[Damien10]

Dr Brown

What sort of scans should I be looking at to ascertain how suitable the mesh is at present?

Also should I specifically ask for this injection from my GP or would it be recommended based on my symptoms? Is this the same as a cortisone injection?

[Damien10]

Dr Brown

Any experience with male pelvic floor imbalance? I also seem to have problems fully emptying my bowels even with a high fibre diet etc.

I think this may be the root of all my problems as I am taking your word that it is highly improbable that the mesh caused vascular/nerve damage resulting in erectile difficulty.

[Damien10]

Dr Brown

My main complaint is my erectile difficulty. I can ejaculate with minimal discomfort. However whenever I am close to ejaculating there’s a painful sort of pulsating feeling in the area. Also a sort of burning almost like pinching of skin.

Erection wise it is very hard to become erect and stay erect without any stimulation. This wasn’t a problem before my injury. I think I got it from over extending my back during deadlifts. I remember my lower stomach area feeling sore for a couple months. The ultrasound showed an intact hernia mesh but a swollen groin lymph node.

I don’t know if I somehow causes the mesh to come lose and its edges to damage nearby tissues and blood vessels necessary for erectile function etc. Or maybe the mesh curled up around blood vessels?

What are the possibilities of such occuring. I’ve read about people having multiple surgeries and not having this sort of difficulty so it baffles me that one mishap in the gym could cause this much damage. At the time it did feel like a reoccurence.

I had an open inguinal surgery over 10 years ago.

[Damien10]

Anyone in here familiar with the cavernous nerve? Is it possible for the cavernous nerve to interact with or even be damaged by the hernia mesh? Can excess intra abdominal pressure stretch the hernia mesh and this particular nerve?

Can the doctors provide some insight?

[Damien10]

Can inguinal hernia mesh prevent blood flow to the penis or even damage nearby blood vessels that are necessary for erections etc? I’m not familiar with where the mesh is placed and its proximity to surrounding blood vessels. Is this possible?

[Damien10]

I think I may have found the culprit. I shall be bringing this up with my Doctor soon,

I believe that one of two things occured.

One being that I got an injury(scar tissue probably) during my workout resulting in a seroma being formed resulting in the area becoming inflamed etc. This seroma calcified forming some sort of blockage of the spermatic chord.

Another idea I have it that the edge of the mesh somehow sits near or on top of the spermatic chord causing disability. I am a bit sceptical about this because I don’t suffer any debilitating pain and the area is pretty much pain free. Also in the early days constant use of ibuprofen resulted in the pain leaving.

Anyone have any opinions to share especially any experiences with seromas etc.

[Damien10]

Routern,

I didn’t remove the mesh.

After a couple of months, the pain gradually subsided and I also went to the Doctor and did an ultrasound which showed no reoccurence but I did have swollen lymph nodes in the area obviously from irritation etc. I think that was the cause of my pain, possibly the node swelling. It was substantial as well. Over 1cm.

I took Ibuprofen and the pain gradually went away. I don’t know if it was scar tissue pulling away or the mesh cutting/irritating nearby tissues. I did have problems such as painful ejaculation that felt like the area was tense and spasming.

I knew that I placed some intra -abdominal pressure on the area in the preceding days in the gym…mainly from heavy squats and possibly bad form in deadlifts(leaning back too much). What were you lifting? What exercises exactly?

My pain was so bad that I couldn’t even lean back cause it felt like my insides would split in two. It was a constant stabbing pain as well.

Have you considered the possibility of internal injury/irritation causing a seroma to form etc?

[Damien10]

I may have experienced something similar after deadlifting exercises and heavy squats last year. Symptoms included extreme pain in the area and the inability to bend. It basically felt like another hernia. Pain continued for months. I’m guessing either the mesh broke away and irritated nearby tissues etc or scar tissue was pulled apart.

Any problems sexually or say ejaculating?

Remember that the groin area is crucial to sexual function so any pain associated with that should help you understand the problem.

[Damien10]

quote Good intentions:

Thanks Damien. I just saw your other post in your original thread. I plan to make a comment there.

So, another successful open repair. Do you remember any details about type and quantity of mesh? Was it one of the two layer systems or just a single flat piece?

No I don’t know anything about the type of mesh that was put in me. Where I live the healthcare is socialised so you just go to the public hospital and get the operation done. I was also really young and was more concerned with the amount of time that I would miss at the gym. I’m sure I could maybe find out what type of mesh they were using 8-10 years ago etc. I remembered the doctor showing it to me but I wouldn’t be able to differentiate it from any other mesh. I however don’t think it was double sided because it looked really flat at the time. I took about a year off before I resumed any physical activity and then I was always really careful.

I see stories of people returning to the gym etc after 6 weeks post surgery and I think that is risky not just for the surgery but the risk of putting strain on the other side as you inadvertently try to protect your repaired side.

[Damien10]

Had surgery over 9 years ago and my only issue was a day in the gym last year where I did something “wrong” which resulted in extreme pain that pretty much had me flat on my stomach. For months I thought I had another hernia but ultrasound showed nothing more than a swollen lypmh node that no doubt was the result of my injury. I still don’t know if the mesh moved and cut something in me or it was scar tissue coming apart.

