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Mysterious Post-Surgery Swelling
My surgeon tells me that it is not abnormal to have a swelling a year out from surgery (pure tissue, non-mesh, for indirect IH) and that mine is unlikely a recurrence. Of course he cannot speak specifically because the covid pandemic has not made examination possible. Here is what he told me by email:
“It is not abnormal or recurrence at all, as it comes and goes without pain. It can happen to any hernia surgery patient in our experience.”Thus I must conclude that my surgeon has observed swellings a year out that mimic hernia in some frequency; hardly can he be interpreted as saying that my complaint is unheard of. As of yet however I have been unable to get further explanation from my surgeon about the swelling he has observed in others (not me). I want to know what is its cause and general frequency, as well as, generally how long it takes to resolve itself. He reported that there is no medical name for the swelling, just simply swelling. The swelling he speaks about remains a mystery about the questions I’ve posed.
His chief assistant says they don’t mind that I pose my questions here at HerniaTalk. So can anyone end my misery one way or the other by confirming or disconfirming what my surgeon said. Further it would be appreciated if you can answer any of my questions. Thank you.
[PS: I have had this painless swelling for months on the left, coming and going, exiting anytime I am in a lying position. A week ago it seemed to vanish. Yet today it suddenly returned: A jog brought more flesh to my left pelvic area (operation side) and a seemingly hardened shield or cap below the surface while the pelvic area is almost flat. Normally when absent the swelling, the same pelvic area is completely soft without underlying hardness. Generally if I do something moderately athletic, some swelling appears–maybe as if there is a half a pingpong ball underneath. But that always disappears on its own once I am lying down. Recently I had an ultrasound but negative; however I don’t believe it was standard. Getting one will not be easy in my local area for various reasons. While I agree that testing is vital, it does remain unrelated because my present questions concern my surgeon’s report about his patients generally. Thank you for your attention.]
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6 Replies
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Dear Pinto,
It seems that there was a mistake in the delivery of the answer. Bulging that appears about a year after surgery is not considered normal.
I apologize again for not being able to give you a close follow-up of your condition.Best regards,
Yoonsik Kang
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Interesting question, William. From my reading at Cleveland Clinic, lipoma seems to be cyst-like. No, what I have corresponds to my original hernia and is in the same place. Ever since my original hernia I wanted to know what could be an alternative condition. I could find none. This why Dr. Kang’s claim is so interesting. Nearly two years after a hernia operation a lump like the perviously original hernia is not necessarily a hernia? Despite months of emails asking about this, he never clarified his claim. (His claim was not about me but his own observation of such happening sometimes in his patients.) After months of being put off, I had to wonder if it was intentional.
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Could it be a lipoma, Pinto?
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Unfortunately I couldn’t get guidance from our collective membership. Perhaps, Dr. Kang would clarify his statement: a swelling (a visible lump) after surgery that acts like a hernia is still not necessarily one?
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@Scarletville thank you for the post. Did you notice that I, pinto, contributed to that discussion? 🙂 Let me point out also that the link actually relates little because the time frame differs so much. His reporting was immediately after surgery going on to about two months. But my case is approaching two years. Quite a difference. Swelling immediately after surgery is to be expected. But not a protrusion (I suppose). Mine did not immediately happen after. The whole area was numb for about six months.
Anyway, if able, could you explain why that link relates? It escapes me why for example sutures would play a role almost two years out. -
I’ve seen issues like this posted before, so I’ll link one:
https://herniatalk.com/forums/topic/my-personal-7-day-experience-after-2-layer-shouldice-with-absorbable-suturesa/
Reading this will probably give you a good idea of what people would say/suggest to you.My personal 7 day experience after 2-layer Shouldice with absorbable sutures…
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