DrEarle
Forum Replies Created
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Weight training with *possible* inguinal hernia
UhOh! Inguinal hernias that can barely be felt almost always do not contain bowel. Femoral hernias in obese patients being a notable exception. Let symptoms guide your activity. Probably the most strain you can put on your groin is coughing and sneezing. I would not worry about your breathing technique. If you want a more detailed exam, see a general surgeon that does hernias for a living. That doesn’t mean you have to get it fixed, but you’ll likely have a higher quality exam and more clear info about options. You can find a surgeon interested in hernia surgery at the Americas Hernia Society website, or ask you primary care doctor. Hope this helps!
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Umbilical hernia question
DS2003 – if it’s causing you problems, then fixing it sooner is probably warranted. If you’re planning to get pregnant, I typically recommend a mesh repair. I have done this several times with a variety of techniques and have had no problems during pregnancy or delivery regarding complications or recurrence. If you don’t use mesh, and you get pregnant, there will be an increased risk that the hernia will come back and you will require another operation to fix it. Hope this helps!
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Mission Complete! Hernia(s) repaired.
Great news. Thanks for the update. DE
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4 years of hip/groin pain. Help!
Given what you have tried so far, a laparoscopic bilateral hernia repair is an option. I have seen small hernias cause pain. More common in women, but I have seen it in men. Could also be a core muscle injury, and there are PT exercises on YouTube you could try to see if this helps. That may be a good next step. Search for sports hernia exercises. Obviously, a more complete evaluation is better than an online forum, but this is a start. Hope this helps!
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Did my Hernia Re-Occur
19 – Hernias can come back again, but the odds are very low. The most likely issue is aggravating tissue in the area as you said. If the pain continues, or gets worse, see your surgeon for a more complete evaluation. Hope this helps!
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Help!
James Bittner at VCU or Adrian Park and his partner Igor Belyansky in Annapolis are all great.
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parietex progrip removal, an exercise in futility?
I do not believe Dr. Meyers does any laparoscopic surgery for hernia repair or mesh removal. Michael Rosen is also on Cleveland. Dr. Ramshaw is now at the Univ of TN in Knoxville. I’d be happy to see you in MA, then we can talk about your chemistry project as well! I’m sure Dr. Towfigh would see you in CA anytime.
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Alternatives to mesh
The two products that would fit best in to that category would be Synecor (WL Gore) and Zenapro (Cook). Both are combo products, and new. Both are probably safe, but have unknown long term results.
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Alternatives to mesh
Chaunce123 – Nobody knows the answers to these questions. Long term follow-up is key, but is very difficult to get. I still hear surgeons tell me their results are great, and they have little or no recurrences, only to find out that it is only their impression. They are convinced every patient with a problem would return to them because they have a good reputation and work in a small town. This of course is not correct, as we know most patients with problems don’t return to their original surgeon for a variety of reasons. DE
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How long did you wait?
Happy to hear you’re doing well. You have experienced what most hernia repair patients experience, but don’t talk about. Thank you for sharing.
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Alternatives to mesh
Agree with Dr. Towfigh. Biological prosthetics don’t actually absorb, rather than remodel with tissue – the same tissue that was likely the cause of the hernia. I like to use the term “non-permanent” when referring to these products as a group.
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Having second thoughts! Input please.
gretarae – The proper way to decide if/how to repair your hernia is to follow a process that takes in to account your individuality, the surgeon’s perspective and ability, and available technology. 1) Identify your goal. Why do you want it fixed? Normalize abdominal wall contour, relief of symptoms, prevention of it getting worse, scar revision, etc. May be a combination of things. 2) Look at you own medical and surgical history, particularly as it relates to complications, especially infection. 3) Look at the details of the hernia – location and size of defect, and sac. 4) Choose a technique that will most likely obtain your goals (which your surgeon should align with) with the least possible risk. 5) Choose a mesh (or not) that best fits with the technique, and your goals. If you follow this, you will make the best decision you can. Will it be right? Only time will tell.
