Femoral hernia

[seeker]

I am writing to see if there is any reason why I should consider strongly that a surgeon fix my femoral hernia without mesh. I understand that mesh is the gold standard, but would it be better to try the surgery without the mesh and then try the mesh the next time if this surgery does not last ? Or should the mesh be tried first and then decide to have it taken out if it causes complications? My hernia is caused by an invasive surgery for prolapses done 4 years ago. The femoral hernia(which I did not know was femoral until last week) has just gotten bigger over the past year and a half. And I think I have one on the left side now too. Do woman have good success with this gold standard operation? I have read that thin women have issues with mesh. I am around 115-120lbs and am 56 years old. I am very sensitive to drugs and topical creams and such – I don’t even take Tylenol.

Thank you for advise from surgeons and any women who have had this type of surgery already. I would love to have confidence going into this surgery.

[seeker]

Femoral hernia

As I haven’t gotten any replies (except this strange one above….) I would like to add more questions to my first post. Being aware of my age (56), and that I have a femoral hernia- would a progrip mesh be necessary? Have there been problems associated with their use? Dr Towfigh recommended a light weight mesh for woman of lower weight – also acknowldging there are other variables that may not make light weight always the best choice. Since I am 115-120 lbs, I am concerned about using the progrip, but it is a choice my surgeon will have to make after he knows what he is dealing with during the operation. He wants to use a mesh that will do what it is suppose to do and not risk further hernia reoccurrences.

Can anyone give their advise as a surgeon or as a person who has had progrip used in their surgery? Or who has had light weight used with long term success?

Thank you.

[mela414]

Femoral hernia

Hi seeker. I was hoping for an answer too as I’m in a similar situation. I have a thin frame -90 lbs 5’3.5 inches …so very slender and am 57. A year older than you. My doctor said he was using mesh and I am trusting him to use what he feels is appropriate for me. I wish i had more time to investigate but pain doesn’t allow me. I also wish I had some information to share with you.
I saw the other post and I think it’s a hacker.
Please keep us posted or if anyone has any information to share that would be great.
Mel

[seeker]

Femoral hernia

Hi Mel,

I wanted to check in and let you know that I have spoken to several people and been relieved of my concerns about the hernia surgery and mesh. Mel, the odds are so very much with you that all will go well. Your biggest concern is taking care of this extreme pain and it seems like you are on the right track in doing it.

I will be thinking of you until you report back that all is well.

I wish you the best,
Sue

[drtowfigh]

Femoral hernia

I strongly advise against femoral hernia repair without mesh in the typical patient. It is associated with higher risk for recurrence and significantly more pain. Laparoscopic repair with mesh is considered the standard.

With regard to the Progrip mesh, there is something unique about it–in a positive way. I do a lot of mesh removal for mesh-related chronic pain, and the Progrip mesh has not yet been one that I have ever had to remove.

Trust your surgeon’s experience. You will do great.

[mela414]

Femoral hernia

I had the surgery done Thursday morning. They did it laporoscopically and found a substantial fatty hernia jammed into the right femoral canal. They removed and placed a mesh. They checked the left side and was ok. I also had a small umbilical hernia which he took care of too. My GYN was present for the entire surgery and once the hernia repair was complete they went into my abdomen to check for adhesions and found my bowel
Was stuck to my abdominal wall. They took down that adhesion along with a few other adhesions. I spoke with the surgeon yesterday who felt good about the surgery and said i should feel better.
I was concerned about some leg swelling and expressed that to the surgeon. he advised me to go to the ER of it didn’t get better from walking and elevation. Last night I decided to be safe rather than sorry and went to the ER for an ultrasound to check for clots. My father recently had some DVTs which went to both lungs so I was concerned.
Everything was ok and was able to sleep without that added stress.
I am sore and swollen which is normal. I have some throat and palate irritations from the tube but am doing my breathing excercises and clearing all that stuff out.
The first positive thing I noticed is that i do not have the sciatica pain anymore.
I am resting and hopeful
That each day will get better.
Mel

[seeker]

Femoral hernia

Mel,

It is good to hear that all went well! Even better that your sciatica pain is gone! Thanks for taking the time to let us know.

