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Do I dare consider trying to improve with a fourth surgery??
Hi all – I had mesh implanted in Feb. 2017. Had it removed by Belyanksy in Feb. 2021. Then had Belyansky do a tissue repair in Feb. 2023. Since the tissue repair, I don’t appear to have any signs of a hernia (and wouldn’t really expect to, at least not yet – sutures were absorbable, though), but the area is tight and as if there is a lot of scar tissue, and my right testicle is constantly sore to some degree or another. That’s the worst part – that testicular tenderness and adjacent deep soreness. Worse after sitting long periods of time, better with standing and movement. Touching the right testicle on the side leads to tenderness. The area also feels a little weak. I haven’t been able to run comfortably for years. At any rate, I have been pretty stable in the last year and a half but these things persist with little to no change. Considering I am 48 and have a lot of years left, I am wondering if I should eventually consider being examined yet again to see if anything can be done about these lingering issues.
My mentality up until now has been that any more surgeries will just make things worse. And after getting an SSRI I have been able to worry about it less. But recently I’ve been wondering if at some point I should see if there’s anything that can be done about the soreness I continue to experience. Belyanksy suggested it may simply be a new normal given all the surgeries. I noticed GI had recently said he might have Kang try and remove his remaining fragment of mesh, suggesting after years he still struggled. But I also just saw the update about getting better, and I am wondering if maybe in another 2-5 years, if I leave well enough alone, maybe this soreness one day will subside to a degree I can live with. Right now doing most anything involves some discomfort and is a bit of a chore.
I don’t expect imaging would be able to determine exactly what’s going on, but maybe. Just curious if Dr. Towfigh thought it might. And whether anyone thought maybe best to just plug on as-is.
I haven’t posted in ages or even visited the site because it’s so hard to navigate, but felt for some reason today like asking this.
Thanks
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8 Replies
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Doesn’t sound like you would need surgery. I would get a dynamic MRI to rule out recurrence. Short of that, you may benefit from Botox injection if the repair feels right. If you have testicular sensitivity a cord block may help. None of these are surgical and may help you while your body is naturally trying to remodel your scar tissue.
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Thank you!
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You might consider stepping over in to a new silo. The hernia repair people will only be thinking about neurectomy, most likely, if they have any ideas at all. Dr. William Meyers of the Vincera Institute has some unique views on core pain and treats many professional athletes, he might be worth talking to. Linked below.
I sent a letter and my MRI images back when I was considering mesh removal and got a very considerate reply. I heard about him on one of the running forums, apparently he treats many runners along with big-time professional sports athletes. They might/should have some knowledge of rehabbing from mesh removal, since they do remove mesh and many of their patients need to get back to their high performance levels quickly. Maybe they can accelerate your improvement without surgery. Consultations are free. Good luck.
vincerainstitute.com
Core Health Treatment & Recovery Clinic | The Vincera Institute
See why The Vincera Institute is a leading practice for the treatment and recovery of core muscle injuries, often mistakenly referred to as sports hernia or groin injury.
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Good suggestion. Maybe I’ll start there. Thanks.
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Hi ajm222,
Have you had a dynamic ultrasound or MRI to check if there’s a hernia?
What kind of mesh surgery did you have originally? Was it open or laparoscopic?
It’s common for surgeons to tell you that symptoms that persist for over 6 months or a year will not improve or go away. However, in my personal experience the situation may still improve. I’ve had symptoms similar to yours after a Shouldice procedure, and they improved around two years after the surgery. They didn’t resolve, but they’re better.
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Hey there! I haven’t anything since the tissue repair except an exam by the surgeon a month or two after. But most of the symptoms pre-dated the most recent surgery. I don’t think the deep soreness is a hernia. That has been a constant since the original mesh surgery. In fact, the most relief I had from that ironically was when I re-herniated a year and a half after the removal surgery! That’s why I am thinking scar tissue and some sort of neuropathy. Though again it’s not sharp pain but tenderness and soreness.
That’s very encouraging to hear both your story and GI’s about improvements many years later. I do think that eventually pain and discomfort fade over time even when physically not much else changes. I think some people because of anxiety or other predispositions can sort of keep the pain response active much longer than the average person. I have certainly experienced this in other parts of my life, and I definitely have the personality type.
I guess I was curious because I’ve heard of some success with scar tissue removal in some cases of pain or sort of a cleaning up of a surgical area. But again, any time you go under the knife anything is possible, and if you are predisposed to being more sensitive to pain, it may in fact improve the scarring but create new pain.
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ajm22,
In my case, the scar tissue kept remodeling and softening for a very long time. It got noticeably softer at two years, which was also when I had the improvement in symptoms.
With an additional surgery, you are likely to get more scar tissue, not less. Unless the surgeon has a clear good plan of what they’ll be doing in there once they open you up again, I would be very reluctant.
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Very interesting. Hopefully something similar will happen to me. I’ve got about three months left until I hit two years. I expect if I’m lucky it’ll take a little longer in my case at least. I do worry more surgery is just as likely to complicate matters. Thanks.
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