[ajm222]

yeah, most very small inguinal hernias don’t contain any intestine and just a little bit of fat, which then even recedes when sitting or lying down or being inactive. when my hernia was repaired recently there was in fact nothing in the hernia sac at all while lying on the operating table.

also, your symptoms very much sound like classic IBS (which of course is a diagnosis of exclusion and doesn’t really tell you that something specific is wrong except that the brain/gut connection is sort of messed up). i had a lot of those symptoms, sometimes extreme, for several years. had a lot of tests. they found nothing and just said it was IBS. just getting that diagnosis helped me a lot and eventually most all of the symptoms went away.

[ajm222]

That makes me feel a little better. Mine isn’t painful really. Just obviously hinders movement. And after everything I’ve been through, I’m super sensitive to even the slightest sensation. So moving around with this lump pulling on things and pushing against things is just disconcerting. I think it does also cause a little discomfort or soreness because of the pressure, but not much.

Hope you’re next surgery goes smoothly! I am also hoping this is my last surgery for a long time. But at this point I’m not placing any bets.

[ajm222]

And for anyone with a seroma or lots of swelling, was it really uncomfortable for you walking around until it started getting smaller? Having a large and firm lump in your groin is not the most comfortable thing I’m finding, even in the absence of pain (though today, after a nice night of almost zero discomfort while lying down, I have quite a bit more soreness today in that area – always seems to be how it works – two steps forward and one step back).

[ajm222]

I have the operative report but don’t have any way of knowing what technique was used because I don’t under all the details. He didn’t mention a specific branded repair. In fact prior to surgery he kind of suggested that these repairs all have some similarities and not to get too caught up in the branding and that he would do what was necessary to fix once he saw the situation and condition of the tissue. I’m sure whatever he did was most similar to one of the major types of repairs but I just don’t know which. I will likely ask him when I go for my follow up in a month.

[ajm222]

Thanks again. Seems others had a similar experience and saw relief after several weeks. It’s hard to imagine walking around with this thing for another month or two but if the long term picture is good, I’ll survive. Shouldice and other experts seem to suggest that just waiting for the body to reabsorb them is best as draining them is risking infection.

My biggest worry is that it might somehow compromise the repair, but it doesn’t seem like that typically happens for whatever reason. Maybe it even puts some useful pressure on the stitches, keeping them secure. Ha, probably not.

I’ve been regularly using a heating pad per doctor’s instructions and keeping up with the pain meds for their anti-inflammatory impact. I also probably need to start moving around more. The pressure at night sometimes makes things uncomfortable and difficult to sleep, but otherwise it’s mostly just an annoyance.

[ajm222]

What’s weird though is that ‘edema’ is also normal and common and seems almost the same, but treatment is opposite. Seroma – rest and heat. Edema – cold and activity. What’s a patient supposed to do with that, especially when there’s no real obvious way initially to tell which is which?

[ajm222]

I think that’s true. Mine was general.

[ajm222]

Thanks! That’s very helpful. I can’t believe it was that large and that you lived with that for a while. That’s crazy. So did it eventually totally go away in the sense that you couldn’t outwardly tell you’d had that large of a seroma/hematoma? Was the skin loose? All fine now?

I did come across another post here from someone with a Shouldice repair that developed a large seroma and it took a little over a month and they were very concerned (not surprising as it looks and sometimes feels like another hernia) but it went away and they totally healed. I’m only about 3 1/2 days out but obviously I catastrophize and overthink stuff. And I’ve had nothing but time to sit around and worry for several days. I also think the anesthesia gives me extra anxiety and depression for a while, and recovering from surgery in and of itself is stressful.

Thanks again for the feedback.

[ajm222]

Thank you so much for the great detail, Peter. I had no idea there was even such a thing as a non porous mesh. Interesting. And so sorry to hear about your car.

[ajm222]

I would also love to hear about how big the lump was after surgery. Mine is about the size of the hernia itself at the moment, a little less than 24 hours after surgery. I know swelling is normal, but how much?