Sue

[Beenthere]

Femoral hernia

Glad to hear the surgery went well.

I went almost two years in pain with an undiagnosed femoral hernia that was found while fixing another hernia and mesh removal.

[mela414]

Femoral hernia

Beenthere, how are you doing now? It’s only 4 days since my surgery and of course I am having some anxiety hoping that everything will heal correctly. Ive never had hernia surgery before but have had several laporoscopies for endometriosis, adhesions and hysterectomy. Each time u was told everything was ok and then pain would return and somewhere down the road I would need another surgery. My last surgery for adhesions was 12 years ago. That surgery was successful and helped so much with pain until
All this started A few months ago. It took a while
To even get a diagnosis. And that only happened at my own intervention and pushing for MRI and consults with different types of doctors. So when my surgeon says I should be fine now I am a little skeptical in believing him. It’s not good for me mentally but is very realistic. Only time will tell. The healing process is slow so all I can do is take are of myself and wait.
I hope you are feeling well.
Mel

[Beenthere]

Femoral hernia

I had a very fast recovery that I have described in detail on this site. My ordeal started about 6 years ago and over three since my corrective and femoral surgery. The pain is gone and almost 95% movement back on the side with the femoral hernia. Big improvement over after everything went south after my first surgery.

Hope your recovery goes well and as fast as mine.

[mela414]

Femoral hernia

Thanks for reponding. I will look for your post. I’m happy everything worked out for you even if it did take a long time. I guess femoral hernias are less common and probably why they are missed so often. I only started to get the bulge a few weeks ago but the pain started about 5 months ago after an awful bowel movement.

[seeker]

Femoral hernia

Dr Towfigh,

Thank you for your insightful reply.

If mesh is used, are there risks if further surgery needs to be done in this area – say – for prolapses and such. How do surgeons deal with working around mesh in the future if surgery is necessary? Would suture repair be better for this reason?

Thank you.

[Chaunce123]

Femoral hernia

mela, glad to hear your surgery went well so far. Please continue to keep us all updated on your progress!

[mela414]

Femoral hernia

Thank you Chaunce. I guess my recovery is on schedule. I had a lot done. My concern now is that have not yet had a BM in spite of being on a regular diet. My surgery was Thursday October 20 and today is Wednesday the 26. I have cramps and gas pain but no BM. I have been taking stool softeners daily and even started with milk of magnesia Monday night and then again yesterday afternoon. My husband picked up Miralax for me yesterday so if nothing happens his morning I will take it.
Has anyone else had these problems after surgery. I know they gave me a lot of anesthesia. My surgery was 2 hours and they also gave me a lot of drying agents for nausea. I was so dry that I couldn’t speak and my throat and palate were entirely scratched and bruised from the tube. That’s finally starting to heal. The first two days was chicken soup , tea and jello because everything hurt in my throat as it passed over the bruises and ulcerations.
I called my doctors office yesterday and they advised suppository and Miralax if the other things I tried didn’t work by today.
I just don’t to mess up my healing with any aggravating BM.

[seeker]

Femoral hernia

Hi Mel,

Are you taking pain medication still? I understand that they can cause a lot of constipation. I was instructed that I should take milk of magnesium starting right after surgery. So you’re doing the right thing now.

I hope you’re feeling better.

[mela414]

Femoral hernia

Hi Sue,

I was not instructed to take the milk of magnesia. I took Colace twice a day and Gas-X as needed. By day five I took the MOM and called the doctor. They advised me to take MiraLAX which I took this morning and finally had a BM.

I have not been taking painkillers for fear of constipation and making things worse. I only took one pain pill the night I came home from surgery. I have been living on regular Tylenol. My husband once had a fecal impaction from pain medication after a leg surgery. It was so bad that I had to rush him to the emergency room. I definitely did not want to go through that.

