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Multiple Surgeries – SECOND OPINION
I am 24 year old male and was fit and physically active until it all started almost 12 months ago. Intense right sided testicle and groin pain, went through the usual ER trips, multiple courses of antibiotics for months until the GP finally ordered an ultrasound and found a right sided 10mm indirect inguinal hernia referred me to a surgeon.
I had the hernia repaired laparoscopically and he took a look at the left side to make sure I didn’t have one on that side aswell (All ok…at the time)
Recovery was rough and I was in constant pain for a good few months, the surgeon decided to go back in and take a look, he found the mesh to be extremely tight, removed some tacs and trimmed the mesh (He also said everything looked perfect otherwise). Worked a treat, I was back to work after 7 days and felt great!
Fast forward a few months until December last year, building a limestone wall I felt a pinch in both the left and right sides. GP ordered an ultrasound on both sides and found I had another small 5mm Indirect Inguinal on the left side and a 10mm DIRECT INGUINAL on the right, at the previous repair site, mesh was not visible in the scan.
The surgeon was not convinced the right sided hernia at the previous repair was actually a hernia, betting his house that it would just be a fatty growth on the mesh and would take a look while repairing the left.
So off i went again, laparoscopic again. he repaired the left 4 weeks ago but was unable to look at the right side because of scar tissue. Recovery for the left has been great, barely any pain at all since week 1. It feels great and i can’t even tell anything was done there.
However the right is still giving me grief, a feeling of fullness off and on and the occasional pinch. After talking with him at the follow up today he is now of the opinion that it could be a “mesh bulge” and he would have to do a minor open surgery to fix the problem and i would be back to work in a couple weeks but he has advised me to give it some time to see if pain improves at all.
I should probably add I am also having right sided hip/lower back stiffness which is made worse by inactivity. Starting to think this could be causing or at least making the problem worse?
So that is where I am at right now, hoping the pain subsides and I can get on with life without needing to be sliced open, AGAIN.
Just wanted to get a second opinion and some advice. Is the surgeon doing the right thing? Is a mesh bulge the most likely scenario?
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1 Reply
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Multiple Surgeries – SECOND OPINION
Hi there.
Any update regarding your situation.
An open exploration to confirm no hernia recurrence is not a bad idea. If there is fat in the canal or a recurrence, the open repair should fix it. If the mesh is bulging into the defect and mimicking hernia symptoms, then an open anterior approach can also address that problem. We see that more often in large build Patient’s or with large/wide hernia defects.
Lastly, there are thee causes for groin pain. This includes hip and back problems.
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