[ajm222]

Vey sorry to hear that. I’ll have to go back through all of your posts but I’m guessing you’re trying to figure out what went wrong at this point. Hopefully you get it sorted out. I’d have to assume there’s a very specific cause, especially given the consistent location of the pain, and that once understood properly you will have some clear options to get back to normal. Best of luck.

[ajm222]

That’s the million dollar question I guess. I’’d have to think that as long as things are generally improving, albeit slowly, you should be encouraged. And little setbacks here and there are supposed to be fine, too, as scar tissue occasionally breaks up. Sounds like it’’s supposed to take quite a while, and non-mesh tissue repair probably takes even longer. I think after a few months things should be mostly fine unless there’s an underlying problem.

[ajm222]

I frankly feel like getting in and out of bed seems more dangerous than lifting a heavier backpack. But nobody tells you to do anything special when getting in and out of bed except to just be careful and go easy.

[ajm222]

Awesome, thanks, all good to know. And I did chat briefly with Dr. Procter who also said people usually have groin/testicular pain etc for the first couple of weeks. Right now my only real pain is in the right testicle and a little in the groin, but it’s not too bad.

I did get the usual instructions – no vigorous exercise for 4 weeks, no lifting greater than 20 pounds, stool softener while on the pain meds (oxycodone plus acetaminophen- which I stopped taking a couple of days ago actually). And of course they mentioned surgery takes a lot out of the body and expect to be tired. I’m going to take another day off and then probably work from home the remainder of the week. Been walking around the house mostly but will try and walk down the street a bit later. It’s basically been raining all week here.

Good point about the lifting instructions. I was thinking about that myself, and how ‘lifting’ and the amount can really vary depending on the actual movement and force etc. I’ve even heard some surgeons don’t bother placing specific restrictions because there isn’t any good literature proving it’s in fact a danger. Not sure if that’s true, and I’m certainly not going to test it.

[ajm222]

Thanks for the reply. It sounds like most of the pain people end up having is for problems unrelated to mesh failure plus recurrence and more the procedure and the material. My pain is in the groin area but also the right testicle. Though I feel like I had some of that before as well. Really hope it diminishes over time.

People always talk about the pain and recovery after laparoscopic hernia surgery and it seems like it would make sense for much of the pain to be related directly to the area that was ‘fixed’ i.e. the groin and inguinal area, but it sounds like that may not be the case, which is why I worry. But then again I also feel like I’ve heard many say that they had sensations throughout recovery that felt just like the original hernia but then got better. And people talk about being sore when getting out of bed etc and I wonder where they are feeling the soreness. So confusing. Maybe I’m just worrying too much too early in the process. I hardly have any pain any more anywhere except the groin. While the chest and abdominal areas were quite uncomfortable for the first 2-3 days, that seems to have mostly gone away. It’s hardly present at all.

[ajm222]

Thanks! Will do!

[ajm222]

Perfect, thanks! For some reason I thought I’d be given a prescription but I guess they don’t do it that way from what I’ve been reading. Good to know.

I had an inguinal hernia operation with mesh. Laparoscopic using a da Vinci machine. They weren’t sure if it was going to be bilateral but fortunately when he got in there the surgeon said everything on the other side looked fine. Just a few hours ago so i’m sore but otherwise doing fine.

[ajm222]

This actually all sounds pretty typical to me, certainly in my experience. Whether direct or indirect, my understanding is that it doesn’t make much of a difference, certainly in terms of how it’s repaired, but also likely in how it feels. I think only an experienced surgeon would be able to tell for sure. I was actually told I had an indirect hernia by one surgeon, and direct by another. Having surgery tomorrow and won’t even know for sure likely until it’s over. I would just go ahead and get a consultation with an experienced surgeon. If it is a traditional inguinal hernia, I think the only way to avoid more damage is to avoid abdominal pressure – coughing, lifting anything heavy, straining when going to the bathroom, squats, etc. I was told that I could continue running with a hernia and that it might even help to slow its progression by strengthening my core. But ultimately the vast majority of hernias are going to get worse eventually, and they don’t tend to really get appreciably better. I’ve heard that some small ones might potentially never need repair, depending on a variety of factors. But that seems to be the rare exception. Once I noticed mine for the first time a few months ago, it seems to have only gotten slightly worse despite avoiding the aforementioned things. I chose to get the surgery because I was having symptoms and it has limited me somewhat. Much of the time I’m fine, but I have to be careful. And I figured I’d get it repaired while still on the smaller side so as to try and avoid potential complications. Everyone is different, though. Best of luck.