I’m slowly getting a little better each day and am going for my check up on Friday with the surgeon. My GYN also called to check in on me today which I thought was very nice.

Are you having your surgery tomorrow? Please keep us posted.

Mel

[seeker]

Femoral hernia

Hi Mel,

Yes. I had my laparoscopic femoral hernia surgery yesterday afternoon. My husband and I got home at 11:00 last night. Unlike you, I had no pain from my hernia going in and I seem to be doing well as far as moving around this morning. I’m taking arnica, icing my stomach and trying to rest between walking. I couldn’t eat anything last night – even water made me vomit. But nausea can happen I understand. Apparently I had a rare reaction to the carbon dioxide and my face blew up during surgery. My eyes are still really puffy today – I look a little scary.

I have been extremely anxious about getting this mesh surgery done. My anxiety got worse and worse as the surgery date approached – I almost decided to put if off the night before. I spent so much time researching and finding an excellent doctor (thanks to this forum!). My surgeon finally told me that I needed to trust him as I would a pilot on a plane – and that put it all in perspective for me. My femoral hernia was not going away and it is one of the hernias that you can least have a wait and see attitude with. Mesh was the only way to fix it properly – period. I was realizing that many of my friends have had mesh hernia repairs and none of them had any issues – and after many years. I believe the forum is great at educating its members on how to find amazing surgeons and in directing them in help for their hernia issues. Unfortunately, I was a reader who became paralyzed in fear at what could go wrong. It is heart wrenching to learn about members suffering from problems due to their surgery. This hernia forum is such a valuable tool – but use it in a positive way – fear is not helpful in any situation.

I didn’t mean to go off on a tangent there.

Thank you for reminding me to keep up on the milk of magnesium. It’s an easy thing to forget but soooo important.

I hope all is going well for you.

Sue

[mela414]

Femoral hernia

Hi Sue
I’m so glad that everything went well. I too had facial
swelling for a few days. Eventually it subsided. I remember getting a lot of IV fluids in recovery and was also told I received IV steroids for the nausea. I also had carbon dioxide for the second part of my surgery when they went into the abdomen to remove bowel adhesions. I guess the anesthesia alone could do that too. Just rest as much as you can and give it time to heal. It’s good that you are walking.
I’m just starting to be able to stand up straight. It has been a little rough for me. I am going for my post op today.

I understand your apprehension with the mesh. I had the same concerns but in the end I trusted my surgeon to make the best decision for me. Dr Towfighs input also helped as she expressed the gold standard was laporoscopic with mesh.

I also had another hernia under it belly button which was repaired. I’m not sure if he used a mesh though. I’ll have to ask today. I think he sutures that one. It feels swollen, hard and painful. I’ll have him check it today.

I wish you a speedy recovery and am happy you put your fears aside and had the surgery done. These hernias do not go away on their own and it is better to have a scheduled surgery. Mine went on for months without a proper diagnosis and I suffered all summer with pain.

Please keep us updated on your progress. I wish you all the best. Did you have your surgery in NYC? I wound up having mine done in NJ because of insurance reasons. The specialist in NYC did not take insurance and I felt I found someone competent close to home that accepted my insurance.

All the best to you.
Mel

[seeker]

Femoral hernia

Hi Mel,

Yes. It was in NYC and I had to pay out of pocket. The hospital was covered tho.

Do you have a binder to wear around your stomach to help stand up straight? The hospital sent me home with one.

I don’t think I was given steroids. Never thought to ask.

You had more done then I did – so your recovery will be different. I was told to wait 3-6 weeks to begin to get back to my baseline and not to get worried during the recovery. But it could take longer. Are you feeling better in any way since the surgery? I hope you’re feeling better in some ways.

How long before you felt the CO2 got out out of your system? It’s really making me nauseous still! Can’t even think of eating. Never considered that I’d have to deal with this. I find it almost more annoying then the surgery aches!

