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Watchful…pinto…mike M or other Kang fans -opinion
Guys so appreciate all your great posts….looking for advice….i was double meshed in 2021….big hernia on the left…nothing on the right …but there was pain…in the inguinal area…no bulge…and ultrasound found a hernia…but it wasnt crystal clear…in retrospect i should have done nothing….but my doc. Carvajal said i had a hernia on the right based on putting his finger on me for a second….the op report says i had a small direct hernia–do you think this report can be trusted? The mesh took care of the pain on the right….when the mesh was removed….the pain came back…two surgeons have examined me and said no hernia…but they didnt do imaging…I think the direct hernia is back and is causing the pain. I spoke to Dr Towfighs office…for 600 she will do an mri and do and email consult…i will have to wait 2 months or longer….I spoke to Stephen kwon…kangs assistant…he said he could get me in tomorrow…Kang also said mri is mostly useless…he diagnoses hernia by exam and by 3d standing ultra sound valsalva….rather than wait another two months and use a dubious diagnostic device and pay 600 for an email….I am tempted to fly direct to kang…if no hernia enjoy korea. Watchful…would your german surgeons be a better option diagnostically? Dr Kang speaks with such confidence i am inclined to trust him…
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This discussion was modified 1 year, 1 month ago by
drtowfigh.
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This discussion was modified 1 year, 1 month ago by
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8 Replies
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Also –
The transparency and willingness to maintain an open forum dedicated to discussions of all types of hernia topics speaks volumes about the character of Dr. Towfigh and her practice. I don’t think this gets mentioned enough on these forums. It is a big risk with limited personal reward but a huge benefit to her patients and all patients seeking hernia repairs. Dr. Towfigh is also a doctor I would trust if I was inclined to seek the type of repair she offers.
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Chuck –
I concur with Pinto on his statement. It goes back to who you trust. I trust Stephen and Dr. Kang 100% based on my research as well as my direct experience. I would not go to anyone else for no mesh tissue repair. Too risky for me especially after hearing all the horror stories. I am convinced there are just a handful of competent no mesh tissue repair doctors left in the world and even less that can operate on a wide variety of patients and hernia scenarios successfully with no mesh.
It is my experience the “Kang Method” is the best “one size fits all” for hernia patients determined to forgo mesh no matter what scenario is in play. That is not to say mesh is better or worse for certain situations as well as the type of mesh surgery.
I was determined not to have mesh surgery under any circumstance as well as no cutting of nerves, cremaster, etc. That limited my choices significantly but also funneled me into the best possible scenario for a doctor for my specific choice.
MRI vs. 3D Ultrasound I am not sure which one is more advantageous for trickier hernias. Based on my layman’s understanding I would trust both scenarios with either doctors and if one ruled it out (and I still had problems) I would follow up with the other method of imaging as a second opinion.
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Chuck, make sure that you investigate the availability and cost of appropriate overseas (Korea) health insurance coverage. If anything goes wrong and you don’t have appropriate coverage then you could face financial pain as well!
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Yeah, my post about the scar tissue was not clear. I just meant that any surgery that you dont really need compromises the tissues such that it’s more dangerous for later surgeries. Maybe that’s not important enough to factor into the decision, but it’s something that might be important to consider.
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Scar tissue shouldn’t be a problem because his pervious surgeries were posterior (lap and robotic), and this one would be anterior.
Still, I agree with not doing anything about it unless the pain is serious enough.
If the pain is too bothersome, I would first try to have it diagnosed (such as with Dr. Towfigh), and worry about where to go for surgery later.
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Chuck, what is the hurry? Is the pain that bad or debilitating? Because of the scar tissue issue, I would be reluctant to have a anything fixed that wasn’t really due.
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Chuck, as you probably learned from experience–there’s no independent data for hernia repair. Most important of all in the decision is trustworthiness. My view is unchanged–you can trust Dr. Kang and Stephen completely. Besides that their hospital is world class, world class, which of course includes testing. Good luck.
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Also, $600- for an MRI AND surgeon consult seems reasonable. Have you looked at what just an MRI costs?
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