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  • Complication after open meshless repair

    Posted by Côme on May 29, 2024 at 9:09 am

    Hello,

    My small indirect inguinal hernia on the right side was repaired almost 4 months ago without mesh in the minimal repair technic (a Shouldice variant as far as I understand, that doesnt cut the cremaster muscle).

    Around the second month, I had a minor (?) complication : ingrown hairs on the scar site, like 12 ingrown hairs in 2 waves over a period of 2 month. At first, the surgeon told me to just put compress with saline water to help them break. I did, but some inflammation (and infection ?) was obviously going on. After a while, I had a dermatologist check it, she removed all the hairs and since then the scar “seems” fine (but still reddish).

    When it happened, I could feel it was spreading and I got some pain / inflammation in the whole area up to the the crest of the iliac bone and inside the belly. I slowly started to have a permanent side stitch/weight (bearable but always present).

    Around 1 month later, I started to have constipation until it became very bad (almost total obstruction). Before that, my bowel movements were normal again (since the surgery).

    I took a few shots of magnesium chlorides to make it move. Went to see a doctor who gave me some light laxative (macrogol 4000) and nothing else. After a few days I noticed small dry blood clots in the stools.

    I got an ultrasound check but they couldn’t see where the pain was because of the stools inside. Everything else was fine including the hernia repair.

    The surgeon is reacting very defensively, saying there is no way it’s related to the surgery because he doesn’t operate inside. The last doctor I saw told me it might be adhesions and recommended a scanner.

    My questions :

    – Have you ever seen adhesions after an open repair with mesh ?

    From what I understand it is common in laparoscopic and others methods where they go inside the peritoneum. But I couldn’t find anything about it happening with open repair…

    Any advice or feedback is welcome.

    • This discussion was modified 6 months, 3 weeks ago by  Côme.
    Côme replied 6 months, 3 weeks ago 2 Members · 2 Replies
  • 2 Replies
  • drtowfigh

    Moderator
    May 29, 2024 at 10:02 am

    – highly unlikely and unexpected to have any intraperitoneal injury with an open tissue repair

    – even with laparoscopic repair, adhesions are uncommon

    • Côme

      Member
      May 29, 2024 at 2:09 pm

      Thank you, doctor.

      The blood check came back and it shows nothing, no sign of infection or inflammation on blood level.

      The only thing I know is that if I stop the macrogol 4000, bowel movements almost entirely stop and it gets ugly. And then there was some blood. And it all started when the wound got problem with many ingrown hairs. 2 days ago I also had some vertigo and my blood pressure dropped to the lowest limit (10.6).

      I never ever had any digestive issue my whole life before, it was working like clockwork. Neither vertigo.

      I’m hesitating on the scanner because I don’t want to take 10 days of radiation in that sensitive area for nothing…

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