[ajm222]

I think OP said he didn’t have mesh implanted. It was a non-mesh repair, with suspected pain caused purely by scar tissue.

[ajm222]

Dr. Levi Procter, who is a surgeon on this forum and works out of VCU, could be a great option. Also, the surgeon I am preparing to do my surgery with, Dr. Richard Pettit, is locally a hernia specialist.

[ajm222]

quote oqhpeoi2495:

The prior mesh does cause some pain when I do core exercises. To the point I actually had a very thorough ultrasound done to make sure everything was ok. Message me if you need the name of the non-mesh surgeon. It’s not a specialized hernia center, the surgeon is a general surgeon located in Texas.

Thank you. I was mainly just curious about your prior mesh experience. Sounds like most of the time it’s ok but certain movements and exercises cause pain to some degree. I guess this is what people worry about – mesh fixing the original hernia but not getting back to 100%. Obviously some people have much, much worse experiences as well, which seem to be fairly ‘rare’. But experiences like yours seem to be much more common. Glad to know the current situation sounds like it’s going well. I’d always heard the non-mesh repairs had a longer and more difficult recovery.

I personally was considering a non-mesh surgery myself after reading about all the issues people have had with mesh, but all of the surgeons I spoke with said if it were them, they would personally use mesh on themselves if they had a hernia. And I know a couple more surgeons that have actually had the surgery themselves and they used mesh as well. That said, the results of the non-mesh approach seem to be excellent under skilled hands, and you don’t have any of the worries that come with mesh and a foreign body. So I think either is a good option if you have a skilled surgeon involved. Only time will tell how things will end up in any case for any one individual, and complications and pain are possible with either approach and even with the most skilled surgeons. Six of one, half dozen of another. All of which makes the patient’s decision so difficult. Guess you gotta do a little homework, find a good surgeon and then make a decision and commit to it and hope for the best.

Good luck with the rest of your recovery

[ajm222]

so no issues with your prior mesh repair from 18 years ago? that’s good to hear. where did you get the latest surgery?

[ajm222]

Thanks! Maybe you could refresh my memory on the other long term recovery issues. I don’t recall specifically. I know you’ve had complications, but I don’t remember reading about the other issues with recovery. The info about the fluid is helpful. The more stuff I can plan to deal with the better. I’m not expecting to be bouncing around a day later, and I know that even if things go great, I’ve still got to take it easy for a long while.

[ajm222]

I’ve chosen a guy here who uses both bard 3D but also progrip. He uses the latter much more often, and says they actually don’t have any of the Bard right now. He’s know as ‘Mr. Hernia’ around here because it’s one of his specialities (though he also does a lot of cancer-related surgery). He’s highly recommended and well regarded and has done mesh removal before. He’s also been doing hernia operations for decades and used to do a fair number of tissue repairs.

[ajm222]

it’s all definitely concerning though

[ajm222]

i’ll say that i know several people personally who had mesh repair and haven’t had any further issues. some of these had the surgery done 5 or ten years ago, and some almost 20. so i guess it depends. the bigger question is: is non-mesh repair any better.

[ajm222]

Dr. Proctor – out of curiosity, do you tend to recommend mesh repair over non-mesh in a typical inguinal hernia patient? I am about to schedule surgery and it seems most surgeons I have spoken with obviously recommend mesh, even your colleagues. But no one seems to really know for sure what the incidence of recurrence is in non-mesh repairs these days or the complication rates beyond three years or so, and at three years it seems they are similar to mesh repairs. I had considered a non-mesh repair, but it seems most surgeons suggest the incidence of recurrence long-term is probably quite high, especially if you get it when younger like myself. And it sounds like recovery is much worse. And there is the fact that most surgeons rarely do non-mesh repair so the skill level and practice level is low which could impact effectiveness, especially given that it sounds quite complicated.

