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Question About Possible Reurrence Exam
Hey all,
In July 2019, I had a bilateral inguinal TAPP repair with DaVinci assist. Indirect on the right, Direct on the left. In September, while exercising more than usual to lose weight for a new job, I was riding my bike and began to feel a pulling/tugging sensation in my abdomen outside the area of repair. It felt like it was 1-2 inches below my navel. For the next month, I had no pain, but that area felt unsteady. Fast forward to October/November, and I began having pain again that resembled my hernia pain.
I went to my surgeon’s office, and they were unable to find anything on exam that indicated a hernia recurrence. She felt protrusion at my external inguinal ring that “Was so small, it may just be fat”, and it was chalked up to possible athletic pubalgia, and not a hernia. My pain continued, and during a recent covid infection, the pain is worse after the endless coughing.
I’m unable to be seen again for two weeks because of my COVID, and the pain continues. Is there a situation where protrusion at the ring can be anything besides a recurrnce?
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1 Reply
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There are a good number of us in your boat, Nacly. It may be hard to tell what the source of pain is, unfortunately. The mesh has added another variable to the equation, making it difficult. The groin is a region of great complexity.
Being in a similar situation, here’s what I would suggest. I would seek out another opinion w/ respect to recurrence. If none is detected, then ask for cortisone shot to help alleviate the pain. That would help with potential pubalgia, and may help w/ mesh issues as well. Hopefully that will provide you with some lasting relief for whatever may be causing your issues.
FWIW, they say that pubalgia responds pretty well to the injections, but that surgery is the only “real” fix for it. It’s a pretty small, niche market among surgeons, from what I gather. Some major insurance companies treat pubalgia surgery as experimental and won’t cover it, so I hope that your condition can be managed otherwise.
I have a similar scenario, but with no bulge. Lots of inconclusive imaging, too. Corisone helped me immensely for several months, but I recently aggravated it again somehow. Getting another shot next month and hoping for similar results.
Best of luck, and I hope that your condition improves with time.
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