How long can inguinal hernia repair be expected to last

[WasInTN]

ajm222
I had right IH repaired by Dr. Goodyear of PA and it was 3+ years since and I have had no worries. An occasional dull twitch happens once in a while for a few minutes when I sit in wrong posture or twist my legs, and then it goes away. I think it is kind of nerve irritation. I am happy with what I had. If I remember correctly (yes I do), Dr. G said the mesh will stay for a life time. And it is 8x stronger than the original body tissue. I think the mesh is Ultrapro or something like that. Not sure of that exact name but you can find it from Dr. G’s office or website. He even said that when a person with mesh dies, it can be retrieved intact. Anyways…

As I have been saying on this forum and elsewhere, this much I know about IH repair. It happens due to a weakness in your tissue that holds the internal organs. Once that tissue is weak and a bulge forms you have IH and it can get worse over a time depending on your activities. Does a surgery fix it? It is immaterial to know what type of surgery but does it fix it? Sure it does but does it fix it FOREVER? The answer is “Nobody knows.” Why? Because it depends on what you do after surgery. Since surgery fixes the tissue it does *NOT* mean it makes you a superman. It makes you fit for day to day life and usual activities. If you think you can lift the mountain and hurl it towards the moon after surgery, do not even try it because now that the fixed hernia is 8x stronger and since your tissue was weak in the first case you will have hernia in another location (usually the other side). What if you fixed both sides and try to hurl the mountain? The answer is, I do not know and my suggestion is not to try it 🙂 But if you still want to try, I can guarantee you will have hernia elsewhere.

So does the mesh last forever? The answer is “usually yes” but will it break? Yes it can, depending on what you do. Even the most difficult things in life can break down. Like everything else in life, all items have a life span. You can buy a wall clock that will work for 40 years or even 80 years but ultimately it will die and catch up with Murphy’s law. So is the case with mesh. It all depends on what you do after you get the mesh.

My point is this – surgery makes you feel good and makes you almost normal but yes there are limits. How to find the limits? Listen to your body. That’s my 10 cents. And of course I am not medical professional though I have a doctoral degree in biomedical Engg and I do understand from my research how the mesh and the body works. The bottom line is, it helps you but will NEVER make you a superman. There is no such thing as superman BTW. Even the guys who act as supermen in movies are vulnerable to disease and may be even hernias. Even the strongest athletes in Basketball and NFL have the hernias.

[Jnomesh]

They (mesh repairs) are better meant to be permanent-because the mesh sure is. But the fact you are hearing if recurremcess down the line (10 years) should again make you weary of using mesh for hernia repair Bc the mesh itself is meant to be permanent in your body whether or not it does its job of preventing a recurrence or not.