I know this forum is mostly filled with those who have had problems and a general ‘don’t use mesh ever’ attitude. But from what I can tell the actual surgeons posting here save for maybe one typically recommend mesh for the most part. Just wanted to clear that up and get your opinion on it. Would you generally recommend mesh repair to a younger patient with ‘typical’ inguinal hernia over non-mesh all else being equal, assuming it is done by a skilled and experienced surgeon who is very familiar with inguinal hernia repairs?

Don’t mean to hijack the thread. But it seemed somewhat related. I have a very clear bulge and starting to have symptoms when standing for long periods of time. Mainly just trying to convince myself that getting a mesh repair isn’t a terrible choice , while understanding clearly that complications are an unpredictable possibility.

[ajm222]

quote Momof4:

I totally agree with you and jnomesh about not getting hernias fixed if they aren’t causing any symptoms. You could open up a whole new can of worms and cause pain and problems that didn’t exist. I know femoral hernias need to be repaired due to chance of incarceration, but think Dr. Towfigh has said inguinal hernias that are asymptotic can be monitored. Best of luck with your issue.

Ajm222, to answer your question, I know Dr. Belyansky does mesh and non-mesh repairs, depending on the individual needs of the patient. He specializes in all types of hernias and complex abdominal wall reconstruction. He is a brilliant surgeon and super nice doctor. Also, he does read his own CT scans, but not sure about reading them for no charge if you aren’t an established patient. I was a surgical patient of his and he did read my scans.

Nice, thank you! Just trying to get a sense of whether or not he was totally anti-mesh or anything like that.

[ajm222]

does dr belyanski do any mesh repairs?

[ajm222]

quote wilfred:

Hi Ajm222
Thanks for the response. Bring a dentist myself I like reading journal articles. Are you from Virginia? I graduated from medical college of Virginia (VCU) dental school in Richmond. I still remember during the gross anatomy days while disecting cadaver the instructor showed us the inguinal canal and all the nerves in that area which I never paid much attention as I thought I should only concentrate in head and neck which is my area. But overall I do understand and know the basic anatomy of that area though never had to use in my practice. My surgeon called me today and told me that he never had anyone complained about the kind of symptoms I am having. But all those journal articles or even forums are full of these post op symptoms in the leg or groin. I explained to him clearly that my symptoms are mostly in the area where lateral cutaneous femoral nerve innervates. But in addition I am also having some symptoms at the calf muscles and sole of the foot. Anyway with great difficulty I managed to get an appointment for tomorrow with a neurologist for EMG and nerve conduction test. I was told it is ok to get physical therapy started which I am starting from Friday. I hope and pray that I am out of this saga of post op pain and numbness and can enjoy seeing my own patients and give them 100% of myself the way I used to.

Sent you a private message about RVA and dentistry 🙂 Good luck with the appointments, and hope things continue to improve. Maybe I’ll actually reach out to YOU if I have questions about articles I come across or the anatomy of the area in question! Will be interested to see your progress.

I am trying to plan an inguinal hernia repair (possibly bilateral) myself in the next month or two in town and obviously worried myself about possible complications. I personally know about five people who have had the surgery (all with mesh), including my grandfather decades ago. All but one suggest they recovered 100% (and the exception says he’s still satisfied) but several did have some issues. And oddly enough most said open repair was easier recovery than laparoscopic. Was thinking I’d go with robotic laparoscopic repair but I also know the cost will be ridiculous. I have insurance, but I am certain that would max out all of my deductibles, etc. Wondering if it’s worth it.

I don’t currently have a ton of issues with discomfort and pain, but it seems on the weekends when I am more active and standing a lot, I do have problems. And when I overexert myself or cough or sneeze, it’s uncomfortable. I have a small bump and could probably just wait, but it seems wise to just get it fixed sooner rather than later. I’ve basically come to terms with the fact that non-mesh repair is very hard to come by and almost never done here in the states. And all the surgeons have said they’d have mesh if it were them, and that non-mesh can have complications of it’s own and somewhat more likely to need repair at some point down the road. And any surgeon doing a non-mesh repair isn’t going to have a lot of experience doing it, unless I travel somewhere, which is cost prohibitive.