[ajm222]

Also, I do think there is a real benefit in getting things repaired sooner rather than later while they are still on the smaller side. More healthy tissue for surgeon to work with. Dr Kang has suggested the same on here.

[ajm222]

I suppose there could also be a benefit to expecting a high level of pain for the first few days or a week and then pleasantly be surprised. I think mild to moderate pain is the most common for the first few days with it getting better shortly after. Severe or very uncomfortable pain is probably a small percentage in the right hands, or with a particularly challenging surgical situation.

[ajm222]

It could be different for local anesthesia compared to general, but I just had surgery yesterday for an open tissue repair (and it’s my third hernia surgery in 5 years – first was mesh, second was mesh removal, both robotic, which I hated because of the whole body swelling), and at my hospital I got some gabapentin when I first arrived which tends to help with preop anxiety and makes you a little sleepy and loopy (but only a little). And shortly before they roll you into the OR, they give you a very nice cocktail of meds to immediately relax you and make you feel good. It usually hits you almost instantly and makes you happy and chatty. Then they start the stuff that puts you to sleep, and that’s it. It’s very easy. Next thing you know you’re waking up after surgery. I’ll also add that it’s been about 17 hours since my surgery and I have almost no pain. I am alternating Tylenol and ibuprofen, but no opioids. So severe pain shouldn’t necessarily be expected. Everyone is different, and it can also depend on surgeon and hospital. But it doesn’t have to be a bad experience. Someone on here recently said they had no pain at all after open tissue repair, and another said it wasn’t bad at all with OTC meds. So it seems common enough that it’s only a mild or moderate pain experience. And any pain you do have even if high tends to improve quickly – 2-3 days and then it starts to quickly fade. I think it’s good, once you’ve decided on surgery, to accept you’re making a good decision and that the surgery is a necessary thing to get you all fixed up, and to try and feel excited and focus on how you will ultimately feel as you heal once you’re past this first few days. And that you might not even experience much pain in the first place. I assume they also give you some feel-good meds if you don’t get general. So either way they’ll likely chemically relax you which honestly is a nice thing. So far (but it’s still early) I’ve much preferred the open tissue repair to the robotic lap experience. Will update when/if that changes.

[ajm222]

Very interesting video. Hadn’t seen that before. Thanks for posting.

I don’t know anyone in the US doing a combo. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.

[ajm222]

I have a cold pack I’m using but haven’t been using it enough. Started later today using it more. They said 20 off, 20 on as needed. But I haven’t been using it but once every hour or two. Need to do it more.

[ajm222]

Thanks. Taking something every 4 hours basically. Alternating between the two.

[ajm222]

That’s really interesting, thanks. I’ve had very little discomfort but lots of swelling. I sent pic to nurse and she’s sharing with surgeon to see if he thinks it’s fine.

[ajm222]

Hopefully in your case it may just mean a longer recovery, but ultimately the same positive outcome. I’d have to think they’re the experts, and so particular about patient selection, that they wouldn’t have taken you as a patient if they didn’t think you’d come out of this anything but 100%. Even in uncomplicated cases, some patients take months and months to fully feel back to normal. As long as there is slow and steady improvement.

[ajm222]

Oh, and there was no lipoma lol.

[ajm222]

Thank you. So I don’t know what he did yet. He went in expecting nothing more than a lipoma on the spermatic cord and some weakness, but I told him I was certain I had a full hernia. I asked if he’d be doing a two layer Shouldice if he found a full hernia, which is what he suggested before. He basically said that all these tissue repairs have a lot of similarities and essentially suggested it depended on what he saw and what made the most sense based on the condition of my tissues. So my wife found out he did find a small indirect hernia (even though bulge seemed big to me). He repaired it with absorbable sutures which we agreed to beforehand because he believes they would be sufficient for my patient profile. But I don’t know precisely what he did to repair it. Awaiting the surgical notes which should be coming soon.