A couple more thoughts:
– There are many types of “component separation” techniques. Make sure you are having one that spares the blood supply coming from the peri-umbilical blood vessels (perforator-sparing). Sparing these blood vessels drastically reduces the risk of skin problems in most studies.
– If recurrence is your biggest goal, go for a permanent prosthetic that is specifically designed for the technique being used, and strong enough to bridge a gap if needed. There are some mesh products that are simply not strong enough to bridge large gaps, such as Physiomesh. While there is no cut-off number, a basic understanding of what features each mesh has will enable the surgeon to use the most appropriate mesh for a given patient’s hernia repair. Many surgeons don’t have a solid understanding of the mesh products available.Hope this helps!
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Pain Diary
I’m sorry you feel that way. It must be awful. If you are really thinking of suicide, you should call 911 for help, or go to an ER. Depression can drive these thoughts, and many times they can be successfully treated, and people feel normal again.
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Pain Diary
Hypnosis therapy and meditation are also alternatives. I like to think of the “alternative” forms of medicine as keys that unlock your CNS potential to cure whatever ails you. We all have different locks, hence need different keys. Unfortunately, we have to find the key that works by trial and error. That means you should keep trying all options until you find the one that works. I believe that if you keep trying, you will in fact find the one that works, and you will get your life back.
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Pain Diary
21Tomlinson – Hang in there my man. Don’t give up. You should consider alternative forms of health care – there are many, and I am no expert in them, but one of them is bound to help. Acupuncture, massage therapy (there are many), holistic medications, naturopathy, and even dietary measures like the paleo diet, among others. If possible, try to get off the narcotics, as they can cause receptor up regulation, and actually make the pain worse in the long run. It doesn’t happen to everyone, but it’s something to consider. Hope this helps!
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Too small to be “real hernia” …. ultrasound vs MRI?
Robo – Neither the ultrasound or MRI are definitive. Be sure however to check the MRI report for evidence of tendon inflammation, especially the adductor tendon. The only definitive way to check for a hernia is an operation, which I would suggest be done laparoscopically. Because the herniated contents may only be a small amount of fat, I usually don’t only place a mesh if I see something, rather decide up front whether or not to do a hernia repair. In my experience, about 60-70% of people get better with this approach. Since pain is your primary problem, it doesn’t make sense to do an open approach, which is known to have a higher risk of post-op pain. So it really boils down to how bad the pain is. If you can take it, and do all your normal stuff, then maybe watch it. If not, then maybe opt for a lap hernia repair with an experienced surgeon that is willing to get on board. Hope this helps!
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Finding no-mesh inguinal hernia surgeons on west coast?
Chaunce123 – it seems easy enough to send out a survey. But by the time you have one validated, it’s very hard to get all that info stored in a single place. It’s one of the things the federal government should have done, and create a single medical record for the US. But that’s a whole other conversation. One thing to consider regarding having your own tissue “heal” to repair a hernia, is that your own tissue is defective, hence the reason you have a hernia in many cases. Using defective tissue to repair a problem caused by defective tissue doesn’t make sense to me.
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Could this be a hernia???
You can’t see endometriosis on any radiological test. IF your pain is cyclical, it is most likely endometriosis. Try Michael Hsu in St. Augustine. He’s a former fellow of mine, and a very good surgeon. It close enough to get a thorough opinion. Tell him I sent you. DE
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top hernia doctors in georgia or tn
Good luck!
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Could this be a hernia???
Dr. Szotek’s post is excellent. If your pain is cyclical, could be endometriosis. If not, lap inguinal hernia repair (in the absence of other findings to explain pain) would be expected to have about a 60-70% chance of some pain relief. The amount and duration of this relief are difficult to predict. It’s tough to find a surgeon to operate, however, without a firm diagnosis, but more are coming on board. Let me know where you live, and perhaps myself and the others can recommend someone for you to see. Hope this helps! DE