Sue

[mela414]

Femoral hernia

Hi Sue,

No, they didn’t give me anything to wear for support.
I guess everything just takes time to heal. We’ll get there slowly.

I wasn’t able to eat for at least 2 days after surgery. I had tea, jello and chicken soup. I also had pain up to my shoulder blades from the gas. I sort of expected that because of a history with previous surgeries.

I saw my surgeon this afternoon for a post op check. He said healing will take a while. It might take 3 weeks before I feel better and even up to 8’weeks before i feel right.
I showed him the hard lump that started to appear on the right of my belly button that was causing me pain. He said it was a seroma and he tried to drain it by injecting me. Unfortunately, he couldn’t aspirate anything as it had hardened already. He said it could take up to 6 months to reabsorb.

He told me to get out and walk and try to be more active. I told him I felt very fatigued and he said it was common with surgery. I’m doing the best that I can with activity.

One thing that surprised me was the size of the mesh. I didn’t expect it to be so large. I thought it was only like 2-3 inches in size. He said it was about 5.5 x 6 inches. Ughhhh
We talked abut mesh problems and said that shouldn’t be a problem for me. He told me the name of the mesh which I just started to look up online but don’t want to make myself crazy. I already had anxiety after he told me the size of it and before he injected me.

I hope today is better for you. Give it time. Eat or drink what you can today and don’t force yourself. Believe me when your body can handle more food your appetite will return. Sip on some soothing teas.

Originally I was having my surgery done at Lenox Hill before i decided to do it locally. Although the NY surgeon was impressive Im really pleased with surgeon I used here in NJ.

All the best. Please keep us posted on your recovery.
Mel

[drtowfigh]

Femoral hernia

That’s the normal size mesh anything smaller may increase your risk of recurrence

[mela414]

Femoral hernia

Thank you for the reassurance Dr Towfigh. It helps with the anxiety. 🙂

I think the name of the mesh is Marlax.

The other issue I’m having is an allergic reaction on my torso. First it was just up and down my sides where they placed some adhesive tape. Now I noticed it spread to my breasts and torso
And going to my back. Took Benadryl and hydrocortisone cream and will monitor tomorrow.its all these little things with surgery that creep up.
Have a great weekend.
Mel

[seeker]

Femoral hernia

Mel,

How are you doing today? I didn’t realize you got a rash. How long after surgery was this? Is it itchy? Are you moving around a bit better today? I was told to move as soon as possible – so I’ve been walking every hour and going up and down my cellar stairs. I’m not taking any anti-inflammatories (just arnica) so I’m feeling a bit achy – but nothing that’s not tolerable.

I tried to eat a little this morning. I’m actually starving but the nausea keeps me from eating. I have a heavy gunky chest feeling from a reaction in my lungs to the co2 for surgery too. Looking forward to getting past these recovery days.

Hope you’re feeling better!!!

Sue

[mela414]

Femoral hernia

Hi Sue,
All things considered it sounds like you are having a good recovery. I had the junk in my chest too and found it was from the anesthesia. I did deep breathing excercises and was able to break it up and gently cough it up. When I went to the ER the day after surgery they gave me a spirometer which helped a lot. I made sure unused it several
Times a day to clear things out of my lungs.

Glad you are moving about. There were days I was so wiped and in so much pain that I spent the majority of the day resting. I would push myself to get up and walk around the house. It was so funny because I would walk around my dining room table numerous times and my little yorkie would follow me around in circles. Very cute.

What side was your hernia on? Have you been able to move your bowels? It’s important to make sure things move along. It took me 6 days!

I’m glad that your pain is not too bad. Hopefully this is a good indication of a quick recovery.

I actually stopped at the mall with my husband yesterday after I left the surgeon, at his insistence. I’m slowly getting back out. My sister is taking me out later for a little shopping. I’m still very guarded and don’t want anyone banging into my abdomen as it is still sore and swollen but I’m walking a lot better.

