-
Kang vs. the German surgeons part 2
Folks…first thanks so much for all the input here..especially thanks to Watchful…for his in depth research and analyis…As i recover from my removal surgery and prepare for further repair surgery I am determined not to make any more mistakes. As our friend William Bryant is fond of saying—this area is a complete minefield….I made the right decision to remove my mesh with Dr. Belyansky–he is clearly the best in the world at lap mesh removal…but now the jury is still out on who the best tissue/multi modality surgeon is. Contrary to Watchfuls assertion…i have yet to read a single negative report about Dr, Kang in terms of outcomes. I know that doesnt mean there havent been any…but I even chatted with a korean guy who poured over his reviews in korea and found zero negatives…that almost sounds like Desardas claim he never has recurrances…but still I think its helpful information. Watchfuls post about Dr. Conze got me digging into his stuff…he sure looks impressive. But now Peter C surfaces with some critiques of the work of dr. msucheweck. Unlike this FB groups this forum does not have a files section…which would be incredibly helpful…the top tissue and removal doctors could be listed and folks wouldn have to scroll a bazillion threads to get answers…in the end…you have an inguinal hernia…you dont want mesh….it seems like Conze may be the best option if you have a complex case–for instance recurrance after mesh removal…Kang is right up there too in my view…and certainly the most customer service friendly physician i have encountered….William Bryant…i know you are a fanatical researcher as well…can you tell the group which way you are leaning to get your repair? I think the shouldice clinic is not the place to go anymore…even Bruce Rosenberg who I understand gets paid to refer people there says it has changed significantly. So who is the new king of the mountain…your go too pick if you have a hernia? Would love to hear from folks along with any reasoning they have. Forget the distance…forget the cost…focus solely on the surgeon who will likely give you the best outcome…sadly it seems like there are only about 15 people on this forum…we need some more….
-
14 Replies
-
If your hernia doesn’t hurt then just watch and wait. Hernia surgery with or without mesh can cause chronic pain. I’ve talked to a surgeon that said he has a hernia the size if a quarter but it doesn’t bother him, he’s had it 12 years. That says something right there, another surgeon said he only does hernia surgery for people that lift weights or the hernia becomes the size of an apple. And when anyone is going to get a hernia fixed go to a hernia specialist. Ask how many they done, if they can do suture repairs and what kind etc. Some surgeons act like it’s a walk in the park but it’s far from it and can change your life especially with mesh used. Crazy how mesh especially polypropylene is never ever supposed to be put in the human body ever! It’s a foreign body to our body and our body trust to fight it off and then scar tissue grows through the pores, the mesh isn’t blocking the hernia is what people don’t get the scar tissue it produces is.
-
Thanks Watchful, I don’t know how youve found all this but glad you did. Although it’s a shame youve found some negativity about Dr Kang. Up till now I wasn’t aware of much. Again there doesn’t seem to be any surgeon with near 100 percent. Probably more chance seeing a mermaid or unicorn.
-
Since we’re talking about reviews…
When I was researching where to go for surgery, I did ask a Korean colleague to look up reviews on Korean sites of hernia surgery at Gibbeum. He found a total of 18 reviews, and said that most of the ones he found were good.
One complained about initial pain, but this resolved later. One complained about feeling pain toward the end of the surgery, but was satisfied with the results.
There were 2 that complained about recurrence after hernia surgery there. One was on Google Maps, and one was on Kakao Maps. My colleague said that one of these reviewers (the one on Google Maps) said that 2 out of the 4 people he met at the hospital were also there for recurrence after surgery at that hospital.
We also have a recurrence on this forum (Pinto).
I didn’t actually read these reviews myself. This is what my colleague reported. My understanding is that the name of the surgeon at Gibbeum wasn’t mentioned in these reviews reporting recurrence, so I guess it could have been Dr. Kang or his son.
Take it for what it’s worth – you never know with on-line reviews.
-
By the way, you can check their Google reviews as well.
-
The good and bad reviews you see there should be legit. It is true, however, that they have a high bar for bad reviews, so assume that you don’t see the full picture of bad reviews. Still, the good reviews tell you a lot.
-
I hadn’t heard of Jameda but apparently, accordingly to posts on Reddit, it’s one of those sites where doctors and surgeons can apply to get bad reviews taken off and also some fees can ensure good reviews No idea if that’s true but someone said they’d seem good doctors with bad reviews and bad doctors with good reviews so it may not be very accurate. Who knows.
So much of this is hard to establish the truth. I’ll try and see if any hernia talk posters have had good results with any of those 3 surgeons… I don’t recall reviews like we’ve had of Drs Kang, Yunis and Shouldice for example. It would be good to find some.