[Damien10]

Thanks for your kind words. All functions as far as I am aware have returned to normal. I’m guessing my other “issues” were anxiety based due to the pain I had felt in the past. Today, I’m not in any pain whatsoever but I haven’t been to the gym in over a year so hopefully all is healed. I’m hoping that it was a scar tissue problem and not a mesh coming loose problem. Anyway I shall see in a couple of days when I start back physical activity. This was a wake up call to me that my body is fragile even 9 years after hernia surgery and I need to listen to it more.

Are meshes new? Are there people living with mesh for 30 and 40 years etc? All this mesh talk got me thinking about what the future holds for me as I age…Will the area get weaker and would the mesh disintegrate etc.

[Damien10]

Is it possible for the mesh to damage surounding structures resulting in erectile dysfunction? I had surgery over 9 years ago but I’m now suffering complications following what I thought was scar tissue pulling following a rigourous workout in the gym. I don’t have any pain etc anymore but difficulty attaining and keeping an erection.Could the mesh have broken off and “sliced into tissues” or nerves due to intra-abdominal pressure somehow? This is depressing me

[Damien10]

Is it possible that I am suffering venous leakage? Could the mesh have possibly damaged a blood vessel in the area? Mind you I had an open repair 9 years ago.

My symptoms included swollen lymph node in the groin, pain during ejaculatiom and significantly weaker erections as well as difficulty maintaining an erection without manual stimulation. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. This all started after a bad day at the gym.

[Damien10]

Hi Doc. I hope that all is well.

Is it possible that I may have damaged my suspensory ligament of penis due to over-extending during deadlifts(poor form etc). My The “hernia” pain is none existant but my penis doesn’t get as erect as it used to and the pain does seem to have come from that area. Could this be the cause of my problem? Could the mesh have maybe migrated whilst deadlifting and cut the ligament or something?

[Damien10]

Just a quick update.

I went to the doctor and he did both an examination and ultrasound. Nothing was felt but the ultrasound showed a swollen lymph node in the area so the belief is that it/they were reacting to inflammation in the area. Does that sound like a reasonable diagnosis? All of my symptoms(pain/erectile dysfunction) have pretty much decreased and I haven’t taken any pain medication recently as well. I was taking ibuprofen so I guess that cleared up the inflammation.

[Damien10]

Also

Can it be anything else such as an Abdominal strain, scar tissue injury, sports hernia?

Most likely I would be undergoing the surgery in London when I go there for postgraduate study. The British Hernia Center seems to be the go to place for surgeries of this nature. Anyone familiar with this hospital? My main worry is damage to my testicles etc and any other injury that may cause erectile dysfunction. I am already finding it difficult to maintain an erection obviously this “thing” has begun to have adverse effects.

They claim to use a posterior or pre-peritinoeal approach to a recurrent hernia to avoid scar tissue etc. Is this standard operating procedure for these types of hernias or is this specialist expertise that only a few have? Should I ask my doctors here at home if it’s possible to have this approach for the prospective surgery? It may be up to 15 months before I am able to relocate to London etc so time is of the essence.

I’m sorry if I appear to be spamming this board, seems that recurrent hernias are a rarity so information on surgical approach and treatment is scarce. By the way, I am only 28 years old and haven’t even got around to having children so any complications down there worry me.

Regards

[Damien10]

Thanks for the response Doctor

Would a regular doctor be able to do the appropriate test if there is no bulge etc present.

Where I live there isn’t any hernia specialist so I am wondering if they GP would be able to identify a hernia and request the appropriate test.

I have read other persons’ experiences online where no bulge was present, the doctors were adamant that there wasn’t a hernia.

What should I do or expect my doctor to request? Any questions I should ask?

Regards

[Damien10]

The pain and tension is still there. I’m taking some ibuprofen and the pain has lessen. I am now finding it difficult to get an maintain an erection…would a recurrent inguinal hernia or “sports hernia” cause that? Can I be experiencing some “mesh issues”. I dont feel a bump or even pain when I cough or sneeze etc.

When I do ejaculate, it’s in very minute amounts almost nothing. I am beginning to worry continuously.

Any ideas? I hope to visit the doctor soon but at this time I simply cant afford it.

[Damien10]

Also I don’t have any pain or tension whenever I ejaculate anymore.

[Damien10]

Hi Doc

I don’t have any groin pain.

I am just trying to see if this can be a recurrence.

The area feels weird but I don’t experience any pain whatsoever.

If I get any discomfort then I get it when I bed down and then it’s barely noticeable.

I’m just trying to see if maybe the area was stretched resulting in tissue coming apart etc.

I don’t see or feel any bulges either and pushing down on the area doesn’t result in pain.

Something is definetly different though. When the symptoms started I felt what felt like a burning sensation in my stomach and it was difficult to fully stretch the area. Leaning back was problematic etc.

Now those symptoms have largely disappeared.

If it is a recurrence, would additional mesh be placed etc and the old one removed?

Regards