I want to stay positive that this surgery will give me the pain relief I needed. My surgeon feels it will.
He said the hernia was substantial in size and was incarcerated. He also took care of the other hernia and adhesions. He said I should feel a lot better once healed. I told him I wasnt blaming anyone but it was ridiculous that it took so long to get a diagnosis and it basically only happened because I insisted on MRIs and constantly cried an complained. I started to call doctors and make other appointments because I knew something was wrong.
At least he gave me some validation and said that my pain was absolutely justified and that he saw the hernia the minute he went it! Oh well….just rambling here. I’m glad I found this site. When I did my first post Dr Towfigh was quick to respond and gave me the confidence in myself to continue along my path. I knew there was something wrong.

Today is a beautiful day out. Perhaps you can sit outside for a bit. Wishing you all the best and continued speedy recovery.
Mel

[seeker]

Femoral hernia

Hi Mel,

The image of your yorkie following you around as you did your table laps made me laugh!

To answer your questions: I had a right side hernia and the ducalox did work!

I’m writing you to ask you the breathing exercises that helped you with your cough. I have this tickle in my throat that causes me to cough so quickly and hard. I think it’s caused by all of this junk in my chest from the surgery. I drink a lot of water and tea with honey, have cough drops, gargle with warm water and salt and take cough medicine. But nothing seems to be helping. It happens enough during the day that I am worried about its effect on my surgery. You can really feel it in that area when you cough. If you have the time to let me know – I’d appreciate it.

How is your rash? Are you feeling any better today?

I’m still having general aches and pains – but nothing to complain about. The nausea has gone away and I am enjoying eating again – even if it is lighter meals for now.

Sue

[mela414]

Femoral hernia

Hi Sue
The breathing excercises I did were easy. I mimicked what it would have been like with the spirometer so i basically breathed in slowly through my mouth and filled my lungs as much as I could. then very slowly exhaled it out through my mouth. I did this 10 times several times a day. It really helped to loosen eveything up. It actually got globs of anesthesia gook out. I even had some dried up blood from the tube. They totally scratched up my throat and palate.

It sounds like you are doing better already. That’s great! Just don’t over do it. you are doing all the right things for your cough. It will slowly get better too. I made sure to brace myself when I coughed or sneezed. I used a pillow in front of my abdomen and still felt it.

I was able to get out again today but had to stop
And rest. My abdomen is still very sore and the seroma I’ve developed near my belly button hurts. I guess each day will get better. I just never thought it would be this involved.

My rash is better. Thanks for asking.

I hope tomorrow brings you a day closer to a speedy recovery. Hang in there.

Mel

[seeker]

Femoral hernia

Mel,

Sorry to be a pest. But I’m feeling a lot of pressure where my hernia use to be. Not pain – just pressure sensations. I don’t feel a bulge – but because of my coughing episodes I worry a bit about messing up my repairs. I’ve gotten the coughing under control with a new cough medicine currently. Just wanted to know if you felt pressure in that area as you recovered. It seems completely natural that I would after having surgery there. I so regret having gotten this nasty cough after the surgery. It was one of my many fears. I’m doing fine otherwise. I don’t want to bother my surgeon as I feel he has kindly responded to so many other inquiries I’ve had along the way.

Thanks again for sharing your experience.

Sue

[mela414]

Femoral hernia

I definatley felt pressure in that area along with swelling and pain. It’s finally starting to subside today. I still feel
Pressure and pain when when I sneeze or cough and have to hold and protect my belly. It feels sore for a few minutes even after the episode. I’m sure it will feel better as the days go on. It’s only been 4 days since your surgery. Give it some time. If things don’t feel right I would call the doctor in a few days. Hang in there. Hoping today is better do you.
Mel

[seeker]

Femoral hernia

Mel,

Thank you. You’ve been such a source of comfort for me in this journey. With all that is going right with this surgery, I can get caught up in the insignificant things.

Sue

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