-
That’s strange. I talked to all 3 of them and didn’t see any indication of anything unprofessional, but my partner wasn’t there, so I wouldn’t be able to say about that type of thing…
I spent more time with Lorenz and Conze, and had very elaborate and detailed discussions with them. They were very patient and friendly, and were well-aware that this is not some minor thing. They seemed to take hernia very seriously and be well-aware of what could go wrong and how to minimize the risk of that. It was clear they like this field, and Lorenz loves training the next generation of surgeons in this field. They both do research and keep track of their results in the database. I spent less time with Wiese, but had a very good impression of his competence as well, and he has great jameda reviews. He does a very large number of Shouldice surgeries as well as other hernia surgeries.
-
Thanks Watchful, I think the surgeon who seemed interested in my partner was one of the 3 you listed, I’m sorry to say. He may have been trying to lighten the mood. But I thought it unprofessional.
He also said it’s major to patients but just another case to the surgeon!!!
Put me off a bit, probably true but no need to articulate it like that.
-
William,
You seem to be looking at all the wrong Germans… I already narrowed it down – check my recommendations.
I would follow the advice of your consultant and wait. Just monitor the situation. If you see it growing or it starts bothering you more, then consider pulling the trigger. As long as it’s stable, and you can easily live with it, I wouldn’t go under the knife.
-
At the meeting Chuck, my hernia is mostly symptom free so I’m reluctant to trade that for possible effects major surgery can have, although I appreciate the longer you leave things the worse they can get..However one UK (private) consultant did say at this time in my case the risks of surgery would be too high at present..or words to that effect.
Interesting about Tomas, as one of the German surgeons seemed interested in my partner – which I thought was unprofessional really. Also does Tomas do Shouldice and Desarda?
Do you have a link or quote about the group the poor patient started about failed Desarda repair.
-
I frequently beat myself up for double meshing …but they options for tissue repair are so few…and my experiences and experiences of others with US tissue surgeons really scared me off….shall i review?
Peterson -probably my first choice because he advertises so much..and i was ignorant…canceled my first consult…came an hour late to my second…then cut off questions because he was late. Criticized other doctors –a red flag for me—saying he removed mesh from Dr Twofighs patients and Dr Yunis patients….Numerous bad reviews.
Grishkan – Very offputting because he ridiculed other doctors…claimed he fixed a lot of Tomas’s work…claimed peterson was a pompous ass….said that the Sbayi surgery was overkill…just did not seem like a nice guy.
Tomas – didnt consult with him personally…but heard others tell he was checking out their wives…said the shouldice procedure was as bad as mesh…destroyed a few people…one of them even started a facebook page to warn people about the dangers of desarda.
Yunis – Decent guy. Nasty receptionist…really mostly a lap robotic guy who is new to tissue…heards from several that he damaged them with mesh and then refused to see them referring them to pain management…
Sbayi –no experience with him…seems pleasant but known to cut nerves and cut the cremaster.
Shouldice clinic – demanded the death vax…couldnt promise you would see the surgeon of your choice…at the time was cutting the cremsaster and using stainless steel sutures…known to have trainees assist in operations….
Towfigh – pleasant enough…pleasant staff…kudos for running this great forum…dont get the sense she is a tissue expert…doesnt like desarda repair or shouldice–its too tight…prefers the Bassini…which seems out of favor…
maybe i am missing a few….but this is why i think the best option for tissue repairs lie overseas as our friend watchful has concluded..
-
Thanks so much William. I wish there were more posters like you and watchful. This board is pretty dead but it should be hopping. I recall was looking for a comparison between conze and kang. I have not seen conze mentioned much here. Koch and wiese more so. I guess kang is still in the lead. I don’t thing towfigh will interview him because he is not completely fluent in English. Though Stephen could certainly translate. If I were you I would get your hernia fixed asap. Taking more time only makes the op harder.
-
Also I was quite struck by Pinto saying Dr Kang wouldn’t maim you or leave you in pain.
Then there are the posters, two I think it is, who have had both a Shouldice repair and a Dr Kang repair, with both saying Dr Kang was better.
Not a vast number granted but is it just coincidence that both found Dr Kang better?
-
My choice at this moment in time would be to lean towards Dr. Kang, Chuck.
The distance puts me off.
The Germans would be an option as nearer but not sure which one is best. Muschawek has some bad reviews, don’t they all, and not sure she isn’t mote suited to sports ‘hernia’ that aren’t hernias.I wish Dr Towfigh would think about featuring Dr Kang on the YouTube video interviews/discussions.
It would be a great opportunity for people, prospective patients and colleague surgeons, to find out more.
There must be a reason quite a considerable number of hernia talk posters have travelled there other than “marketing” on here.
Log in to reply.