate concern to consider hernia as a cause of her pain.
I wonder what was found in the OR and also exactly what technique was used to address it.
Pelvic Congestion Syndrome is a real entity and is usually diagnosed by MRI or venogram. Was that performed prior to the coiling?
And does her pain radiate down her leg, around her back, into her vagina?
These will help figure out your Mom’s problems and hopefully work toward a cure.
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